Saturday, November 17, 2018

GOT 2 GO GUMBO! And... A GIVEAWAY!!



By: Maggie Crozat
From: Mardi Gras Murder
Series: Cajun Country Mysteries, #4
Author: Ellen Byron
website: http://www.ellenbyron.com/

Hi there, y’all, I’m Tug Crozat. You’re probably more familiar with my daughter, Maggie, but I thought I’d drop by and fill you in on what all’s going on these days at Crozat Plantation B&B.

Mardi Gras is a huge deal in Louisiana. In addition to a parade, a pageant, parties, and Courir de Mardi Gras - Mardi Gras Runs - we have a gumbo contest that we guy have pretty much taken over. A lot of men in our village love to cook, and the only thing we like cooking better than jambalaya is gumbo. I always make mine a big old cast iron pot that’s so important to me I store it in our family safe between competitions. It’s been handed down to Crozat men from one generation to another. Nobody knows how old it is, but boy, do I love that baby. 
Maggie, who’s an only child, jokes that while some of her friends had to compete with a sibling for attention, she had to compete with a black pot. (That’s what we call them – black pots.)

I always spend the week before Mardi Gras fixing up batches of my gumbo, making sure I have the right ingredients handy, doing a little fine tuning of the recipe, which I also keep in the safe. Crozat men have won the Pelican Mardi Gras gumbo contest more times than I can count. I got my eye on the prize again for this year.

I can’t imagine anything going wrong. Can you?

Readers, have you ever entered a cooking contest or wanted to? True confession: I always dreamed of entering the Pillsbury Bake-Off!

 Comment to be entered in my Season's Readings contest for an autographed trade paperback copy of A CAJUN CHRISTMAS KILLING. (Kindle edition for Canada and other countries.) Perfect for the holidays! Contest runs from 11/17 through midnight, 11/20. Winner will be announced on Wednesday, 11/21.

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54 comments:

  1. DebNovember 17, 2018 at 9:46 AM

    I have never entered a cooking or baking contest. I would buy the Pillsbury little cookbooks from the bake offs and I love the Great British Bake Off!
    I would love some gumbo and that cook off must smell amazing!
    [email protected]

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    Replies
    1. Ellen ByronNovember 17, 2018 at 1:10 PM

      I bet it does!

      Delete
  • travelerNovember 17, 2018 at 10:43 AM

    I have never entered a cooking or baking contest as I am ok in the kitchen but not in that category, but a friend excels at both and she should enter. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  • Karlene BargerNovember 17, 2018 at 10:52 AM

    I have not entered a cooking or baking contest (however, my grandmother made the most amazing cinnamon rolls from scratch! I did not inherit that gene!) rebarger(at)bellsouth(dot)com

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  • Celia FowlerNovember 17, 2018 at 11:27 AM

    My sister and I both worked on Capitol Hill in D.C., and she entered the Congressional Chili cook-off for her Congressman. Her chili won the competition (I helped a little)! That's as close to a cooking competition as I have come, but it was a lot of fun. She had 2 kinds of chili -- regular chili and "wuss" chili ~ [email protected]

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    Replies
    1. Ellen ByronNovember 17, 2018 at 1:12 PM

      Celia, that's awesome! To be honest, I'd opt for the wuss chili. I'm not a spicy gal.

      Delete
  • Kay GarrettNovember 18, 2018 at 1:48 PM

    I did enter my Ozark Honey Oatmeal Cookies in the local, county and state fair this year. Didn't win the grand prize but did win first place in local and county and third in state. Since it was my first time entering, I didn't realize all that goes into it. Like a dummy I thought food contest was about the looks and taste of the baked item. However, when I saw the other entries at the state level hauling out chandeliers, china, and bud vases, I knew I wasn't going to win with just great looking, wonderful tasting cookies and my crystal serving dish. Seems it was as much about atmosphere as it was taste in that contest. My Momma always told me you can't eat atmosphere and it's the taste that will hook a man not looks. Guess I'm a chip off the old block! :) All in all a very fun experience and I can see me doing it again. Although not too sure on the state level just due to the fact that we live 2 hours away and it requires 3 trips to enter. I would love to compete on a more professional level and now that I've got a tiny bit of experience under my belt I would take my shaky knees, recipe in hand and go for it (albeit with more tricks in my bag this time).
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

    ReplyDelete
  • Emily T GoehnerNovember 18, 2018 at 2:55 PM

    I have never entered a cooking show but I think I have watched enough of them to offer my services as a judge!! egoehner(at)roadrunner(dot)com

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  • Robin CoxonNovember 18, 2018 at 3:59 PM

    I love watching Food Channel and the competitions but I get too anxious when I cook with time restraints and know if I ever entered one my entry would come out ruined. lol! robeader53(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  • Margo BittnerNovember 18, 2018 at 4:56 PM

    We've held cooking contests at my business, but I've never entered. Cheers (at) MarjimManor (dot) com

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  • amyNovember 19, 2018 at 12:41 AM

    I've never entered a cooking contest.
    Donah42 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  • GloriousNovember 19, 2018 at 2:17 AM

    I have not, but my husband has and won! He is definitely the better cook in the family.
    browninggloria(at)hotmail(com)

    ReplyDelete
  • AnonymousNovember 19, 2018 at 5:52 AM

    I know better than to enter a cooking contest. I did however win a recipe contest that was put in a cookbook...it was for a South American slaw.
    Marilyn [email protected]

    ReplyDelete
  • LindaNovember 19, 2018 at 7:37 AM

    I don't have that special touch that makes a great cook so when my granddaughter wanted to bake a Lady Baltimore cake to enter in a 4H baking contest I was very excited. She placed third which was a thrill for all of us in her family! When I cook though cast iron is my favorite. I have a Dutch oven that I use when I make gumbo. I learned years ago when we lived in Baton Rouge that cast iron is just the best for making great jambalaya, gumbo and other stews. [email protected]

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  • CE BlainNovember 19, 2018 at 8:56 AM

    Over the years and awhile back, I entered many recipe contests. Some were that you submitted your recipes and those which were chosen to enter with the prepared recipe at an event location, were then judged by a jury of chefs and local "personalities" for final judging. Other contests were done differently but almost all we're judged by bringing your prepared items to be judged. I won many times but my most fun time was when a local TV station in RI had a contest and you could enter your recipes in one or more of the 5 categories. Two of my recipes were chosen by this chef and others and my "prize" was preparing my recipes on an actual tv segment of this show with the chef. I spent a few hours taping while Chef James and I prepared the two recipes for later tv airing. It was so exciting to prepare my recipes with a tv chef (who was also a culinary chef instructor of Johnson and Wales) and then actually seeing the shows on tv the nights they aired was so much fun.
    So I've never done a big time Chopped show but I'll never forget my 15 minutes (twice) of tv time cooking with a tv chef years ago.
    Cynthia
    If needed please contact me via Facebook at Cynthia Bayer Blain

    ReplyDelete
  • Jo BenNovember 19, 2018 at 11:26 AM

    I love to cook and to eat but I have never thought of entering a contest. Thanks for the chance to win.

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  • Donamae KutskaNovember 20, 2018 at 12:07 AM

    In 4H I won a blue ribbon for chocolate chip cookies at the county fair.

    ReplyDelete
  • Kristi LewisNovember 20, 2018 at 10:01 AM

    I have never entered a cooking contest. I love to go to festivals that involve cooking completions. kristilewis dot lrc at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  • JAIME MINTERNovember 20, 2018 at 1:09 PM

    I've never entered one, but I've always wanted to. I bet my egg custard pie could win! JL_Minter at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  • Meg C.November 20, 2018 at 4:07 PM

    I have wanted to enter a cooking/baking contest of some sort in the past. Truthfully I still do, I'm just not sure that I'm a good enough cook/baker to actually do very well. Thanks for the chance to win. [email protected]

    ReplyDelete
  • Renee CollinsNovember 20, 2018 at 11:13 PM

    As always, Ellen Byron’s books are a pleasure to read...the recipes are delicious... and no, I’ve never entered a cooking contest. I’m pleased when my relatives friends, and immediate family always want me to cook...LaFonRC(AT)aol(DOT)com

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  • Ellen ByronNovember 21, 2018 at 1:49 PM

    Thank you all for the wonderful comments! I wish I could gift you all with swag or books, but finances dictate otherwise, sigh. Through a number generated by Random.org, the giveaway winner is Dianne Casey. Happy Thanksgiving to all! I'll be doing some contests in the New Year through my newsletter to herald the arrival of Mardi Gras on March 5th, so feel to sign up for it at http://www.ellenbyron.com/.

    ReplyDelete
  • Alfred DawNovember 22, 2018 at 11:07 PM

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    Wild Duck Breast Recipes

    ReplyDelete

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