The restaurant was fairly busy but we were able to get a table quickly.  The place had a very and casual atmosphere, with lots of patrons enjoying their food and the cocktails that flowed from the very busy bar.   Being that we were hungry, Natalie had the fabulous idea of ordering gator bites.  I have had gator before and it can sometimes be tough and chewy, but this was buttery soft and fresh, and was served with a spicy mustard that I literally could have eaten my weight in.  (special thanks to Natalie for snapping all of these pictures for me!)

Next came the entrees.  Kelly had a Cajun pasta that looked delicious.  Natalie had shrimp and grits that came stacked up with fried green tomatoes and smothered in some sort of creamy sauce.  I picked the Big Easy po boy that came complete with shrimp, remoulade, and fried green tomatoes.  It was so huge there was no eating with your hands.  We all sampled each other dishes, and I can tell you they were all a good decision.

cajun pasta

shrimp and grits

Big Easy Po Boy

I had decided pretty much before I had even ordered my entree that I was going to order bread pudding, but ONLY if Natalie and Kelly would share.  They of course needed tons of begging to help me with this (feel the sarcasm).  The pudding came and was filled with peaches and raisins, and covered in a creamy rum sauce, and was a perfect way to end an authentic New Orleans meal.

bread pudding

There were more food adventures at Pat O’Brien’s on Saturday night, but I was too hungry to even remember the idea of getting pix (I’m sure the giant Hurricane cocktails they serve had nothing to do with it).  It was also delicious New Orleans fare, and overall I have to say my NOLA experience was filled with good food and great people, and I literally can’t wait to go back!

I was scheduled to meet up with my partners in crime, Kelly and Natalie in Pineville, but before I got all the way there, I did a little detour into Natchitoches, home to world famous meat pies (and an amazing Christmas festival).  I knew that anywhere I stopped that wasn’t a fast food place would have a meat pie of some variety, and I rolled into an Exxon that did not disappoint.  It advertised boudin balls, meat pies, and fresh cracklins.  Not the hard kind you find in your local grocery store, but the real kind, which are a staple in Louisiana.

the cracklins stand

I went in and discovered that this is apparently a fairly popular place, with a long line of people waiting for some of the fried goodies in the deli case, which had a constantly rotating flow of all things greasy and delicious.  There were corn nuggets, and whole fried corn on the cob, meat pies, and crawfish pies.  However, the big deal in that particular gas station appeared to be…………..gizzards.

various meat filled dough products

I don’t eat gizzards, and after I get done with this post I am probably going to have to get on Google and see just exactly where a gizzard is located on a chicken (at least I think it comes from a chicken).  Every person in the line besides me ordered gizzards, and one woman even yelled, “IS THAT FRESH GIZZARDS???!!!!” when a new tray came out.  I played it somewhat safe and got a crawfish pie, which was like an empanada stuffed with crawfish, rice, celery, and onions.  It was kind of like a thick gumbo encased in a crispy fried pie shell.  So I left Natchitoches with my crawfish pie and a serving of corn nuggets, and headed to Pineville, where Kelly and Natalie would lead me on to further food adventures in New Orleans.  Come back tomorrow and read about all the delicious food (and cocktails) we filled up with in the French Quarter!

Today would have been my grandfather’s anniversary to my grandmother. That I am certain of. They were married 53 years when she passed suddenly. Not a day went by that he didn’t think of her. Even in his scattered thoughts while suffering from dementia, he thought he was talking to her. Maybe that was worth it.

He died three years ago today. On his anniversary, as I was about to make a cake with sprinkles for the alzheimers ward to share. He was found and we were called. Not a day goes by that we don’t think of him. It  might be when we remember fishing trips, or junk auctions, or silly practical jokes. We also laugh about his fondness for food. He loved pittsburg hotlinks ( another fire setting adventure for Joy. This time a microwave was involved) He hated garlic with a passion. He swore his stove didn’t work right after my aunt cooked with it.

He also loved peanut butter cookies. He liked them better than any chocolate and I have a recipe that was one of his favorites. I’ll make this and remember him. His birth, his life with my grandmother, and his passing. Wish he was here to celebrate with us.

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

• 1 Cup of sugar
• 1 Cup of Peanut Butter
• 1 egg

Mix well and roll into balls. Mash slightly with a fork. Bake at 350º for 12 minutes.

Janelle, wearing their motto.

We ordered the special, and with that comes an appetizer.  We couldn’t decide so we got fried pickles and fried green tomatoes.  Both were a very good decision.  They were light and crispy, which is not always an easy thing to accomplish when you are frying veggies.

I ordered a salad with grilled chicken.  It was perfect.  I hesitated because I am very very very picky about the chicken that goes on chicken salads.  All too often restaurants use some sort of rubbery mess that comes frozen out of a bag, but this was fresh and delicious.

Rod pretty much always gets a chicken fried steak or a burger, but he surprised everybody by ordering a chicken breast smothered in ham, cheese, and onions; a sort of deconstructed chicken cordon bleu if you will.  And again to everybody’s surprise Rod enjoyed his meal.

Boo was the only one to order a burger at the place that claims to have the best, and she chose the Green Tomato Burger, which places a fried green tomato in place of a raw red one.

Not only was it delicious according to her, it was so big that Rod had to take up the slack and finish the other half of it.

Did I mention that our special came with dessert?   Boo got her usual ice cream (not part of the special) and we split a homemade sopapilla cheesecake.  It was delicious.

The special was an appetizer, two entrees, and a dessert for $12.99.  We think that’s a steal, especially considering the great taste and portion sizes.  This restaurant is the kind of place that has a friendly diner atmosphere and eclectic clientele that give it a unique ambiance to match the food.  Visit their Facebook and then visit them in person!

She also brought cabbage.

The meal wouldn't be complete without her beans and cornbread.

I realize how lucky I am to have such an amazing moth-in-law. A friend said I was spoiled but I like to say that I am blessed. I asked Ninny for her salmon recipe. My aversion to it is the process of picking out the bones. I obsess about it and never feel I get them all out, aside from it turning my stomach. But here is how she does it.

• 1 can of salmon
• 2 eggs
• sleeve of crackers
• onion
• corn meal for rolling them in

The first thing she does is debone the salmon. The more expensive kind you buy, the less bones you have. Then she adds the eggs, about half an onion, and crushed crackers until it is firm enough to roll into patties. Then the patties are dredged in corn meal and fried in hot oil until browned. Sounds easy?

I’m just thankful to have Ninny.

Boo, meet cupcake.

Our first stop was for a diet vanilla coke and a cherry sprite.

Joy loves all beauty shops, but Peggy's is high on her list.

Rah Rah Ree!

I'm not touching it!

Somehow we ended up far away from the mall.

Our mission: Herding donkeys.

Dad and Mason, both unsure of what they were doing.

More family to celebrate Joy's birthday and herd donkeys.

The keeper of the cupcake neglected his duties, playing instead

Sadly, it was the end of cupcake.  It wasn’t the end of our fun though. We continued to celebrate Joy’s birthday with our cupcakes and a quick trip to the mall. It could have only been better if Joy had been here herself.

Then in the fall of ‘77, Mama had knee surgery.  I have no idea what it’s like but I know it’s hard to recover from even these days, and I am sure knee surgery was less than fun to deal with way back then.  Several months into her recovery, her doctor decided he needed to X-ray her and see how she was progressing, but in order to do that, he needed to make sure she wasn’t carrying a bun in the oven.  One thwarted X-ray later, Mama was told that she was in fact, having a 4th baby.  Needless to say this took EVERYBODY in our family by surprise.  My parents had kids that were 9, 11, and 13 by the time I came along, and they totally thought they were done with kids until I popped up.

Mama was actually about half way through being pregnant when she found out I was hiding in there, so clearly they were fairly unprepared for my arrival.  The day I was born, Dena was waiting anxiously in the waiting area and our brothers, Scott and Chad were running amok on the hospital elevators.  Finally, I was wheeled into the waiting area in my little bassinet for the world to see.  Being unready for me get there, Mama and Daddy had apparently forgotten one slightly major detail………………….a name.  Upon trying to take me from the hospital, one of the nurses told Daddy that I had to stay there until I had a name on the birth certificate.  Daddy instructed her to “hide and watch me take her out of her.”  And with that I was taken home, with the legal name Baby Girl Langdon.  (They fixed it a year later)

And now here I am 32 years later, telling your this story and sharing one of my favorite recipes with you.  My favorite cake for my birthday is yellow cake.  NOT yellow cake from a bakery, but cake right out of the box.  I have no idea why, but I love it.  The only way I could love it more, is by making it into a delicious cookie!  All you need is a box of yellow cake mix, 2 eggs, and a half a cup of oil.  I use canola but vegetable oil would work just fine.  Go through the dry cake mix and fork out any lumps, then hand mix the oil and eggs in.  If you use a mixer, the cookies will be way tough.  Then, mix in about half a package of chocolate chips.  I personally prefer Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips (I never did understand the point of a semi-sweet chip), but you can use whatever brand you prefer.  Once it’s mixed, stick it in the fridge for about 20 minutes, because the cookies will bake better from chilled dough.  Spoon them out about a tablespoon at a time, roll them into balls and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, more or less depending on your oven.  It usually makes about 2 dozen cookies.  As a side note, you can do this with any flavor of cake mix, and you can add anything you want into the dough, or frost them once they’re baked.  It’s pretty much the easiest cookies ever.

the finished product

Enjoy a batch, and feel free to do as I do and tell people the recipe to these is so complicated you can’t possibly remember it off the top of your head

Someone is having a birthday soon….