Well, it’s done. This year’s Mardi Gras gumbo is ready a whole day early. And the house smells absolutely edible! The process went along much faster this time with the help of the blessed food processor I found under the Christmas tree. Those vegetables didn’t stand a chance!

We are celebrating with just a few friends over lunch instead of the usual house-about-to-burst-at-the-seams-for-dinner scenario. I’m glad too because the Louisiana trip didn’t leave me with much energy for playing hostess this year. But I’ve been wanting to tell all about the wonderful food we had down south, and having completed the essential gumbo, it suddenly struck me that Mardi Gras is the perfect day to do it!

Every single day of our trip we asked ourselves “What Louisiana specialty do we want to have today?” The answer to that question often determined which way our feet went! Actually, it even chose the highway we took home. Our first stop was Andre’s Cracklins – I’ll let this link do the talking for what those are about. We bought two bags and had to hide one under the seat so we would be able to save it for my grandmother. Delicious, unique… and everyone will be eating them tomorrow back home. I want some, want some!

As it turns out, it wasn’t hard to give up the cracklins after all. Grandma had a chicken and sausage gumbo hot and ready for us when we walked in the door! Now, I’ve never given out my recipe for gumbo, which giving credit where it’s due is actually my dad’s and his dad’s and his dad’s. Love you, love you, love you! If there is one thing to know about the south, it’s that our men like to cook – and they are awesome! So, I would honestly give you any other recipe, but that one is just… well… mine.

To make up for my well-guarded family secret however, I found a special treat for you – a basic chicken and sausage gumbo recipe from a well-known musician of my hometown! It’s probably just as good as mine, but just don’t go tell my Paw, ok?

First there were the local joints to hit…

Ray’s bakery donuts – Sorry Tim Horton’s, but these really are as good as yours, no matter how hard you hit Krispy Kreme.

Ruby’s breakfast café – Though they were disappointingly slow and the food cold – did you hear the “what happened to the world in six years?” in there – the biscuits were still huge and the best!

Mama’s Fried Chicken for crawfish etoufee, fried crawfish and a shrimp poboy

Boudin… oh, even Emeril’s website has a little article about how fantastic the boudin is around home. We’ve made this successfully here, but the bummer is stuffing the casings. If you ever get your hands on some, take my word for it and put it on the barbeque. My crazy Paran came up with this, and it’s brings out all the flavours in boudin like no other heating method.

And we had to be sure to make all of the fast food we can’t find up here…

Popeyes – twice! Fried chicken, biscuits and red beans and rice. Out of this world. Seriously. Luckily, I’d gotten a dose of this while away from home. We just so happened to book a hotel in New York City with a Popeyes right next door! Same street as the Empire State Building. God is too good! But we have seen them in downtown Toronto – I believe behind the Pantages Theater – and also in Markham. But doing a search on their website says they are also in Abbotsford – Rebecca!!! – Brampton, Coquitlam, Etobicoke, Maple Ridge, Mississauga, North York, Oakville, Scarborough, and Willowdale.

Sonic twice too! I had to educate Mecandes on the subject of chili cheese fries, toasted sandwiches, and cherry limeades. The kids enjoyed the hotdogs on a stick! haha

Chick-Fil-A with its waffle fries and yummy sandwiches

So, then there were the trips to Wal-mart that were really excuses to get more candy bars… M’amazing, Snickers with almonds, White chocolate Reese, Butterfinger, Hostess cupcakes

We made the rounds at all the dance hall restaurants, but DI’s is our total favorite. Some boiled crawfish, blackened catfish to perfection, and the next time the best fried catfish ever!

Mulate’s was interesting because of all the business cards on the ceiling and its famous guest list – Patrick Swayze, Meg Ryan, Ron Howard, Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, Oliver Stone, Huey Lewis and more.

We enjoyed the distinctive and very full of olives muffalutta sandwich in New Orleans while listening to some great jazz.

We did get some beignets from Vermillionville, not to mention that the restaurant there helped make that day pretty much perfect, even including the little bit of rain – it seems we can’t go to any outdoor museum without getting partially wet! But on the buffet for lunch were red beans and rice, gumbo, cornbread, lima beans, and smothered green beans. Mecandes ordered up some fried crawfish and shrimp, and we were all served WARM pecan pie for dessert. Now, I *love* pecan pie, but I had never had it warmed. The first bite was a sizzler on the tongue, but the taste was night and day better over serving it cold. The waiteress confessed that it was her mother’s secret. Yet… she was from Texas!

I hope you get to try these tasty treats one day. For now, have a wonderful Mardi Gras! We all have a big day tomorrow.

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