Author: Cindy

  • French Quarter Fest

    The French Quarter Festival is the intro to New Orleans’ jam packed spring season, and of course we were there!  In its 30th year, it’s the largest free music festival in the southeast.  We hit the event rather late on its Saturday afternoon.  With rain the day before and more predicted, a whopping 303,000 people…

  • How to Boil Crawfish

    Crawfish boils are a rite of spring in New Orleans.  They combine two of our favorite activities – eating good food and visiting with friends.  We recently spent a picture perfect Saturday afternoon in a beautiful setting eating to our heart’s content.  Here’s the star of the show. We are lucky here to have boiled…

  • City of the Dead

    As Easter approaches our thoughts turn to loved ones who are no longer with us.  I made a trip recently to Metairie Cemetery, where my family is buried, to place flowers on the tombs.  While newer than a number of the city’s cemeteries, it is one of the largest and most historic. It was previously…

  • Fish on Friday

    New Orleans is a very Catholic city.  I’m not Catholic, but I heartily endorse one of the faith’s tenets – the “sacrifice” of eating seafood as opposed to meat.  On a recent Friday during Lent, I decided to honor the occasion by featuring Louisiana specialties from the sea. For starters, we had Crawfish Bisque.  I…

  • Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon

    On a recent Sunday morning 16,000 runners from all 50 states and 23 foreign countries took to the New Orleans streets.  My running days are over, but I can’t resist going to cheer them on, and sympathize with their pain.  It was a perfect, cool winter day, with the sun peeking over the oak trees…

  • Throw Me a Cabbage!

    We have lots of folks of Irish ancestry in New Orleans.  Irish immigrants in the 19th century dug the canals that drain the city, and we will forever be grateful for their backbreaking contributions.  It is no surprise that we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with not one, but four parades – Uptown (starting in the…

  • Cream Soup a la John Besh

    I attended a program last week featuring the noted chef John Besh as speaker.   A native son, he is “dedicated to promoting the foodways of Southern Louisiana”.  Chef Besh owns nine restaurants and hosts a syndicated TV show, but he gets equal satisfaction from cooking for his wife and four sons.   He prepared cream…

  • Container Veggies

    March 2 is the last spring frost date in New Orleans, and I usually try to get my first vegetables planted around then to beat the summer heat.  That was my project for a recent cold weekend, with lows in the mid-30’s but no frost.  Since yards in the old part of town tend to…

  • Rex Paraphernalia

    Rex (or the School of Design as it is officially named) is the big parade on Mardi Gras day.  Its monarch serves as the King of Carnival.  The organization is quite civic in nature, with its Pro Bono Publico foundation donating over two million dollars to local public school initiatives since its inception.  Over the…

  • Deck the Halls with Carnival Color

    Carnival parades start in earnest this weekend, so I figured it was about time to decorate the house.  Purple, green and gold (especially purple) tends to clash with my décor, so the challenge is to achieve a festive look that you can live with for a couple of weeks. Here is the dining room centerpiece,…

  • Dancin’ to the Mardi Gras

    Music is the essence of Mardi Gras – you can’t have a parade, a carnival ball, or even a party without it.  Our carnival music reflects our joie de vivre spirit, our desire to let the good times roll.  The classic hits range from funk to R&B to brass band, but they have one thing…

  • Report from the Rex Den

    The central command post for the Rex parade is housed in a nondescript industrial building.  For most of the year it just serves as a workshop for float construction, but really comes alive with activity as Mardi Gras day approaches.  I recently attended “Ladies Day at the Den”, and wanted to share some photos with…

  • Costume de Rigueur

    Invitations to old line Carnival balls invariably contain the phrase “costume de rigueur”.   You may know the attire for men under such terms as “full dress”, “white tie”, or “tails”.  For ladies it means a floor length evening gown – no tea length or dressy pants permitted. Ladies have it easy, but the process of…

  • No Bake King Cake

    Have you ever wanted to make a Mardi Gras king cake but were turned off by the complicated yeast bread recipes?  Here’s a quickie recipe with beautiful results – and no cooking necessary. I attended a presentation today given by Cindy Pagragan of Cindy’s Sweet Sensations.  She showed us slides of her exquisite novelty and…

  • Mardi Gras Tablescapes (and Valentine’s Too)

    New Orleans is in for a busy holiday period, with Valentine’s Day coming just two days after Mardi Gras.  My friend Sherry, a talented designer, gave an inspiring presentation today on festive table ideas. Sherry had great advice for us novice decorators.  Don’t be afraid to experiment.  Shop from your closets and attics first, and…