Mirliton Dressing Recipes

Oh my, that was so much work! Many thanks to Maw Maw Norma, my mom, and all of my aunts who toiled in the kitchen to make Thanksgiving so savory, so special. 

I would have called all you guys tonight instead of googling, but I'm sure you're busy. Louis did call and reminded me to wait until the mirlitons were "fork-tender" and my mom warned me about how moist they get, so I'd have to drain them for a long time. No one reminded me that parmesan cheese is so salty. My dish looks pretty, smells scrumptious, and is a tad on the salty side. It doesn't really matter all that much, considering the entire pan is for me. Brenner and Kane aren't partial to New Orleans dishes. 

This one is my absolute favorite and after I moved here and realized one year that I wasn't going to make it home for Thanksgiving, I rushed to the store to buy the ingredients. I asked the young stock boy to help me find a vegetable that is spelled mirliton, pronounced 'melaton' and looks like a lime green anatomical heart or a grenade or a pear. After a lengthy search, we finally discovered the five little lonely guys near the parsley and green onions. They were labeled chayote squash. He looked at me as if I were a bit touched. I get that look often, especially when I 'm trying to explain something from home. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all!! I have so much for which to be thankful. This rendition of the real deal back home is not one of them. 

Pantoum...

My poetic son wrote a few pantoums recently

and I wanted to share some with my Poetry Cafe.

It's a form of poetry that repeats a whole line rather than words.

The second and fourth lines of the first stanza are used again and

repeated exactly to become the first and third lines of the second

stanza. The same pattern is used to complete the entire poem.

They can be as long as you'd like, but most are about four stanzas.

Here's my example:

Appears from the past

The boyish man

To break the fast

Once again

The boyish man

That you once fed

Beckons again

for soul's bread

That you once fed

Until weakness set in

for soul's bread

He has come again

Until weakness set in

You always forget.

He has come again.

He's not full yet.

I thought about the Greek Festival that's on the bayou tonight. I googled some of the attractions and remembered how much fun the PoBoy Festival and Jazz Fest were. I wish I could teleport myself for such occasions. Here are some pix of those visits.



Kimberle and Shannon Jazz Fest 2009


Kane lovingly looking at his mom

My favorite part of JF.... the cuisine!

Me and my cousin Joseph at the Po Boy Festival Nov. 2008

REGGIE!!

A Chestie

Chihuahua and West Highland Terrier Mix. I actually just wanted a Google image because there was one available after my endless search to finally get Kane a dog. He's fifteen and I keep waiting and waiting... for what? I noticed that the last time I wrote I worried about my FNA results. The second time around revealed no cancerous cells! A whole new world opened up right then. Life's too short for "maybe later". Life's too short not to have a puppy. Well, now Reggie is the newest member of our family. I was a little worried about how cute he would be, so I checked the web to discover he's called a Chestie. None of the pix were half as cute as he is.
When my cousin Suzi and I picked him up, his owner and her husband wanted a second to say good bye to him. As we turned to walk away, Reggie's mom followed me. I knelt down with her baby in my arms, she nuzzled him and bid her own farewell while Suzi and I wiped the tears streaming down our faces. I promised her that I would take good care of him and that Kane would love him.
Fast forward about thirty minutes to Kane closing the door on the red-ribboned baby on his doorstep. Suzi and I called out "Merry Christmas, Kane" to help him realize what was happening. He reopened the door with a bewildered countenance which remained for a few seconds after I explained that the dog was his. When it sunk in, a smile surfaced, then blazed.
"I can't believe you got me my own dog."

A few days later he shared that it was like I bought him a companion.

Even later he exclaimed, "The freakin' dog pooed all over my carpet!"

But, alas, recently he remarked, "He's so cute. I love this little duppy pog [sic]".

Kane named him Reginald Wolfgang Huxley, for Mozart and for Aldous. Reginald... because it sounds cool. Of course, everyone in N.O. asked if he named him after Reggie Bush, Saints player. I wonder.

Pix to be posted tomorrow. Sooooo cute.....