Photographer David Gallent and I have been traipsing around northeastern Louisiana for the better part of the week, meeting interesting people and gathering interesting news and photography along the way. Yesterday, knowing we needed to make a stop in Baton Rouge, we left Mississippi on Highway 61, which took us past Mammy's Cupboard, a restaurant built inside a 28-foot tall black woman's skirt, which is made of bricks, which compliment her horseshoe earrings nicely.

The 60-some-year-old restaurant was closed yesterday so we just snapped some exterior pictures and drove on but it brought back memories of the first time I visited the famed lunch and pastry joint, which was 20 or so years ago.

We have updated our list of some classic favorites. From Ultimate hamburgers to spicy chicken wings, fried cat fish some chili and much more. You'll discover Appetizers, Dips, Entrees and snacks. All delicious, easy to prepare and easy on the pocketbook. The recipes are good for a few guests or can easily be doubled or tripled to serve a crowd. Find Louisiana Kitchen's Tailgating Recipes here. Oh. we have listed the schedule for LSU, Tulane and the Saints too! Enjoy!

Reader Helen Degruyter forwarded this idea. We always appreciate clever kitchen help. Share your ideas and we'll post them.

My Dad was the classic home cook.  His work work days began before I woke up and ended after my dinner.  Off the New York City each weekday,  On the weekends, though, it was Stanley's time to cook.  He didn't have a huge repertoire of dishes, but enough to keep him (and us) satisfied:  spaghetti sauce (more like Brooklyn gravy), pork spareribs and sauerkraut, roast beef, and few others that always made my mouth water and stomach growl.

Last week I made Chicken and Sausage Gumbo for dinner. Made the stock from chicken wing tips, chicken backbones (cut from whole chickens that were headed for the grill) and whatever was on the bottom of the vegetable drawer.  I stood and stirred the roux till it was a chestnut brown.  Added the stock and already-grill/smoked chicken, parsley from the garden and the ubiquitous bay leaf.  Cooked for a good two hours, thickened up just right.  Served over rice with some green onions.  That's it. 

Everyone needs to eat, but beyond basic survival, what directs our food choices?  Americans have more variety than ever before in the foods that are available to them, but many of us stick to our old favorites.  How do certain dishes become “comfort foods” for us?  A comfort food could be anything at all, from peanut butter and banana sandwiches to ham biscuits to strawberry ice cream as long as it makes us feel better. The question is “how do certain tastes and textures get integrated into our psyches and become the culinary equivalent of valium?”

When possible, we choose to cook and eat the foods that evoke good memories, like Proust’s famous madeleine.  While many of us eventually go beyond our childhood food memories, we keep a special place in our hearts and tummies for those foods that evoke comfort and satisfaction.