Alex and I have been having a great time since we have been back. Alex started his MBA program at UNC Chapel Hill, and we are excited to have a team to cheer for come college basketball season. My classes started last week and I must say that I am pretty excited to have something to do again. I am convinced that TV really does rot your brains, and my proof is derived from the fact that I can feel my brain rotting away, like seriously, I'm surprised they haven't just fallen out of my head. Anyways, we have been having a fun month. Alex has been flying a bunch and the wife of another member of Alex's crew and I have decided to make lunches for the boys on their planning days, so I'm looking forward to making some yummy crock pot recipes. Gosh I sound so domesticated.
So right now it's Mardi Gras season down here in the Bayou and, in true Mardi Gras fashion, we went to a parade yesterday. Now let me tell you, the parade was fun and the company was even better, but it was cold, like REALLY cold. I think it was around 30 degrees and windy and we were freezing. In fact, it was so cold that half of our party decided to leave before the parade started, but we decided to stick it out cause we're tough. Might I add that the people who baby-ed out are from Michigan and Wisconsin, but did we Californians wuss out? Heck no!
So this is the first float, the parade was called the Krewe of Centaur and so naturally the first float was a centaur man. He must have been freezing, but i'm sure the honorable distinction of being "The Centaur" was worth it .... maybe.
These are our friends Ryan and Jenny Russell. They toughed out the cold with us, and while Ryan is from S. Dakota, and so this was probably not a big deal to him, Jenny is from Hawaii, so I guess that makes her even more tough than Alex and me!
We are going to be going to New Orleans with them this weekend for the last weekend before Fat Tuesday and we are super excited. Stay tuned for pictures!
Alex and I waiting for the parade. I'm wearing ... 4 layers of clothing including my jacket under that coat. I've never been accused of being under prepared!
Alex has been harassing me lately about making Crawfish Etouffe. For those who don't know what Crawfish Etouffe is, it's pretty much sort of a stew made out of crawfish, that you pour over rice and eat. It is DELICIOUS. It is spicy and delicious and just amazing. Anyways, it's crawfish season right now and so I decided to make some Etouffe for the old man.
I had looked at many recipes and talked to many people, and while most recipes/people bought store bought peeled crawfish tails and used chicken broth ... I'm not most people. When it comes to food, I don't mess around and I want to make the best possible product I can make. So I went to a seafood store and bought live crawfish. Ugh. I have never made lobster before, and I must say that while I was cleaning the craw babies I almost aborted the mission. Alex abandoned me, and I was left alone to deal with the trauma of throwing live, writhing bodies into a vat of boiling water(no matter how delicious the contents of that vat may be). I even considered just taking them down to the river and setting them free. However, I am no coward and I looked every single one in the face and apologized for taking it's life.
I will spare you the picture of the live crawfish, but here is a picture of my mini crawfish boil.
After I boiled the crawfish, I made Alex de-shell the crawfish(it was his idea he needs to work for it too!).
I also made him separate the fat from the crawfish too ... what? Like I said ... it was his idea!
This is the water in which I boiled the crawfish(with other seasonings and veggies), which I designated to be my crawfish stock.
This is what the etouffe looks like in the pan.
This is the finished product, served over rice and with a side of french bread. YUM.
Another Mardi Gras tradition is King Cake. For those of you who haven't had King Cake, holy yum. I can not even begin to describe it, just know that it's delicious. Anyways, when you get a King Cake there is a baby stuck in it, and the person who finds the baby in their slice of cake a) is supposed to have good luck for the next year and b) is supposed to buy the next King Cake. Well, Alex found the baby in this one, and I can't wait to pick out a King Cake for him to buy when we head down to New Orleans.
Alex almost eating the King Cake Baby.
Well folks, that's all for this time. I hope you all have a very Happy Valentine's Day/President Day/Fat Tuesday/Whatever you want to celebrate in the time being!
