New Orleans Food Tour {Part I}

We had a great time during our trip to New Orleans! I especially had a great time eating all the local grub! We didn’t get to eat as much Cajun food as we would have liked (because of the times of the games we had to eat at the dome a few times) but still managed to eat (and drink) quite a bit of unique fare that we couldn’t get around here. So here are our favorites….Joel thought that when we went on vacation he would escape the obsessive photo taking of our food but he was wrong. And embarrassed, which isn’t easy to do. If you ever travel to New Orleans, be sure to check out these eats!

Our first meal was at The Ruby Slipper which uses all local products from the sausage to dairy to bread. They also have a great story behind the name of the restaurant. The owners are big Wizard of Oz fans so when they came back to the city after Katrina they decided on this name because “there is no place like home.” They serve breakfast, lunch and brunch offerings with a New Orleans flair. Joel decided on the BBQ Shrimp and Grits while I had a Cheese Omelet with Breakfast Potatoes and a Biscuit. There other breakfast items sounded amazing (check out the pancakes and french toast options) but I just wasn’t in the mood for sweet and they all came with meat which I was trying my hardest to avoid.

The omelet was good but the breakfast potatoes and biscuit definitely stole the show. The potatoes were so brown and crispy while the biscuit had a crunchy bottom (in a good way) and soft, moist middle. {The Ruby Slipper, New Orleans – downtown and midtown}

The BBQ Shrimp had an amazing, spicy Cajun rub that was great on the shrimp. I can’t be a judge on the grits because well, I hate grits. I tried them because I haven’t had them in awhile and thought maybe I wouldn’t mind them but the hate remains. Joel enjoyed them though and they looked yummy. {The Ruby Slipper, New Orleans – downtown and midtown}

We stayed about 45 minutes outside the city in Picayune, MS and when we were driving in the first night, I spotted this little place and my heart skipped a beat. When we walked inside I just about died because it was even better than my wildest dreams!

They displayed case after case of pretty much any Southern (or any other region for that matter) pastry you could imagine. Needless to say, it was extremely difficult to make a selection…so we went a second time in order to get the full effect. I didn’t get any pictures inside the shop because Joel looked like he just might die if I pulled out the camera.


Joel indulged in his first ever eclair and it was pretty heavenly to say the least. He tried to compare it to a Long John and thought the doughnut version was better but let’s be honest…he is crazy and doesn’t know what he is talking about. The pastry was light and airy, the filling creamy and the chocolate rich. Yum! {Paul’s Pastry Shop – Picayune, MS}

I had my first cannoli and it was divine! It has definitely moved to the top of my “to make” list. The shell was sweet and crispy, the filling was light, fluffy and slightly sweetened and the chocolate chips added that extra richness. Oh, I’m still dreaming about it! {Paul’s Pastry Shop – Picayune, MS}

On our last day we stopped by one last time for a cream puff, mounds macaroon and little key lime cookies. The cookies were tart and melted in your mouth. The macaroon was sweet, dense and rich…everything it should be. And the cream puff was just as heavenly as the eclair. I actually enjoyed it more since I am not a huge fan of chocolate. If you are EVER in the area, you have to stop by and try one of everything! You won’t be disappointed. {Paul’s Pastry Shop – Picayune, MS}

Another favorite spot we visited was L.A. Pines Cafe in Slidell, LA. We were there for our swamp tour and had seen this little place featured on Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives so it was on our list of places to try. Their specialty is the Smoked Prime Rib Sandwich. It consists of delicious French bread slathered with horseradish sauce and topped with an enormous amount of smoked prime rib, caramelized onions and melted cheese. They had a lot of business that day due to all the people in town so they were running short on the prime rib and I managed to snatch up the last one. Score! It was the first Sunday I cheated during Lent and it was so worth it. I don’t normally cheat on Sundays but I made an exception since we were on vacation. The prime rib was so incredibly tender and paired so well with the horseradish sauce (which I normally don’t like and almost asked for the sandwich without it). The bottom half of the roll is dunked in au jus…need I say more? {L.A. Pines Cafe – Slidell, LA}

Hot Caramel Apple Cider + Rant

Pretty sure our neighbors are hoarders. It started out with three grills. Two I can understand if you are some kind of barbeque master. And if they were in the backyard. And if they were in good shape. Not three rusted out grills in the driveway. That I don’t understand. Then came the pile of cinder blocks. We have lived here for almost 3 years and they have never moved. Slowly, things have taken over and they can no longer park in their garage. If you want to use it for storage, whatever. But it’s not the best idea when you live in the toughest weather city in America. Yep, that’s right. Toughest.

Anyway, I drove by the other day and saw that there is a couch now. In case they want to sit amongst the junk? It’s spilling out of the garage and now part of their driveway is covered with random items. It has spread to the backyard. They have all kinds of building materials strewn across the yard. Looks like they may be building a deck but it’s November. I don’t think they will get very far before the snow plagues us. Which means it will be there for at least 5 months. Boo. They also have stuff in one of the empty lots inbetween us (lucky there are 3).

When Joel got home from work yesterday, he informed me that they have added 3 mattresses to their “collection” on the front porch. He knows how much the whole situation irritates me and gets quite a kick out of it.

I was tempted to take pictures one day. Ok, so I did. But I won’t post them. That would just be rude. Not that this whole rampage isn’t, right? Right? So I’m sure by now you are wondering how this rant is related to Hot Caramel Apple Cider. Well, it isn’t. I just had to get it off my chest. It’s all a bit ridiculous. So here is the recipe. It’s good….really really good. I’m done with the complaining for today.

Hot Caramel Apple Cider
recipe from Divine Dinner Party

1 gallon apple cider
2 cups caramel sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
Rum, brandy or apple brandy (optional, to taste)

1. In a large, non-reactive pan (or in the crock pot), combine apple cider, caramel and vanilla.
2. Heat over medium, stirring, until the cider is hot and the caramel is incorporated.
3. Drink as is or add rum, brandy or apply brandy to taste.  The booze can either be added to the whole batch (heat gently, but don’t allow it to boil) or you can  simply add a shot of booze to each adult’s mug before serving.