Monday, March 7, 2011

I love...

~MARDGRAS!!~

This time of year in New Orleans and its surrounding areas is simply amazing.  There are so many parades to see in the days leading up to (and then of course tomorrow on) Mardi Gras.   It is such a wonderful experience that I feel everyone must do once.  We had the pleasure of living in New Orleans for almost four years and while there, my husband started participating in the Caesar parade.  Since moving, he still takes part when he can and this year was no exception.  My son and I had planned to go (this is family-friendly, I promise I would not put my son in a bad situation) and then I started stressing about food because of his allergies, naps, crazy crowds, and so I decided we would stay home.  I gave my husband strict instructions to take lots of pictures and he did!  The theme for the parade this year was 'When I Grow Up.'  His particular float's theme was 'I Want to be a Rockstar': 


That's him on the left.  :)


Some other floats in the staging area before the parade started:










The crowded streets during the parade:




Since I wasn't able to go on the trip and enjoy the food, I thought it would be perfect to try out some recipes from my New Orleans cookbook.  I am so glad I finally did!  I made these this past Saturday night for dinner and they came out beautifully.  I just scanned the recipes from the cookbook to avoid making this post even longer.  If you are interested in the recipes, just click on them to enlarge.  :)






















This soup was delicious!  We actually ended up having it on Sunday for lunch because by the time I was done making it,  I was too hot and I didn't feel like eating it!  Ha!  We had cheesesteaks on the patio, instead.

This souffle was fantastic.  It was so simple and easy and went perfectly with the soup.

We enjoyed both on our patio on Sunday afternoon.  Absolute perfection:


Now I kind of want to make these:
pastry crowns filled with cheesecake mousse and topped with glazed banana bits


If you have never been, you really owe yourself a trip to New Orleans.  It is way more than just Bourbon Street, boobs, and booze, I promise.
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For some reason, every time my husband is out of town for a few days, I feel the need to paint something.  This time while he was in New Orleans, I gave our laundry room a makeover.  It was long overdue.  I will share that transformation next Monday!


Have a wonderful week!


[ I apologize for the weird spacing.  I have no idea what was going on there, but my laptop almost went through a window a few times.]

12 comments:

Danielle (elleinadspir) said...

I always do a house project when RBB is out of town too! How funny. That dinner looks great. I love red beans and rice.

Rachel@Delight said...

Ooh, what great floats! How cool that he participates in that. New Orleans is such an amazing city. I agree with you that it is way more than what most people think. I find myself defending it often and I have only been a few times. People just kind of assume all you can do there is drink and there is so much more than that. Your food looks great, too! NOLA food cannot be beat. I think I'd weigh 500 lbs if I lived there!

Rachel

Oh, I cannot wait to see your laundry room. Mine is quite depressing.

Val said...

Look at that yummy food!!!! DROOL

Sara said...

I have not gone to Mardi Gras but have been wanting to go. My sister went over teh weekend and had a blast. Your recipes looked yummy! Hope you and your family are well!

Sarah@Designmarc said...

How fun! I went to Mardi Gras once when I was in college and I will be honest...for me, it was all about boobs (showing mine), booze, and Bourbon Street. BUT, now that I am much older and have children of my own, I have been back to NOLA several times and 100% agree with you. It is an amazing city with so much to offer. My kids would love seeing those parades. They are really like no other.

The recipes look delicious. I think I actually have that same cookbook and have never opened it. That will change now. LOL

S

the southern hostess said...

This is something I've always wanted to experience. Some day! The food looks amazing!

torrie said...

That looks absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!!!! That's my favorite kinda meal. I've never been, but Ryan went for work, and I really want to go (all of that delicious food being my #1 motivator, of course =).

christine, just bella said...

Oh! You've got me craving some good southern food now! This brings back some great memories of our trip to NOLA in January - such an amazing place!

Kylie said...

I have to tell you how much more productive I have been since you have started posting only once a week. LOL I used to start my mornings withy our posts and then would get lost going through your links of other blogs. I still miss coming here daily, but I get so much more done. :o)

I have been to Mardi Gras once and it was so much fun! I totally agree with you about New Orleans. It is such a fabulous city, way more to it than just Bourbon St.!

Great pics from your hubs and the food looks fantastic! Kylie

Anonymous said...

thanks so much for stopping by the blog! i've never had a very eventful mardi gras so i'm more than envious of your experience! it looks like so much fun.

ali v. said...

I just got back from NOLA a few weeks ago...and we were able to catch the Krewe du Vieux! It was incredible :) I loved my time there--and am so jealous you got to call it home for a few years. Happy to have stumbled on your blog! Thank you for the recipes :) xoxo {av}

Unknown said...

So, I am Suzanne's long..lost friend from New Orleans! I miss her dearly and stalk this site to hear what she is up to.It was too much fun seeing BJ's pic's from Mardi Gras and I am thinking I may go back home next year. Oh, why do you have (2) irons?