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I'm from South Louisiana and grew up on gateau du sirop (cane syrup cake). My mom and grandma made it often, always with Steen's Cane Syrup.

OMG! I lived in Houston for a while and boy, do I miss getting my Whataburger fix!

That soup sounds delicious, Library Lady!

I like Poche's, Comeaux's, and Rouses' brands.

I also recommend grilling your boudin. It's divine. And another favorite, but simple way I like to eat it is to remove it from its casing and put onto a po'boy bread with LOTS of Creole mustard and lots of pickles. Yum!

I can cook rice with my eyes closed! RINSE, RINSE, RINSE, then RINSE some more!

Water, pinch of salt, rice. Bring to boil. Cover. 20 minutes on low. No peeking. EVER. I don't use a rice cooker. I typically cook about 8 cups (dry) in my ginormous pot for my annual Mardi Gras party.

Well, I'm a Southerner through and through, and I ADORE okra!

Fried is my favorite way to eat okra, but I totally love smothered okra with tomatoes, okra in gumbo, and a quick "stir-fried" okra with lots of vinegar, S&P. YUM!

For lunch, I pack salads supplemented with chickpeas, cottage cheese, turkey, or eggs. I bring veggies and hummus or an apple and a laughing cow wedge to keep from hitting the vending machine for junk.

I also keep packages of Jay Robb protein shakes in my desk for quick fixes. I keep a carton of soy milk in the fridge and sometimes have oatmeal with raisins as a quick breakfast or snack. (I eat my oats raw, so I don't even need the nuker.)

1) king cake
2) special occasion cakes
3) the food at my Mardi Gras parties (gumbo, red beans, shrimp bread, crawfish etouffee', etc.)
4) beef skewers with chimichurri (Don't know why they are so well liked, but people get sad if they come over for a party and we're not having them)

I adore frog's legs either grilled or fried and have gigged for frogs myself.

I had some fried frog's legs on my last trip home to Louisiana as part of my Semi-Annual Fried Food Binge. :P

I made my husband a hill-shaped cake for his 40th! Decorated it with green rolled fondant, candy rocks, etc.

Darn it all! I was just out there for the Coachella Valley Music festival and missed a chance to get a date shake!

FYI, my Dad loves dates, so I usually ship him an assortment each year from Hadley's. He says they're the best dates he's ever eaten.

@PerkyMac - Thank you and I do understand why you disagreed. I'd probably take heart if someone made a Katrina cocktail. I have learned a valuable lesson that I should think twice before posting things, too.

Luv ya, too!

@sixsonnets, have a happy birthday!

A friend and I turned 35 within a few weeks of one another, so we had a 70s themed, 70th (35 x 2) bday party for ourselves. We asked everyone to come as a person from the 70s or just wearing something that was trendy back then. We had a guessing game where you put a famous 70s person or character on someone's back and each guest had to ask the others questions to figure out just who they might be.

In addition to kitschy things like fondue and bacon wrapped dates, we served Harvey Wallbangers from a punch bowl and a Jonestown Punch (though we made it with grape soda instead of kool aid and also used a lot of vodka), complete with sign, "Please drink the punch. - Jim Jones". That punch was disgusting, but we figured that it would be.

I realize this could be offensive to some, so I apologize in advance for offending anyone. We knew that none of us at the party were affected by the events at Jonestown.

Yup. Gardening is a family tradition for me and I always feel better about what I'm eating when I've grown it myself.

I'm doing all containers this year, but have quite a variety of herbs, veggies, and fruits.
http://gumbeauxkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/03/time-for-kitchen-container-garden.html