Tuesday, April 25, 2006

I'm really going for the food

Most of you know that I'm making a trip home to Louisiana in May, and I'm very excited! I'm going to see my little sis graduate from high school as the valedictorian of her class. I'm looking forward to seeing my family and friends. But most of all, I'm Going for the FOOD!

I know I've been making Colorado seem like the perfect place to live, and I'm still convinced it is just that. But....it does have one major flaw. It lacks all of my favorite food!
Everybody knows that "Southern" cooking is the best! It doesn't get much better! So, I just thought I would share with y'all what I'll be dreaming about until that wonderful day when my plane touches down in my own personal "food heaven"!

First and foremost on the long list of yummies, is CRAWFISH! I can't wait to get my hands on 10-12 lbs of the spicy little critters. I've been deprived for way too long. For any of you that have dined with me over a steaming hot pile of crawdads you know all too well the seriousness of the event. There is a fine art in partaking of these things. And don't let the price per pound fool you. You would think that with the money you have to spend to get enough of these things to fill your belly that it must be like fine dining. You couldn't be more wrong. There is nothing fancy about peeling off a crawfish's tail (crawfish guts and yellow fatty substances flying) and plopping them in your mouth. A serious crawfish fan would order 5 lbs., a large coke (with straw), extra potatoes and corn, and only one napkin. Why only 5 lbs, a coke with a straw and one napkin? You people disappoint me! First, like I said I can put away a good 10 lbs of crawfish, but it takes a few minutes to get through them all. The last thing you want to do is order 1o or more pounds and then let them sit there and get cold while trying to eat them. Thus, the "5, 5, 5" plan. Always order 5 pounds at a time! The coke with a straw thing should be self-explanatory. This is to prevent you from having to stop peeling when thirsty. Just lean and sip. Finally, the one napkin is for clean up naturally. Put you just need one. Crawfish eatin' isn't for sissy people. You don't have time to worry about the fact that you have crawfish juice running down your hands and passed your elbows. Or that some of the yellowy fat stuff has been ejected onto your shirt and upper eyelid. It will all still be there when your done. Don't risk the crawfish getting cold and rubbery to take care of these minor details. Just eat them and enjoy!


Ahh, now we come to my next favorite yummy! Southern Maid donuts! Again, a true staple in any southern home. I grew up enjoying this deep fried delicacy. What a treat it was to see my mom or dad walk through the door holding a couple boxes of these "rings of joy". I was so hooked on these things that I could smell them when I walked into a room. I remember coming home from ball practices or late nights out and one of my parents would have purchased the donuts a little earlier and hid them some where in the house. It never failed. I could smell them every time. To this day if there is Southern Maid within 100 yards of my nose I'll find them, or die trying! I'm comin' Southern Maid!


Every once in a while God smiles on me and says "Here Melissa. Why don't you enjoy another one of life's finer things." And I say, "Ok, I think I will God. Thank You! One of these times was when I was anxiously awaiting the delivery of my Southern Maid donuts in the drive-thru window at the local S.M. on Mansfield Rd. when I noticed the wonderful red, white and blue ICEE sign in the window. "You've got to be kidding me! They sell ICEE's here too!" I couldn't believe my eyes. Not one, but two of my favorites in one fell swoop! Those Southern Maid people have my number.....and lots of my money!


It wouldn't be a trip to good ole' Shreveport without a few lunches or dinners at Nicky's Mexican Restaurant. The best mexican food ever! And I should know because I've probably eaten there a few 100 times. This is a Templin family tradition. You want Mexican. You go to Nicky's. There is no other! We ate there so frequently that by the time we were seated we each had our drinks, the basket of chips, bowl of queso and chile con queso were already there waiting for us. And our dinner orders were already hanging over the cook's grill in the back. Nicky's Rocks!!!!


It's just not fair, why do the southerners have all the good food. Maybe the fact that all the good food is down there is why Colorado is the "second skinniest state" in America. These mountain people don't know what they're missing! I can't wait to come down there and each a peanut butter sandwich on a Mrs. Baird's piece of bread. It's really just the simple things in life that I love!


Last, but certainly not least! BLUE BELL ice cream! Oh, the joy! Another Templin family tradtion. After a long day of stuffing your face on the aforementioned items above, we all snuggle up in our recliners with a good movie and a MASSIVE bowl of Blue Bell ice cream. My favorites: Chocolate Sundae and Milk Chocolate. It just doesn't get much better than that!

Man, am I gonna have some "sweet" dreams tonight!!! It's all about the food!!!

3 comments:

Michael said...

I'm right there with you. Even here in TX you might think that you could at least get close, and I'll admit that we we have Blue Bell and Icees. I still haven't found a great joint for the mudbugs, though.

Michelle said...

It is funny to me how similar we are, and I never knew it until we started this whole blogging thing. I always tell my family that I love to come and visit them and all...but I'm really coming for the food. Southern Maid is something I dream about often, especially when I'm driving down the road and all we have are Dunkin Donuts, which by the way are gross!! I love Nicky's too, and it is always on my list of places that I have to go, but crazy as it may seem, everyone knows that a Johnny's pizza and breadsticks better be waiting for me when I roll into town!!!

Caci said...

I remember going to Southern Maid and watching them make the donuts as a kid...it was so cool, and they taste soooo wonderful! I missed Mrs. Baird's bread sooo much in WA. We settled for White Wheat, but nothing compares to Mrs. Baird's....why can't she expand to more states??? And, the crawfish are lacking in TX.