"Oh, Kaye!" has a lagniappe up for grabs

Bouchercon is one of my favorite things to do. It's the one time of year I'm able to sit and visit with the people I think of as extended family - my "tribe." 

It takes me a while to get over missing my time with many of these dear to me people once I get back home, and Donald has come to understand the Post B'con Blues. 

This Bouchercon came with the added bonus of being in one of the most fascinating cities you could hope to visit.  New Orleans. There's a mix of the elegant and the tacky that appeals to my whimsical spirit. 

I seemed to see something that I needed to take a picture of every time I turned my head. You can see a lot of these pictures, along with some familiar faces, at my Meanderings and Muses - http://www.meanderingsandmuses.com/2016/09/bouchercon-2016-new-orleans-part-5.html

I love walking down a street lined with sophisticated antique shops and chic art galleries, interspersed with gaudy shops selling cheap tutus and teeshirts. 

I'm in love with New Orleans. I can't wait to get back.

I love and have become quite smitten with the charm of the city, the history, the music, the food, the culture.

A charming New Orleans custom is the giving of a lagniappe, which is generally thought of as a small gift given by some vendors when a customer makes a purchase, or simply as a gesture of goodwill. If you read to the end of today's post, you'll find an opportunity for your own lagniappe. From me to you.

My camera stayed busy capturing street scenes, perfectly prepared and presented food, beautiful architecture, the elegant and the tacky. It wants more. Me too. I don't know when I'll get there, but as my friend Toni McGee Causey says, "New Orleans gets right into your bones and into your blood."  It certainly has done that to me.

I feel like New Orleans still has a lot to say to me, and I want to hear every word. In the meantime, I'm going to be trying my hand at cooking up a few New Orleans staples. 

Here's a couple recipes for some of the most well known New Orleans dishes -

Shrimp Remoulade Sauce

Ingredients:
2 Egg Yolks
4 oz. Sterling Oil
3 Tblsp. Creole Mustard
2 Tblsp. Paprika
2 Tblsp. Catsup
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Cup Celery
1/2 Cup Green Onions
1/4 Cup Parsley
1 Clove Fresh Garlic
1/2 Tsp. White Vinegar
2 Tblsp. Horseradish
Tabasco to Taste
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1 Bay Leaf

Directions:
Puree all the ingredients together in processor.
Serve with your favorite boiled seafood!



Crawfish Etouffee 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 stick butter or margarine
1 medium onion - diced
2 stalks celery - diced
1 small bell pepper - diced
1 lb peeled crawfish tails
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:
Melt butter or margarine.
Add diced onions, celery, and bell pepper.
Saute' on medium heat until vegetables are translucent –approximately 15 minutes.
Add crawfish and Mulate's Cajun Seasoning - stir well.
Cook covered on low heat for approximately 15 minutes.
You may add chopped parsley or green onions just before serving - do whatever you like!
Serve over white rice.
Variation: Add 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup just before adding the crawfish.

And now, Dear Reds, here's my lagniappe.

Leave a comment telling us something about one of your favorite cities. I'll draw a name out of my pink Willie Nelson baseball cap and send you a 5 x 7 or an 8 x 10 (your choice) photo that I took while in New Orleans.


Here it is -

One of the many photos I took while in New Orleans.

If you'd like to be entered in the drawing, please say so in your comment and be sure to leave an email address.