Louisiana.... Food Network Style

I've been in Louisiana for work recently. With travel to the Pelican State, comes the great tastes of the state. Here are some I have greatly enjoyed in my time here.

Crawfish

The best crawfish I have found come from a roadside stand. I personally go to "Crawfish to Go" on Hwy 171 in Leesville. The two ladies working in there are true Cajuns, and sometimes I feel as if I need a translator to communicate with them. They take credit cards, with work travel, is always a plus. They also make this great dip, which is a mayonnaise based sauce that you get with your mud bugs. The farther into the season it is, the cheaper they get per pound. We are down to 2.49/ lb now, from 3.99 when I was here in February.

Prejeans, Lafayette. I stopped here on my way back from Baton Rouge. I ordered some gumbo. It was fabulous! Spicy, full of seafood. I also got a fried roll with this order. There is nothing quite like fried bread. Imagine a warm, doughnut with no sugar. Sooooooo delicious. They have a live webcam in the restaurant which would have been fun to wave to people at home, had I been prepared. They also have live music in the evenings, but I was there too early.

Parrain's, Baton Rouge.
As mentioned before, I need a translator to speak Cajun. When the front desk worker at the hotel suggested I try "Pie-rans," I was surprised to see the spelling of the restaurant. I had crawfish etoufee here, a salad, and another fabulous fried roll. I was adventurous and ordered the Tabasco Green Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette. WOW. It was one of the best salad dressings I've ever eaten, spicy, sweet, sour...all in one bite. The etoufee had a creamy texture to it, that I absolutely loved.

Easter Crafts

Ryan and I made these Easter treats for lots of our friends and family members. (yes, he really did help) I cut the box with my Cricut and Sure Cuts Alot, using a boxes font I downloaded. It was a great use for lots of older scrapbook papers. We personalized each one with the person's name on it, but it does not that well show in these pictures. We filled them with candy, of course!

Elvis

I am a HUGE Elvis fan. It is a genetic trait passed down on the Cole side of the family. My grandmama, mom and uncle are all huge fans too. Most of my Ipod is Elvis, seriously; and I was born in 1978 when he wasn't even alive. I found this list on Wikipedia of the complete list of songs recorded by Elvis from 1953 to 1977. Man, no wonder he is the King. He recorded TONS of music.

I found this fun quiz on someone's Facebook.

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to 10 people and include me. (That is to say, post it on your own profile rather than replying here, and tag 10 people after the note's done...)

1.Pick Your Artist: Elvis Presley

2.Are you male or female: "Girls, Girls, Girls"

3.Describe yourself: "Polk Salad Annie"

4.How do you feel about yourself: "Are You Lonesome Tonight" (Ryan is traveling this week)

5.Describe where you currently live: "In the Ghetto" (not really, but too funny!)

6.If you could go anywhere, where would you go: "Blue Hawaii"

7.Your best friends are: "T-R-O-U-B-L-E"

8.Your favorite color is: "Violet"

9.You know: "I'll Be Home for Christmas"

10.What's the weather like: "Kentucky Rain"

11.If your life were a TV show, what would it be called? "If Every Day Was Like Christmas"

12.What is the best advice you have to give: "Just a Closer Walk with Thee"

13.If you could change your name, what would it be: "Big Boss Man"

14.What is your favorite food: "Crawfish"