patti

Damn, I thought I was going to get away with slyly not admitting to using canned yams. Busted. Rats. I'd parboil them.

I have one that is very simple, and perhaps less gourmet than you'd like, but it is tried and true. The topping is enough for a 13 x 9 pan of yams. 1 cup chopped pecans 1 cup brown sugar 6 T flour 6 T butter mini marshmallows optional In a small bowl combine pecans, sugar, flour, and butter, blending well. Sprinkle over yams. Top with marshmallows if desired. Bake for 40 minutes or until bubbly. Simple, reliable, but more importantly, very good tasting.

Irodguy, are you back from your trip yet? Did you find some good eats?

Nice report. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment.

Fat Guy's right, the pork chop brine was a bourbon and salt water solution. I would've liked to have seen more of what Paris was binging on and I got a kick out of her bit about the cheesy bread. "Where's the cheesy bread? I ordered cheesy bread!"

Interesting question, and one I'd have answered differently at different stages of my life. First of all, the word 'Cajun' wasn't in popular use in my childhood years. Growing up, the term was 'coonass' and it was more often than not a derogatory term used for people considered less than intelligent who spoke with a thick, sometimes unintelligble accent. Since I didn't have the accent and I didn't live on the wrong side of the tracks, I didn't consider myself Cajun, nor did most of my friends, despite last names like Chaisson, Breaux, Boudreaux, Thibodeaux, Hebert, Arceneaux, Savoy, and Daigle (sounds like a big group in denial ). I was born in New Iberia and my father's ancestors were part of a group of six families from Malaga, Spain, who settled Nueva Iberia back in the late 1700s, at a time when Louisiana was ruled by Spain. The French Acadians had been exiled from Nova Scotia in 1755, but it was a number of years before the great migration to south Louisiana was complete. Eventually, many settled along the Bayou Teche in the New Iberia area. When I look through the records in my family tree, I can see the obvious intermingling of the Spanish and the French names. Eventually, New Iberia was much more French than Spanish, and my grandparents' first language was Cajun French. At family get togethers when I was a child, my grandparents and all of the old aunts and uncles would converse in French when they wanted to talk about things they didn't want us to hear. I'm not sure why my father didn't speak French, but I have a feeling it was because kids in school were physically punished for speaking it. I don't even know if he ever spoke it, but I know he claimed not to know it when questioned, because for many years, there was shame in being Cajun French. Move forward a few years, and the popularity of Cajun food and Cajun music brought about a change in attitude in south Louisiana and it became more socially acceptable and less shameful to be considered a part of this previously looked down upon ethnic group. I married a guy with not only a Cajun last name, but a bit of a Cajun accent. Despite my Spanish maiden name and my Texan mother (almost an ethnicity unto itself), I cook like a Cajun, I'm married to a Cajun, and I grew up in the heart of Acadiana. So you tell me, am I Cajun?

"Fuel" is the kiss of death at my house. It's my husband's term for food that simply fuels the body and nothing else.

My mother once sat down at the table and waited expectantly for our reactions to the meal. We responded with all of the usual, "mmm, good" murmurs, to which she complained in disappointment that she'd hoped to see our faces light up. Being the family of smartasses that we were, we all raised our eyebrows, widened our eyes and our mouths and tried to look as lit up as possible. This became our standard wordless response to any good thing she cooked after that. If my father cooked something, he ALWAYS asked, "Isn't that the best (fill in the blank) you ever ate? And of course, we answered in the affirmative.

(My first time to check out the soft drink forum.) The diet drinks I keep on hand at all times: 1. Diet Dr. Pepper in 16 oz. bottles, placed in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes so that it's frozen just to the slush stage (preferably). 2. Diet Barqs 3. Minute Maid Light Lemonade

Hehe, buttered-rum or egg-nog flavored Jello shots, holiday spirit, and relaxing, how perfect ;). ← You'll know it's a success when your Mom and Dad are doing body shots on the dining room table. Take lots of pics!

My mom was a good cook and her holiday meals were wonderful. She also loved my cooking and not only didn't mind when I brought dishes to meals she hosted, she also welcomed it when I became the family hostess for a number of years. I miss her so much! Rachel, take them by surprise and show up with something with a nice 'wow' factor. How could anyone resist a delicious dish, made with love?

I was wondering that, myself, and checked it out here: Sabbath Mode explanation

Percyn, I don't know which looks more fabulous, the steak or the crab! It all looks absolutely divine.

I've never made them, but there's a current discussion about them in the Southern Food Culture forum, here: Dumplins EDIT: Oops, never mind, I see that you've posted to that thread.

Add two more for me: The Cuisines of Asia: Nine Great Oriental Cuisines by Technique by Jennifer Brennan The Liberal Table, which is a cookbook of recipes collected by Midland County Texas Democrats (not a large group, according to the friend who sent it to me), their families, and friends.

My preference is dijon mustard spread on the hot dog bun, add the dog, top with chili, grated cheese, chopped onions, run under the broiler. Yum. Aren't onions a vegetable?

- first, the fries must be heavy on the black pepper (salted, too, of course) - ketchup - tartar sauce - garlic aioli - dip one by one - never tried malt vinegar, will add it to my list of eGullet recs of things to try

Both Lik-a-Maid and Lik-em-Aid get hits on Google, but further investigation shows that I'm not right, either. It's Lik-m-Aid!

Doc, while I don't doubt that it's more fun to Lik-a-Maid, I think the product was Lik-em-Aid!

"This above all: To thine own bacon be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any bacon."

Has she noticed the dog bumping her elbow when she's eating?

Let me know when you'll be in the area. I haven't been to this place in a long time, but I called today (Alexander's Cabs) and asked if the Sweet Shop was still in business (didn't find it in the Yellow Pages) and if pralines were still being made. He said it is (specifically, "Yeah, Mama still makes 'em"), but you pretty much have to call ahead so the pralines can be made to order. It's in a really dumpy place, so I hope that doesn't scare you off. Either PM me when your plans or solidified or post something here.

I am the same way. I am in shock when my husband mismatches the slices. You have to make a sandwich out of consecutive slices, with the bread facing in the same direction as they were in the loaf. Isn't that obvious? When I was a kid, I went through phases of hating mashed potatoes and hating rice. When I worked my way back to eating them again, it was only if every grain of rice was covered in gravy, and every bit of potato drowned in the stuff. I'm sure I was a pleasure to have at the dinner table.

Sounds like cornbread dressing jambalaya. Please let us know how it goes.

I'll admit that when I've had an envie for stuffing and it's nowhere near holiday time, I've used Stove Top. Tasty and it satisfies me until it's time for the real thing. Also, when I make cornbread dressing, I sometimes add a bag of Pepperidge Farm to my homemade dressing concoction. I could go for some good cornbread dressing right about now.