The Saints are Super Bowl Champions for the first time in their 43-year history!!! Oh, what a night! Did you watch the game? That Saints interception was unbelievable…truly a classic Super Bowl Moment. I feel like the entire country is a part of the Who Dat Nation right now. I mean, how could you not be?? I heard that even the Vatican was flying a Saints flag today. Whether or not that is true is another story.
We spent the evening at my parents’ house and had a big ole Cajun feast lined up. My mom lived in New Orleans for a little while in her 20s, so she learned a lot about the unique and flavorful cooking of the Crescent City. We started some Zapps Voodoo Gumbo Potato chips.
Zapps are the best potato chips ever! They’re from Louisiana and come in awesome flavors. The Voodoo Gumbo chips are very spicy with lots of vinegar. Plus, the bag is decorated with crazy voodoo dolls. Gotta love it!
As if greasy potato chips weren’t enough, we also nibbled on my Muffaletta Pizza Squares. Have you ever had a muffaletta? It’s a huge deli sandwich that is a staple in New Orleans. The sandwich is made on a 10-inch muffaletta roll, then topped with spicy olive salad and layers upon layers of mortadella, ham, salami, mozzarella and provolone cheese. YUM. You definitely have to be a fan of olives to enjoy this sandwich. Thankfully, I love olives and I’ve always loved a good muffaletta.
I did an easy spin off of the classic sandwich for game time appetizer. I topped a store-bought refrigerated pizza crust with my own version of olive salad, salami, ham, provolone and mozzarella. Here’s the easy pie before going into the oven.
Mmmm…I just love that salami peeking out from behind the mountain of cheese. After a quick 18 minutes in the oven, the result was a bubbling hot tasty treat.
Don’t you just want to dig in?? The olive salad is my favorite part.
My dad played the role of bartender and was serving up a classic New Orleans sazerac for everyone to enjoy. It’s one of the oldest known cocktails and is made of rye whiskey, absinthe and bitters. I’m not the hugest whiskey fan, but I sipped on one all night, in honor of the Saints.
Along with the chips, pizza and booze, my mom grilled up some smoked pork and alligator sausage. Nothing says Cajun Coonass like alligator. It’s delicious! I promise.
To be honest, I wasn’t too full at this point. I really only nibbled on all of the aforementioned delicacies, in anticipation of the main event: Mom’s Crawfish Etouffee. Oh yum. It’s a wonderfully spicy and creamy dish with crawfish, onions and peppers, served over rice with lots of Tobasco and garlic bread.
I garnished my small bowl with a ton of chopped cilantro. I couldn’t even finish my minimal portion. I was getting pretty full, but knew I wanted to save some room for King Cake. I can’t tell you the last time I had it (always trying to watch the weight, ya know), but I figured the Saints don’t come to the Super Bowl everyday, so it was worth indulging!
If you’ve never had king cake, I feel sorry for you. It’s a traditional Mardi Gras pastry that tastes like an over-sized breakfast danish. It is iced and decorated with purple, green and gold sprinkles. My mom put it in a low oven for just a few minutes to really let it get ooey and gooey. Good Lord. I could have died. This stuff is good, folks.
Each King Cake is stuffed with a tiny plastic baby. The story goes that if you get the baby in your piece of cake, you’re supposed to bring the cake next year. Guess who got the baby??
Yours truly!! Guess I’ll be bringing the cake to next year’s festivities. Maybe that means the Saints will be back for a second Super Bowl??? Guess I better not press my luck.
I hope you all had a wonderful Super Bowl with great friends and lots of fantastic foods. I’ll be back this week (after lots of cardio) with some scrumptious Valentine’s goodies. I can’t believe it’s nearly February 14th! And with that, I’ll leave you with a good ole fashioned WHO DAT? WHO DAT? WHO DAT SAY THEY GONNA BEAT THEM SAINTS??? The Duchess
The Colts ain’t gonna beat the Saints! Your food looks great. We made Red Beans & Rice, King Cake and Pecan Pralines. Woohoo!
I absolutely love that king cake baby tradition! And feel sorry for me b/c I feel sorry for myself for never enjoying one. Boohoo.