UmmPaPa - October Festivals

Octoberfest is just around the corner.  Are you ready?  Well the Covington Brewhouse is jumping the gun on October with the first OktoberFest on Sept. 28-29 at the Covington Trailhead 

Covington Brewhouse

And in Slidell, Mayor Drennan's Wild Game BBQ Cookoff will be held on the 29th.

Gretna Fest heats up the following weekend - October 5-7 with a great musical line-up including Joe Cocker, Foreigner, Amanda Shaw and Louisiana LaRoux just to name a few.

Come see the wonders of the water at The Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival October 13-14. 


Slidell's Antique District's Fall Street Fair - October 27-28




B&B's are a better way to stay, so while visiting Southeastern Louisiana, stay at Woodridge Bed and Breakfast - play hard, sleep well!

Monday's Special - Red Beans & Rice

Monday, Monday - la la - The Mamas and the Papas sang about Monday hoping for it to be a good day.
Here in Louisiana, there is one thing you can count on every Monday and that is that almost every little local diner will have their daily special of Red Beans and Rice usually served with a piece of French bread so you can sop up every last drip.

Wonder why Monday and Red Beans is a tradition?  Way back during the early years of Creole life in Louisiana, Monday was the traditional wash day and in those days washing clothes was a full day's task.  (Thanking God for modern technology right now)  So there was little time to prepare and tend to a full meal on the stove.   Beans take a long time to prepare and they could put a pot on the stove, add the season trinity of onion, bell pepper and garlic, along with the left over ham bone from Sunday dinner.  As the day wore on the beans, seasoning and ham filled the air with a delightful smell and all was ready by the time everyone had finished their daily chores.

While our daily chores have changed a lot since then, not much has changed in the kitchen, Monday is still Red Beans and Rice day.  Come on down and try some, it's just about ready!!!



B and B's are a better way to stay, so while visiting Southeastern Louisiana, stay at Woodridge Bed and Breakfast - play hard, sleep well!

So what's in your Gumbo?

Gumbo, a Louisiana dish known across the globe with its rich stock, spice and hardy ingredients.  So what is gumbo anyway?  Is it a stew or a soup?  You ask any Louisianian and they will say, no it is Gumbo and it stands on its own.

There are different ways to make the dish, depending on the culture you were brought up in, but they all start with a flavorful thickener.  The Creoles will start with a base of okra which thickens as it boils.  The Cajuns use the French style roux which is made by browning flour with lard or a fat of some kind; while the decedents of the Choctaw Indians use the spice known as filé which is dried Sassafras leaves.

So once you choose your base, it is time to pick the meats you want to add.  Here is a list: shrimp, crab, crawfish, sausage (alligator is the best), or chicken, but if you visit the country you may find rabbit, squirrel, duck or other game tucked into the mix.

Of course that's not all, after all the flavor is in the spices and no one does that better than in south Louisiana, with their a little of this and a pinch of that!  Musts are tomatoes, celery, onions, bell pepper for sure.

So what is your favorite?  If you are unsure or never experienced them all, you must make a trip to where it is made the best....

 Debbi the Keeper of  the Inn

B and B's are a better way to stay, so while visiting Southeastern Louisiana, stay at Woodridge Bed and Breakfast - play hard, sleep well!