Mardi Gras made the list in Patricia Schultz’s book, 1000 Places To See Before You Die but a side note should be added to include that whatever happens at Mardi Gras should go to the grave with you too!

I’m not sure how much I will ever reveal about my first trip to Mardi Gras. It did involve a trip to Pat O’ Brien’s, hurricane stained clothes and being asked to dance by a guy with women’s underpants strung around his neck (they still had the price tag on them!). Great fun and great memories that I’ll take to the grave - peace, love and Fat Tuesday! 

Recipe:

3 cups cooked white, long grain rice

3/4 – 1 lb andouille sausage, preferably turkey

1/ 2 green bell pepper, diced

1/2 large onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 6oz. can tomato paste

Prepare rice according to package directions but substitute chicken broth for water for cooking. Make enough for 3 cups cooked rice.

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add peppers, onions and celery cooking for 5 minutes. Add sliced sausage and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in tomato paste. Cook for a few minutes and then add rice, mixing well. Cook for about 15 minutes before serving being careful not to burn the rice.

Notes:

I actually found a turkey andouille sausage at Whole Foods. The brand is Wellshire Farms and it was actually really good and had quite a bit of heat to it.

So the little guy and I took a road trip to Nashville over the weekend for a visit. I love to go home no matter how old I am, that feeling of pulling up in the driveway and walking into the house is one of my favorite feelings in the world.

My other favorite thing to do is nose around my mom’s kitchen. She always has a great new find whether it’s food or decor. I literally open every cabinet and just browse around, so here’s some of my favorite finds in my mom’s kitchen and yes, we’ll get back to cooking tomorrow!

If you don’t love the taste of water these are for you. Hint comes in a slew of flavors without any sugars or calories - genius! You can find them at The Fresh Market and Whole Foods.

Wickles Pickles are made using a 70-year-old family recipe born in the heart of Alabama. Try these and you’ll never go back to another jar of regular pickles.

Ever since a trip to Italy, my mom keeps a bottle of lemoncello in the freezer and offers any guest that comes through a taste of this delicious lemon liqueur.

I love this idea – it’s so pretty and so southern. Southerners always appreciate silver except it stays in a china cabinet or on a shelf until a holiday rolls around. This collection of silver sits next to the coffee pot for everyday use holding sugars and teas.

“The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears or the sea”

-Isak Dinesen

This is one of my mom’s favorite quotes, she uses it often and I always think of her when I run across it but I like to think that chocolate should be included as a cure-all. Having a bad day, PMS, happy, sad – chocolate covers all the bases. Even the smell or a little nibble can perk you right up.

I have never understood people who don’t like chocolate. To me that sounds just crazy but I am a self-admitting choc-a-holic, always have been, always will be and after all Valentine’s Day is the one holiday that promotes eating chocolate.

Enjoy!

Recipe:

4 egg whites

3 cups powdered sugar

5 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened

3 oz good quality dark chocolate, unsweetened and melted

1 tsp espresso powder

1/2 tsp salt, kosher

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a bowl, combine powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt and espresso powder and set aside.

Beat egg white to soft peaks with a mixer on medium-high, about 2 minutes.

Add a third of the sugar mixture to egg whites, mixing on medium speed, about 30 seconds until just incorporated. Repeat two more times.

In a small bowl, melt dark chocolate in microwave. Let cool for a minute then slowly add to the batter, mixing on medium speed until just combined.

Gently fold in chocolate chips. At this point, the batter is very light almost like a mousse.

Drop spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Let cool on cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Notes:

These are a flourless chocolate cookie that I first discovered at Whole Foods. It probably took 5 attempts before I figured out a recipe that was close to the chewies at Whole Foods. I added espresso powder and dark chocolate for a richer cookie.

I found the espresso powder at Williams-Sonoma. It’s a great addition to any chocolate recipe, adding a richer taste to the chocolate.

In the south, we think of macaroni and cheese as a member of the vegetable family and after all no self-respecting meat and three joint would leave this gooey concoction off the list of daily veggies. Always a crowd pleaser, chock full of butter and cheese makes this favorite a definite belly buster and hip plumper!

Mother always says ” a moment on the lips is a lifetime on the hips” and if your short like me, decadent food always shows up on those hips sooner rather than later. You won’t miss an ounce of butter in this dish and your figure will thank you.

Recipe:

1/2 lb elbow macaroni or favorite pasta for mac and cheese

1 tbsp butter, unsalted

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese, lightly pulsed in blender

1 1/2 cups low-fat or 2% sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp parmesan reggiano, shredded

I personally like to use shells for my macaroni and cheese. This is a great pasta to use – it has 6 grams of protein per serving and is made of organic durum wheat. You can find it a your local Whole Foods.

Always try to use wheat or whole grain pasta when cooking. Barilla has an excellent line of whole grain pasta called Barilla Plus which has added protein and omega 3′s.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil large pot of water. When water comes to a boil add a pinch of salt and then pasta. Boil pasta according to directions for an al dente finish.

Drain pasta in colander and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

In same large pot, turn heat to medium. Add butter and let melt. Stir in flour and let cook for one minute. This will be a thick to almost crumbly paste.

Slowly whisk in buttermilk until a thick sauce is formed and there are no lumps. Stir in blended cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Once cheeses have melted into sauce, add macaroni back to pot and stir together to coat pasta evenly.

Spray a baking dish lightly with cooking spray and pour in pasta. Sprinkle top with parmesan cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbly.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Notes:

You may notice I do use butter even when trying to lighten up a dish. I do not like “light” butter type products. A lot of them contain palm oils and other things I cannot even pronounce. My theory is to use what is real and just less of it. Butter is all-natural and is made from cream and we all know where cream comes from so that makes me feel a lot better about what I put in my body.

I also never buy fat-free products. Whatever they take out to make a product fat-free you have to figure that what is going back in to make it taste good is probably not all that good for you! Try to stick to low-fat and 2% dairy products whenever possible.

I love a good burger! Perhaps on this bitterly cold Ohio winter day my brain is longing for a warm sunny day on Center Hill Lake in Middle Tennessee. When I was no more than 6 months old my parents had me on a boat and throughout my life this wonderful place has always been a refuge. Diving into the crisp, green water felt like all the stress and worries were just washed away and after a day of playing hard with sunburned skin nothing tasted better than a ‘lake burger’.

Let me explain, a ‘lake burger’ is probably the best thing you will ever eat in the burger category. It could be the grilled flavor, the crispy iceberg lettuce or sitting in the middle of the water and enjoying every last bite that makes it so great. There just something about pulling the boat up to a dock restaurant picking up your order and speeding off over the water to find the perfect place to enjoy that burger.

This is not quite a ‘lake burger’ but a healthy combo of flavors that I love and happen to be craving – enjoy!

 Recipe:

1 lb ground sirloin

1 tsp Cajun seasoning

pepper to taste

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

Franks Red Hot to taste

4 whole wheat buns

Crispy iceberg lettuce

White cheddar cheese slices, reduced fat

Combine all ingredients well and form into 4 equal patties. Set aside and let come to room temperature before cooking. In the mean time start the onions. While they are cooking, whip up the comeback sauce and place in the fridge. As the onions are finishing up, cook the burgers to desired temperature. Make sure to let burgers rest a few minutes before assembly.

Caramelized Onions:

1 large sweet onion, sliced

1 tsp olive oil

Salt

In a fry pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 15-20 minutes until onions are a deep brown color. You may add a little salt if desired towards the end of cooking.

Lolleigh’s Comeback Sauce:

1/3 cup 0% Fage Greek Yogurt

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp ketchup

1 tsp worchestershire sauce

1 tbsp Hellman’s Mayo

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

4 dill pickle chips, chopped or 1 tbsp dill pickle relish

Frank’s Red Hot to taste

Cayenne pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Add hot sauce and cayenne to taste, more for a spicier version. I used my rocket blender to combine everything but a bowl and whisk would work just fine.

To assemble burgers:

Be generous with the comeback sauce put on both sides of the bun. Place lettuce on bottom, add burger, caramelized onions and top with a slice of white cheddar – now sit back and enjoy!

Notes:

I don’t solely shop at Whole Foods but I do prefer some items – their bakery-fresh whole wheat hamburger buns are really good.

My tried and true Cajun seasoning of choice is Tony Chachere’s.

And yes that’ me. I was probably 6 or 7 years old enjoying a lake day!