December 2005 • Page 2 of 3 • Deep Fried Kudzu

December 22, 2005January 6, 2020

Chateau Sonesta, New Orleans – and Supper at Herbsaint

This was our first stay at the Chateau Sonesta – it was pretty nice; due to the shortage of help, though, there’s no valet, no bell service, no room service, no concierge, etc…..at this or most of the other hotels in the Quarter.

Since it’s the low season, the rates are back to bargain-level (I think the rates in all the hotels that first opened after the storm went sky-high (thanks, LePav) since FEMA and other government agencies were paying the bill – but now that the agency people are settled in and other hotels are opening, there’s a natural increase of supply which is bringing rates back to where they should be for this time of year).

Av and I always-always-always go to New Orleans for a few days in late December – sometimes just three or four days, like this year, and sometimes a week or so. We try to eat at some great restaurants, go to Celebration in the Oaks, walk and talk and shop…and genuinely get to enjoy New Orleans. On Christmas Day, we either go to a kosher restaurant in the Quarter, or one of the great Chinese places around (we’re Jewish – eating Chinese food that day is…tradition) and take in a movie (uh, also…tradition).

We usually stay at the Ritz-Carlton – they always have a special Papa Noel rate and give the guests little presents, but they’re closed for several more months doing renovations. The Chateau Sonesta is adjacent to the back of the R-C on Iberville, and I thought it might be nice to stay there. It wasn’t the Ritz, but it was fine and we had a great time anyway. Here are some pics of our room:

—
We had a great time, and one of the better suppers we had – due to the amazing entrees – was at Herbsaint on St. Charles, not far from Lee Circle. It was opened by Susan Spicer (one of my friends is a huge Susan Spicer fan – she used to have this wonderful, wonderful little shop in the warehouse district with gourmet food that was available for take-out, but it closed a few years ago), and the chef is Donald Link.

I started with the tomato shrimp bisque (disappointment) and Av had the gumbo (okay). For our entrees, I had the “Muscovy Duck Leg Confit with Dirty Rice and Citrus Gastrique” which was sooooo amazing – the best duck, ever. Av had the “Pan Roasted Farm Chicken with Crawfish Risotto, Mustard Greens and Lobster Broth” which was also just amazing. For dessert, I had the “Banana Brown Butter Tart” which was very, very good but would have been better with either more banana or no banana at all. The flavored crème fraîche on top was just weird, though. Av had the “Warm Chocolate Beignets” which he said were just okay. For cocktails, we had a Sazerac (with a name like Herbsaint…), and a Pimm’s Cup.

December 22, 2005

Celebration in the Oaks, New Orleans

Well, Celebration in the Oaks was different this year – no waiting in the car forever to drive through with the sunroof open, looking above at all the pretty lights. This year, because of….everything….it was just for people to walk through, which was perfectly fine with me. Here are a few pics (and a little tiny movie file) of it:

Here’s a huge tree made with poinsettias:

There were still lots of lights and pretty things to look at:

The different schools decorated trees:

I liked the display with the different neighborhoods – they had model trains and streetcars on tracks going around, too:

There was this fabulous, fabulous, display of ‘A Cajun Night Before Christmas’. The book is sold here at Amazon.

…and of course, Mr. Bingle!

December 21, 2005August 17, 2017

Perdido Beach Resort, Orange Beach AL

Av and I stayed a couple of days last week at the Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach. We’ve stayed here a couple of times in the past. If we had been spending more than two days, we would have booked a condo at The Beach Club at Gulf Shores, which is just fabulous!

In the lobby at the Perdido Beach Resort, they have these great mosaics that are back-lit:

Since it’s the Christmas season, they had their big tree up – pretty….

…they also had a small display of gingerbread houses:

This was our room, below:

It was okay, nothing spectacular, but of course it’s at a great rate because this is the super-low season at the beach. The hotel is scheduled to be renovating the rooms later in January.

This is the pool area at night:

…and during the day. Pretty!

This is the view of the beach from our hotel room:

Overall, we had a nice stay. We had supper one night at Lambert’s Cafe in Foley, a place we always go to whenever we’re around Orange Beach/Gulf Shores. It’s really fun!

The next day, we got up and had an early lunch at McGuire’s in Pensacola (it’s only about a 35-minute drive from our hotel) which was wonderful as always! We really wanted to play silly golf somewhere, but it just didn’t work out with Av’s schedule (I’m not even sure if they were open anyway). We did spend about an hour (but didn’t buy anything!) at the outlet shops in Foley – they have a Coach store, Gail Pittman, J. Crew, Noritake, and tons of other shops.

December 12, 2005January 6, 2020

New Yarn – So Pretty Laines Du Nord

Late last week, I went with one of my friends to Knit Nouveau in Old Town Helena, Alabama. My friend bought yarn to make a blanket (it’s going to be *so* pretty), and I bought – as usual(!) – yarn to make more scarves.

Here’s what I got:
Berroco Suede color #3729 (it’s ribbon in black but not super-black) – I’ll be knitting this with one of the yarns I already have.

Berroco Lazer FX #6002 (it’s yarn with sequins that is *so pretty* when it’s knitted with other shiny yarns – I did one of my pink scarves with it, and it’s just really nice) – I don’t have plans for what I’ll be knitting it with, but I definitely wanted to get more of it.

Two Balls of Linie 129 Logo (it’s the brown nubby yarn below)

…and three different yarns of complementary hues that will go together into a scarf:
Laines Du Nord – Cocotte (it’s the chunky wool with a little tiny ribbon twisted through it)
Laines Du Nord – Kiddy Print (it’s the kid mohair yarn)
Laines Du Nord – Opaline (it’s the chunky boucle)

Pretty!

My latest finished project – it’s Crystal Palace Yarns in Splash #7189 Tidepool. I knitted this on #17 needles, and really like it. Soft!

December 12, 2005January 6, 2020

Fleece Scarves in Team Colors

I decided to try making some fleece scarves in team colors – specifically the orange and navy blue of Av’s alma mater, UVA. They’ll be perfect for our next football game!

I bought one yard each of orange and navy blue, and a spool of navy thread to match the fleece.

I made two different types of scarves, one for the men in our family and one for the girls. Below is a pic of cutting a 5-1/2″ strip the length of the fabric (36″ is a pretty good length for a scarf) for the girls’ design. I cut the guys’ scarves 10″ wide.

Okay, I know this picture below looks a little sloppy, but that’s what’s so neat about this project – that the tiny imperfections in the ability to cut or sew completely straight (I didn’t use pins) won’t screw it up. What you do is sew a tube – so you just sew along one edge, then the other, leaving a 1/2″-1″ border (but try to stick to one or the other). When you’ve accomplished that, just turn it inside out so your seams disappear.

Below: here it is, turned inside-out so it’s correct now. I sewed a line across both ends….

…then cut so that there was 1″ of fabric below the line I sewed, then I just made little cuts almost up to the line, through both layers of fabric, at 1″ intervals.

For the more feminine scarves, I just sewed a line right down the center of both layers of fabric (together):

Then I moved over to the sofa and cut fringe at about 1″ or so intervals:

Below:…and here it is, all done! It’s nice and a little poofy, and very fun-looking. I can’t wait to wear it! Wah-hoo-wah!

December 9, 2005January 6, 2020

Salmon with Salsa Verde Mayonnaise from Donna Hay Magazine

My latest Donna Hay magazine is issue #23, Spring ( Spring is from September to November in Australia, where the magazine is published). One of the lighter dishes is for ‘salmon with salsa verde mayonnaise’, so I made that for supper tonight.

Here’s the recipe for the salsa verde:
1/2 c. dill leaves
1 c. flat-leaf parsley leaves (although I used curly)
1/2 c. mint leaves
2 tbsp. capers
4 anchovy fillets chopped, optional (I used the whole can of Roland anchovies, which I think had 8 inside)
1 garlic clove
black pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 c. olive oil

…then, just chop all the dry ingredients into small pieces, and add the olive oil and lemon juice. I really liked the way it tasted ‘bright’ and fresh.

I cooked two types of salmon for my and Av’s supper. We had two fillets of bourbon salmon (it’s just marinated in a little pineapple juice, soy sauce, and bourbon with some green onion tops) and one fillet of just regular salmon. I broil this on high about five minutes, then turn over and broil another three or four minutes. The worst thing you can do is overcook these, so watch them carefully to make sure they come out really nice and perhaps if anything, a little underdone.

Below is a pic of the cooked salmon going on the plate. I’ve put some of the salsa verde mayonnaise on my half of the regular cooked salmon filet. To make the salsa verde into a mayonnaise, just add a little regular mayonnaise (I like Duke’s) to the mixture – soooo easy. Very nice!