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Kathy, the jambalaya looks delicious! And you can't go wrong using a Mayhaw Man recipe as your guideline. Jambalaya is one of those dishes that can withstand lots of recipe fiddling and still be a successful dish. Were the boys interested in having some?

How about a take on jambalaya using your cubed ham, Chinese sausage, and basmati rice? You can use up some of your canned tomatoes in this dish, too. I've never had Chinese sausage, so I'm not quite sure about its use in this dish. What do you think?

are you sure those are Louisiana crawfish and not Chinese? Those are cheap here too, but I don't buy them on principle. I'll live on shrimp this Lenten season until the prices come down. ← I don't buy them, either, but I was tempted when I saw one pound packages of Louisiana crawfish tails for $18.99 at Albertsons! I decided to use Gulf shrimp from my freezer, instead. I've had boiled crawfish three times this season, but luckily for me, they were comped. The ones I had this past Friday were the perfect size, and really tasty.

The battle between Besh and Batali was good. The secret ingredient - andouille! Man, some of those dishes looked great.

It looks great, kangarool! You really do "rool". Please let us know how the gumbo turns out. Having lived in gumbo (and andouille) country all of my life, I sometimes wonder how much effort and trouble I'd go to in order to get the ingredients that Cajun foods require. I'm always impressed by those who go the extra mile.

Our town has Pelicans on Parade, so they're not really food related. Most of them are forgettable, but there's an Elvis pelican in a retro 50s diner that is pretty damn cute. Edited to add: Here's one I've never seen before: Crawfish Pelican

I knew that! And I don't even have pregnancy as an excuse for my brain drain. Mea culpa!

Rochelle, I've taken great pleasure in your previous writings, particularly your sorority chef blog. I'm happy to see you sharing your culinary adventures with us again. When I read the intro and saw that you'd recently bought a home in Harpers Ferry, I thought maybe you'd bought the house of a friend whose home was sold in the recent past (knowing that the incorporated area of HP is not very large). Anyway, I sent him a link to your blog and while it turns out that you aren't the new owners of his old digs, he asked, "Can you tell her about my favorite waffle recipe, w/ cheddar cheese and bacon on top of the batter before you close the waffle iron?" So I'm passing it on. And now I need to catch up; I'm only on page 2 of this blog! (Edited to correct Rochelle's name!)

← Yes, and I appreciated your linking the interview. It was a worthwhile read. This article also has a photo of him. His interest in wild game continues to live on at Prejean's, and his influence is still felt at a restaurant called Lafayette's. It got off to a shaky start, but Graham turned it around by moving back to Lafayette and taking it over. I wish he'd have stuck around a while longer.

Thanks for the link, Melissa. The interview isn't dated, but he mentions his son being in kindergarten, and our sons must be of similar ages since they were on the same hockey team. My son is now 18.

Awww, I'm very sorry to hear this. I met him when our sons played hockey together a number of years ago, and although I didn't get to know him very well, he seemed very nice. I certainly knew (and enjoyed) his work at Prejean's.

Seriously? Who has that kind of gall? Holy man. Do they mean to invent a new, obnoxious way of saying "converse," or do they just not know that the word to suit their needs already exists? I attend the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (or, as it's called in the movie Dodge Ball, The University of Las Vegas Learning Annex) and "conversate" seems to have captured the fancy of the young'uns (I'm 48). They seem to use it when they wish to impress. Has anyone familar with the show/comedy group "The Kids in the Hall" seen this episode with the "Ascertain" skit? (click on the link, then scroll down for the transcript.--oh, and while you're there, read the transcript for the "Worst Waiter" skit, too!) ← I'm in total agreeance that conversate is quite an annoying non-word. I think conversate is used in a rap song and I've heard agreeance used by Fred Durst (of Limp Bizkit) as well as a couple of other young celebs. Somebody needs to source them some new words.

Up until the upright freezer died two years ago, it was a sixteen year old bag of breast milk. (I wasn't saving it for future use, honest!) Nothing too weird now that I've only got the top freezers in my two fridges. We used to freeze the leftover shells and debris from boiled crawfish so it wouldn't stink up the garbage. No room for that now.

Yes, it's really me. I just joined the eGullet Society and am enjoying it tremendously. The book is available at Barnes & Noble and Lily's in the Oil Center (housed in the Bella Luna store next to the Kitchenary). If you're going to be in Lafayette February 4, there will be a book signing for STIR THE POT at Barnes & Noble at 6:30. A Cajun band will also be on hand as well as some hot boudin to munch on. Come join us. ← Marcelle, welcome to eGullet! It's good to see that you found the place. I hope you explore the other areas of the site, as there are a huge number of interesting and smart foodie people posting here, and tons of fascinating threads. Bienvenu!

I think you were very lucky to find satsumas this late in the season. Ours are long gone, but that photo sure makes me wish we had more. Sounds like you had a successful visit. Glad to read about it.

Marcelle was even more charming than I imagined. She's knowledgable, witty, and a good storyteller. Marcelle, if you're reading this, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us. It was a privilege and a pleasure.

I agree, Jaymes. Shallots, a balsamic reduction, and butter also make a wonderful steak topping.

Would it help if I said it was hellish for three weeks and THEN it was amazingly easy? I'm not saying I was never tempted again. Heck I even smoked a cigarette or two a few years later (and it made me dizzy and nauseated, so I didn't do it again). But after those initial three weeks, it became doable. I had to relearn what to do with my smoking hand when I was on the phone (cigarette and the phone go together very well), after a meal (perfect time to smoke, no?), while putting off the next thing on my list (yeah, I'll do it after this cigarette), while having a drink (alcohol, soda, it all required a cig), first thing in the morning. Etc., etc., etc. Really, I know you're suffering. I know it's painful, and terrible and hard. But you can do it!!!!

Kudos to you all. I sit here in admiration, cheering you all on. I quit smoking many years ago, and I know how hard it is for you guys. Good luck, you're doing a wonderful thing for yourselves AND your families! Oh, and the food ain't bad, either.

My condolences for your loss, eJulia. My paternal grandmother is 94 and still with us. Thanks for starting this thread. Both of my grandmothers were excellent cooks, but the meals we ate at their homes were completely different from one another. Neither set of grandparents was first generation American, nor were their parents, so I must include their locale with the description of their heritage/cooking styles. My maternal grandparents were Texans (probably of English and Irish descent, with a tiny bit of Native American thrown in), and my paternal grandparents were from south Louisiana and of Cajun descent (French speaking, but sort of citified Cajuns, and throw in a Spanish surname). Southern country cooking on one side and home style Cajun cooking on the other. Breakfast with my maternal grandmother always included her homemade biscuits. You could choose from bacon and sausage patties, and your eggs made to order. Her fridge ALWAYS contained a pitcher of sweet tea. Sunday dinners were fried chicken and biscuits, cream gravy, mashed potatoes, and sweet peas, while a weekday meal might be a simple one of pinto beans (seasoned with ham), skillet cornbread, and greens. I have (and still use) the iron skillet she used for small batches of cornbread. One distinct memory is of my grandfather sitting alone (except for the audience of me), eating a late night snack of chicken pot pie and Ritz crackers. Not homemade pot pie, either, but Swanson’s. He loved this combo. I guess it was a guilty pleasure of his. My maternal grandmother, despite being a wonderful cook, offered cereal for breakfast, as well as a bit of café au lait. Sometimes she’d add a little coffee to your cereal and milk, which meant your café au lait was in the bowl! Sounds kind of weird, but it was good. My early food memories include her Boston Cream Pie, fudge, fig preserves, corn macque choux (which I never order in local restaurants, because if they’d ever tasted my grandmother’s version, they’d be ashamed to serve theirs), pork rib jambalaya, and any of her rice’n gravy dishes. My mother and father married very young, and the meals of my earlier childhood reflected her mother’s cooking, but as time went on, she became the compleat Cajun cook, and reflected my paternal grandmother’s cooking.

I am sincerely appreciating your wonderful blog. Thank you.

Y'know, that's exactly what it is--has "Magnaware" stamped right into the bottom. I can't ever remember what I paid for it, but I can tell you it was probably ridiculously cheap. Whoever I got it from obviously didn't realize what they had. ← Magnalite! Favorite of old-fashioned Cajun cooks in south Louisiana. It's good stuff, even better when inherited. Great start, mizducky, can't wait to read more!

I haven't tried Laura's, but I've heard raves from a nephew of mine. I don't know much about Country Cuisine at all. Is it a plate lunch place? Have you tried Ruby's on Rue Louis? Bonefish Grill will not be on my list until the crowds die down (if ever). The place looks packed every time I drive by! Funny you should mention Guidry's. It's been off my radar for years, but only last week I heard two people say good things about it. How was it? There is another Thai place on Kaliste Saloom called, originally enough, "Thai Cuisine." When I can't get to Pimon Thai, it'll do. Sushi wise, there are a couple of new places, but I'm so satisfied with a tiny hole in the wall on Kaliste Saloom called Oishi Sushi, that I haven't tried the others. Anybody else try it? There are only 4 tables inside, so it's geared for to-go orders. Scrumptious.

I've been to 4 of the six on your list in the recent past. Two weeks ago, I had an awesome fried oyster poboy at Old Tyme Grocery. The sandwich was so filling, I have no idea why I ordered fries to go with it. A few months ago I had an overflowing (and good) plate lunch at Dwyer's, a tasty gyro at Cedar's, and I picked up a birthday cake at Poupart's just yesterday. Didn't get a chance to have any, but really, there were many, many things (both sweet and savory) in the bakery that were quite tempting to try. Some of the breads looked to be to-die-for. It's not new, but Soop's in Maurice is still one of my favorite, unassuming but reliably good, off the beaten path kind of places. Last time we went to Black's in Abbeville it was a major, major disappointment. Perhaps new owners. If you like Thai food, then you have to go to Pimon Thai. Mmm, I'm hungry for some Tom Kai Gai and Pork Laarb right now! The Shrimp Pad Thai ain't too shabby, or try whatever the special of the day is. Coyote Blue is a new Mexican restaurant that ain't half bad. The sad thing is a mulititude of new chains have opened up.

Both of my memories involve me being fooled by what I thought I was eating. The first memory took place in my grandmother's kitchen. I was sitting in a high chair, so I must've been fairly young, or at least young enough and small enough to still fit in a high chair. She served me what I thought was spinach (which I loved), but turned out to be mustard greens. Blech! Bitter! Bitter! Bad spinach! Bad Grandma! The second memory was somewhere around the age of 3 or 4. I was at a neighbor's house, and the dad gave me what I thought was a slice of white bread. It was dense, yet light, sweet, and yummy. I told him it was the best bread I ever ate. Um, it was angel food cake.