Good Morning Music Lovers!  It’s the most wonderful time of the year; no Andy Williams, not Christmas, Day 1 of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the unchallenged greatest music and culture event on the planet!

My hot picks –

BOB BAUMHOWER AND JOHN FOLSE

CALLING ALL GUMBO MASTERS

LA Gumbo Cook-off 

Saturday May 10^th @ 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. 

The Wharf Orange Beach, Alabama

Applications are being accepted through May. To apply click here

Opening in 1990, Fausto’s Bistro is celebrating their 24^th Anniversary this year.  Aimee and I went there for our own anniversary dinner this January.  We are always excited to try one of the many great restaurants in the area together for the first time.  With well over 1,300 open locally, we will likely not run out of options anytime soon.

We made a reservation for dinner on a Monday night at 7.  The cozy dining room was not at all crowded when we arrived.  I imagine it could get a little tight when the place is full.  The décor looks exactly like you would expect a family run Italian restaurant to look.

Zagat did the survey. One of the top 20 here in New Orleans was Cochon Butcher

"A must if you dig the pig", Donald Link's "phenomenal" Warehouse District Cajun earns a resounding "oink" of approval and New Orleans' No. 1 Food score for its "daring", "decadent" sandwiches, "atypical" daily sides and "well-curated" wine list; the "small", "laid-back" space (right next to Cochon) has "squashed-together" seating and a "constant crowd", so "plan your time of attack carefully" or let the "ultrafriendly" staff send you home with "superb" charcuterie from the "hard-to-resist" deli case.

930 Tchoupitoulas St.; 504-588-7675

The other day I watched Andrew putting the finishing touches on the fried turkeys we were planning to take along to a gathering at a friend's house. About 12 pound each, they had soaked in brine for two days then been injected with an emulsion involving cognac, Tabasco and butter. Andrew has fried many turkeys and they are always a big hit but these were different: He had cooked them in a Char-Broil Big Easy oil-less infrared turkey fryer, a contraption he had  eyed with suspicion until some total stranger he met at Lowe's raved on and on about his, effectively persuading Andrew to lurk in wait until they went on sale soon after Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is less than a week away. It is late this year and in fact the latest it can be. With a few days left for preparation here are some helpful pages that will remind you about food prep, cooking temperatures, getting the results you want and plenty more to browse. Whether you are cooking for a large crod or small gathering or even if you promised to bring a side dish to Grandmas you'll find something in these pages that will make your time in the kithchen more rewarding and less trouble.

Start with Susan's Turkey Tips, you'll find everything from how to safely thaw your turkey and clean and prep your bird to cooking times, what to do with left overs and much more. Give it a read.

Frying a turkey this Thanksgivng? Sounds great but where do you get rid of your used cooking oil? I have an easy answer for those of you who live in and around New Orleans. Whole Foods just sent me this notice.

Turkey grease recycling at Whole Foods Market

Friday, Nov. 29 through Friday, Dec. 6

The Whole Foods Market Arabella Station and Veterans stores have partnered with Louisiana Oilworks, a family owned and operated waste vegetable oil collection business located in Kenner, to recycle cooking oil used for frying turkeys during the Thanksgiving holiday. The cooking oil drive will produce eco-friendly biodiesel fuel, help reduce emissions, and keep oil and grease out of the drains.

Turkey Frying Oil Drop-Off, Friday, Nov. 29 through Friday, Dec. 6

WHERE:

It's oyster season and I have been looking forward to grilled oysters. I came across these stainless steel oyster shells. If you're like me and love grilled oysters these may be just what you're looking for. I haven't tried them yet but aim to just as soon as I can get down to a seafood market and buy already shucked  oysters. They are made right here in Louisiana:

Schwing's
SOS Oyster Shells
1204 West 21st Ave
Covington, LA

985.893.1899  Web Site

You can order on line 1 dozen stainless steel shells are $29.99. They say they are multi-use shells for grilling oysters, shrimp, chicken, veggies and more.

Here is their Oyster Char-Grilling recipe