Hi Everyone!!
I am so excited to share with you my fun packed weekend that I spent in Baton Rouge, Louisiana! I had the best time ever! I have never been to the south, so honestly I wasn’t sure what to expect. I never gave the idea of going south, well except for Florida, for a vacation, but after this weekend that has changed. I had the ultimate foodie weekend and if you follow me on Instagram, you will see all of the fun that I had, not to mention all of the food I ate. I’m still trying to work that off, but for the first time ever, the weight gain was well worth it!! So this week, I want to share with you all of the events and fun things that I did and share with you recipes that I was inspired to make because of my visit to Louisiana. Let me officially welcome you to Baton Rouge Week, here at PB and P!!
I wanted to let you know that I was chosen by The Daily Meal to attend this press trip along with 5 other bloggers from all over the country and Toronto to visit Baton Rouge. The weekend went quick and I was quite busy visiting all of the beautiful sites that Baton Rouge has to offer. I am going to break down the events each day this week, since there is way to much to share with you in one post! So let me get to my first event!
Welcome to Fete Rouge!!! Fete Rouge is a Food and Wine event with over 30 Baton Rouge restaurants, 200 wines from all over the world, local chefs who compete for best of show, local art & music and people! Fete Rouge is sponsored by the Epicurean Society which all of the proceeds will benefit local childhood health & nutrition programs and epicurean scholarships to local accredited individuals & institutions. Plus not to mention it’s a great cause, wonderful chefs and amazing food!!! Here is your invitation!
Go grab a glass of wine, some munchies and let me share with you the best part of the event, the FOOD!! Oh my gosh, the food!! I ate so much food, I am surprised I didn’t explode! I was even adventurous and tried food that I would never in a million years order from a restaurant. I tried frog legs for the first time, though it was ok, it tasted like dark meat chicken. I also had blackened alligator. Yup, I ate alligator. It was good, one of my top three favorite things I had at the event. It tasted like beef!! It was amazing!! Instead of posting a picture of everything I tried, I made a slide show for you.
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See all of that food? Here are some close-ups of my favorite things I tried not in any particular order. Here is the Blackened Alligator Taco in a Cup by Chef Drew England. You know I love anything that is taco related!
The third item I tried was the most moist delicious banana cheesecake with a chocolate shoe on top. The recipe is called Time for Cheesecake and Shoes! Ummm, yes please! Who would turn down cheesecake and shoes? I know I wouldn’t!! This dessert recipe inspired me to make today’s recipe!
Since it is Smoothie Monday today and Labor Day, I thought I would share with you my inspired easy, no labor involved Banana Cream Pie Smoothie! The only thing wrong with this recipe is that it doesn’t come with chocolate shoes! 🙁
This smoothie is so rich, creamy and perfect for a dessert or an afternoon pick me up!! It’s healthy and oh my gosh tastes amazing! I never was the biggest banana fan until recently, now I can’t get enough of it!! This smoothie will satisfy any dessert cravings you may have!!
The smoothie is made with unsweetened coconut milk, banana’s, stevia, vanilla extract and a pinch of fat-free half and half to give it a true creamy consistency. This smoothie is like drinking a cream pie. Who wouldn’t want to drink a cream pie? This recipe makes 4 cups and comes in at 185 calories and all pretty healthy!!
- 1½ bananas, frozen
- 2 cups coconut milk, unsweetened (from carton)
- 2 tbsp. half and half, fat free
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. stevia to taste
- 1 cup ice
- 4 tbsp. whip cream, fat free
- 1 vanilla wafer cookies, reduced fat
- Place 1 vanilla wafer cookie in a baggie and with a rolling pin, roll over cookie until crushed into tiny pieces; set a side.
- Ina blender add banana, coconut milk, half and half, vanilla extract, stevia and ice cubes. Blend until smooth.
- Pour into 2 cups and top each smoothie with whip cream and crushed wafer cookie.
I only used a pinch of the cookie, so there will be a little leftover.
The picture of the recipe above won Best in Show Award! The Southern Bouillabaisse-Gulf and Louisiana Seafood with crab boil rouille and a bouillabaisse broth by Chef Nelson Chang -Crowne Plaza Hotel. It was delicious, but sorry, not my personal favorite!!
I wanted to give a big thank you to Christy and Katie of Visit Baton Rouge who took us all over town showing us all the wonderful sites. These two girls really love their town and really hooked us up on this event!!! I couldn’t be more thankful for what they have done for us bloggers. If you want to see more of Baton Rouge, you should check out there Pintrest page. It’s loaded with a ton of great pictures!!! Or their website Visit Baton Rouge. Honestly I would never had dreamed that Louisiana could be so much fun! I told my Husband that is where I want to go next year for vacation, not Vegas!
Well my Friends, I hope you enjoyed part one of my trip to Baton Rouge. Stayed tuned each day for a new adventure and new recipe! I have a few good ones up my sleeve that I can’t wait to make.
Have a great day!!!
Toodles,
Jennifer
