In honor of Mardi Gras, I am sharing my favorite southern recipe.
It is an Emeril Lagasse recipe that I have been making on New Year's Day forever, but I think it is only fitting for fat tuesday as well!
Not only is it one of the best things you will ever taste, it is super easy.So, eat up...and then go on a cleanse!


CRAWFISH SMOTHERED GRITS!

1 Lb Peeled Crawfish Tails (you can buy these already peeled and frozen)

Salt

Cayenne

2 Tbls Olive Oil

1 Cup Chopped Onions

1 Tbls Chopped Garlic

2 Cups Beef Stock

3 Cups half and half

1 1/2 cups quick cooking white grits (I use organic whole grits that are not "quick cooking" and they work great and fast!

1/2 Cup Parmigiano-Reggiano Grated Cheese


Directions

In a mixing bowl, toss the crawfish tails with the salt and the cayenne. In a 3 qt. sauce pan, over medium heat add the olive oil.When the oil is hot, add the onions.
Add the crawfish and garlic.Continue to cook for two minutes.Add the stock and half and half to the pan.Season with salt and cayenne.Bring the liquid to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for two minutes.Add the grits and stir constantly until they are tender (about 10 minutes).Add the cheese and stir.
Serve it, take a nap, then eat more!

Enjoy!

If you live in New York or you've ever visited New York, I'm sure you're familar with Sarabeth's Restaurant. She has several locations and each and every one has a brunch crowd that you wouldn't believe! If you haven't had the chance to visit one of her restaurants, perhaps you've purchased one of her scrumptuous jams, jellies, or cookies. Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend a luncheon in honor of the release of the new Sarabeth's Bakery Cookbook. Sarabeth Levine herself gave some amazing cooking tips and made scones fit for the queen herself!





Here's Sarabeth's award-winning Upper West Side Restaurant.






Seeing Sarabeth in action was something I'll never forget! One thing that she talked about that I LOVED and thought about a lot was about teaching the kids how to use the stove safely and properly instead of just saying "get back, it's hot and it's dangerous!"







Here's an image from the cookbook of the finished product Currant Scones that Sarabeth is rolling out in the above picture...yum!






This tapered rolling pin is a MUST according to Sarabeth. It's available at Williams Sonoma for only $14.00!





Visit Sarabeth's blog to see when/where she'll be signing her cookbook and doing cooking demonstrations and for other fun tips and recipes. I just so happen to know that she will be at Lord & Taylor in NYC today. If you're around, go check her out!





You can also purchase Sarabeth's products on her website. They make for great gift ideas-and just in time for the holidays!

After a long holiday weekend, I'm BURNED! ;)

If you have any noteworthy images from your holiday please send to us at info@lauradayliving.com.

As seen in the KITCHEN this volume, my daughter always eats our homemade popsicles. Although sometimes I wish she could eat popsicles for every meal, the mother in me tells me that's NOT ok. I must admit that I have considered a spinach popsicle, but I can't figure out a way to make it a different color! What is it with kids and the color green as related to food that makes them go "yuck"? There should be a study! I wonder if Nate's mom had this much trouble getting him to eat something green? My daughter is definitely a very picky eater so I'm constantly trying to come up with new and innovative ways to get her to eat. Here are some fun things I've seen in my research.

Above: Panda Pancakes! I might skip the chocolate smile because if I know my daughter, she would lick it off and say, "I'm all done!" Other than that, these would make for a fun and delicious breakfast.



The Nick Junior website has such fun recipes based off of their many children's shows (all of which I've memorized the theme songs to). Left is a Diego-inspired veggie snack and right is a healthy fruit depiction of Tasha from the Backyardigans.



So while we may ooo and ahhh at the look of these crispy aquatic treats, my daughter would never eat them without the ketchup, that's why I use Annie's Natural Organic Ketchup or Organic Ville Organic Ketchup, which is sweetened with Agave. There have even been studies that show that Organic Ketchup can help prevent against certain cancers. For more information on this, just google "organic ketchup". You will find plenty!



My daughter absolutely loves hummus, it's my "go to food" for her. I love the idea of doing something fun like "hummus pizza" to make it different. So cute AND it's organic!...getting her to eat the olives, now that's a different story! Maybe Nate's mom cut his into shapes of furniture that he could rearrange around the plate?

CELEBRATE NATE BERKUS DAY! :)

If you've seen the Kitchen in the current issue, you know that I'm a huge advocate of feeding my daughter healthy popsicles. She loves them and I love that she's eating something healthy. But what about us adults? With Summer approaching, I found some tantalizing recipes for popsicles that grown-ups can enjoy too!

The above popsicles are Margarita Popsicles! Click here for the recipe.



This Bellini Pop has peaches, sugar, lemon juice, and Prosecco. It's like your own little slice of Italy...on a stick!



These hip Martini Popsicles can be found at At Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows’ Bar NINETEEN12. Although, at $20 a pop (pun intended) I might have to try and coin my own version!



These Lemon-Vodka Cream Pops sound a bit decadent to me, but when you're in a "let them eat cake!" kind of mood, they sound like the perfect treat.



For those health nuts out there, or those who want a frosty treat in the middle of the day and don't abide by the "it's 5 o'clock somewhere" philosophy, try these delicious Protein Smoothie Popsicles. They sound like the ideal treat for a post workout cool-down!