You're Probably From Louisiana If... First, You Make a Roux

FORWARD - In South Louisiana our climate is hot and humid; mosquitoes large and numerous; and, politics dirty. Despite these minor annoyances and distractions, we are, by nature, a very happy and hospitable group of people. God, family, friends, fun and food are foremost in our lives. And, generally speaking, the kitchen is the center of all activity. It is a warm, comfortable and very aromatic place--and the food is great! We are very blessed to have abundant food resources. The Gulf and inland waters provide a variety of seafood including oysters, shrimp and crawfish as well as a huge variety of fish. There is also a fair amount of game and foul in our forests. It has been said that people in Louisiana (especially in south Louisiana) will eat anything--squirrel stew, 'possum' and sweet 'taters', deer, rabbit, turtle, alligator, and the list goes on. Louisiana's climate is conducive to growing almost anything. Fruits which include strawberries, figs, grapes, plums, melons and peaches. Nuts (especially pecans) are abundant. Many things such as dewberries, blueberries, blackberries, persimmons and muscadines (southern grapes) grow wild, and are there for the picking. A backyard garden (plentiful here) will yield almost any vegetable sown, whether planted in the Spring or in the Fall. Texas is our next-door-neighbor and we therefore benefit from the "Tex-Mex" variety of dishes (Texas cooking with a Mexican flair). In this book, I have attempted to include recipes to cover a variety of tastes--good home-cooking, spicy Cajun, creamy Creole, and Tex-Mex. I hope you find something that suits your taste buds.