needmoregarage

Thanks for the memories of your fantastic trip! I agree with Porshanut: it makes one consider what’s most important (at any age). I too hope to read more journals of adventures in the coming months!

chassis

Great story @rwbern , thanks for bringing us along!

Webfiero

You can count me in to follow along with you on you road trip adventure next year. Like you say— your 911 belongs out there on the road.

Billrush

I don't want your posts to stop. Just keep posting till the next trip! We can all learn from your positive outlook. God it is so refreshing!

rwbern

Porshanut - ya touched ALL the bases - Guilty on all Counts - Ex USMC, Creole Tiger! Nice to know there is another SEC driver here. Think we play in mid Oct this year. I’ll take the spread no matter what it is :-)
You even hit on the Longhorns? Ugh! I joke about the 25 year exile in TX (raised the kids there), tolerating the most obnoxious college athletics fans in America. I single handedly waved the purple & gold through it all. Made the trip to Austin in 2019 for the TX/LSU game. With absolutely NO taste, UT put the Tiger Band in the end zone upper deck! I immediately ordered a new plate for the daily driver.


:-) Gets mixed responses depending upon which side of the border I land !

Sincerely appreciate all the kind responses above. I am truely touched.
Hope to see all on the Seniors Forum in the Social Group.

chassis

@rwbern in addition to your trip journal, your glowing comments towards etouffee have piqued my interest.

Besides the roux, what is the most important aspect of a good etouffee?

rwbern

Hey chasss ! If you asked 10 of my neighbors you may get 10 different answers in this part of the world :-) However, you nailed the first one, “First, you make a roux”. Often overlooked in any recipe is that miserable word, water. Never! Grab a marker & blacken it every time it appears. Substitute the word “stock”. Match the stock to the primary ingredient in any dish; in this case, a shrimp étouffée, so, shrimp stock. Pork, chicken, crawfish, whatever, use stock.
Number two would be fresh ingredients. Right off the boat or out of the ground is soooo much better :-)
Are you familiar with the term lagniappe ? Well, here is a little lagniappe to complete the meal; carry the stock to the veggies you may be serving. If forced to use canned, dump the water & cook in the stock for a while.
Bon appetite!

chassis

Thanks @rwbern . Thanks to your inspiration I will be attempting an étouffée in the near future!

rwbern

A true étouffée is thicker than a gumbo or soup. If you are using a cook book from any of the known creole chefs, like Prudhomme, watch the pepper amounts! You can kill a great dish when over seasoned very easily. I like a touch of each, black, cayenne & white, to touch all parts of the palate. The gurus get carried away most of the time :-)
Let me know how it turns out!

Flyrod

Great trip, well chronicled.

Thanks for alerting me about this @rwbern, much appreciated.

Best wishes for Chapter 3 and many more miles.