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Since my last post filled with excitement and anxiousness, The Fresh Table book party has come and gone so quickly, I still think it’s Thursday.
And, it couldn’t have happened without the help of my dedicated interns: Amy Laws, Erica deVeer, Meredith Quinn, Tara Hebert, Olivia Keen, and Benjamin Morrison. Thursday was one of the smoothest, silkiest, happiest nights of my life, and I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate your efforts in keeping my head from spinning off into a million directions.
[Which still sort of happened, but this has nothing to do with you!]
But the days leading up to The Fresh Table’s book release were incredibly busy as well. Book signings, cooking demos, and speaking engagements (not to mention some squeezed in paper conference times with my Fiction 2025 students) kept me on my toes.
To keep track of the happenings, I indulged (heavily) in my growing Instagram addiction, photographing as much as I could and as often as possible. To make this last week even better, my best friend Christina (as seen here and here) visited from Charleston, SC, and made this one of the happiest ways to kick off spring. (I miss you already Christina!)
Below is a look into the days before, during, and after The Fresh Table‘s book release party with images of Louisiana crawfish, River Roads coffee, and my interns, Christina, and me to boot.
Recipes for Cadbury Creme Egg Brownies, Perfect Chicken, and so much more coming this week.
WEDNESDAY
Pictured: picking up Christina at the airport Wednesday morning before our 4-day trek through Louisiana.
Pictured: speaking to Baton Rouge(ans) during the Lunchtime Lagniappe Series at the State Museum. 5 Ingredients + 5 Minutes = perfect example of easy cooking in our year-round growing season!
Pictured: Sesame Ginger Chicken Dumplings (“Pot-Stickers”) from California Pizza Kitchen. Perfect dinnertime starter after a somewhat (starved) day.
Pictured: my “Pretty in Pink” dress for the Thursday book release, featuring a cinched waist and black detail on top.
THURSDAY
[not pictured: 11:30 – 3:00: 7 students / paper conferences at LSU on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I worked hard, but my brain was certainly elsewhere.]
Pictured: Erica deVeer & Tara Hebert working the book table for The Fresh Table: Cooking in Louisiana All Year Round. How could you say, “no,” to these ladies?
Pictured (left to right): Amy Laws, Meredith Quinn, & Erica deVeer posing in front of our book table. Talk about #chick interns!
Pictured: talking with visitors about the book on the Baton Rouge Gallery patio. Thank you Jenny for having us!
Pictured: speaking about The Fresh Table…
Pictured: sharing a few stories and words about the book.
Pictured: Clearly Delicious Interns & I pose with the book after a successful night!
(from left to right): Amy Laws, Erica deVeer, Meredith Quinn, me (Helana Brigman), Tara Hebert, Olivia Keen, and Benjamin Morrison.
FRIDAY
Pictured: first cup of coffee (River Roads) at Louie’s Café on the LSU campus with Christina.
Pictured: Christina (or, “Janke” as I sometimes call her) ready to demolish a seriously loaded plate of “hashbrowns” – really just cubed potatoes roasted and smothered in monterey jack cheese and sausage. This meal was *not* Lent-friendly!
Pictured: Louie’s hashbrowns and coffee. Perfect comfort food after a late night and long two days. Best way to kick off Good Friday I’ve ever experienced.
Pictured: my “innovative” take on the Louie veggie omelet with crawfish added. It’s crawfish season, so why not?
Pictured: looking inside the Louie’s kitchen from our seat at the bar.
[ not pictured: a 2-hour training session at the LSU lakes with my trainer E and Christina. I’m still feeling sore 3 days later! ]
Pictured: a to-die-for recipe Christina posted to my Facebook wall: Cadbury Creme Egg Brownies with halved Cadbury Eggs baked into the brownie (my recipe here). Fresh out of the oven, this brownie was so decadent, I could only taste a few bites. But, the next day, it mellowed out and was mush more inviting.
Pictured: late-night dinner featuring “perfect” pan-fried chicken that’s pounded to 1/4-inch thick with a Parmesan / Panko crust (recipe coming soon).
SATURDAY
Pictured: last cooking demo of the week at LSU’s Barnes & Noble (again, pea pesto – you just can’t go wrong with such a fresh and seasonal spread). Bread is my ever-obsessed-about “Multigrain Baguette” from Kathleen Forte Cooper at Forte Grove Bakery (as seen here).
Pictured: signing books at LSU Barnes & Noble. Something about a wall of purple and gold behind me feels instantly Louisiana.
Pictured: my signature up close (not often so easy to read!).
Pictured: Christina’s first bite of crawfish à la boil. It’s great fun to watch someone taste boiled crawfish for the first time, sneeze, and then remark on how “spicy” it is!
Pictured: peeled and devoured within minutes–a savory and spicy crawfish boil with the Gumbo Goddess‘s family. Thanks Loup Garou for making such a feast!
Pictured: last-minute splurge at Whole Foods–individual cookies sampled from the $9.99 / lb. cookie bar. Insanely addictive – and, yes, the center “pistachio” cookie was one of the best (light but still crumbly, sweet but mellow with a subtle and nutty pistachio after-taste).
SUNDAY
Pictured: dropping Janke off at the airport (Easter Sunday) in Louisiana-style–mardi gras beads and a “Bourbon Street” medallion (hard to see). Although Christina appears peppy, I can promise there was lots of, “nooo! You’re leaving too soon!” happening every 5-minutes.
Pictured: nap-time with Cara after a crazy busy week. I don’t know about you, but taking a long nap with your dog must be one of the best simple pleasures in life!
Pictured: a glass of iced Amato’s Muscadine Wine (here, $8) ready for consumption. I’m not ashamed (one bit) to love sweet, sugary dessert wines. Serve with a heavy splash of soda water for a spritzer-inspired cocktail. Best way to end The Fresh Table book release!
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