I'm guessing ours is similar and I just need to try and make the appointment. I want to update our passports too. Very cute HA!

thank you! I went through some of my older HAs and found fall and Moros themed ones to reprise.

- That does sound lovely. I'm putting it on my book list. Right now I'm finishing up the newest Patricia Cornwell book. I say finishing up and I'm only on chapter 6. XD Her books have gotten so forumlaic that I'm guessing at the end already. facepalm I don't know why I buy them anymore. :/

sometimes a formula is comforting and welcoming like you know you will enjoy yourself but other times it's like eating something you remember liking but have gotten sick of. It sounds like Cornwell used to be the first type for you and is rapidly becoming the second instead.

-I think you're right about that. I got a good taste of the formula in her last two books and am not happy to find it in this one. Guess I was hoping she would go back to her original way of writing instead. No such luck. :/ I found "Alien Clay" on audible and bought it. I'll read it after I'm finished with my current book. It sounds really interesting and also a good break from what I usually read. Like a palatte cleanser, which I think I need right now. 😂

- Sorry, didn't see your reply.New Orleans food is in a category of it's own. I love the red beans and rice with andouille sausage and shrimp etouffe (I know I spelled that wrong but have no idea how to really spell it. 😆 ) You may be able to get some of the ingredients for the dishes up there. Get Zatarains red bean and rice mix. It is a comparable dish although the fresh made red beans and rice is so much better. :D

I go through my HA's too! It's fun to find ones I really liked and maybe do a few tweaks to them.

I've made that red beans and rice mix before, but it's been a while. I'm going to look for it tomorrow and might buy and make it for Liz. The problem for me is the sodium content is so high in most prepared and almost prepared foods. It makes me itch and feel bloated but both Philip and Liz love really salty foods. And sausage and shrimp both sound yummy too. Your HA is really cute! I started making you one and forgot to finish it. Oops!

- Thank you! My friend, Chrysariel, made it for me. She makes awesome HAs. :) Don't worry about it. Life happened, so it's ok. :) Yes, Zatarains is salty but it's the best red beans and rice that isn't homemade. Of course you can make it from scratch to moderate the salt content but even then it's going to be salty because of the ingredients (smoked pig hocks are salty.) You could mitigate the salt by using unsalted meats when making it, like chicken (regular, not blackened) and shrimp. If you use andouille sausage it will be saltier but oh, so, gooooood. Oh, and a trick I learned when cooking, if a dish is too salty, throw a couple of peeled potatoes in and let it simmer. As the potatoes cook they will absorb any excess salt, bringing your salt content down quite a bit. When you're ready to serve, just remove the potatoes and serve up in a bowl. You can eat the potatoes later (like I do) or pitch them. They're just salt sponges and add nothing to the dish. :D

And your current HA is really really great! Cheers to whoever made it for you! Pig hocks?! Oh no not me! ROTFL! I'm so weird about meats I'll eat. My mom was that way and passed it on to me. If I make something with sausage it would probably be chicken sausage as I swap out with healthier foods whenever I cook something. My cooking is probably not as tasty as foods made with the standard items though. 😁I looked for the Zatarains red beans and rice today and didn't see it but I do make a lot of beans and have made them before to eat over rice. Next time I'll Google for a New Orleans type recipe and hope I don't make it too boring. Last week I made something called Yellow Mung Dal with yellow split lentils and Liz loved it. It's not really a soup but I thinned it out a little to make it more soup like for her. And I offered to put it over rice but she declined. lol

The potato hack for too salty foods is a trick my hubs has told me about. I thought it was just something he made up but good to know it really is something that works!

I cook low sodium and I boost the flavor by adding sweet and acidic flavors as well as some lower sodium umami when I can (long and slow cooked meat is good for the latter, as is mushroom and/or tomato when slow cooking meat wouldn't be feasible). A touch of bitterness from citrus rind or mustard helps too. Basically the more other flavors boosting the richness of the food, the less you miss the salt.

- Yellow Mung Dal? Sounds Indian. Is it a curry? I love curries. I could eat them all the time but we only get it once in a while. :) Your hubby is wise in the way of cooking hacks. Makes you wonder exactly how much salt they use to make potato chips since potatoes absorb salt. o.o Great, now I'm hungry for curry. 😂

do you ever cook curries or does your husband? Or do you get them takeout only?

- We had red beans and rice (Zatarain's) for dinner a few nights ago. I had my son do the potato trick so it wasn't very salty at all. :D

- Thanks for the inspiration. I used to cook and do that kind of trickery to enhance flavor but my son's not much into it. I've tried to encourage him but he says it takes too much time when cooking. I don't argue because he is the one doing all the cooking now. As for curries, I've never cooked one. My hubby found a good, inexpensive japanese curry that's easy for my son to make. We're having it for dinner tonight. I have no idea what goes into it, though, as I've never cooked it myself. :d

oh your son is doing the cooking! my son can cook but he is even less inclined to complicated things, he likes to make very simple things. I do most of the cooking. He usually likes what I make, but he is not fond of my "complicated flavor" things often times unless I add spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce, then he likes it.

You always have good cooking tips! 💗Just used some Sumac today on roasted carrots and they're so yummy! Oh and I use tamarind paste for the citric rind flavor. I can't remember if you told me about that one or not.

It's technically not a curry as there's no curry in it but to me it's very curry like. It's from a dehydrating web site and I often dehydrate it as it makes a lot. Lately, I've been lazy and just frozen some of it. Here's the ingredients: 3 cups yellow mung dal (I used the “Khazana” brand, but there are many out there) 6 cups water or chicken broth 3 tsp. dried turmeric 2 tsp. salt 1 large onion, diced ¼ pound carrots, cut into small dice 1 bell pepper, any type, diced and deseeded with membranes removed 8 garlic cloves, chopped Generous dash each: cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and black pepper.

And yummy on the red beans and rice! I'm going to look for it at a different store.

Happy Moro, I'll try to be on but who knows 🤷‍♂️

Ps Diana i need GA again.. it ends today or tomorrow, ty 😊

- Yep, my 21 year old son is the cook now since I can't see. He's a good cook but set in his ways, already. He takes after my hubby's desire for meals to be meat and potato. When he gets like that I just ask for some veg on the side and let them be cave men. 😂 Oh, I started Alien Clay last night. So far, I do like it, although I did fall asleep listening to it. So, I have no idea what chapter I ended up on. The last thing I remember was he was being escorted from the dinner with the leader of the place and being gratioutiously roughed up. smirk :D

- Thanks for the recipe! I'll wave it under myson's nose and see if he bites. If so, we'lll give it a try. It seems to be his sort of thing. :D

- Happy Moro! I hope you're not too busy to grab some treats! :D

he gets roughed up a lot more times (I think he loses count) I'm sure you can find your place again!

no the tamarind was probably not me though I can't be sure - sounds tasty though - glad the carrots were so good :D

Good to see you! Pretty sure I still have some Gold's left and will check and send after I post.

I sauté the veggies in my Instant Pot and then cook with extra added broth.

I started buying the fresh carrots that are pre-sliced and makes cooking them so easy!

I sent ShesUniique a gold acct & can send another if I need to

Very cute HA with the new items! I sent her one too 😊