Watermelon Pickle Stink

The Four Loko Pickles have unleased their watermelon pickle stink!

I congratulate Mr. Dave on an inspired and brave pickle journey.

Pickles and Popcorn

Brianna commented in an earlier post that in elementary school she and her classmates would sell pickles and popcorn to raise money. Genius I say!!! When I was a kid, we sold, umm... pencils...yeah, not exactly genius, but I guess bubblegum scented pencils were sort of cool.

Anyway, I have a pretty strong popcorn habit, not quite like my pickle habit, but close enough. Back in December I was jonesin' so bad for my air popper that I left behind in New York I asked my mom to buy me a new one for Xmas and now I use it at least once a day. Of course my mind has since wondered how to combine my popcorn love with my pickle love but so far my first attempt has been a HUGE FAIL. I took the direct route and "drizzled" pickle juice over my popcorn. It made a sad sizzle sound when the juice met the popped kernels and made the popcorn really soggy. Oh yeah, I ate it anyway but I won't be trying that "recipe" again. I wonder now if a misting spray bottle would work? Hmmmm....

Naturally I turned to the internet for answers. Here's a good selection of the basic varieties I found.

This recipe is one you can try at home but I'm a little scared because what if I eat nothing else for the rest of my life?Jolly Time Lime Pickle Popcorn Recipe

Does the weird green color turn you off? Not me.
Popcorn Wagon

Gluten Free, hipster pickle popcorn.

For the office, for your purse, for your pocket, sniff it, smoke it, snort it-it's an Urban Accent!

Freak Pickles: Four Loko Pickles

I've always been a freak magnet and for the most part I still speak to most of them (ahhh-hahahaha) but this time I'm afraid I'm the freak that is drawn to the magnet. I've introduced you to him before when he made Sriracha Hot Sauce pickles but perhaps your memory needs some liquor and caffeine and these links to Mr. Dave's latest pickle project: FOUR LOKO PICKLES!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

So see, he's just begging for my attention with his freakish ways...and he's got it. I can't wait to read how these turn out and how many he eats and how soon he regrets it and how many he's going to send me and how soon he blocks me from his mailing list!

Bold & Spicy

Did you know that Louisiana boasts the highest pickle-in-a-pouch consumption per person in the US? Congratulations Louisiana, it's true, and this niftly little fact came to me directly from none other than the President of Van Holten's Pickles Co. himself after I mentioned that since moving to New Orleans my own consumption had increased drastically because down here you can find them in really strange places, like at the hardware store.

My presidential pal at Van Holten's generously sent me a case of their new Bold & Spicy Chipotle flavor to see what I thought of it. We all know I'm a fan of anything spicy but perhaps you don't know I'm usually not a fan of chipotle flavored things...it just tastes smokey to me...well guess what? Turns out I like smokey pickles.

The chipotle flavor is really strong on the first bite but gradually the smokey flavor becomes pretty subtle and the HEAT takes over. Yes, these pickles are really BOLD & SPICY with serious heat building power. I also like the smokey maroon color on the packaging and the bursts of juiciness popping off the pickle. I appreciate these sorts of things.

There is no way I can keep track of my own pickle consumption but I sure can't wait to see Louisianna's numbers for next year! Thanks Van Holten's!

French Market Pickles

Just before Xmas I spent a very sunny and warm day with a friend strolling through the French Market in New Orleans. The French Market is a large open air market nestled between the Mighty Mississippi and the French Quarter. As we came upon a Cajun Santa Claus selling Xmas trees Annie pointed out two ladies eating Sno Balls-a New Orleans treat that I am newly obsessed with since my first taste. I loudly protested that those sno balls could not compare to the real deal at Hansen's Sno-Bliz and as I did so, Santa's helper tried to convince me that he could change my mind. I had no money and he wasn't giving away sno balls so I guess we will never know but as I slinked away I found I had wandered into a whole shelf full of pickles!

They had all kinds-tomatoes, green beans, cukes, and of course, my new favorite, pickled mirlitons! It was reassuring that pickles had such a nice presence in the French Market amongst all the bottles of hot sauce and bags of Zapps. As we kept on walking I found pickles just about everywhere we went (this happens alot when you are ME).

There was no one manning the "Gator Bites" booth so I'm not sure if this is a new nickname for pickles or if they'd run out of gator...

And here is just one of many pickle ornaments I came across that day. This one was in an antique shop where it was passed up for an empty bottle of Dr. Nut that day.

Does this post seem a little rambling? I'm sorry, I think I'm still hungover from New Year's Eve, 12th Night, and the Saints playoff game...but there may be no end in sight in this town...more beignets and coffee?

Full Circle

A year ago, probably to this exact day, I was visiting New Orleans. I rang in the New Year with old friends I was lucky to see once a year in a town I hadn't visited in years, years that were "Pre-K". The thought of moving to New Orleans had been swirling in my head ever since the storm and my trip last year was a visit to check it out and to "test" whether or not I could see myself living here. I'd written my friend Brad earlier and half jokingly said "convince me to move to New Orleans" and a few days later he responded with a thoughtful and heartfelt list of reasons to live here that pretty much did what I asked... I couldn't get down there fast enough and when I did, the voice inside my head said "Yeah, You Right!"*

During my visit, Brad shared with me his mom's homemade pickles he'd been given while he was home visiting her in Mississippi for Xmas. They were sweet and onion-y and made with love. I found these pictures of the pickles and Brad today as I was browsing, wondering how to start off my new year on the blog.


So as I begin my New Year in my New Orleans, and NOT as a visitor, I want to thank Brad and his wife Julie for their hospitality, generosity, sense of humor, and enthusiasm for life in this beautiful city. I'm glad they are old friends who are new again. I'll be lucky to call them old friends again. So here's to new friends, new pickles, new experiences, new love, and New Orleans (* And to peppering my speech with New Orleans sayings)!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!