Nothing Bundt Cakes    

Dibrova Smoked Andouille Sausage is classic Cajun-style with lean, coarsely-ground pork, lots of garlic and onion, and just enough heat from the cayenne pepper.

We love their smokey-rich, bold flavor. Perfect for late summertime grilling, in Jambalaya, or a thick, lentil soup on a rainy winter night. 

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I have been a fan of Cajun food from the first time I tried it. I was introduced to Cajun cuisine during the 80s when it was considered something new and exciting--though the food and flavors had been around for quite some time. Cajun cuisine soon became wildly popular, and it seemed like everyone had a blackened version of something.

I distinctly remember watching Paul Prudhomme and The Great Chefs of New Orleans repeatedly on PBS, while my mouth watered at the liberal use of butter, sausage and cayenne. It was during this time (at least in my mind. It could have been earlier.) that my mother started making dinners that had a decidedly "Nawlins" flavor to them like her Barbequed Shrimp.

I was dying to eat the foods that I saw being created on the TV screen in their native habitat, and had visions of eating my way through the lauded restaurants and cafes of New Orleans. Still do. Alas, that one remains an entry on my bucket list. It will happen.

In those days, Paul Prudhomme was "The Man". He made a name for himself while cooking at Commander's Palace. But it was his series of cookbooks and TV shows that introduced signature dishes like blackened redfish and turtle soup to people outside Louisiana, and started a craving for all things Cajun. As popular as Prudhomme was, the undisputed champion of Cajun cuisine has to be Emeril Legasse.

Before "kicking it up a notch" and throwing a little "Bam" into things on the Food Network, Emeril was making some really great food at  Commander's Palace, and eventually moved on to  his own restaurant, Emeril's. His first cookbook The New New Orleans Cooking introduced cooks to a contemporary version of classic Cajun cuisine and launched an empire.

This weekend my cookbook club is having our cookbook dinner and we've been cooking from The New New Orleans. The food in the book is great but for me, it has been more fun to go back and see, taste, and remember the recipes that I wanted to try as a kid.