Archive for April, 2010

what should we cook for dinner tonight?

I live in Louisiana, what should we cook?

if it’s not raining grill out! do chicken and corn on the cob and grill zucinni.

"Loo zee anna" What do you think of the state of Louisiana?

What are some of your first thoughts when you hear the state mentioned or see something about it? What are some of your first assumptions when you think of Louisiana people. What do you know about Louisiana culture?
For those who don’t know: No, we aren’t popular for country music. There’s actually nothing "country" about us, unless it is some of the people who’ve moved in from the neighboring states. Even the movies get our accents wrong. =)

As for Katrina, I know no one "mooching" off of the government from it. Trailers were given to residents after Katrina b/c they had no other place to go. *IF* the government actually gets these back they get destroyed, not even used for scraps. Whether someone lives in a Fema Trailer or not is there own business. And for some people, moving on is easier said than done.

But some people just won’t be able to understand unless they go through something similar – which I hope none of you have to do.

I think of it as a laid back, fun loving State.

If I open up a crawfish restraunt that serves Louisiana style crawfish $7.99/ lb. Would you be willing to pay?

My restaurant would also serve blue crabs, dungenees crabs, poor boy sandwiches, raw oyster, jambalaya, etcc…. everything Louisiana style. You will get a choice of Mild, Med, Hot, plus 4 different cajun flavoring for your crawfish, every 2 pound you order, you get a free corn of cob and 1 Sausage.

New question:
If I decided to start off slowly and cook them from home by the pound order over the phone, are you willing to pick it up $5.00/lb?

Bring it on Dannyboy I’m getting Hongry just thinking about it!

I need to travel 750 miles south southwest, how many miles is that from portland maine ?

i need to meet someone half way.what is 750 miles from portland maine traveling to louisiana

A good place to stop would be Harrisonburg, Virginia. From there you could visit some quite historic sites such as New Market, Thomas Jefferson’s home in Monticello and James Monroe’s home. This entire area is full of history and Harrisonburg is full of Quality motels along I-81. Using Harrisonburg is only 653 miles, you could continue on down to the North Carolina area, but my stop would be Harrisonburg

Good luck on you trip.

What are some really Louisiana blues, cajun soundin’ songs/artisit?

I recently went down to New Orleans and I’m trying so hard to find some music like the music I found there. I’m not looking for quantity, but rather really good quality thick New Orleans music. Thanks
Artists or songs would be great.

Zydeco is really the "cajun soundin’" stuff you’re thinking of.Buckwheat Zydeco and Clifton Chenier are probably the two best known zydeco artists.
As far as blues players go – Slim Harpo,Guitar Slim,Sonny Landreth(a personal favorite and probably the best slide guitarist alive) and Monte Montgomery should get you started in the right direction.

Anyone know of a relaxing (and romantic) travel destination close to northwest Louisiana?

We live in northwest Louisiana (near Natchitoches, LA) and would like to spend our anniversary (early July) in a romantic setting. We are only looking at destinations within a 4-5 hour drive because this is not our actual summer vacation; we are taking a cruise later in the summer. Destinations in any of our border states would be great. We would really enjoy going to a spa as part of our trip. Any ideas?

You could go to the Beau Rivage Casino Resort in Biloxi, MS; thay have a nice spa.

How do I download ONE song.It is "You are my Sunshine".It is for a school play.I need music only (NO lyrics)

I’ve tried everything I know of to find this music. I don’t want to join any music site for one song. This is an old song, it is actually the State song of Louisiana. It has been recorded by many artists. More recently it has been referred to as a lullaby. I’ve seached everywhere I can think of. I’ve spent hours looking thru Instrumentsl CD’s at stores.

Go to www.musicalcreations.com – they have a LOT of versions to choose from. Just search for the title you’re looking for.

B & B Inns: The Best Food You'll Ever Eat

Well, some of you Bed & Breakfast innkeepers missed a golden opportunity. I went to websites of inns best known for their food, but no entrees were even mentioned. How can it be that an award-winning inn for their breakfast doesn’t describe any breakfast? So I went to websites that proudly described their dishes. Here are a few of them.

The Buttonwood Inn is in a small New Hampshire town called North Conway, but nothing about their breakfast is small. They may begin with some Pumpkin-Walnut bread or Apricot-Orange scones, Maple Cinnamon rolls, Blueberry-Walnut Crumb Coffee Cake, or warm Fruit Crisp with granola, accompanied by cool, fresh fruit topped with raspberry sauce . That would be enough breakfast for me, but the chef is just getting warmed up. Next comes a savory dish like Mushroom-Sausage and Cheddar Cheese Strata, Scrambled Eggs with Goat Cheese and Chives and a side of roasted Red Bliss Rosemary potatoes. Then comes the sweet entrée: Baked French Toast Casserole with Pecan and Wild Maine Blueberry topping. Or Light Yeasted Belgian waffles under fresh blueberry sauce. Hail to Buttonwood.

Mission Oak Inn of Henry, Illinois offers some wonderful breakfast dishes like French Banana Crepes and fabulous Blueberry Pancakes, but it was their dinners that snapped me to attention. How about a Pizza of roasted chicken, onion, and cheese atop a dreamy creamy sun-dried tomato sauce? Or tender meat medallions served in a cream, brandy, maple and mustard reduction? Or grilled salmon on fresh greens with original sauce and topped by bacon, green onions, parmesan cheese, and walnuts? Or pork tenderloin marinated in apple cider, grilled, then smothered with homemade apple/peach chutney?

Then I happened to catch Jane of the Hawk Valley Retreat on the phone. When I asked about her most popular dishes, her voice became secretive and sultry and she led me lovingly down the list: German Baked Apple Pancakes, Baked Peach French Toast, pancakes with a brown sugar/strawberry compote, Green Onion and Spinach Cheese Quiche with hash brown crust, and Eggs Benedict with her own secret Hollandaise sauce recipe. The names of her entrees didn’t bowl me over. But as she described every detail, every ingredient and spice, I knew cooking isn’t just fun for her, it is a luscious adventure. There’s a difference. Jane is a master of simple baking.

Like many of these top inns, the chefs at the Bloomsbury Inn use only fresh local farm products. I never expected a South Carolina inn to be full of such scientifically talented people. But they’ve experimented with hundreds of dishes, and the creativity of their top picks boggles the imagination: hot apple soup, poached pears and baked peaches with toasted peanut butter rolls, creamed eggs in a puff pastry, baked cinnamon-raisin French toast, toasted bacon-pecan bread, homemade biscuits with chocolate gravy, peppered praline bacon, and their own version of Eggs Benedict: a delicate crème sauce over croissant, wilted spinach, peppered ham, avocado, and poached egg. Exquisite.

Sue of the Harbour Ridge Inn in Osage was not about to be outdone. She emailed me with her choices, and I appreciated the personal attention. Sue serves fruitinis in martini glasses with a white chocolate mousse base on which she slices banana. Then she pours in Chambord-soaked strawberries with a dollop of whipping cream and a mint leaf for garnish. She does the

Bloomsbury Inn one better by nesting her Cinnamon-Raisin French toast atop a whipping cream custard base accompanied by sausage loaf and delicate poached pears in red wine and orange juice. Another popular French toast starts with fresh grilled pineapple slices, country ham, sliced cheese. Add sourdough bread soaked in French toast batter, grilled and served with a strawberry-jalapeno pepper jam. She also makes egg casserole to order with choices of fresh stuff like roasted red peppers, leeks, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, spinach, diced ham, cheeses and fresh basil and dill. I was impressed. Nice email.

The Judge Porter House in Natchitoches (where?), Louisiana it not to be missed. The first course at the judge’s might be peach or apple dumplings, bread pudding with warm maple sauce, Peach Crisp baked with a coconut-pecan topping, Apple Brown Betty topped with vanilla yogurt, pecans, and cinnamon, or Berry Puff Pastry stuffed with fresh berries, drizzled with raspberry sauce, and topped with whipped cream. The second course may include delicious pancakes, waffles or French toast, but I featured those things in other reviews so let me emphasize the egg dishes. One baked egg dish features eggs with savory mushrooms and crème Francais cradled in Black Forest ham crisps. Another favorite is Southwestern egg mixture baked in individual ramekins and topped with hearty salsa. Then there’s the Queen Anne Quiche, but the chef was very hush-hush about it. Guess you’ll have to visit the judge’s to check it out.

The two most attractive things Bed & Breakfasts offer are cozy, top rate lodging and the best breakfast ever. Check out these terrific inns.

Debra Fortosis

Is there any casinos in Louisiana that has a sports book?

No, the only U.S. state with sportsbooks is Nevada.

Are Alligators still protected species in the US?

Jamie Oliver (famous British chef) is cooking Alligator in Louisiana – are they still protected in other parts of the US?

No, the American Alligator is now in the "least concern" category of animal conservation.

A combined effort by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, state wildlife agencies in the South, and the creation of large, commercial alligator farms saved these unique animals. The Endangered Species Act outlawed alligator hunting, allowing the species to rebound in numbers in many areas where it had been depleted. As the alligator began to make a comeback, states established alligator population monitoring programs and used this information to ensure alligator numbers continued to increase. In 1987, the Fish and Wildlife Service pronounced the American alligator fully recovered and consequently removed the animal from the list of endangered species. The Fish and Wildlife Service still regulates the legal trade in alligator skins and products made from them.