NOLA in Pictures

I've really enjoyed sharing my trip to NOLA with you. Between Borgne and Cochon, we ate like queens. We bought some great stuff from jewelry to wall art from local artists. We even tried to replicate some of what we ate with Pineapple Upside Down and Strawberry handpies! BUT THERE WAS SO MUCH MORE TO SHOW YOU. Below is a little recap with images of the rest of our trip, I hope it finishes convincing you that you NEED to go! 

We did a lot of aimless walking around, everything in NOLA is gorgeous. So colorul and eclectic. Amy and Nini loved trying on these adorable tiny hats!

Everywhere we walked, there was amazing music being played on the streets.  

... and ofcourse there were oysters! 

One of my favorite parts of the trip was our trip with Cajun Encounters to see the Gaters! 

 ... and of course there were beignets at Café Du Monde.

We also took a nice long stroll through one of the beautiful cemeteries.  

See more trip pics by checking out my instagram. Do you have any trips planned, I want to go away again already!

Eat: New Orleans / Borgne

Numero Uno foodwise on our NOLA trip was Cochon, which I told you about, but that is certainly not where the tasty food ended! 

Names one of the "Top 10 Best New Chefs in America" by Food & Wine, if anyone knows food, it's John Besh, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit one of his restaurants when I was in NOLA. He and Brian Landry share their love for Louisiana seafood, which is perfectly clear when you dine at Borgne. 

I know this sounds silly, and maybe it is because we were just starved, but this was the best bread and butter we ever ate! Smooooooth sweet butter with a nice warm loaf. Yes. Please. 

These croquettas really blew our mind. Served with chipotle remoulade, we were fighting over the last one (#fatgirlproblems) and dipping some of that fantastic bread in the extra sauce.

The star of the show at Borgne BY FAR for me was the grilled octopus. Served over berber hummus and topped with a garlic caper confit, my taste buds were totally having a party, I had never had such large, plump, juicy pieces of octopus in my life. Nicole (one of my travel pals) and I were dreaming about this app all week... I would have been happy to have a larger portion of this as my entree. A#1FAVE.

Although the octo was perfection, this shrimp casserole was pretty bomb too. Served hot in a cast-iron skillet, this baby was fresh as can be, with a mix of red peppers, cherry tomatoes and mirliton, the textures going on here were incredible.  

Nicole has  the crawfish cavateli, which was creamy and wonderful (I mean, there was freakin' marscarpone cream in it!) and Amy had the Crispy Pork Shank, which she was head over heels for. 

No meal on vacation is complete without dessert. We went with the strawberry fried pies, and were not disappointed. Filled with fresh strawberry and lightly fried, I paired it with a Bailey's on the rocks (yummmmo), this was a perfect end to this meal. 

From beginning to end, the ingredients were fresh and the art John and Brian came though in every bite. 

I am so excited that we got to dine here, and I recommend you do too. I def. hope to try another one of John Besh's restaurants when I can!  

I'm feeeeeeeelin' inspired again. Come back on Friday to see what I cook up (see what I did there?). 

Local Artist: NOLA / Phillip Lightweis-Goff

​More on NOLA! 

I told you last week about a local artist that I FELL IN LOVE WITH but I gots one more for you. Phillip Lightweis-Goff. 

​128johnst loves local artists, and you are going to fall head over heels for this one like I did.

"Our lives are pieced together from cultural and material experience, shifting around and recombining into new forms, thought and substance dancing, memories melting back into the soil to sprout ideas anew. " - Phillip Lightweis- Goff

​Yes. All day. Yes.

Back when I was in college, my friends and I used to be shopping, at a store or flea market or craft fair and we used to find it incredibly difficult to purchase things sometimes. I don't know how well you know me, but I pretty much LOVE to spend money and buy stuffs I don't need (sad but true). BUT as artists, we were hard critics. If we thought we could make it, we just couldn't allow ourselves to buy it. 

When I saw Phillip's work, I was in awe. Shock. Obsessed. Impressed. WOWed. ​

He slices up paper, and carefully weaves it and places it ever so carefully and perfectly and creates these AMAZING images. Phillip takes discarded items and created beauty. 

Impressed yet? The amount of time and patience this must take is mind-boggling. I am all for DIY-ing, but I would never attempt such an intricate style. 

​JUST. LOOK. AT. IT.

You can snatch up some of Phillip's incredible work here at his Etsy shop, or if you have the pleasure of being in NOLA, stop by the Frenchman Art Market, the same place I picked up the necklace from The Magpie Collections.

Local Artist : NOLA / The Magpie Collections

This week's design post is a little different than the usual. Sticking with the New Orleans posts (I've got so much more to show you!) I wanted to highlight a local artist that I met while I was away. 

​We were wandering down Frenchman Street, because that is where EVERYONE we spoke to said to go at night, and we came across this ADORABLE market, the Frenchman Art Market. It was a nighttime market with local artists selling their work.

​When I'm away, I try to always buy a piece of jewelry. It can be costume or dress, don't matter, just something that when I wear it it reminds me of the trip... SOOOO ... when we stumbled upon this market it was a perfect storm! They had tons local artists products, and TONS of jewelry. 

Lauren Noel King of The Magpie Collections ​had BEAUTIFUL, unique, handmade jewelry.  Because it was just after my birthday, my ladies said they wanted to buy me something on our trip as my gift (score!), and there was no questions I was getting something from The Magpie Collection. The decision was a difficult one, I mean, check out all the cool stuff she has in her Etsy store!

I decided on an African Porcupine Quill necklace. (You can see some better pictures and description of a similar one in her shop here.)​ Not only was her work great, Lauren was adorable and sooo sweet. Her business card is this blue sparkly piece of goodness, and she told me to contact her at any time if I have any issues with the necklace.

I went with a more simple design because I like to have pieces that I can wear everyday, but I LOVED this one too.

This night was beyond perfect. We started at The Spotted Cat and listened to Kristina Morales and the Bayou Shufflers for a looooong time. She (THEY) are amazing, check them out! I fell in love with the trombone player and then we stumbled upon the Frenchmen Market! 

The space was soooooo coooolllll. There were different interesting sitting areas, including a GLOWING sofa! I'm uber sad I didn't get this mirror, but really, how the hell would I have gotten it home?!

​While I write this, I am actually away in Vancouver for work and I realized that I actually have the necklace with me! I like to keep the jewelry situation light when I travel, I stick to the basics that I love and would wear while home on the reg (unless there is a specific piece that makes an outfit of course!). Pictured above we have the gorgeous NOLA necklace I can't stop talking about, a ring that I bought on my first business trip to Arizona at vingage shop (over 4 years ago!) and my favorite piece that reminds me of home. My grandpa Al had a business and had this watch face made SOOO LONG AGO. My mama found it at her house and gave it to me this year, I don't leave home without it!

Do you pick up trinkets along while away to remind you of your trip? I've collected quite a lot of interesting items, maybe I'll share the whole collection with you one day soon!

Pineapple Upside Down Cupcake / Inspired by Cochon NOLA

Dude. As I mentioned on Wednesday, ​I had some pretty INCREDIBLE food while in NOLA. My fave restaurant was Cochon, where I had an INCREDIBLE Mini Pineapple Upside Down cake. So, I thought, I-gots-to-give-this-a-try. BOOM. I nailed it. 

Ok, it's not EXACTLY like the one from Cochon, but this recipe is surprisingly simple and D.E.L.I.S.H.

Did I ever tell you that I mostly dislike making icings. Mostly. I do think it is because by the time I am ready to get started in the frosting, I am tired of cleaning dishes. I mean, c'mon, they really pile up! SOOOO not only was this simple, and delish, it doesn't even NEED a frosting. You can maybe serve it with ice cream (like Cochon did) or fresh whipped cream (dang I wish I would have made some of that when I made these- note to self for next time). ​

​Y'all know that I don't love making cakes either, so this is a perfect alternative to a big pineapple upside down, and would be perfect to bring to a summer BBQ, I promise they would be a hit! They are moist. Juicy. Sweet. Fruity. Oh.Mah.Gawd. (I just literally went downstairs to get one as I was typing this). 

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE DOWNLOADABLE RECIPE CARD.

Yields 12 Cupcakes in a standard cupcake pan

FOR  THE CAKE BATTER /

6 tbsp. butter

½ cup milk

¾ cup all purpose flour

2 tbsp. corn starch

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

2 eggs

¾ cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

FOR THE TOPPING /

6 tbsp. butter

¾ cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed

6 maraschino cherries

Canned Pineapple (rings or chunks, approx. 16 oz.)

OK- HERES THE SITUATION:​ It was rainy when I was going to make these. Rainy. Nasty. Brooklyn. All I needed was 1- Pineapple 2- Cherries 3- Milk...

​So what do I DO? I go to the corner bodega. In my pjs. In my slippers. In the rain. With my fingers crossed that they had what I needed.

Well- SCORE, they had pineapple  Did I notice before I got home that I wanted 3 cans of pineapple rings, and instead I got 1 rings and 2 cubes? NOPE. ​For the beauty of it, you should use rings if you can, they are just so IMPRESSIVE looking. For taste, it doesn't matter, they both are fantastical.

Problemo numero 2?- They didn't have cherries. Well, smart lil me, I saw a GIANT can of fruit cocktail, and it had pictures of the fruit it contained, which included CHERRIES, so, ya know, I figured it HAD to have AT LEAST 6 cherries. NOPEEEE. I repeat, NOPE. It had MAYBE 5 halves. So, if you are wondering why not all my cupcakes have cherries, that's why. As I scooped though the whole can, wishing, hoping, for JUST A FEW MORE CHERRIES, I was left disappointed.​

Fun Fact: I don't actually like cherries, so I don't mind so much, but Pineapple Upside Down usually has them, so you should go ahead and go to an actual STORE and get some ACTUAL cherries. ​

ok- rant done. Let's get baking.​

1 / Preheat oven to 350˚F. Prepare standard cupcake pan by spraying with baking spray. Set aside.

2 / Heat 6 tbsp. butter and milk in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter is completely melted. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

3 / In the prepared cupcake pan, place ½ tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. brown sugar in each cavity. Place the pan in the heating oven and allow to melt completely (about 5 minutes).

4 / Remove the cupcake pan from the oven, and place ½ a cherry in the center of each cup, pushing lightly so it goes to the bottom. Surround the cherry with pieces of pineapple chunks or cut the pineapple ring into 2 pieces to fit around. Push lightly to get them to the bottom of the butter mixture.

5 / In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.

6 / In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until smooth.

7 / Alternate beating the warm milk mixture and the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. This batter is fairly loose.

8 / Divide the batter evenly amongst the cupcake cavities.

9 / Bake for 22-25 minutes, until the edges of the cupcakes are golden brown and a cupcake tester or toothpick inserted into the middle of the cupcake comes out clean.

10 / Allow to cool in the cupcake pan for 5 minutes. Place a cutting board or cooling rack over the cupcakes and flip over the pan, flipping the cupcakes upside down (right-side up in this case!) and allow them to gently fall out of the cupcake pan onto the flat surface. Serve warm or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.

LOOK HOW CUTE THESE ARE! ​If you can't make 'em now, download he recipe card and save it for later!

oh, oh, oh... I almost forgot to tell you... so, I recently read this book, The Icing on the Cupcake, which tells the story of a southern belle who moves to NYC because of some events in her life ... yadda yadda... she loves to bake and there are recipes throughout the book (which is more why I read it)... anywhoozer, the character in book keeps talking about adding cornstarch to her batters to make them moist, so when I was making these I did some research and gave it a try. Instead of using 1 cup of flour, I used ¾ cup flour and 2 tbsp. cornstarch. I THINK this is why these cakes were so perfect, but I am going to try this again soon and see what happens! Yay!

I brought these into work, as usual, and they vanished in no time. EVERYONE SAYS stoppppp bringing in cupcakes, I need to be gooooooood its summmmmerrrr, but I ain't forcing them into their mouths! My boss (who is a WAYYYY better baker than I) cut one of the cakes in half because she only wanted a TASTE, but I caught her eating the other half (which totes means they were amazing like I thought!).

I'm so excited I got this inspiration from Cochon, I don't think I would have thought to make a Pineapple Upside Down, and it is SUCH A PERFECT SUMMER TREAT! I'm also super stoked that I gave the cornstarch idea a try, the cake was PERFECT, I think I'll use it as a base for a few recipes in the future!

Have you ever used cornstarch in a cake and had good results?​

Eat: New Orleans / Cochon

When I go on vacation, I like to eat. I mean, yes, there are other things to do, sightseeing etc etc, but I think an important (maybe the MOST important) part of a trip is tasting the food. ​

When I went to Portland, I ATE LIKE CRAZY. No, REALLY, it was ridic how much I ate. I shared with you two parts, the best of FOOD ​& DESSERT. 

This time around, I didn't FORCE my travel partners to eat the way I usually would, but we still ate some AMAZING food which I am of course going to tell you all about. ​

My FAVE you ask, Cochon. In case you're wondering, ​Cochon means PIG in French. *oink oink*

I'm not sure if you know this about me, but I'm a vegetarian. Well, I guess I am technically a Pescetarian, because I LOVE ME SOME FISH. So, why did I want to go to a place called PIG?! Well, for one, one of my gals on the trip loves her some meat, so I gots to allow her to get-it-done, but REALLY it's because Anthony Bourdain visited it during his Layover New Orleans and it looked ace (and WAS). 

We actually planned on going there on a Monday. We figured because it was Monday, it would be empty and we could just stroll in, get a perfect table and a lovely evening. GOOD THING WE CALLED TO MAKE SURE. When we called on Monday around 5 to see if they needed a rez, they informed us that they were COMPLETELY BOOKED until 9pm THE NEXT NIGHT. Whoa. Tony (yes, I refer to Anthony Bourdain as TONY now)  must be right about this place. 

We took the 9pm rez and anxiously awaited.​

It was worth it.

Chef Link of Cochon is known for the traditional Cajun Southern dishes he grew up with. He works with local pork, fresh seafood and ingredients. Fresh. Authentic. Perfect. Just what we wanted.

Named one of the 20 Most Important Restaurants in ​America - you need to go, NOW.

​We got  there a little early, and it was no problemo. We actually even got a table outside (it was a fantastic evening weather wise as well!). 

We snatched up a few drinks and apps immediately. 

The grilled shrimp with cucumbers, peanuts, chiles & goat yogurt (for only $11!) was a perfect combination of flavors. Fresh and light, which was a great way to open a meal!

I think Nicole and Amy would agree with me that the Wood-Fired Oysters were the star of the show. These plump Louisiana Oysters, topped with a butter mixture which including Vietnamese Chili sauce, ​melted in your mouth. After slurping up the oyster, we literally drank the rest of the mixture, because we wouldn't imagine leaving anything behind in the shell. I would eat these every day the rest of my life if I could. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

​I'm not going to lie and say I remember what was actually in this, although I did find a recipe here, which I plan on attempting, but I CAN tell you, it is one of the best things I ever put in my mouth. It was a thick stew with the most incredible catfish. This photo does not do it justice, at all (cut me some slack, it was dark and I had a few glasses of wine). ​My gals had some incredible things as well, but THIS was the entree winner. OMG. As I sit here, I am dreaming about it, my mouth is watering, and I contemplating buying a plane ticket to go back and get it. YUMMMMM.

ok. DESSERT. OBVS. Pineapple Upside Down cake, freakin' cornmeal cake with coconut served with lime sorbet and dulce de leche. YES, I'LL TAKE 10 PLEASE. The cake was perfectly moist. Like. Perfectly. Moist. (Did I mention I don't even like the word MOIST ​but I simply cannot think of another word to accurately describe this cake.) I honestly didn't even need the ice cream, but it was lovely as well.

So the summary here. GET IN MAH BELLY. I'm feeling very inspired by this meal. It was simple, yet complex. He really does stick to homestyle cajun that simply does not disappoint.​

Have you ever been to NOLA and/ or eaten at Cochon? NOOOOO? I think it's time you book a trip. ​

ps- I was so inspired by this meal, I decided to give one of the recipes a go, and I'll be posting it this Friday, can you guess which one I gave a go?​