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Borrego Springs, CA

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Eating Cajun Style

It was pretty nippy when Emma and I woke up this morning with temps in the 30’s.  There was a crystal clear blue sky to go along with those temperatures, however.

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                                The rising sun was highlighting the Spanish moss outside my window.

65 On the way to Mississippi 2012

After breakfast, Emma and I headed out to do one of the three trails in the park.  I chose the 1.75 mile blue trail.  It wanders through the cypress swamp.  The biggest challenge of this trail was not to end up tripping over the tree roots and cypress knees along the trail.  I really had to concentrate on keeping my eyes down so I wouldn’t take a header.

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                 My favorite shot along the way was of this great egret reflected in the calm waters.

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I had to warm up inside once we returned from the hike.  I just seem to get cold a lot easier these days.  In the early afternoon, next door neighbor Kevin began doing his magic over the open fire.  He was cooking the pork, sausage, onions, and secret spice ingredients in a big cast iron pot.  It sure did smell good.  After chatting with him for a bit, I headed back to my rig and noticed a hawk fly into a nearby tree.  I hopped into the rig to change lenses, but what are the chances that the hawk would still be there when I came back outside?

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I was lucky that this red-shouldered hawk was still there, and was keeping an eye on me as I tried to creep closer and closer.

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I was able to sneak down to the deck on the water to get a front view before it found something interesting to attack on the other side of the canal.  This is an adult red-shouldered hawk, so you know it’s good at what it has to do to stay alive. 

65 On the way to Mississippi 20122

It wasn’t long before it was time for me to join Kevin and Juanita and their two children, Shelby and Austin for a home cooked Cajun supper.  On the menu was Pastalaya (a cousin to Jambalaya that uses pasta instead of rice), white beans with Tasso (a kind of smoked pork), and a fresh green salad containing hard boiled eggs that were laid by their chickens. (Actually, I think their chickens lay regular eggs and Juanita probably hard boils them Smile with tongue out)  The only thing on the menu that I had ever eaten before was the salad.  Juanita had assured me that she didn’t like things as spicy as Kevin does, so the meal for this northerner was absolutely delicious!  I’ve always disliked the red kind of pork and beans, but these white beans with Tasso surprised me with how good they were.  They were most surprised by the fact that I had never eaten white beans.  I will now.  Smile  I provided ice cream with toppings for desert, and Shelby had never had butterscotch topping before.  It was a great time sharing experiences: old and new.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

31 comments:

  1. Sounds like your neighborhood it a place to stay in...Love those L'siana home cookers...yummy!! If you get any recipes.POST THEM!!!!

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  2. Your photo's are great. I guess I will have to think about the camera more often...as you said with regard to taking a picture of the Smart Oven.
    It sure was cold this morning but the low humidity and sunshine made it a great beginning.

    Just BS !

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  3. Not sure this will post but I keep trying. I love your beautiful hawk. You got some fantastic pictures of him. Your dinner sounded wonderful. And if it wasn't too spicy I could handle it. I don't do spice well at all. Never had butterscotch topping - that's one of my all time favorites.

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  4. That meal sounds delicious; love the shot of the hawk looking down at you.

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  5. Wow, what a great day! Sunshine, big birds posing nicely for your photos, and a delicious meal with new friends! You were more than due for one of these days!

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  6. I'm sure glad the chickens aren't laying hard boiled eggs.

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  7. I would have liked to partake of that supper too, it sure sounds delicious. I agree with you, that photo with the tree reflection is great.

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  8. Great pictures of the hawk and egret. And those cypress knees are almost scary--they look like hands and arms reaching up. Good thing it was daylight out. Sounds like a great meal with new friends.

    http://rvsueandcrew.wordpress.com

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  9. I was just introduced to your blog by Jan & Greg White. . .

    I am also intrigued by spanish moss and cypress knees. Being an artist. . .I can always imagine the people they could become with just a little paint. I took pics of some this past week at a park in Orange. . .very close to your neck of the woods. . .

    Enjoyed your pics very much,
    Janice
    http://www.ReadyToGoFullTimeRVing.com

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  10. Wow..what great neighbors!!! Your hawk shots are amazing too

    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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  11. Hope you have a good supply of antacid for that Cajun food:)

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  12. you hit the 'jackpot' in the neighbour department!!!

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  13. Sounds like a great day and great neighbors at your site. Your dinner looked delicious!

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  14. This post reminded me of when I was a working girl with a house. One day, a red-shouldered hawk decided to come sit in a tree in my backyard. He (or she) stayed several days and decided to rid my yard of moles. It was a hoot watching the show!

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  15. The description of the food makes me hungry (and I had supper already). The photo of the hawk makes it seem like you are almost directly under it. I try to never stand under a bird!

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  16. Do you need to boil the chicken to get hard boiled eggs?

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  17. That sounds like a fine day today!

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  18. I would enjoy camping next to Kevin and Juanita too, their meal certainly looked tasty. Your great egret photo is wonderful!

    John and Ellen
    connectedtothevinephotography.blogspot.com

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  19. White beans - yum! Looks like you had a glorious day.

    I love the picture of the egret. The sky reflected in the water is an amazing shade of blue. And it was very nice of the Red-Shouldered to pose for you.

    Be safe and be well.

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  20. We have eaten only a little Cajun food, but loved every bit of it. Suzy even made a jambalaya once. Wonder when she'll do it again. You are having a great life out there in the "wilderness!"

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  21. Tasso AND Lake LaFosse? I'm SOOO envious. Of course, if I was there, I'd also be paddling in all that wonderful water.

    I've lost my tasso recipe but have been thinking about it. I've made it several times but never gotten it to the beans. I eat it for a snack and have taken it on long tours in the Boundary Waters.

    Be sure to drive on down the levee and see if you can see the BIG - 13 foot diameter or so buttresses on the cypress there.

    And check out McGee's landing a little north of you.

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  22. OH how I LOVE you pictures! I hope to pull out for a week or 2 soon. And start taking wild life shots.
    Sounds like your meal with nieghbors was fun.

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  23. Sounds like a great day all around! A Hawk who poses for pictures, great neighbors who cook you a fabulous dinner.

    You definitely know how to live this life Judy.

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  24. Great hawk pictures. I haven't seen the one hanging around my bird feeder, but I'm sure he hasn't forgotten about it. I look forward to following you in 2012!

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  25. Oh, yah, dem Loozyanna folks, dey know how to cook dat good cajun food! And Cajun doesn't always mean spicy hot! Just flavorful. On our next trip west, I'm thinking maybe we'll stop off at that park for a couple days.... Keep safe!

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  26. Love the hawk!

    And what fun... a great dinner of share and tell! And no one went away hungry!! Those boys were lucky to get to meet you too!

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  27. I bet the smell of the food Kevin was cooking really made you hungry. Glad you could join them for the meal and had a good time.
    You did well around the hawk, they so many times don't stay put when being watched by humans.

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  28. Great pictures of the hawk. Sharing cultural experiences with other travelers is one of the great things about RVing.

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