Overheard Overhead

At the stop sign out in the middle of the fields I could hear the buzz of the little engine. It was a unique sound I'm not used to hearing. So I looked up.

This little yellow plane kept swooping down over the field, then heading back up into the clouds to circle back and head over the field again just to turn around and do it all once more.

Then my husband pointed out the big puff of something coming out of the back of the plane and land over the field. Seeds. The seeds were being sown. Of course the farmer who purchased the seeds had every intent and plan for those seeds to all land in the soil, take root, and grow (likely into rice).

However, when a breeze would pick up those seeds could blow over onto the road or in the ditch or into the next field. You know that must deeply concern the farmer, who spent his own money on that seed.

Mark 3:2-8

He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times."

Mark 3:14-20
The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

The seed is the word that has been sown for everyone. Don't allow Satan to get his grasp on it, don't allow trouble or persecution stand in the way, don't let worries choke it out. Instead hear the word, accept it, and produce fruit. The seed has been sown.

The Intersection

Saturday was a big day. It was time for a trip to the city. With great anticipation we got our chores done around the house, cleaned up a bit, and headed out. It takes just under an hour to get to the city, and we pass a lot of crawfish land, rice land, cow land, and empty land between here and there.

Heading through some fields, we came upon a lone stop sign and all of these vehicles doing whatever their specific task in the field is:

Doesn't the above machine remind you of something from a Star Wars movie!?

Talk about a 'wide load'!

I'm curious to know what this machine does. The little sphere that it carries in the top seems like a really, really big hamster ball.


I know, this is an airplane! I recognize it. I've seen one before. This airplane was different than any other plane I've seen. You'll hear more about it on Wednesday!

Come On In, The Water's Fine

No picture to post today, just an interesting invitation.

When my daughter got in the car after visiting/playing with some of her friends the other day, she informed me that she had been invited to go swimming.

Hmm....I didn't know that family had a pool!?

Here's my daughter's response~
"Oh, they don't have a pool. They said they go swimming in the cow trough."

HA. Huh? Really? Hahahaaaha. Wait...what?

The weather is getting warmer by the hour down here. If you don't have a pool, evidently hopping in the nearest cow trough works pretty well! Isn't that fantastic? I love it.

(I did find out through further inquiry that this is NOT the cow trough that is actually used by the cows. This is an extra one that can be used for swimming!)

Italy And Louisiana...

both shaped like a boot! And evidently they are both famous for their spaghetti sauces...who knew!?

Apparently this is VERY famous sauce. Check out that price!

(Cajun spaghetti sauce must be recession-proof.)

Interesting Tidbit

Just in case you had been wondering.

Spring Break

That's what we are taking this week...a spring break from the blog.

Check back Monday, bright and early!

He Is Not Here!

Matthew 28:5-7

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

One Of These Things...

is not like the others.

If you don't like to eat crawfish at a crawfish boil, you'd better pack your own pb&j sandwich or hope someone orders pizza. I have to claim him....that's my son's pizza plate. He's new to this crawfish thing so while he was a bit hesitant this time, he said that he will be eating with the crowd at the next crawfish boil.

He did comment that he "left the shells", just like the crawfish eaters...

What Goes With Crawfish?

Well potatoes and corn, of course!

As you can see, the same cooking method and supplies are used for the side items as for the crawfish...a rig that can boil water, a basket, and a large piece of wood to lift that basket out of the boiling water. Dump the good food into a cooler, throw some butter and Tony's on the top and shake it up.

I have heard that some folks boil the crawfish, potatoes, and corn all together in one pot and then dump it out together. Not sure why these guys did things separately, but I trust them.

A Little Cajun Ambiance

Each day this week I've been adding a piece to the 'crawfish boil experience' in my blog. I suppose there may not be music every time there is a crawfish boil, but the music here sure makes it authentically cajun. Don't you love it?!

I sure do!

That happens to be my Nonc David on the Cajun accordion. You can check out his blog here.

Here's a short clip of the music~ (Remember to turn down or pause the music in the sidebar player.)

Spice It Up Wednesday! Crawfish Boil

So what kind of spices do you need for a crawfish boil?

Tony Chachere's, of course!

Lots of it.

Zatarain's Crab Boil (This is SACK sized for those BIG sacks of crawfish.)

Did you know there was a special sauce mixture you can eat with your crawfish? This was new to me! You can choose from the basic ketchup with a bit (lot) of Tony's sprinkled on it~

Or, you can go for the 'secret recipe' sauce which starts with a LARGE lump of mayonnaise.

Sprinkle Tony's all over the top of that mayo.

Add in some ketchup and stir.

Then peel those crawfish and dredge them through the tasty, spicy sauce.

Friends and Family

Crawfish boils aren't a one-man (or woman) thing. They are large events for family, friends, and neighbors to all gather together and enjoy!

The Right Equipment and Process

These guys that boil the crawfish know what they are doing. You can see that they have been doing this for a while, and they learned from their dads who learned from their dads, etc. In cajun culture, it seems the men do the barbeque-ing and the crawfish boiling and a lot of the other cooking.

I can't tell you how to boil crawfish, we can just look at the pictures and summarize what's happening together!

Dump the live crawfish in a big pot, hooked up to gas to make the water boil. All sorts of stuff goes in that water (but we will save that for Spice It Up Wednesday, Crawfish Boil edition).

When the little mudbugs are done boiling (no idea how you know when they are done), then you will need a LARGE piece of wood and some heat resistant gloves to pull that bucket out of the boiling water. (Nothing should be moving in the pot anymore. If things are moving, I know they haven't boiled long enough.)

Let the water drip out of the 'basket'.

Dump the crawfish into a large cooler. (Those are onions, I think, that were boiled with the crawfish.)

Shake a little Tony's (Who am I kidding? He's holding 2 cans in 2 hands.) Shake a LOT of Tony's in with the crawfish, and then shake the cooler up well.

Then all you need is a tray to hold your crawfish while you dig in!

Crawfish Boil Week

Our church had a crawfish boil yesterday afternoon for all the choir, drama, and technical workers that are making our Easter musical happen. This week my posts will be about this event and the details of what a crawfish boil is all about.

The main thing needed for a crawfish boil is...crawfish!

No shortage here~ 250 pounds of crawfish!

So stay tuned this week, as each day will have a new post about a different part of the cajun crawfish boil!

What Is Tasso?

I went to Merriam Webster online this morning, but the only entry for tasso was referring to an Italian poet from the 16th century. That's not exactly what I was looking for.

So I headed to the often-unreliable wikipedia and found this description for tasso~

Tasso ham is a specialty of Cajun cuisine. It is a version of smoked pork made from the shoulder butt. In this case, "ham" is a misnomer, since tasso is not made from the hind leg of a pig. This cut is typically fatty, though leaner cuts are often used and have a great deal of flavor. The butt, which will weigh 7 to 8 pounds, is sliced across the grain into pieces about 3 in / 7.5 cm thick. These are dredged in a salt cure, which usually includes nitrates and sugar. The meat is left to cure briefly, only three or four hours, then rinsed, rubbed with a spice mixture containing Cayenne pepper and garlic, and hot-smoked until cooked through.

Tasso is not typically eaten on its own. It is used in dishes ranging from pasta to crab cakes, soup to gravy. Appropriate to its roots, tasso is most often found in recipes of southern or Cajun/Creole origin, such as jambalaya.

And now I get to find out all about tasso for myself since a great friend gave me some that she made herself! It smells delicious. I think I'll start with a pot of red beans....

Spice It Up Wednesday!

Anyone ever tried this one? I can't judge all these spices as good or bad...I just point out the unique spices I find on the shelf. Somehow this one feels like a mixture of a photo gallery at Olan Mills and a milk carton...I'm not so sure....