Today is Shrove Tuesday and in some places it is called Mardi Gras. I have enjoyed my trips to New Orleans in the past and would love to go again. The food and the music are out of this world. Cajun and Creole cooking mix European with Caribbean, African and Indigenous cuisines. A food tour of the French Quarter provided historical origins of several dishes. We sampled gumbo (my fave), muffuletta, po' boys, Calas (rice fritters made for breakfast from leftover rice from the day before), and some cocktails unique to the city. Conference meals included bread pudding in many iterations. Even the phone book had a recipe in the city pages. Items I tracked down were fried catfish, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and crawfish boil. We toured the restaurants where bananas foster and oysters Rockefeller were developed. It was a great place to have a conference about food and society.
Today I planned to make red beans from a recipe that I adapted to get close to the New Orleans version I sampled. I got busy with something else and will need to make that tomorrow. I did make pancakes for supper, though. <smile> One song has been on my mind for a couple of days now -- a song that makes me want to get up and dance. It reminds me of the Cajun music I heard when traveling. I guarantee this one will make you move. Just go with it. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Down at the Twist and Shout -- Mary Chapin Carpenter
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