We have been to New Orleans a few times now and when I tell you it is a city like no other, believe me - it is a city like no other.

Most of the year New Orleans is a fun city full of life, cocktails, and music. At Mardi Gras - all of that is amplified by one million. I would recommend going to New Orleans at least twice - once to see the city and everything is has to offer - the second time to see Mardi Gras. These are two very different trips! The best restaurants in the city can be hard to get into at Mardi Gras - and if you can get a reservation, getting to the restaurant can be a challenge.

Where to eat

There are a million places to eat in New Orleans. But not all of them are awesome. There are a lot of places - especially in the French Quarter - that are catering to tourists and serving reheated frozen food. Do not be fooled! I recommend places that are not advertising a happy hour or a special. There are also places that everyone eats - Cafe du Monde being one. The beignets are awesome there, but don’t wait in line. Just go later. Below are my favorites in the city that I wouldn’t miss!

• Antoine’s

  Dinner here is amazing. Go later if possible because if you are lucky, your server may give you a tour of the restaurant once the dining room has emptied. The space is a museum of Mardi Gras past and the history of New Orleans.

• Arnaud’s

  Bananas foster here is epic! It’s made table side and it’s so good. This classic spot is the perfect spot for a champagne cocktail.

• Central Grocery - Muffuletta

  A muffuletta sandwich is a classic New Orleans lunch. Originally made for workers to have a quick lunch that was still hearty, this is basically an antipasto platter in a bun. The original location is often closed - if it is, go to the newsstand next door and ask. They keep them in the fridge.

• King Cake at Sucré

  You must have a piece of king cake while in New Orleans. We bought six when I was there last time. The best king cake is the one that has either a traditional or almond filling, and limited frosting. There are very sweet ones that aren’t great. Sucré is a fabulous little sweet shop with a delicious king cake by the slice.

• Commander’s Palace

  You’ve seen the awning in every classic photo of New Orleans. The blue and white strip is iconic. Inside, it is a party every day with balloons, music and crowns! It’s usually a prix fixe menu so be prepared to eat a lot. And then probably skip eating the rest of the day.
  

Cocktails to try

• A Voodoo Daiquiri at Lafitte’s Blacksmith

  The blacksmith shop is the oldest building in the French Quarter. It’s totally worth stepping in and checking it out. While you’re there, you might as well order a frozen daiquiri to walk the streets with.

• A Hurricane at Pat O’Brien

  The hurricane cocktail is a signature of the city. I find the ones on the street way too sweet for me - which is why I make my own. But you still have to try one - and since they were invented at Pat O’Brien’s this is the one to try!

• A Sazerac

  The Sazerac was invented in New Orleans - so when you’re here, try one! I found them on the menu everywhere we went, but the Roosevelt Bar is most known for their Sazerac.

Books to read

• Dinner at Antoine’s

  This hard to find book is set in 1920’s New Orleans around the time of Mardi Gras. It’s such a fun read for anyone who wants to see a little glimpse of the past. If you have dinner reservations at Antoine’s, the stories of the past come to life when you walk in the door. Buy it here

• Wildsam New Orleans

  Travel guides have become a little out of date as the internet is so much faster than printing. But these guide books are a fun guide to the cities they feature for the stories and histories of the places you know already. Buy it here

• Haunted New Orleans

  What is a trip to New Orleans without the ghost stories?! Almost any book you find has great stories. I loved this one because the stories are short and give you very specific locations to check out! Buy it here

Things to see

• WWII Museum

  I’m not a WWII buff, but this museum is epic. You can literally see everything and because it was created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, the displays are all very captivating.

• Mardi Gras World

  The warehouse where all of the Mardi Gras floats are made and stored all year long is available for tours. And it’s worth the tour! You’ll never see these as up close as you can here. Then when you go back for Mardi Gras, you will really appreciate those floats!

• LSU Game

  Yes it’s in Baton Rouge and not New Orleans. But the games are SO FUN! The stadium and arenas are huge, the crowds are so fun, and you get to sing Calling Baton Rouge midway through!

Tips for Mardi Gras

• Wear whatever sparkles and sequins you want. More is more. But stick to the colors of Mardi Gras: purple, gold, green.

• Do not wear nice shoes. Wear comfortable shoes. No one really sees them anyway and comfort is key. There is a lot of walking at Mardi Gras.

• Do not plan to use the St Charles street car. The parade route is on St Charles for most floats, which means the street car does not run during Mardi Gras. Don’t be fooled that the app still lets you buy a ticket.

• Every float throws a lot of stuff. Like a lot. More than you are picturing now. Be prepared to either bring home a lot of things you may not actually want, or get picky. One man near us had a sign asking for the socks. He exclusively collected socks. We ended up with anything Hawaiian themed and playing cards.

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In New Orleans I ordered shrimp creole at almost every restaurant. I wanted to try it everywhere we went. One thing was clear - it’s amazing. I didn’t just order it because I wanted to test it, but also because it was my favorite thing on almost every menu.

Bringing it home, it didn’t make sense to make it with shrimp. We don’t really have that here. Crab would be epic, but it’s out of season, and then I saw a gorgeous piece of wild caught salmon and BOOM. This is perfect. It’s northwest - and it’s creole - all together. It’s the perfect marriage of two places.

The best thing I learned about making this sauce is that it’s virtually the exact same recipe no matter where you look. The secret to making it the best version is to keep cooking it. Can you make it this morning? That will be your best sauce. Can you make it yesterday? Even better. You will not regret spending a few extra minutes on this sauce.

I doubled the sauce when I made it. And then froze it. Then when I need a quick-ish dinner, this is ready to go. If you bring the sauce to a boil and pop in frozen shrimp, you’ll have a fab dinner on the table in no time.

Salmon Creole

serves 4

1 cup chopped celery

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon oregano

2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cup chicken or seafood stock

2 bay leaves

1 - 28oz can crushed tomatoes

1/2 tablespoon worchestershire

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 pounds salmon

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt & pepper

long grain rice

fresh parsley

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large stock pot, melt together onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Cook for a while over low heat until everything is translucent. Season with salt & pepper.

Add herbs and stir to coat.

STEP 2

Pour in stock and add bay leaves. Bring to a low simmer for 10 minutes until things start to smell good.

STEP 3

Add tomatoes, Worcestershire and lemon. Stir and let simmer. Let this cook as long as possible. The longer, the better. Season with salt & pepper. But at a minimum, cook for 20 minutes.

STEP 4

Pat the salmon dry. Drizzle the top with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the filet on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake 10 minutes or until flaky.

STEP 5

Serve fish hot over rice smothered with the creole sauce. Top with fresh parsley.

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Pour the perfect cocktail

A Hurricane cocktail on the side transports you to New Orleans!

Does anything scream “New Orleans” more than a hurricane cocktail? They are a classic - invented in the 1940’s. There are several stories. My favorite is that the cocktail began at a speakeasy in New Orleans. The year was 1941. The code to get into the speakeasy was “Storm’s a brewin’” - which clearly led to the thematically appropriately named drink. Whether the glass that’s shaped like a hurricane lamp actually inspired the name of the drink OR was chosen to compliment the name, I prefer to think that someone with impeccable thematic skills made it all happen.

Mr Hedin and I had a classic hurricane at Pat O’Brien’s when we were in New Orleans last year. It was good. It wasn’t “the best thing ever” but it was good. Part of what turns me off is when a cocktail is preprepared and poured out of a jug. Not a fan. I like a drink made to order. I always think it tastes better.

I started researching how to make this drink. There are literally one zillion recipes. Every one of them had a different combination of ingredients, totally different rums, and none could agree on lemon vs. lime.

So I started mixing. And it was hard work. I landed on a recipe that feels like what we had at Pat O’Brien’s but made with real ingredients at home. I also simplified the rum situation. My favorite tiki bar, Smuggler’s Cove, did all the work on finding the perfect rum options for this cocktail - you can use one! Hooray! It’s annoying to have a pantry full of booze that only works for one recipe.

Classic Hurricane Cocktail

makes two drinks

2 ounces passion fruit syrup (see below)

4 ounces black blended rum (I use Blackwell Black Gold)

the juice of one lime

STEP 1

In a sauce pan, pour one cup passion fruit juice and reduce to 1/4 cup. Simmer it on low and just let it cook down. Remove from heat and let cool.

STEP 2

Pour the passion fruit syrup, rum and lime juice over ice in a cocktail shaker and shake it up well.

STEP 3

Pour all contents into a cocktail glass and garnish with a wedge of lime and a cherry! Sip slow.

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When I was a kid I hated butter pecan ice cream. It was my dad’s favorite but I found it unsettling that there were crunchy nuts hidden in the smooth ice cream. It was disorienting. But, because it was my dad’s favorite, it was always in the freezer - and it was often the only thing left. So I ate a lot of butter pecan ice cream.

Eventually, I started to really like it. I love pecans, the butter flavoring is unbeatable, and when I had one with some caramel crumbles with it - I was convinced, it was a worthwhile flavor after all.

As with most flavors I love, I decided to turn it into a cookie. A rich cookie full of butter flavor and crispy pecans, and - the best part - a praline crumble.

The secret is the make the praline first with finely chopped pecans. Then stir it in to the cookie at the last minute when you add the chopped pecans. The two different kinds of pecans is how you take these cookies from good to epic.

You can substitute walnuts for pecans if needed. My aunt had a bakery for a million years and the secret to her pecan rolls were walnuts. Pecan pie = walnuts. Walnuts have a very similar flavor but in the Pacific Northwest, they are loads cheaper than pecans. Since pecans are my favorite nut, I always have a bag in the freezer - but it’s great to know you can make the swap if you need to!

Butter Pecan Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped

1/2 cup praline crumbles (recipe below)

STEP 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine together the butter and sugar. Blend until creamy.

STEP 2

Add in the egg yolks and vanilla. Blend until combined, scraping down the sides. Stir in the flour until combined.

STEP 3

Stir in the pecans and praline crumbles but don’t over mix the batter.

STEP 4

Scoop the batter and bake 12-15 minutes until browned on the edges. Remove and let cool before moving to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container for one week.

Pecan Praline Crumble

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup evaporated milk

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon brandy

1/2 cup chopped pecans

STEP 1

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Set aside.

To make the pralines, heat the sugars, evaporated milk and butter to a boil over medium heat. Using a candy thermometer - get everything up to 235 degrees or the soft ball stage. The best trick is to stir until it starts to boil, then stop stirring and let it go.

STEP 2

As soon as it comes to temperature, stir in the brandy and the pecans. Keep stirring. Stir for one minute until the mixture begins to thicken.

STEP 3

Pour out the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and let cool. Once completely cooled, chop into tiny pieces.

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