cajun

Across the country this month Oktoberfest celebrations are in full force. There's something for you, whether you want to savor the last of the Summer with a seafood festival or switch your mindset to Fall by enjoying one of the many harvest celebrations. Have a tip for another event? Leave it in the comments below!

• Santa Clarita, CA: Loose Goose Wine Festival — Oct. 1-5
• Corinth, MS: Kansas City Hog Wild BBQ Festival — Oct. 2-4
• San Francisco, CA: Oktoberfest by the Bay — Oct. 2-5
• Kansas City, MO: American Royal Barbecue — Oct. 2-5
• Napa, CA: Domaine Chandon Pink Party — Oc. 2
• New York, NY: Plate by Plate New York — Oct. 3
• Carpinteria, CA: California Avocado Festival — Oct. 3-5

To see the rest, read more

I adore shrimp, especially in the Summer, but ordinary cocktail sauce doesn't always do it justice. New Orleans rémoulade, on the other hand, has a bold flavor that transforms simple boiled shrimp into an impressive standalone meal.

Most people are familiar with the French version of rémoulade, a mayonnaise-based sauce made with Dijon mustard and capers. But Louisiana rémoulade — used primarily as a shrimp topping — is made with olive oil, celery, green onions, shallots, and parsley. The reddish tint comes from the addition of paprika and cayenne, and this Cajun condiment with a slight Italian flavor is full of spice without being too spicy.

Rémoulade can be prepared in advance, so try making the condiment on Sunday night then boiling the shrimp for an easy but gourmet Monday night dinner. I even used the leftovers the next day to make a sandwich, so stay tuned for that tomorrow. To learn how to make this simple sauce for shrimp rémoulade, read more

This morning, Cajun celebrity chef Paul Prudhomme — who often gets credit for leading the 1980s Cajun cooking frenzy — was hit by a stray bullet. Don't worry though, the man behind the Magic Seasonings is doing fine and was cooking up a feast five minutes later. In what is believed to be a freak accident at the Zurich Classic — a golfing event — in New Orleans, Prudhomme was struck by a .22 caliber bullet above his right elbow. Strangely, he thought it was a bee sting and did not realize he had been shot until the bullet fell out of his sleeve. The police believe the stray bullet came from somewhere within a mile and a half radius of the golf course. At this time, they do not think anyone was out to get the secret to Prudhomme's magic spices.

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Yesterday was Super Tuesday and Fat Tuesday, so I decided to celebrate with the super-fat New Orleans sandwich known as the muffuletta. Though lesser-known than the Big Easy's other big-bread creation, the po'boy, today's 'Wich of the Week is just as beloved.

Invented about a century ago by the French Quarter's Central Grocery, this sandwich is made on massive rounds of Italian bread cut into quarters; one sandwich easily feeds two to four people. I've never been able to find the bread outside of New Orleans, so I substitute seeded kaiser rolls.

The key to a good muffuletta — which features piles of ham, salami, mortadella, and provolone cheese — is Italian olive salad. Central Grocery closely guards its recipe, but Boscoli's version is hard to beat. This time I decided to make my own, and I was quite pleased with the results; to get the recipe for the olive salad and the sandwich, plus lots of photos, read more

Every year on Fat Tuesday I like to make my version of Jambalaya, a Cajun inspired rice dish with fish and sausage. I love Jambalaya because it's the South's take on Spain's paella. There are many variations and usually I cook an elaborate, recipe with long steps. Unfortunately this year I have to work late on Fat Tuesday and as much as I would love to, I won't be able to spend several hours chopping and standing over a stove. So this year, I searched for a quick easy recipe of the classic Mardi Gras dish. Check out the recipe, read more

This week I had a very tough decision to make: should I host a Chinese New Year dinner party and invite a select group of intimate friends or a blowout Mardi Gras bash and tell everyone I know to come party with me? If you caught yesterday's do-it-yourself masquerading invitations, you know what I chose (I guess it says in the title above, doh): Mardi Gras blowout bash. I need a break from planning dinner after dinner and want to host a party where I can let my hair down, wear something a little scandalous, and dance dance dance. A party without food is non-existent in PartySugar land, so I will be making a few bite sized nibbles in both sweet and savory varieties. To see what Creole inspired dishes, I'll be making read more