You know, there are a few things in life I really don’t like being told:

a.  “You can’t do that.”

b. “Mr. Thomassie, your motion is denied.”

c. “You can’t eat meat on Fridays during lent.”

While I understand the need for fasting periods (and Lord knows my body does) and cutting back, planning meals without meat is simply a really tough thing to do.

Like most south Louisiana Catholics, seafood doesn’t count in the “fasting” deal, and gives me a great excuse to get out there and try some great seafood or have a crawfish boil instead of staring at a square of tofu and trying to think of how to make it taste like bacon.

Which got me thinking, what’s you’re favorite place to be on Friday nights in Lent or what’s your favorite recipe to get through “the rough patches” aka meatless days?

For me,  all-you-can-eat crawfish, whether at a local joint or cooked up with friends, is the perfect Friday night dinner during Lent, but what’s your plan?

By the way, I have to apologize for my lack of posts lately.  A combination of trying to eat better than average as well starting my new firm and not having the time to actually eat lunch on most days has led to my not posting as often as I would like.

Saw this custom grill at a recent tailgate made by the fellas over at Louisiana Cutting and even without meat on the thing, I found myself drooling.  A couple bone in cowboy cut ribeyes from Maxwells would have completed the picture…

The Cajun Foodie has been nominated by Chef2Chef.net as one of the 100 Best Food Blogs. Voting is currently taking place on their website. We thank all of our loyal fans for their support.  Please show your appreciation for The Cajun Foodie by voting for us as the best food blog on Chef2Chef’s 100 Best Food Blogs.

Tell the world we’re a Top Food Blog!

On a similar note, congratulations to our brother foodies over at Blackened Out for being chosen #2 local blog in the Best of New Orleans 2009!

That’s right, the 2nd Annual Boudin Cookoff is going to be held in downtown Lafayette on October 17. Here’s all the details and you can check out the site at www.boudincookoff.com!

Lafayette’s own Boudin Cook-Off is being held this October 17th from 10:00-4:00 in downtown Lafayette, at Parc Sans Souci (corner of E. Vermilion St. and Polk St.). The cook-off brings together the top 20 boudin makers from across Louisiana and there will be over 1,300 pounds of boudin to sample in three categories (Traditional, Specialty, and Unlinked). Boudin sampling begins at 10:00 AM. The event is free to attend and the samples are just .50 a piece!

Festivities include music (The Specklers and Thomas “Big Hat” Fields and his Footstompin Zydeco Band), free fun jumps, a Cochon de Lait from Al Simon’s Cajun Microwaves with free samples, a free “boudin toss,” a boudin eating contest, and more. Judging will take place throughout the day and includes a People’s Choice Vote. There will be ample food, prizes, refreshments, and fun for the whole family with proceeds to benefit the Historic Preservation Alliance of Lafayette. Plenty of free parking available.

Spending a Saturday ogling Cajun Microwaves, trying top-notch boudin and listening to some great music should be on the top of everyone’s list for October 17, so mark ‘er down!

I figure it’s time to kick off a column of sorts, so I’m going to start a running list of the top 100 food experiences and items in the state. Each post I’ll tack on a new one and give you my reasons for its inclusion on the list. Who knows, this may end up being The Cajun Foodie 1000 by the time I’m done.

The items are not listed in any specific order or ranking, chances are they are going to be written up in a totally random manner or when I just have the envie for something. Without further ado, let’s get this party started…

1. Pralines-Pralines are a staple of Louisiana get togethers, gift baskets, and tailgating parties. A confectionery based on sugar and pecans, they come in all different kinds. From the crumbly crystallized texture to the creamy and smooth, the praline hits the plate in many different forms.We’ve got two excellent recipes to make them at home, you can hit up Southern Candymakers in New Orleans for their excellent version, or order some of Aunt Sally’s creamy pralines.

Well, the cat is out of the bag…The Cajun Foodie will be featured in the July issue of PoV Magazine (Point of Vue).  If you are in and around the Houma/Thibodaux area, pickup a copy at these locations.  The magazines hit news stands today, so hurry to pick up a copy, and let us know what you think!

www.povhouma.com