10 Great Foods at New Orleans "Jazz Fest"

You won't see food vendors with names like Emeril Lagasse, Paul Prudhomme, Leah Chase, Susan Spicer or other chef celebrities at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival 2013 (aka Jazz Fest), which runs Friday, April 26th to Sunday, May 5th this year, but you will find some truly delicious N'Awlins culinary classics and awesome music, and crafts. Experts say Jazz Fest attracts more food lovers than any other New Orleans event, Mardi Gras included.

New Orleans Jazzfest Food Court, April 27, 2012 (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

Like handicapping your agenda for a five year old at the Magical Kingdom at Disney, navigating the gigantic fairgrounds can be challenging for the uninitiated.  Festival goers need to be strategic about which of the 11 music stages to grab a seat at and when, and which of the 60 vendors to dine with.  Projected attendance is estimated at 400,000 fans over the seven days of events.

Operated by independent restaurants and caterers from Louisiana, some of which have snagged a highly coveted place at Jazz Fest for decades, the offering is a totally unique menu of local foods, including alligator, trout, crawfish, sweet potatoes, made with lots of spice, love and soul. 

Follow your nose and your stomach,  or follow the crowd -- the longer the line the more popular the dish. Here are some of my top 10 favorites in 2012 (servings are generous so don't forget to share).  

1) Crawfish Monica® is probably the most famous Jazz Fest dish. Pasta and crawfish in a creamy (and top secret roux-based) sauce that's so good the recipe and the name have a copyright. Kajun Kettle Foods has been at Jazz Fest for 30 years.  Line length: LONG. 

Note: This year there are 18 crawfish dishes (by some accounts over 150,000 pounds worth of crawfish will be served). 

Creamy, crawfish Monica (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

2) Pheasant, Quail and Andouille Gumbo -- a sophisticated and rich gumbo for game lovers that will not disappoint. Prejean's Restaurant, Lafayette, LA. Not everyone loves game, but if you do, this is gumbo is a must. Line length: MEDIUM-LONG. 

Pheasant, Quail and Andouille Gumbo (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

3) Cochon de Lait  - for the truly die-hard, this succulent slow-smoked for 12 hours and shredded suckling pig with cabbage and horseradish sauce served on a piece of French bread has the longest line of all the vendors at Jazz Fest (plan to wait 20 minutes during peak times). Love at First Bite (Walker's Southern Style Barbecue), New Orleans, LA. Line length: VERY LONG. 

Cochon de Lait Po-boy (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle) 

4) Mango Freeze - for a light, refreshing and delicious sorbet nothing beats this crowd pleaser as a snack, to cleanse your palette or for a healthy dessert. WWOZ Community Radio. Line length: MEDIUM.

Mango Freeze (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

5) Soft Shell Crab Po-Boy -- restaurants all over New Orleans specialize in this classic, piping hot deep-fried soft shell crab sandwich but eaters claim there are none as good as this po-boy at Jazz Fest (perhaps the crabs just like the music). Galley Seafood Restaurant, Old Metairie, LA. Line length: Varies, MEDIUM to LONG.

Soft Shell Crab Po-Boy (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

 6) Freshly Shucked Oysters on the Half Shell -- you can get all kinds of oysters at Jazz Fest -- fried on French bread or in a spinach salad, and Oysters Rockefeller  -- but, there's nothing more beautiful than the raw briny bilvalve that you can get inside the Grand Stand ($7 for a half dozen in 2012). After missing 2011's Jazz Fest due to the BP Oil Spill, these oysters are harvested from Louisiana's Black Bay and available again in 2013. They are not only huge, but also delicious.J&M Seafood, Kenner, LA. Line Length: LONG

Louisiana Black Bay Oysters (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

7) Vietnamese Spring Roll (goi cuon) with peanut dipping sauce -- these vermicelli and lettuce stuff shrimp spring roll are light and tasty. If you're trying to watch your calorie intake this is the "go to" meal. I had mine for breakfast with a cafe au lait and a bite of a sugary beignet. Ba Mien Vietnamese Cuisine, New Orleans, LA. Line length: MEDIUM

Shrimp, Vermicelli, and Rice Paper Rolls (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

8) Jama Jama and Plantains combo platter of spicy Jama Jama (sauteed spinach) and fried ripe plantains will set you back $8 and is a great lunch or late afternoon snack for another healthy and yummy choice. Bennachin Restaurant on Royal Street in the French Quarter, New Orleans, LA. Line length: MEDIUM.

Plantains and Sauteed (Spicy) Spinach (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

9) Beignets and Cafe au Lait from Cafe du Monde -- need I say more? Hot fried dough covered in powdered sugar (my stepdaughter's breakfast) and a cup of chicory coffee with milk (for me)......mmmmm!!! Cafe Du Monde, New Orleans, LA. Line Length: VERY LONG

Cafe du Monde's Iced Cafe Au Lait and Sugar Covered Beignets (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

10) Trout Baquet -- a generous portion of pan-roasted and super buttery local trout topped with Louisiana crabmeat. A full meal or for sharing -- this is great for dinner before the last show. Baquet's Li'l Dizzy's Cafe (29 years at Jazz Fest), New Orleans, LA. Line Length: MEDIUM.

Trout Baquet (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

Check out the complete listing ( Directory of the Food and Location at Jazzfest). I'm committed to try the fish tacos from Taqueria Corona, and some Alligator Pie and Alligator Sausage this year. Tell me what your favorite foods are.....

DRINKS

Strawberry Lemonade (Joyce's Lemonade) - on target to sell 30,000 gigantic cups at this year's week-long event of the most refreshing lemonade you'll ever taste, I can't imagine a day at Jazz Fest without it to counter the heat and the crowds and wash down the food.

My favorite Iced tea - Orange Mandarin -- was discontinued this year because the vendor couldn't get enought ingredients. It's been replaced by a new flavor Ambrosia (Black Berry). Also, try the Rose Mint by Sunshine Concessions. If you're from the North, go for the unsweetened tea. Sweet tea, which is flavored with honey, is my husband's favorite, and he's from the the South.

Strawberry Lemonade (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

SNACKS
Sweet Potato Chips with Powdered Sugar

Fatty's Cracklins

St. Francisville, LA

Sweet Potato Chips -- don't say "no" to these fried bits of heaven with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. It was hard to just have a taste and not devour a whole bag!

Fried Sweet Potato Chips (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

Oh, and between courses don't forget to enjoy the music. Here's a sample of the 2013 music line up: Billy Joel, Dave Matthews, Jimmy Cliff, Terrence Simeon, Dr. John, George Benson, Allan Touissant, Fleetwood Mac, Willie Nelson, George Benson, Earth Wind and Fire, Taj Mahal, plus dozens of Cajun and Zydeco, Jazz and Gospel bands (over 400 bands are scheduled).  Will I see you there? 

Superstorm Sandy Sizzling Sautéed Scallops

Never mind the risk of total devastation due to Super Storm Sandy or postponed opening day while officials tested the waters for bacteria, the bay scallop season has officially started! I can already hear the familiar sizzle of the first scallop hitting the pan and taste the delicate and sweet-as-candy excitement on my tongue. 

Over the years, I've tried dozens of recipes with some of my favorite ingredients – garlic, shallots, tomatoes, heavy cream, saffron, orange, panko, Pernod, white wine, and tarragon. But, when it comes to the first of the season bivalves, I like to keep it really simple: scallops, butter, salt, pepper and a spritz of lemon.  

I’ve got a pound of just delivered Nantucket Bay scallops in my refrigerator at my apartment in New York and the anticipation is killing me. 

Nantucket Bay Dry Scallops - November 2012  (photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

RECIPE
Superstorm Sandy Sizzling Sautéed Scallops
1 pound local bay scallops

3 tablespoons butter

Lemon slices

Salt and pepper

NOTE: Pat scallops dry to remove excess moisture and cook in batches of about 1/3 of a pound so the pan is not crowded and the scallops brown. For tender scallops, do not over cook. Overcooked scallops are rubbery.

1. Heat a large heavy skillet on high heat and melt one tablespoon of butter.

2. Add one third of the scallops and cook over high heat until brown, or about 2-3 minutes maximum.

3. Turn browned scallops over and continue cooking until still slightly uncooked in the middle, about 1-2 additional minutes. Store just cooked through scallops on a plate and cover with foil). Repeat until all scallops are cooked. Season.

Early word on how good or bad the season will be is unclear. I’m optimistic for a bountiful year like the Lesters in East Hampton ( Bays Abound with Scallops This Season). More pessimistic reports point to concern about high rates of die-off due to algae blooms this summer (Scallops Suffer Massive Die-Off: Red Tide May Be To Blame).

Healthy Sauteed Carrots and Maple Syrup

When I was a girl, I remember pulling bright orange carrots out of the ground from our suburban garden and making this sauteed carrots and maple syrup recipe with my dad. I've been watching my calorie intake lately, so I lightened up the traditional recipe by cutting back on the butter -- this recipe is just 1 Weight Watchers Points Plus points per serving. The 1/4 cup of water helps keep the calories to a minimum while maintaining the rich and satisfying flavor and all important "mouth feel" of the butter.

When serving guests, I use a premium and local butter and the more expensive (and really fun!) multicolored heirloom carrots. I peel them for a pristine look, but if its a family dinner, I'll use everyday carrots and skip the step of peeling (more fiber that way too)!

Sauteed Carrots and Maple Syrup 
8 servings
2 pounds carrots, scrubbed, peeled and cut into coins  
2 T butter
2 T local maple syrup
1/4 cup water

Add all ingredients. Heat and cook covered for about 5 minutes. Stir and cook uncovered for another 5 minutes until liquid has reduced and carrots are cooked through. If carrots cook before the liquid is reduced, remove the carrots and set aside and reduce the liquid. Pour syrup reduction over the carrots and serve.

That's a Wrap: Grilled Swordfish with Cucumber and Peach Salsa Salad Recipe

Grilled Swordfish, Cucumber and Peach Salsa Salad Wrap (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

There's nothing like a mix of summer fruits and vegetables -- cucumbers and peaches are great right now --  chopped to make a "salsa salad" recipe that accompanies locally caught, grilled swordfish. And, in a lightly grilled tortilla wrap.

Salsa Salads dress up fish or shellfish, chicken, pork or tofu, and are incredibly versatile. Easy to make, salsa salads use the same flavor principles as tomato or fruit salsas but with larger chunks, and less juice.

Two of my favorite salsa salad ingredients are cucumbers, for the cool crunch, and juicy peaches. This cucumber peach salsa salad recipe adds a lot of color and zip to an otherwise boring meal of white swordfish and white tortillas -- great for the family but special enough to serve to guests.

Some years ago, when I was at Rancho La Puerta in Mexico, I learned the "master recipe" for salsa from the chef. Ever since then, I've been mixing and matching ingredients from each of the salsa categories -- being sure to have flavors that are sweet, savory, hot, pungent, acidic, herbaceous, salty --  to create flavorful and healthy meals. 

• Cool/sweet: tomatoes, peaches, mangos, pineapple, melons, oranges or grapefruits, avocados
• Color/crunch: green peppers, jicama, cucumber, corn, red onion
• Heat: jalapeño, red onion, any chile peppers available at the market (be careful it's not too hot)
• Herb: cilantro, parsley, mint, basil, even oregano and thyme
• Acid: red or white wine vinegar, balsamic, lemon, lime
• Pungent (optional): chopped garlic, minced ginger
• Add a pinch of salt or sugar, as needed, tasting as you go, to achieve a balance of flavors.

So, now that cucumbers are available at the market (and tomatoes) go ahead and mix together tomatoes/cucumber/oregano/balsamic/garlic/salt for an Italian inspired salsa or go to the Caribbean market and pick up a mango for a mango/cucumber/red onion/mint/ginger more of a Southeast Asian and exotic salsa salad.

I decided to stick with what's at the farmers market for a peach/cucumber/red onion/jalapeno/cilantro salad over fresh caught, grilled Long Island swordfish. 

RECIPE

Grilled Swordfish with Cucumber and Peach Salsa Salad in Tortilla Wraps

4 medium swordfish steaks

Olive oil

8 – 8” white wheat flour tortillas, lightly grilled 

8 handfuls of Mesculen greens, washed and dried
1 1/2 cups cucumber 

1 cup ripe peaches

½ cup of red onion 

1 jalapeno pepper 

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro

Juice of one lemon

Brush swordfish steaks with olive oil. Over a medium heat, grill swordfish steaks until just cooked through. Break into bite sized pieces and set a side to cool. Refrigerate if necessary, but bring to room temperature when you're ready to serve. 

For the salsa salad, which can also be made ahead, cut cucumber and peaches into roughly equal chunks, and combine with diced onion, minced jalapeno and cilantro in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice.

When you're ready to eat, grill the flour tortillas over a medium fire until grill marks show (don’t over cook or the tortillas will harden and be too crisp and likely break when you try to wrap the ingredients).

To Assemble: Set out the 8 tortillas. Divide the greens, swordfish and salsa into 8 equal parts depending. Down the middle of the grilled tortilla, leaving room on both sides to wrap around the fish and salad, place a handful of greens, pieces of swordfish and, using a slotted spoon add the salsa salad (since the pieces and lemon are very juicy use the slotted spoon so your wrap is not too soggy). Wrap and eat. 

 Serves 4-8 for lunch or dinner.

3 Easy Cucumber Soups

I'm not really sure how I ended up with nearly two pounds of tiny little cucumbers in the fridge and I'm the only one in the family who eats cucumbers. But, whenever I fall into the vegetable conundrum of too many of this or that and I'm not sure what to do with it all, I turn to Vegetable Love, the 708-page all-veggie cookbook by Barbara Kafka.

Back in 2005, I met Kafka, whose name I had known for years, for the first time at a Vegetable Love book signing --- my friend Nancy Messing had worked for her right out of cooking school and I went to high school with her daughter Nicole, doctor turned cabaret singer, and her son. She inscribed my copy "For Lexi, Life keeps making connections and food helps - Barbara Kafka". The second time I met Barbara was this past Mother's Day at Nicole's awesome show at Don't Tell Mama in New York's Theater District. (Mom and I loved the show.)

Today, I made two hot soups, Cucumber Curry Soup, a unique and delicious soup with a distinct curry flavor and Elegant Cucumber Bean Soup (click to pages 356 and 357 in Vegetable Love). And, one cold, Cucumber Gazpacho.

Mini Seedless Cucumbers (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle) 

Both hot soups have a Cucumber Puree base (recipe on page 357) which is cucumber and fresh chicken stock cooked for 30 minutes and then pureed into a creamy base. 

Cucumber Puree, Recipe from Vegetable Love (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

The cucumber curry soup combines lightly browned onions cooked in butter and curry powder, which packs a lot of flavor,

Sauteed onions in butter with curry powder (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

with lemon and lime juice, non-fat yogurt, kosher salt and cilantro. Simple.

Ingredients for Cucumber Curry Soup (served hot) (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

You can make this India-inspired soup ahead and combine the ingredients at the last minute then garnish with yogurt and cilantro. 

Vegetable Love's Cucumber Curry Soup (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

The second soup, Elegant Cucumber Bean Soup, combines pureed cooked green beans

Cooked green beans in a food processor (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

as well as some of the Cucumber Puree reserved from the first soup recipe with additional chicken stock and a few drops of heavy cream.

Ingredients for Vegetable Love's Elegant Cucumber Bean Soup (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

The taste of green beans is the dominant flavor making it tasty even for my cucumber rejecting family.

The Cucumber Gazpacho recipe soup in Vegetable Love has far more cucumbers than the typical gazpacho soup, hence the inclusion of cucumber in the name. If you're like me, I prefer using more cucumbers to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and spiciness of the onion and jalapeno pepper.

Cucumber Gazpacho from Vegetable Love (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

 As with any cold soup recipe, choose a good quality olive oil to showcase the fresh from the garden taste. I like to garnish gazpacho with freshly picked mint from the yard. This recipe includes mint in the soup too! Summery and light. Yum. 

Spicy Crawfish Étouffée Recipe

After scanning the internet and my Louisiana cookbooks for a crawfish étouffée recipe, I found one over on NOLAcuisine.com to guide me -- étouffée's a great dish for using up leftover crawfish (or shrimp in a shrimp étouffée recipe).  

Crawfish Etouffee Plated with White Rice (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

Saturday, we hosted 35 friends for a traditional crawfish boil at our house in Southampton. We had 70 pounds of live crawfish (aka "mudbugs", craw daddies, crayfish) shipped up from a farm/pond in Natchitoches, LA along with 5 pounds of crawfish seasoning.

Boiled Crawfish in Seasoning with Corn and Potatoes (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

As planned, we had a huge amount of crawfish leftovers which I froze to make stock, étouffée, crawfish Monica (which is a pasta dish in a creamy sauce) and to eat whole.  The recipe at NOLAcuise is a "almost the perfect" recipe in my view -- the right amount of thickness, great crawfish flavor and "tingling on your tongue" spiciness. Too many recipes include tomatoes or tomato paste which I don't like in an étouffée, or use corn starch instead of a classic roux (which is criminal) or use water or chicken stock for the base instead of homemade crawfish stock (also criminal) and not enough hot sauce or creole spice (tasteless).  

Yesterday, I made an easy and flavorful homemade crawfish stock, and the NOLAcuisine étouffée recipe with a few modifications.  

Modification 1: I made a peanut butter colored roux from equal parts of flour and butter and set it aside. 

Peanut Butter Roux (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

Then, I cook the trinity of onions, celery and green pepper in some melted butter BEFORE adding the roux back to the pan.  

Trinity of Onion, Celery and Green Pepper (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

Trinity with Roux (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

Modification 2: I had some creole seasoning that I blended last week on hand -- a mix of onion powder, garlic powder, dried herbs (oregano, basil, thyme), peppers (black, white, cayenne, paprika) and celery seed -- so didn't use NOLAcuisine's mix. The recipe/proportions can be found at Gumbo Pages. I added this in right before the roux, which I followed the stock, garlic and herbs as instructed.

Trinity with Creole Seasoning (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

Addition of Garlic and Herbs to Crawfish Etouffee (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

Modification 3:  I added the peeled crawfish tails into the pan during the last 5 minutes of cooking since they were already pretty well cooked and not 35 minutes earlier as the recipe called for.  

Plate of Peeled Crawfish Tailed Leftover From Saturday's Boil (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

Crawfish Etouffee in the Pan (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

Modification 4: If you're new to etouffee and Cajun cooking you may want to cut back on the spices that are called for in the recipe and taste and modify as needed right before serving -- I suggest cutting the hot sauce and creole seasoning in half.

The most important step was rinsing off the spices that were left on the crawfish from the crawfish boil before making the stock or peeling the tails. I did this by bathing the crawfish in huge pots of very cold and clean water, rinsing and repeating three times with pots of clean, fresh water until the water ran almost clear.

Ingredients for Crawfish Stock (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

Crawfish Stock (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

I made a gallon of the stock from heads and tails, water, onion, celery, lemon, garlic, a bay leaf and pepper) and only used a few cups and froze the rest. 

Now that I've found a great recipe for étouffée (with special thanks to Danno at NOLAcuisine, does anyone have a good crawfish Monica recipe? 

About the Crawfish 

Crawfish season runs from December through June in Louisiana's Cajun Country. With the help of experts at LSU AgCenter AquaCulture, Crawfish Farming has becoming part science and art. Check out the mud ponds and traps in the LSU AgCenter's photos.

Nose to Tail, Root to Top Cooking: Interview with Lighthearted Locavore

I pride myself on being resourceful, particularly when it comes to cooking and, as a locavore, I'm clearly no stranger to nose to tail and root to top eating. Imagine my curiosity when Nancy Gerschman, queen of the complete utilization of foods (skins, stems, stalks, past peak, leftovers, scraps, and the like) over at the "blog for the unspoiled", Expendable Edibles , contacted me to do an interview.

Lexi Van de Walle, Lighthearted Locavore, at the stove (Photo: Wendy Van de Walle)

It's always fun to read a piece after an interview and recollect the conversation -- thanks for a thought provoking hour, Nancy. 

Click on over and read the article and find links to the recipes Nancy wrote about: 
Interview With Lighthearted Locavore, Lexi Van de Walle Nancy Gershman on Expendable Edibles, a Blog for the Unspoiled

Here are a few quotes from Nancy's article: 

 "Sometimes when I’m really lazy, I’ll even buy food from Fresh Direct Local which has gigantic vegetable, meat, dairy and seafood departments – often from the same vendors I see at my local farmers market."

"Expendable Edibles is a really neat idea….because my parents were born in the early 30’s  it really tapped into my whole sensibility about not wasting things" 

“I use lobster shells right from somebody’s plate at one of my dinner parties to make a lobster broth. What could be better than a quick lunch of shrimps boiled in your own lobster broth?" 

 “I keep Nori wrappers in the fridge and quite frequently use them as seafood wraps…I do the exact same thing with (Vietnamese) rice paper"

“Ends of carrots and carrot tops often go to our dogs, English cockers (those hunting dogs with floppy ears). Our dogs eat brown lettuce, cucumber peels, softening rutabaga; basically the more cabbage-y, the more they like it. Anything cruciferous, or with root vegetable origins they love.”

Full article:  Interview With Lighthearted Locavore, Lexi Van de Walle Nancy Gershman on Expendable Edibles, a Blog for the Unspoiled

5 (More) Great Things to Eat at N'Awlins Jazz Fest

Yesterday, I posted 5 Great Things to Eat If You Only Have One Day at N'Awlins Jazz Fest. Today, I have five more.

1) Raw Oysters -- you can get all kinds of oysters at Jazz Fest -- fried on French bread or in a spinach salad, Oysters Rockefeller  -- but, there's nothing more beautiful than the raw briny bilvalve that you can get inside the Grand Stand ($7 for a half dozen). Back this year, after missing 2011's Jazz Fest due to the BP Oil Spill, these oysters are harvested from Louisiana's Black Bay. They are not only huge, but also delicious.

Louisiana Black Bay Oysters (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

2) Vietnamese Spring Roll (goi cuon) with peanut dipping sauce -- these vermicelli and lettuce stuff shrimp spring roll are light and tasty. If you're trying to watch your calorie intake this is the "go to" meal. I had mine for breakfast with a cafe au lait and a bite of a sugary beignet.

Shrimp, Vermicelli, and Rice Paper Rolls (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

3) Jama Jama and Plantains combo platter of spicy Jama Jama and fried ripe plantains will set you back $8 and is a great lunch or late afternoon snack for another healthy and yummy choice.

Plantains and Sauteed (Spicy) Spinach (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

4) Beignets and Cafe au Lait from Cafe du Monde -- need I say more? Hot fried dough covered in powdered sugar (my stepdaughter's breakfast) and a cup of chicory coffee with milk (for me)......mmmmm!!!

Cafe du Monde's Iced Cafe Au Lait and Sugar Covered Beignets (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

5) Trout Baquet -- a generous portion of pan-roasted and super buttery local trout topped with Louisiana crabmeat. A full meal or for sharing -- this is great for dinner before the last show.

Trout Baquet (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

DRINKS

Strawberry Lemonade - on target to sell 30,000 gigantic cups at this year's week-long event of the most refreshing lemonade you'll ever taste, I can't imagine a day at Jazz Fest without it to counter the heat and the crowds and wash down the food.

Strawberry Lemonade (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

SNACKS

Sweet Potato Chips -- don't say "no" to these fried bits of heaven with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. It was hard to just have a taste and not devour a whole bag!

Fried Sweet Potato Chips (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)

MUSIC
Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas

Great to see these guys on Saturday, April 28th. 

Back in 2005, for my husband's big 50 birthday celebration, Nathan and his band first played the Zydeco Festival in Connecticut on a Friday night in June, then took the ferry over to the south fork of Long Island to get to our house in Southampton for Henry's birthday party on Saturday night. I have fond memories and lots of photos of the guys sleeping on our lawn. We also have a bunch of their CDs and just love the zydeco sound and Nathan's charm.

Nathan Williams Sr. on the Accordion (Photo: Lexi Van de Walle)