Category Archives: travel

Tupelo, Mississippi

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Ole MissI love Tupelo, Mississippi. It’s a small Southern town with Mississippi Statebig-city shopping and restaurants, a town that honors the best of its past while heading confidently toward its future — and a town where tolerance is celebrated and fairness is expected and you can even say you’re a Tennessee fan if you do it quietly and respectfully. And unlike the adjacent state of Alabama, where Tupelo, Mississippieveryone is expected to declare for Alabama or Auburn immediately upon birth and there are businesses that Alabama fans will not frequent because of War Eagle allegiance and vice versa, the Ole Miss v. Mississippi State rivalry is somewhat more civilized — especially in neutral ground such as Tupelo. For example, check out the local Cracker Barrel, where neighboring rivals Ole Miss, in nearby Oxford, and Mississippi State, in Starkville, get equal billing in souvenir sales. Although, if you look closely, it does seem as if Mississippi State has a bit of advantage in terms of display footage. Makes me wonder where the store manager went to school. And in further evidence of Tupelo’s open-door reputation, I spotted this hair-salon sign (click to enlarge) — and, uncharacteristically, I have nothing to add. Just … nope. Nothing.

Fashion

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Weekend in the countryYou all know that I am naturally cynical, country bootssuspicious and contrary, but even the sweetest among us, I think, would scoff at these “Weekend in the Country” clothes from a popular fashion-shopping Web site.  I mean, seriously? Are you kidding? Look, I’ve lived country pantsin the country before (at least, I’ve lived in a house where you could see cows across the road) and mainly what you wear on the weekends are 8-year-old tennis shoes, baggy T-shirts from 1980s concert tours and jeans that are ripped and torn not because you spent $300 for them to be that way but because you caught them on a rusty nail. Or maybe that’s just me. And anyway, the “country weekend” looks touted by this e-mail ad — plaids, tights, boots — are pretty much what we Alabama folks wear all winter and fall, whether we’re in the country or in the busiest bustling metro downtown. (Don’t laugh — have you ever been in Birmingham at rush hour? ‘Nuff said.) Look, in all honesty, I know this ad is about the eastern seaboard upper-class tradition of vacating the work week city for a relaxing New England country weekend. I know that. I’m just amused and slightly annoyed at this latest example of the New York City-centric retail-fashion industry once again forgetting that there are other women in other parts of the country who enjoy shopping for trends but don’t need to be condescended to with some sort of Vermont-country-inn fantasy. On the other hand, now that I look at those lace-up stiletto suede booties, I kind of like them. Wouldn’t they look great as you tromped through a beautiful fall forest wearing a denim mini-skirt, plaid jacket and tights? Curse you, American advertising machine!!!

Madison, Alabama

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Madison Street Festival Saturday, the town of Madison, Alabama, officially welcomed fall with Madison Street Festival the annual Madison Street Festival. A gorgeous early-fall day brought out thousands of folks to shop arts-and-crafts booths, eat that tempting fried festival food (funnel cakes, anyone?), catch up with their neighbors and be entertained by folks like Older Daughter, who performed with her Huntsville belly-dance troupe. She is an awesome dancer (and that’s not just maternal pride Madison Street Festival speaking), and the group’s repertoire included a piece she had choreographed herself. Even 18-month-old Capt. Adorable seemed to recognize his mom onstage. At least, he sat still and watched in his stroller for about 15 minutes. Or maybe he was just fascinated with the balloons we tied to the handles. Balloon-decorated strollers were everywhere, as you can tell by the line parked outside the festival’s raptor show — balloons and pets were prohibited, although I guess young children were considered safe! Capt. Adorable almost came home with a pet, since he made friends with the oh-so-adorable puppies at the animal-shelter’s booth. I’ve got a feeling there may be a new addition at the Captain’s house soon. Read more about the festival at http://blog.al.com/breaking/2009/10/madison_street_festival_draws.html and http://www.madisonstreetfestival.org/

Food

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Chocolate Pots de CremeI don’t know which I liked better — this gorgeously rich and smooth chocolate pots de creme or the adorable little china “pots” it came in. This was dessert at a recent cooking class I took in Decatur, Alabama. Cookbook author and former restaurant owner Betty Sims teaches classes in her home each fall. This year she led off with “Celebrating Julia,” a menu based on Julia Child recipes. Betty has stayed at Cooking With Friends in France, http://www.cookingwithfriends.com/, a culinary program in Child’s former Provence chateau, and she has some great stories and photos. And great recipes, like this one for Chocolate Pots de Creme.

Chocolate Pots de Creme

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Warm 2 cups heavy cream, two cups half-and-half and 4 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips in a 2-quart Pyrex cup in microwave for 2 minutes on high. Whisk and microwave 2 minutes more until steam rises and chocolate is melted.

Whisk 6 egg yolks, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and pinch of salt together in a bowl. Add warm chocolate mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and strain into a measuring cup with a pouring spout (to get rid of  lumps). Spoon off any foam. Divide mixture among six 3-ounce pot de creme molds or oven-safe ramekins. Cover each mold tightly with a lid or foil (although Betty didn’t do this and said it wasn’t necessary). Arrange molds in a baking dish, being careful not to let molds touch each or sides of dish (again, Betty didn’t do this and said it wasn’t necessary). Transfer dish to oven and add hot water to reach about halfway up outsides of molds.

Bake 35 minutes, then check for doneness. Custard should be just set but still quiver like gelatin. If necessary, bake another 3-5 minutes. When custards are set, remove from water bath and cool for 30 minutes at room temperature. Chill until completely cold, preferably overnight. Garnish with whipped cream.

Random Thoughts

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Here are some things that have been running through my head the past few days:

First, I now know what it’s like to live in London or Seattle or any of those other places that have constant rain. I Umbrellabelieve it has rained practically every day here in northwest Alabama for the past three or four weeks. Everybody and everything smells sort of moldy, and all conversations include phrases such as ” … after I put my umbrella down … ” I don’t even know where my sunglasses are anymore. I think we may get a break next week, if that unfamiliar round yellow symbol on the weather chart is right.  But the rain and flooding has been more than inconvenient in so many places —  in Georgia, several people have died in the rising waters. I never understood how quickly and frighteningly flooding can happen until I was driving home from Corinth, Mississippi, this past Friday afternoon, going east on U.S. 72 through Barton, Alabama. It all of sudden started raining so hard that it was a whiteout — I literally could not see the road. I crept along looking for a place to turn off and started to drive through a convenience store’s parking lot when I noticed that what I thought was the parking lot was in fact brown swirling rushing water. Luckily, it wasn’t deep and after a few heart-pounding moments parked on high ground beside a Dumpster, I realized I could drive out safely and so I did. But Oh. My Goodness. That was scary. I now have a healthy respect for those words, “Flash food warning.”

Second, the reason I was driving back from Mississippi was that I had gone to the Tupelo hospital — our insurance is networked in Mississippi — to get a Reclast injection. Has anyone else done this? I have osteopenia, which is kind of like you-don’t-have-osteoporosis-yet-but-don’t-hold-your-breath, sister. For years I’ve taken Fosamax, Actonel Reclastand Boniva (do not get me started on Sally Field) with the only result being heartburn and indigestion, so my doctor recommended Reclast. I would only need it once every two years and it’s supposed to be easy on the tummy, so sign me up. And of course, like when you take most meds, you’re warned that Reclast can cause nausea, upset stomach, etc. And of course, like with most meds, you just nod and say, “All right. Sure. Okay.” But Saturday morning after my Reclast injection on Friday afternoon, I woke up with … wait for it … nausea, upset stomach, etc. Ugh. And I started panicking, thinking that I’d put this stuff in my body for two years and I was going to feel like hell for the whole two years and why-oh-why was I so stupid???  Luckily, it was just a 24-hour thing and I felt better the next day. I’m going to have to see my bone-scan numbers to decide if Reclast is worth it. Anyway, to anybody else considering Reclast: Plan for a full day of recovery. At least.

And have you read the People article that says “Kardashian wedding to be ‘classy affair’?” http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/22/khloe.kardashian.wedding/index.html I mean, really? Seriously??? Can any Kardashian possibly describe herself as “classy” with any semblance of integrity? The mind boggles.

And I’m fully into Dan Brown’s latest, “The Lost Symbol.” We can all agree it’s not great literature, but it sure is gripping page-turning fun. Plus, I love that this time it’s set someplace I know and can envision. Secrets in Washington, D.C.!!! Who’d have thunk it???!!!

Cajun Week

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DecorOn our way to Louisiana’s Cajun Country for a wedding this past Decorweekend, my friends and I spent a day in Mississippi doing some of things we do best: Eating and shopping. And stumbling on Wacky Ideas That Might Come In Handy Sometime Because You Never Know. Like these two examples that solve the problem of what do you do with all those 45s/albums/CDs that you will never ever listen to again? At the 101 Cafe in Brookhaven, Mississippi — a funky sandwich spot with a very cool 1960s-hippie vibe — one of the walls was decorated with a huge peace sign made out of old 45s. I love this idea — how great would it be for a rec or media room? And then at Upscale Resale — a fun consignment shop in Jackson, Mississippi — we found this gleaming and holographic mobile made out of CDs. Now, this is true recycling! Check back tomorrow for one more Cajun Week post — I saved the best for last!

Cajun Week

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L'Auberge du LacThis past weekend  I had the great good luck to Casinosbe in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Some friends and I drove down to Cajun Country for a wedding and stayed at L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort. You know that in Louisiana (and Mississippi), gambling places by law L'Aubergehave to be on water, so L’Auberge — billed as a “riverboat casino” — is built on a bowl-like structure that’s in the lake but you’d never know it. In fact, with the hotel’s dark wood and metal Arts and Crafts-like decor, you’d never know you were in Louisiana. I loved the massive fireplaces and the solid oversized furniture, but it reminded me more of the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, than a Cajun casino. But then this was the first casino I’d ever been to, so what do I know? Since my only casino experience is from Ocean’s Eleven, I really didn’t know what to expect. The hotel part, however, was lots of fun. The two rooms we four women were in were lovely, with wonderful bathrooms (you know I always love a good hotel bathroom) and especially luxurious bed linens and mattress — a good thing, too, because due to an apparent twist of the air vents, we could hear everything said and done in other rooms somewhere in the hotel. Every. Little. Thing. Not so noticeable during the day, but at 4 a.m. when a bunch of drunk females wandered back to their room in a loud and feisty mood? Extremely annoying. We didn’t Lake Charles, Louisianaget much sympathy from hotel management, either. Oh, well. Isn’t a hotel stay always a gamble? And speaking of, I did try my luck in the casino under guidance from my more experienced friends. Unwilling to risk anything more than what it would cost to eat at McDonald’s, I plopped down in front of a 1-cent slot machine, making $1 last about 20 minutes and losing a total of $1.76. I just don’t get gambling, although I thought I had an addictive personality since I cannot leave any Mint Milanos in the bag and have been known to sit through an entire day of America’s Next Top Model reruns. Maybe if I knew how to play something that involved some skill, such as craps or 21, I might like it better, I think — although my husband was glad to hear that I found my gambling experience sort of boring. However, I did pick up some helpful gambling tips: Always get the machines close to the door, because they pay off more. Always get the machines farthest from the door, because they pay off more. Always get a machine that’s been paying off, because it’s hot. Always get a machine that hasn’t paid off, because it’s time is coming. Always play for big money, because you’ll win big. Always play for small money, because you won’t lose much. Good luck!!!

Check out the Web site for L’Auberge du Lac at http://www.ldlcasino.com

Cajun Week

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Cajun foodWe all know that one of the best parts about Cajun Pujo Street Cafe in Lake CharlesCountry is Cajun food. When some friends and I spent this past weekend in Mississippi and in Lake Charles, Louisiana, we did our best to sample as much Cajun cooking as possible. One of our favorite spots was Pujo Street Cafe in downtown Lake Charles, where we had lunch and took refuge during a Saturday afternoon downpour — and then enjoyed ourselves so much that we didn’t want to leave. The New Orleans-style cafe is one of those successful downtown-renovations — the building used to be a drugstore and apparently was the town gathering spot. Thanks to a fresh and innovative menu, delightful decor and friendly and helpful service, I can see why it still is. Pujo has a light and airy sidewalk courtyard and inside it features intriguing local art work on the exposed brick walls. And the food? Let’s just say we didn’t leave much behind. One of my friends raved about her Shrimp Angel pasta, and I refused to share any of my Oysters Pujo — pecan-crusted fried oysters with spinach and gouda cheese. Check out Pujo Street Cafe yourself at http://pujostreet.com.

Cajun Week

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Cajun wedding decorCajun wedding When friends and I stepped into The Brick House in Lake Charles, Louisiana, for a Cajun wedding reception, we immediately fell in love with the Mardi Gras-themed decorations. I mean, does this say “Louisiana” or what? Every table was different, and it all added to the festive family-party vibe that made us not want to leave.  This building is a former warehouse now put to use as a catering center — a perfect solution to old downtown spaces I wish more property owners would consider instead of letting their buildings just sit there. But there was hardly any sitting at this wedding reception, as the zydeco music got folks up Cajun wedding and dancing and the buffet line beckoned with andouille-stuffed Cajun wedding mushrooms, fried eggplant, crawfish pasta salad and other yummy Cajun dishes.  And this wedding king cake! Oh my goodness! Have you ever seen such a fun wedding cake? And it tasted delicious, too. The top tier was deep chocolate. Then the middle layer was a rich cream-cheese pastry and the bottom layer was raspberry — and we had samples (Oh, OK, actual real pieces. Big pieces, in fact. Actually, I think that was just me.) of each one. Even though we had driven 12 hours and hardly knew anybody but a handful of people, we had a blast — Cajun folks are wonderfully friendly and hospitable and we instantly felt like we were family. And, by the way, don’t my friends and I look stunning? We spent a lot of time and effort trying to look good so we wouldn’t embarrass our friend, the mother of the bride — the one who’s  smiling so big in the center. After this experience, I can highly recommend Cajun weddings. In fact, if you ever get an invitation to one, do not hesitate: RSVP immediately! You won’t be sorry. And come back here tomorrow for more Cajun Week.

Louisiana

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Cajun weekendToday I’m kicking off Cajun Week for no other reason Cajun wedding weekendthan this past weekend some friends and I drove a looooonngg way to Cajun country for the wedding of another friend’s daughter — and had such a blast we’d turn around and do it again in a second, despite the seemingly endless marathon of driving on the Natchez Trace. Since I still can hear the zydeco music and taste the andouille sausage, I’m sharing with you all. First, can you guess where we were? This is the view out of our eighth-story casino-hotel window, looking toward the lake for which this town is named — or maybe it’s the other way around. Anyway, the restaurant pictured is a very cool and tasty downtown eatery just around the corner from the breathtakingly beautiful Catholic church where the wedding was held. Sadly, I don’t have any Cajun prizes to give away to the winner, but you’ll have the satisfaction of proving you know your Louisiana geography. And please come back all week — I’ve got upcoming posts on Cajun food, decorating and wedding styles along with all the gambling tips I picked up in my (brief) career as a high-roller. You don’t want to miss it!