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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.

Brooks, do you mind if I quote you on that? I'm meeting her next week and thought I'd throw your name around.

Holy shit! Those look good.

Yes to the inclusion of lemon zest. Spicy ketchup based cocktail sauce is just fine with me. Ketchup and Thai chili garlic sauce is enough to make me a happy girl.

If you want a lemony sauce, how about a lemon aioli?

Lâche pas la patate. It literally means (in Cajun French) "don't let go of the potato," but the expression is a way of saying "hang in there," or "don't give up."

Swisskaese and Tapenade, thanks so much for your wonderfully educational and entertaining blog. It was a fascinating week, and your hospitality was lovely.

You are most welcome. It does need a little added punch, and I think horseradish would be an excellent choice. I was thinking of Thai Chili Paste, myself. I was too lazy to get out the food processor and did a rough chop of the shrimp by hand. Old Bay would be fine, and don't be timid with it. Serve it with a variety of crackers. If you decide to make it, please let us know how it turns out.

Not only did I taste it, I made it! It's pretty good, but I wish I'd made the effort to find my mother's recipe before doing this. I didn't use canned shrimp at all, but two pounds of absolutely gorgeous gulf shrimp, donated by my BIL, who is an avid shrimper. Other ingredients include cream cheese, mayonnaise, two packets of unflavored gelatin (Knox), chopped celery and scallions, Tabasco sauce, and one can of condensed tomato soup. It doesn't taste exactly like my mother's, and I'm not sure what I'm missing in the recipe. The shrimp were boiled in Louisiana Shrimp and Crab Boil. Honestly, I think the name is what turns people off.

Voila! Shrimp mold, in all of its gelatinous glory:

Don't switch the oven from bake to broil in order to brown the top of the mac 'n cheese and then leave the kitchen to open Christmas presents.

Would it make anyone feel better if it were called Shrimp Mousse?

Rachel, I didn't take a photo of the Christmas day shrimp mold, but just for you, I'll make one myself and photograph it, perhaps for New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. Have no fear, shrimp mold does not contain sweet Jello, but unflavored gelatin, instead.

I feel very lucky. Not only did I get the book for Christmas, I scored Marcelle as a guest speaker! I contacted her about a possible speaking engagement and then found out she was well out of our price range. She later phoned me and offered to do it at no charge! She said she was feeling in the Christmas spirit. I can't wait to meet her and hear her.

I feel like a bad southerner. I don't think I've tried Durkee's Famous Sauce!

← I love Barq's! Their diet root beer is pretty damn good. I guess I forget that it's a regional product. Yep, Evangeline Maid has been a staple for us all of our lives. Sometimes a sandwich made on soft white bread is what I have a craving for. And yes to Zapp's and Blue Bell and Domino Sugar. Domino used to make a product called Liquid Brown Sugar that was great for candy making. I called them after they discontinued it and they insisted I'd get the same results using their regular brown sugar, but my Nut Butter Crunch has never been quite as good. As far as Jack Miller's BBQ sauce, it will do fine for me, but not my husband. We both grew up on a similar sauce made in our tiny hometown of Jennings, LA, called Southern. It used to be easier to get in Lafayette, but I have to hunt for it. My husband protests when I try to substitute Jack Miller's or Pig Stand. He'd prefer nothing if he can't have Southern.

Funny you should mention the appeal to an older crowd; the first place I noticed Bittersweet products was at a small supermarket convenient to my office, whose clientele is mostly older folks, but upscale, rather than rural. Edited to add: Not that rural couldn't be upscale, of course. Around here, it's mostly not.

Hmm, I heard my BIL mention Rabideaux's at Christmas, but I'd never heard of it. Is it a meat market, or a local brand distributed out of Lake Charles? He's in Jennings and shops in Lake Charles pretty often, so maybe that's how he knows it. There are several other things on your list I'll have to give a try. I've seen Konriko Pecan Rice, but I've never had any, nor have I had creole cream cheese. That's not one of John Folse's new products, is it?

I'm sure there are many southern products that I take for granted, having never lived anywhere else, but off the top of my head, here's my list: Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning Steen's Cane Syrup Steen's Cane Vinegar Savoie's Roux Camellia dried beans Community Coffee Trappey's Red Kidney Beans w/Chili Gravy Zatarain's Crab and Shrimp Boil (liquid) Louisiana Crawfish Crab and Shrimp Boil (dry) Southern Barbecue Sauce (very small company, not sold in many locations) Tabasco Pepper Jelly Richard's Smoked Sausage and Andouille

My food related items include a six quart crock pot/slow cooker, David Thompson's "Thai Food," and a new book by Marcelle Bienvenu, Ryan Brasseaux, and Carl Brasseaux called, "Stir the Pot: The History of Cajun Cuisine."

I'll just say that the first time I tasted food from IHOP sober, I was severely disappointed.

I have had GBC a few times, but it was never a part of our holiday dining, particularly not when my mother was cooking. Of course, fried bologna sandwiches on white bread is another matter. For a short time, when I was very young, we lived in a small house owned by my father's boss. One night, as Mom was frying up some bologna for sandwiches, the boss strolled by on his way home. He stopped to chat with Daddy through our open kitchen window, and commented on the wonderful smell of the Canadian bacon (he thought) Mom was cooking. Daddy rushed him away so he wouldn't know what our poor man's supper really was. He laughed about that for years.