Month: September 2006

  • Continuing on with posts of a Cajun nature

    Apparently today is Cajun day here at Big Mama’s. Y’all never know what you’re gonna get, do you?

    I read a WFMW earlier that was about blogging and one piece of advice it gave was to stick to a theme on your blog, so for today I’m sticking to a theme. As for the rest of the time…y’all can just file me under miscellaneous.

    A few weeks ago, my friend Hite discovered Big Mama. Actually, I had sent him an email with my “website” address (and website is in quotes because I’m not really sure that’s what it’s called. Thanks Boomama.) and I think he read one post and never came back again. Until, during his phone call to wish me Happy Birthday, I informed him that Big Mama updates her “website” everyday and I try to keep it mildly entertaining and filled with a variety of topics (try and do are two totally different things). I am proud to say that Hite has now made Big Mama his homepage.

    So since Hite has mentioned that he’d love to read a story about some college adventures, I will oblige him. After all, he has made Big Mama his HOMEPAGE.

    I haven’t been sure which anecdote to share and since I’m trying to be family friendly it has taken a while. But when I looked at the Aggie football schedule and realized we were playing the Ragin’ Cajuns, I knew I had a story.

    Back in the fall of ’91, the Ragin’ Cajuns were coming to Kyle Field. This was back in the height of Aggie football glory so everyone knew that they didn’t have a prayer of beating us. It was a magical time.

    The Monday before the game I was sitting in class avidly listening to the fascinating lecture on the ins and outs of Political Science and taking furious notes about libel being a tort…I’m totally kidding, I was reading The Battalion which is the student newspaper. Obviously I was an extremely conscientious student evidenced by the fact that when my dad came to visit, I pointed out the completely wrong building and told him it was the library. And because he loves me, he kept paying my tuition anyway.

    So, I am reading The Batt when I notice an open letter to the student body from a professor named Dr. Abraham at USL, Home of the Ragin’ Cajuns. The letter was hysterical and I wish I had a copy, but basically it was an invitation for a select number of Aggie students to join him and some other Ragin’ Cajuns for a pre-game tailgate party complete with complimentary food and drink Cajun style. He said that the first twenty or so people to call him would be invited and he included his phone number.

    I waited patiently until class was over…I’m kidding again. I left class immediately and sped home to tell my roommates and see if they were game. We called him and left a message saying that we had seen his letter and would love to join them for the tailgate party and by the way, we were Diamond Darlings for the baseball team. Gulley and I thought that fact might give us an edge and I am embarrassed to say that we probably said it with the importance reserved for statements like “I’m an ambassador to China and in my spare time I volunteer in orphanages”.

    He called us back, said we were in and to show up Saturday on the George Bush Drive side of Kyle Field and bring our appetites. He wasn’t kidding.

    We showed up at 11:00 a.m. and the beer and crawfish were already flowing. They had enough food to feed the entire stadium. Boudin, crawfish, sausage, and beer were plentiful. It was a true Cajun feast. They were the nicest group imaginable and we all had the best time sitting around listening to stories and telling them about Aggieland and all of our traditions. We drank beer, and more beer and then more beer because those crawfish were spicy and we were in college.

    Y’all remember the college days when it was completely socially acceptable to drink beer at 11:00 in the morning? One little problem is that by a 2:00 pm kickoff, you might find yourself a little overserved.

    Texas A&M is home of the 12th man tradition. The students stand the ENTIRE game to show our willingness to get in the game if needed. It’s a beautiful thing. But standing on an already wobbly metal bleacher after eating a ton of crawfish and being overserved and jumping up and down cheering for the Aggies…slightly unsettling. I’ll leave it at that.

    I’ll always remember those Ragin’ Cajuns fondly. They weren’t much on the football field, but boy did they know how to throw a tailgate party.

  • WFMW-The perfect dish for a cold fall day


    In my Thursday Thirteen last week I mentioned how I love to make a big batch of crawfish etouffee when the weather gets cold. Several people asked for my recipe and by several, I mean Barb. But I really like Barb, so for her and anyone else that has a hankering for a little Cajun cuisine, here is my recipe. You can double it, triple it, quadruple it and it freezes beautifully.

    Big Mama’s Crawfish Etouffee
    1/4 c. diced celery
    1/4 c. diced onion
    1/4 c. diced bell pepper
    1 tsp. cayenne pepper
    1 tsp. salt
    1/2 tsp. dried basil
    1/4 tsp. dried thyme
    1 tsp. black pepper
    5 tbs. vegetable oil
    1/2 c. flour
    2 c. chicken stock or canned chicken broth
    1/2 stick butter
    1 bunch green onions, chopped (separate white and green parts)
    1 lb. peeled crawfish tails (defrosted if frozen) – you can substitute shrimp if you prefer
    Hot cooked rice
    In a small bowl, combine celery, onion, and bell pepper. In a separate bowl, combine cayenne, salt, basil, thyme, and black pepper and set aside.
    Make a roux: In a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron), heat the vegetable oil until very hot, then gradually add the flour. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly until it turns chocolate brown. Be careful not to burn it. Reduce heat and add celery, onion, bell pepper to roux. Add seasoning mixture. Let cook 2-3 minutes on low heat, stirring.
    Heat chicken stock in a large pot, then add roux mixture, stirring until there are no lumps. Continue to simmer until sauce is thickened. In a skillet, melt butter, add white part of green onions, and crawfish; saute 2-3 minutes, the add to pot with sauce. Simmer about 30 minutes.
    Serve with rice and garnish with green part of green onions if desired. Make sure you have plenty of french bread to sop up the sauce.
    I know this may sound a little labor intensive, but it is beyond worth it!

  • Rainy days and Mondays (or Tuesdays)


    Today was Caroline’s first day of school (and also day 5 of my sinus cavity being under siege). This is a new school for her this year, so I was a little anxious as we made our way there this morning. We walked into her new classroom and she immediately ran over to her classmates. I asked her if she was going to give me a hug and she did. I lingered for one more moment just to watch her and she looked back at me and said, “Aren’t you gonna leave?” Oh she put on a brave front, but I bet inside she was crying. Right.

    I took my cue and left. I had a million things to do and it’s amazing how efficient one can be when not toting a 3 year old around. I actually ran errands and accomplished something.

    When I arrived to pick her up she came running to me with a loud “Mama” and spent the whole ride home talking nonstop about her day. She told me about her new friends and even sang a little song for me that she learned at chapel. I asked her if they sang any other songs at chapel and she told me “Yes, we sang Sweet Caroline”, but I’m highly doubting the credibility of that claim. Methodists usually aren’t known for using Neil Diamond in their worship.

    Today was also notable because it was the first truly rainy day we’ve had in about 6 months. It actually felt a little like fall between the rain and the fact that the high was only 83. 83 glorious degrees and I wanted to put on a long sleeve shirt. Oh cooler temperatures, how I love thee.

    Anyway, Caroline has been begging for a raincoat, rainboots and an umbrella. I mean to the point of bordering on obsessive. I have been putting her off by telling her we’re in the middle of a drought and honestly, if it’s dry enough that you can’t even run the sprinklers then there is really no need to rush out and buy raingear that she’ll outgrow before we ever see a raindrop. I spent the last 6 months successfully dodging the raincoat bullet with the promise that we’ll buy a raincoat when it rains.

    My child has a memory like the proverbial elephant.

    We got home from school and she was having a snack. All of a sudden the light came on…”Mama, is it raining outside?” I said, “Yes, it’s raining. Isn’t that great?” and because I am so kid savvy I added “I bet the trees are loving this rain. They’re probably saying MMMM delicioso!” She cut me off mid Dora the Explorer reference to say, “Well, time to go to the store and buy my rainboots!”

    Note to self, be careful what you promise.

    So off we went to buy the full rainy day ensemble. They had so many cute options, pink cats, butterflies, flowers and princesses. This is what she chose.

    Could she Bee any cuter? (I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself.)

  • And we’ll have fun, fun, fun

    So we headed out to the coast yesterday for the Labor Day weekend. It will be a big time of big fun in the sun combined with watching football. I may be a little scarce, but I’ll be back Monday with some good stories I am sure.

    In the meantime, go check out some great links at Boomama’s.

    Happy Labor Day!