Thinking about the Superbowl

For most, Superbowl food is wings, nachos, chips, dips, and other sinful things!! We love that kind of stuff (and will probably have some of it!), but this year I'm feeling adventurous. We are Steelers fans in this house and live in Jaguar country, so you can probably guess we don't give a rip about who's playing this year. Since the Colts always are beating up on the Jags, we made a group decision to cheer for the Saints! Plus, they have never been in the Superbowl before, so we've gotta cheer for the underdogs, right?!

So that being said, I'm going to do a New Orleans themed menu! I'm super excited to start planning it and I doing some thinking (dangerous, I know!) about what makes New Orleans cuisine?! The top things that come to mind immediately are gumbo, crawfish, andouille sausage, beignets, and boudin. YUM.

Boudin? What the heck is Boudin??

I know, I know, it sounds weird. I was looking for a gorgeous picture to show you, but really, it's sausage. How pretty can sausage be, after all!? Boudin is a cajun sausage that is typically pork, rice, onions, spices, etc. I've only ever had it at my friends house and not in casing, just on crackers. It's TASTY! But it doesn't seem super easy, quick, or cheap to make. If I was feeding a crowd, I'd go there, but since we will be staying home, I'll find another appetizer to make. But if you're feeling adventurous one of these days, try it!!

A few notes on Cajun ingredients
(File this away in the "random things I learned today" file! And yes, I know this nowhere near an inclusive list... but it will get you started and hopefully teach you a few new tidbits this week :) Do you feel smarter yet?)

Andouille Sausage -  (I say it like and-dew-eeeee but I think some say ahn-dooo-eee) Cajun Andouille sausage is generally made with pork, garlic, and other spices and is then smoked. It's the smoking that gives it the real flavor!

Creole Mustard Creole mustard is a coarsely ground mustard that still contains many of the mustard grains. What makes Creole mustard different is that the mustard seeds are marinated in vinegar beforehand. There is also horseradish added into the mix, which makes it a little zippier than regular American mustard!

Filé -  (said like feeee-lay) This is dried and ground up leaves of the sassafrass tree! Filé is most often used in gumbo for flavoring and thickening and is generally added after the gumbo has been removed from the heat.

Now, I'm back to my recipe hunting. I will post my choices soon! I can't wait to cook us up a Cajun feast!