Have Fun Lovers!

Ruby Slipper Cafe is a magical little brunch spot located in various neighborhoods of New Orleans. The first location was in Mid-City New Orleans and was created directly in response to the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. Currently, there are about 11 locations stretching as far as Pensacola, Florida.

My favorite (and the newest) location is located on S. Broad St. and is almost hidden if you don't know it's there.

Be forewarned, this location gets packed pretty quickly...especially on weekends, so definitely visit therubyslippercafe.net to join their waitlist before you arrive.

Ok.... now time for the food.....

Here is what I ordered this time around...

Cafe Navarre is a cozy neighborhood restaurant in Mid-City in New Orleans that offers an AMAZING brunch but also a seriously fabulous dinner. Dinner options include pizza, sandwiches, salads and endless wine and mixed drinks.

Wanna try them out? Visit http://cafenavarre.com/

Grey Bird Baking Co. is a new local company in New Orleans, specializing in macaroons and baked goods. The owner and founder, Taylor found her inspiration and passion for baking from memories of watching her mother make homemade cheesecakes.  While she does create cakes and other various baked goods, she is currently specializing in creative macaroons. I had the pleasure of trying the strawberry rose' macaroons and they were AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!! Sweet, flavorful, fresh and crunchy... these macaroons were off the chain!!!!  

Follow Grey Bird Baking Company on Instagram @greybirdbakingco and order your yummies today!

Located inside of the Circle Food Market in New Orleans, Dough to Dough offers up vegan specialties including poboys, donuts, pizza and salads. The staff is friendly anf helpful and answers any questions that you may have pertaining to their menu items and special requests.

The Food:

We tried the vegan glazed donuts and the AMAZING vegan cheeseburger. 

The donuts were soft and buttery, with a few obvious differences from its non-vegan cousin. I noticed that these weren't as fluffy as your average donut, but it actually made the donut more enjoyable. The first bite immediately melted in my mouth and it was gone in about 20 seconds. Soft, Sweet, Buttery. Heck. Yes.

The Burger. When I bit into this burger, I had to remind myself that it was indeed plant based.

It was a tender, juicy patty packed with protein and an amazingly savory, smokey flavor. This burger actually was better than most beef based burgers and was just as satisfying. Oh, and you can totally ask them to put the patty on two donuts. 

Where: 1522 St Bernard Ave, New Orleans, LA 70116

Hours: 9am-7pm

                                        Recipe Tidbit: Spicy Crawfish and Shrimp Tacos

So. We loveeeeeeeeee tacos, and outside of swimming pools, sangrias and suntan lotion, tacos are one of the best ways to cool down during the summer time. We've tried all kinds of taco recipes from fried fish, to oysters, and even meatballs!!!!! So this time, we decided to turn up the heat and cool down with these amazing spicy crawfish and shrimp tacos.  We marinated crawfish tails in sriracha sauce, and grilled our big juicy shrimp in a spicy garlic sauce to make something truly special.    Check it out!

(makes about 8 tacos) 

Did we mention how much we love chocolate?

Yes.

Chocolate is life.

While we also love and adore the concept of brownies a la mode (with ice cream), we wished there was a way that we could have it for breakfast. And behold, brownie pancakes a la mode were born. These fluffy but crunchy vanilla pancakes are topped with fresh moist brownies, vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce. Yum. Wanna try it out? Here is the super easy recipe:

Pancakes:                                                              

2 cups all-purpose flour.                                           

Trader Joe's Sea Salt Fudge Brownies (or whatever damn brownies you want)

1 tablespoon sugar.                                                 1/2 cup Condensed Milk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda.                                1/2 Milk Chocolate Bar (Any Brand)

1/4 teaspoon salt.                                                    Vanilla Ice Cream (We prefer non-dairy :) ) 

1 vanilla bean.

1 1/2 cups vanilla sweetened almond milk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten.

Canola Oil. 

How You Make It:

Combine all pancake ingredients and set mix to the side. Pour about three tablespoons of canola oil into a warm skillet and allow the oil to slightly bubble. Then pour batter into the pan (pancakes can be any size). Let pancakes cook until the edges are crisp and set to the side. In a small sauce pan, melt down the milk chocolate bar for two minutes and add condensed milk. Place Brownies, Ice Cream and Choclate Sauce on top of pancakes and enjoy!

Any Questions? Hit us up at fatgirlnola@gmail.com

You're Welcome!

XOXO Fat Girl Nola.

                                           Restaurant Spotlight: Dee's Coffee

This bomb ass coffee shop and cafe is nestled in the heart of the CBD of New Orleans and does not disappoint. We discovered this shop last year and had to give them some shine. This family business was started Dec 26. 2011 the day the owner Dee, moved back to New Orleans from Brooklyn. They opened on Jan 31, 2011 and have been killing the coffee game for seven years now.

 When you first enter the shop you are greeted by Dee herself, who is a one woman powerhouse, managing the daily operations of the shop and also preparing all of the savory foods and ridiculously perfect drinks. 

The cafe' also features some pretty amazing pastries and savory meals that include avocado toast and bagel and lox, carefully handcrafted by Dee herself. 

The drinks are simply amazing. The locally roasted coffee and unique tea and juice concoctions are what truly make this place stand out. We tried the most popular drinks from Dee's and here are our recommendations:

If you are in the New Orleans area and want some bomb ass coffee and good vibes, go visit Dee's Coffee at 401 Baronne Street in the CBD area of New Orleans.

https://www.deescoffeenola.com/

IG: @deescoffeenola

Slay. Eat. Play.

xoxo

Our Honorary FatMan, Fireman Josh, recently had the opportunity to work as a cook on the Diva Dawg Food Truck in New Orleans, LA.

Diva Dawg food truck is the first and only hot 'dawg food truck in New Orleans which features gourmet creole style hot dawgs. They have a signature all beef creole hot dawg called the ‘Diva Dawg’ that is paired with a sweet and savory bun and creole New Orleans toppings. They  are also the  home of the original Red Bean Chili dawg topped with fried chicken, Étouffée fries with crawfish, Crabmeat grill cheesy and Praline Candy Shake. (from nolafoodtrucks.com)

                                                     Fireman Josh Makes the  Famous Red Bean Chili Dog

Ericka 'Chef Diva' Lassair is a New Orleans native and Founder of Diva Dawg Food Truck that graduated from Southern University in Baton, LA and Delgado’s Culinary Arts.

 She appeared on several local and national programs, and in July 2017 she and the truck will appear in the new movie "Girl Trip."  Ericka is currently a 2016 Tory Burch Foundation Fellow and was featured in the January 2017 Vogue issue, AWE Book & Cosmopolitan’s “Get That Life.” (essence.com)

You can find out more about Diva Dawg at the following:

Website – Divadawgtruck.com

Email – info@divadawgtruck.com

Instagram – @DivaDawgTruck

Facebook-  Facebook.com/DivaDawgTruck

Twitter – @divadawgtruck #divadawg #divadawgtruck

divadawgtruck@icloud.com

You're Welcome.

#slayeatplay

 Dunbar's (New Orleans,LA) -Fried Chicken w/  Jalapeno hush puppies. Buttery, Crispy Goodness.

And in Our #ISSANO catergory..... the creative but odd Fried Chicken Praline. Roux Bistro (New Orleans,LA) 

You're Welcome.

xoxoxo

We love stuffing things. Peppers, Crepes, you name it.  We needed a quick lil' late night food fling and this hit the SPOT. Issa stuffed chicken and shrimp poblano pepper served piping hot and juicy. So if  you are ever in the need for a quick fix... here's the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

4 large poblano chiles

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 medium white onion, chopped

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled

1 tsp. ground cumin

Kosher salt

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 cups shredded cooked chicken, preferably dark meat

2 pounds of peeled shrimp

1-1/2 cups cooked brown or white rice

2 cups grated sharp or extra-sharp white cheddar (about 7 oz.)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (including some tender stems)

1 Tbs. lime juice

DIRECTIONS

Position an oven rack about 4 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler on high. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Slit the chiles from stem to tip and set on the baking sheet. Broil, turning every few minutes, until blackened all over, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool slightly, peel off the skins, and cut out the seed cores, leaving the stems on. Turn the chiles inside out, flick out any remaining seeds, and turn right side out. Return the poblanos to the baking sheet.

Over medium high heat in a large skillet, add olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic until fragrant. Add the chopped tomatoes, cumin, and oregano. Let the tomatoes soften for a couple minutes and use a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes. Stir frequently until most of the liquid has evaporated and mixture looks thick and pulpy, 8 to 11 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the chicken, shrimp and rice, and then 1 cup of the cheese, the cilantro, and the lime juice. Season to taste with salt.

Divide the filling among the peppers, wrapping the sides of the peppers up and around the filling, some of which will still be exposed.

Broil the peppers until the cheese is melting and the top is beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Top with the remaining 1 cup cheese and broil until the cheese is completely melted, about 2 minutes.

This tasty creation is a part of the "Pasta Lab" at Semolina. We chose the Roban sauce, which is a spicy red pepper based Alfredo sauce garnished with green onion. The gulf shrimp we added in were plump and plentiful and clearly supplied from a local source based off of the freshness. The extra spicy seasoning blend packed the perfect punch while letting us decide just how "hot" we wanted things to get. We opted for super hot, and it was so good that it left us crying for more. 

Wanna try it?

Visit Semolina at 4436 Veterans Blvd. in Metairie, LA. 

You're welcome.

Xoxoxo