Final Four 2012 In The Big Easy

The Final Four men’s college basketball tournament ends in New Orleans this weekend with the championship game on April 2^nd.  Fans from Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, and Kansas will soon be rolling into town.  The Final Four has put together a nice schedule of events throughout the city which can be found here.  Also included is a music schedule starting Friday. A few bands you might have heard of will be performing at Woldenberg Park (French Quarter side of Canal St. on the river or follow the music to the river) such as Cowboy Mouth, KISS, The Black Keys, Dr. John, and Jimmy Buffett to name a few .  By the way, this is a free event.

So what else is there to do?  I could give you a laundry list of places to go but you could be here for a month and not scratch the surface of what New Orleans has to offer.  Future blogs will provide more detail on specific areas and places to visit.  Keep in mind that this is the Big Easy so take your time and enjoy the sights, sounds, food/adult beverages, and music around you. You wont have to go far and sometimes going off the beaten path will lead you to a more interesting place than what was your original intention.

If you are visiting and enjoyed the food and culture that New Orleans has to offer, come back to New Orleans and stay for awhile. The city has more to offer than you could imagine.  In the meantime, if you want to revisit that trip in New Orleans back at your home, come to Nolacajun.com. Were shipping the food and culture of New Orleans across the world.

Do you have any interesting recipes of New Orleans and/or Cajun cuisine?  If you would like to send us the recipe with a picture of the finished product, we would love to feature it on our blog, Facebook page, Twitter, and Pinterest!  This goes for all of our products we are always looking for great ideas from our loyal customers!

Today is National Paella Day – Jambalaya versus Paella. What is the Difference?

New Orleans is essentially a melting pot of different cultures. With that comes the cuisines of the regions that came to make New Orleans home such as French, Spanish, African, Caribbean, Sicilian, and others.

Today is National Paella Day. So let’s see what the difference is between paella and what would become jambalaya.  Paella meaning “pan” is a Spanish dish originating in the Valencia region of Spain around the 18^th century. During roughly the same time, New Orleans was under the direction of Spain (1763-1801). One could assume that a few Spanish settlers probably brought with them a taste of home to the new world in New Orleans.  So what is paella?  Basically, it is a rice dish with either meat, seafood or both.  The paella mixture includes fresh vegetables, stock, and spices…typically with saffron being the main spice component.  Paella is cooked in a unique pan called a paella pan which has a large diameter but not very deep.  Now, let’s look at jambalaya. I think you will notice a lot of similarities. Jambalaya is also a rice mixture with a liquid stock, fresh vegetables, meat and spices. The main differences lie in the meats and spices. The meat used in jambalaya does not typically contain seafood although there are some very good recipes including seafood.  However, the typical meats are chicken, sausage, andouille, and tasso.  The spices are simple. For a Cajun jambalaya (brown jambalaya), spice include salt and pepper.  Not much to it. The flavor of the dish is brought in by the Cajun meats and fresh vegetables. A creole jambalaya sometimes referred to as a red jambalaya will have tomato products and a few bay leaves included in the mixture.  Jambalaya is best cooked in a cast iron pot.

Cajun Jambalaya:

– Autin’s Jambalaya Mix

– Cajun Land Jambalaya Mix

Creole Jambalaya:

– Blue Runner Creole Jambalaya

– Oak Grove Smokehouse Creole Jambalaya

– Tony Chachere’s Creole Jambalaya

– Mam Papaul’s Jambalaya

– Zatarain’s Jambalaya Mix

So as you can see, there is not that much of a difference.  Jambalaya got its roots from the Spanish paella and then was influenced by other cultures..specifically the Caribbean culture and their seasonings.

Do you have any jambalaya recipes?  If you would like to send us the recipe with a picture of the finished product, we would love to feature it on our blog, Facebook page, Twitter and on Pinterest!  This goes for all of our products…we are always looking for great ideas from our loyal customers!

Have You Tried Elmer’s Easter Candy

When I was a kid, there was nothing like waking up Easter morning and running into the living room where all of the Easter baskets were lined up to see what the Easter Bunny had brought.  As our family’s taste for candy changed throughout the years, one set of items remained constant…Elmer’s Easter Candy.  Nostalgia definitely hits these days when I take a bite of an Elmer’s Gold Brick Egg, Elmer’s Heavenly Hash or an Elmer’s Pecan Egg.  Although these three main pieces haven’t changed, Elmer’s has added a few new products, which you can find on NolaCajun.com.

 

All products include:

–         Elmer’s Gold Brick Eggs

–         Elmer’s Heavenly Hash

–         Elmer’s Pecan Eggs

–         Elmer’s Gold Brick Malt Eggs

–         Elmer’s Gold Brick Rabbits

–         Elmer’s Strawberry Heavenly Hash

–         Elmer’s Dark Chocolate Heavenly Hash

 

Keep in mind, Elmer’s Easter Candy are only in “season” from January through Easter, unless the Saint’s have another amazing season and they bring out the Saint’s Gold Brick Eggs and Saint’s Heavenly Hash again…ahhh, the memories…

 

We only receive a limited supply of candy, so once it is gone, you have to wait until next year to get it again.  So many of our customers “stock up” on the candy and freeze it to enjoy throughout the year.  Nothing is better than a chopped up Gold Brick Egg or Heavenly Hash on ice cream during the summer months.  Try stirring the chopped up candy into your shortbread or sugar cookie dough…talk about an amazing cookie!

 

Do you have any interesting recipes using Elmer’s Easter Candy?  If you would like to send us the recipe with a picture of the finished product, we would love to feature it on our blog, Facebook page and on Twitter!  This goes for all of our products…we are always looking for great ideas from our loyal customers!