Trick or Treat

TREAT!!!

One of my earliest childhood memories of Halloween is dressing up as a "tennis player".....Digging in my mother's closet, putting on her tennis skirt, t-shirt, sweatband, and toting her adult-sized tennis racket door-to-door all night. I remember always being disappointed in the candy I'd accumulated when I got home; it was never anything that I was truly interested in eating. But I always enjoyed getting dressed up for the occasion.

I'm not sure what grade I stopped having an interest in Trick or Treating, but I was a Senior at Xavier before I dressed up again for a night of rounding up candy with a few of my closest friends. We walked from our dorm all through the streets of New Orleans that night - like we really had any business begging for candy. Lol! But it was fun.

This year, I was invited for the first time, to a Halloween costume party, and I was thrilled to accept the invitation because I'd never been to one before. Unfortunately, the party turned out to be a bust - but my costume was cute!! In honor of The Secret Life of Bees, I thought I'd dress up like one! Ha!

Watch out for my stinger!

GUMBO

I affectionately call the mom of one of my BFF's, "Mama Millie". Mama Millie is the business y'all! If you ever call to say you're coming to stay the night, the woman will fix her house up and have you feeling like you are staying in a 5-star hotel! Fresh sheets, soft towels, serve you breakfast, lunch AND dinner. Take your phone calls and messages while you're asleep and her advice would rival any Ann Landers or Dear Abby column! (Though it may be laced with a few expletives and some wild body language) - i LOVE me some Mama Millie!

I recall one weekend trip to Baton Rouge, LA (during my Xavier days), where Mama Millie took me to her stomping grounds in Lake Charles. There, in her mother's kitchen is where she taught me how to make gumbo.

Now I'm not just talking about any old gumbo recipe...I'm talkin 'bout, the real deal, ragin' Cajun, no cookbook in sight, making-your-rue-from-scratch and darn near going in the bayou to catch the shrimp yourself-Gumbo. This was serious business. I'm sure the house had A/C, but it was 'sho hot in that kitchen! Stirring a stock pot the size of the suitcase I'd brought, Mama Millie was talking a mile a minute as she instructed me on what do: "Okae now ya gotta keep stirrin ya flour and when ya see it turnin' brown, that's when you start puttin' ya water in." Her Louisiana accent just as thick as the rue...The hours I spent with her in that kitchen learning how to make Gumbo were priceless...*smile*...oh the good 'ol days!

Funny - I remember thinking how I couldn't wait to impress my husband one day, by having him come home to pot of gumbo simmering on the stove! But I don't even remember how to make it! LMAO! I tried the box of Zatarain's Gumbo Mix once....and let's just say that didn't work out to well...*smile again*...

But what I do remember is that Mama Millie used to put everything in her gumbo! Chicken...Shrimp...Crab...Sausage...Okra...everything! In fact, that's one of the best things about gumbo - it's the perfect mix of a little of *this and a little of *that, plus a whole lot of spice!

You're probably hungry from reading this now - and since I can't whip you up a pot of Zatarain's, I'll give you what I can...A list of my favorite dishes. Try one this weekend!!!

Nola's Top FeelGood Foods:

Fried Catfish and Cheese Grits

Taco Salad with Ground Beef or Chicken
Loaded Fries from Bar Louie
Cajun Turkey Sandwich with Pepper jack cheese
Chili-Cheese Hot Dog with Jalapeño peppers
Steak and a Loaded Baked Potato (well done, no sour cream, please)
Lays Classic Potato Chips with sprinkles of Louisiana Hot Sauce (don't act like you've never tried this...!)
Boiled Crawfish, Red potatoes and Corn
Fried Chicken (tossed in Hooters sauce)

Now don't get me wrong! I may not remember how to make Gumbo, but I still get down in the kitchen!!!And yes, I wear an apron. I got this Louisiana apron right out of the French Market in New Orleans! You won't catch me over the stove without it!



Look at Mama Millie enjoying one of my fav foods: Crawfish, Corn and Potatoes!



Yummmm...Tell me, what is your favorite comfort food?

LOL!!!

"Laughter the say, is the drug for the soul..."
~Unknown

I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.
~Woody Allen

At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.
~Jean Houston

What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.
~Yiddish Proverb

Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. ~Kurt Vonnegut

Laughter is the sensation of feeling good all over and showing it principally in one place.
~Josh Billings

I'M LAUGHING SO HARD IN THIS PICTURE THAT IT LOOKS AS IF I'M GOING TO SPLIT MY FACE IN HALF....! GEEZ!

You ever feel beat up by life? Like you've just been tossed lemon after lemon? And no matter what you do, how hard you try dammit....things just aren't going the way you've planned? I get like that all the time!!! But I've got a solution for it. Works like a charm every time, I pinky swear!! My secret is LAUGHTER!! And more specifically, a small comedy club on the South Side of Chicago called Jokes' N Notes. Anytime that I'm feeling down, laughing always makes me feel better.

So last Wednesday, when my mouth was puckering from all the sour lemons, Yuca and I decided on a complete whim to go hear Chicago comedian, Lil Rel, host "What-That-Do Wednesdays" at Jokes 'N Notes". I laughed so hard that night that my stomach was hurting!! I would be remiss if I didn't share with you why.....so here. Watch this clip of Lil Rel on P.Diddy's Bad Boys of Comedy:

Ever since I've seen this clip, I've been saying "Now what THAT do! ALL DAY!" Hahaa! That's some funny stuff. I can't wait to overhear somebody using those phrases in public!! LOL!

ARE YOU IN CHICAGO? Then you MUST check out Jokes 'N Notes!!! Visit thier website for showtimes and featured comedians: http://www.jokesandnotes.com/index2.htm

And just for fun....Here are some pictures of me when I got caught laughing.....hahahaha....



And if you're in Chi city, let me know! I'll take you out for some laughs at Jokes 'N Notes!

Legacy

In the Ink:
The first 9 lines in "Legacy" state exactly how this poem came to fruition: I'd actually been composing it in my head for years...and regretfully it wasn't until I lost my Grandmother that I actually finished the poem and shared it with her. I'd written the lines and said them over in my head sooo many times. In the car, at work, in the bed, in the shower...while cooking, sitting in class....everywhere! Never once actually putting pencil to paper or fingers to keyboard. Funny how death will shake you, give you a kick in the butt and a different perspective. Make you do things, say things and even treat people in your life differently....but that's another blog posting.

I decided that since I'd been so closed lipped about the poem when my Grandmother was here, I had to finally finish it and share it - So I did. At the funeral.....a brave move but also the most difficult 2 minutes of my entire life. I stood in front of the church, pews packed with family friends and relatives, next to my grandmother's blue casket, and before I finished uttering the first word, emotion overcame me. I could barely speak - knots in my throat choked me; Reading off the page was difficult even - as tears flooded my face. I had to shuffle back and forth for my legs and knees had become so weak that I thought if I tried to stand still, I would surely collapse.

But afterwards, the overwhelming love and response I received made that moment worth all the heartache. Some were brought to tears by the poem, others touched and thankful for the good memories it helped them to recall.

I am happy to say that every time I spoke with my Grandmother I told her I loved her and I often thanked her for everything she did for me. So even though I never shared this poem with her, I have no doubt that she knew exactly how much she meant to me.

I encourage everyone to call a little more often....say I Love You a few more times...Send a handwritten letter...Make time for personal visits...Give all the flowers that you can now.

I share this poem again, in honor of my Grandmother's legacy.

"Legacy"



Grandma
I’ve been writing a poem for you in my head for a while now.
Never wrote it down to share with you because I didn’t know how.
Didn’t really know what you’d think of it…
Always concerned about me being so holy –
So I didn’t know how you’d feel about my poetry…
But it’s how my feelings come out best;
And even though now that you’re at rest,
I’ve got some things to tell you;
And fortunately I didn’t wait to late –
It was just Sunday, April 13th when I brought you that plate
of dinner mama fixed for you
and your eyes lit all up as you said:
“Ooh who’s gonna eat all this food?!”
And I don’t know if you finished all of it,
But I sat there and watched as you tasted
a little of the okra, macaroni and cheese and homemade pie,
I’d felt so compelled to come see you and didn’t quite know why –
But God thank you for pulling at my heart string, telling me to go there.
Grandma, sat on the couch next to you, held your hand, put my head on your shoulder and smelled your hair….
Grandma

Thanks mama, but Grandma taught me a lot of what I know.
And I constantly thanked her for that…
And oh I’m so glad I did because time doesn’t go back -
Missed opportunities are just that.

But my life is full and rich of memories….
I recall summers of eating ham and cheese FREE lunch, which I hated but now the lesson I get….
brown paper bags piled high with food for passing out to the less fortunate…..
Grandma you gave and gave and gave…..it was as if your heart had all the room in the world.
I remember sitting in front of your stove and with a hot comb, my hair you’d curl.
I remember the trips to the mall for an ice cream sample, and the visits to Tea Lake for a dip,
And if I ever wore a shirt a little too low-cut you’d trip!
But I knew it was because you cared for me,
And grandma, my queen you’re leaving behind such a legacy –
Always so proud of who your children grew up to be!
And it’s true that they couldn’t have done it without you…
My grandma.

2 cars, brick house, a garden for every season,
Jesus, Mary in the yard, standing tall for a reason
You couldn’t talk to my grandma and walk away without some kind of impression;
Or at least a rosary lesson,
59 beads wrapped around her hand 24-7;
Grandma use to tell me when I prayed to breathe in and out Jesus,
Something she did every day of her life.
Now an angel surrounded by God’s light…..

My Grandma.