Hold the Boat...We Are Coming!

Well, it is official. I developed a fine pair of sea legs over winter break. Several of my co-workers and I were bitten by the notorious travel bug and decided to take a short cruise from New Orleans to Cozumel. Since this was my first one, I was a bit worried about getting seasick. Thankfully, all went well in that department.

The trip did get off to a rocky start, but we finally managed to get underway. We left early Saturday morning for a six hour drive south so we could arrive in New Orleans in plenty of time to go through security and check in.  One would think arriving in the Crescent City two hours ahead of departure would be plenty of time to find the port and board the ship. Not necessarily so. We missed the exit to the Port of New Orleans, managed to get lost and then were accidentally given directions to the wrong port. By this point, our two-hour window had dwindled down to about eighteen minutes. So we shed our small-town driving mode, shifted into speedy city driving and hauled it back across town as we frantically called our cruise line and begged them to hold the ship.

Thanks to my eleven year old who is a fantastic map reader, I managed to get to the cruise terminal first. Unfortunately, my co-workers, who were traveling in a different vehicle, did not have my little navigator with them so they somehow took another wrong turn and ended up on Bourbon Street where they nearly side-swiped a horse and carriage. Yikes!

After hauling my two pieces of luggage, my carry on bag and three pieces of my co-workers' luggage (I had been carrying some of theirs in my car since I had more room) into the terminal, my son and I flew through security and assured the nice ladies at the check in counter that the rest of our group was on their way. By this point everyone else had boarded the ship and they were getting ready to close the door. I couldn't board since I still had luggage that didn't belong to me, but finally at the last possible minute the rest of my party arrived, out of breath and frazzled, but they made it. Needless to say we were the last seven to board the ship.


Finally, we were on our way. The cruise itself was fantastic! We enjoyed fabulous weather, plenty of great food, including the famous Carnival warm-melting cake, and on board activities that kept us busy for days. Our port of call, Cozumel, was a wonderful little island full of friendly people, beautiful beaches with jewel blue water and the awesome flavor of the Mexican culture. For our excursion, my son and I decided to swim with the Stingrays at Stingray Beach. We were lucky our water excursion wasn't canceled since the red flags were out on all the beaches in Cozumel during our stay due to very choppy water and dangerous waves. After getting in the water with the stingrays, I could see why. The waves were strong and several were so big they went over our heads and knocked us back several feet, but we still had a great time. We discovered the stingrays are soft gentle creatures that simply want to be fed and petted. A lot. Of course, their barbs had been removed so the experience was quite safe. My son loved it! After he got used to them that is.

We only had a few hours of very rough seas where the boat rocked more than usual, but for the most part it was smooth sailing to and from Cozumel.

Our last night on the ship was a bit traumatic, but once again we managed. We had placed our luggage outside our stateroom door as instructed so the porters could take the bags off the ship where we would collect them the next morning in the terminal. Unfortunately, I made the decision to sleep in the clothes we would wear home the next day so we wouldn't have to lug anything extra around as we waited to debark. This proved to be a poor decision on my part since we had a medical emergency which required more clothing. Of course, by this time our luggage was gone, so at nearly one in the morning, instead of resting for the long drive home, my son and I are out looking for the Laundromat on the ship so he would have something clean to wear home the next day. After taking care of the laundry, we finally went to bed to get the much needed rest.

Though this was  a short four day cruise, I learned a few things along the way. Pack light, be sure to have an extra change of clothes with you at all times and relax and have a great time! In spite of the rocky start and bumpy ending, I am ready to sail again. Bon voyage anyone?

The Louisiana Gentlemen Recipes – Wade

Note:

Recipes were included as lagniappe in the five books (plus a novella) of the Louisiana Gentlemen series, published 1998 – 2002. Since that time, I've had hundreds of letters and emails about KANE, LUKE, ROAN, CLAY, WADE and ADAM, the majority from people who had lost track of the books but wanted the recipes again. Posting them here on the blog will make them available once more for everyone. Slight adjustments have been made to the originals for clarity and consistency.

Pirate’s Bread Pudding

Photo from Pinterest.com

Ingredients:

1 loaf French bread

2 cups milk

2 cups half and half

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup chopped pineapple

1 cup raisins

1 cup shredded coconut

1 jigger (1 ounce) rum (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour rum over raisins and set aside to soak. Break bread into bite-size pieces and place in large bowl. Pour milk and half and half over bread and set aside for an hour.  When bread has softened, stir until mixed. Whisk eggs, and then stir in sugar, salt, spices, and vanilla. Add to bread and milk and mix well. Fold in raisins, pineapple and coconut.  Melt butter in the bottom of a heavy 9 ½ x 13” cake pan, and then slowly pour pudding mixture into the pan. Top may be dotted with additional butter if desired. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until the center is firm.

Notes:

Bread pudding originated as a way of using day-old French bread, but any type loaf bread, rolls or other baked goods - even doughnuts - may be used.
Adding an extra egg will give a more custard-like consistency.

The original recipe called for only raisins for flavor. The pudding is delicious without the pineapple, coconut or rum. However, a wide variety of other ingredients can be used, including walnuts, pecans, bananas or even chocolate. For a wonderful variety of bread puddings, search for “bread pudding” on Pinterest.com.

Whiskey Sauce

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

¾ cup sugar

1 egg

1 jigger (1 ounce) whiskey, usually bourbon

Directions:

Whisk egg, add sugar and beat thoroughly. Melt butter in a saucepan over a low flame. Add egg and sugar mixture and stir constantly over low heat until steaming hot, but not boiling. Add whiskey and stir to a creamy smooth texture. Drizzle over warm bread pudding. Serve immediately.

Note:

If you don’t care for the whiskey sauce, you can make a simple vanilla sauce by substituting 1 teaspoon of vanilla for the whiskey and adding a small amount of half & half to reach pouring consistency.

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Since publishing her first book at age 27, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jennifer Blake has gone on to write over 65 historical and contemporary novels in multiple genres. She brings the story-telling power and seductive passion of the South to her stories, reflecting her 8th-generation Louisiana heritage. Jennifer lives with her husband in northern Louisiana.

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The Louisiana Gentlemen Recipes – Clay

Note:

Recipes were included as lagniappe in the five books (plus a novella) of the Louisiana Gentlemen series, published 1998 – 2002. Since that time, I’ve had hundreds of letters and emails about KANE, LUKE, ROAN, CLAY, WADE and ADAM, the majority from people who had lost track of the books but wanted the recipes again. Posting them here on the blog will make them available once more for everyone. Slight adjustments have been made to the originals for clarity and consistency.

 Cabbage Jambalaya

Ingredients:

Photo from Pinterest

1 head cabbage, chopped

1 pound ground beef

1 pound smoked sausage, sliced into bite-size pieces

¼ cup olive oil

1 c. raw rice, rinsed

1 large onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes

Salt, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Sauté the ground beef in oil. Season meat with Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning or your favorite seasoning spice blend. Add chopped onion, celery, and smoked sausage. Cook, stirring often, until onions and celery are clear, about 10 minutes. Combine the meat and all remaining ingredients and place in a large casserole dish or Dutch oven. Cover and bake at 275 degrees for 2 hours, stirring halfway through the cooking time.

Notes:

Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning has salt in it, so be careful when adding extra salt.

This recipe is an excellent dish for covered dish events as it makes a large amount.

It reheats well in the microwave but does not freeze well.

______________________________

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Since publishing her first book at age 27, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jennifer Blake has gone on to write over 65 historical and contemporary novels in multiple genres. She brings the story-telling power and seductive passion of the South to her stories, reflecting her 8th-generation Louisiana heritage. Jennifer lives with her husband in northern Louisiana.

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Speaking at Sisters in Crime

A brief note to let everyone know I'll be speaking at the monthly luncheon meeting of Sisters in Crime, Shreveport, LA, on Saturday, Feb. 9. This will be held at Gomez Restaurant attached to the Regency Inn on Monkhouse Drive. The lunch will begin at 12:30 p.m. with the meeting starting at 1:30 p.m.. The subject I'll be speaking on is independent online publication: How Steel Magnolia Press Got its Start. Anyone interested is welcome to attend both the luncheon and meeting. I might even have a few books available for signing afterward!

______________________________

Website Facebook Twitter

Since publishing her first book at age 27, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jennifer Blake has gone on to write over 65 historical and contemporary novels in multiple genres. She brings the story-telling power and seductive passion of the South to her stories, reflecting her 8th-generation Louisiana heritage. Jennifer lives with her husband in northern Louisiana.

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