Author: jarendall

In 1975 I packed my whole life into a Pinto and drove from Mobile, AL to Key West to start fresh. I write about the journey in the introduction to GUMBO LOVE. It was the time in my life when I had “my first WOW moment in food,” where the seeds were planted for my later life as a food and entertaining entrepreneur and author.

I have always been an experiential learner. I am self-taught at everything (except maybe typing, which is one skill my mother MADE me master in school – thank goodness). I was really winging it back then, as most 20-somethings tend to do—but alas, I survived—and with some really good stories!

Those early experiences at Le Mistral and Louie’s Backyard, where “we were eating fancy food wearing cutoffs and flip flops!” deeply imprinted my psyche and have been direct influences on how my restaurants have evolved into their unique concepts of being “high class, family friendly dives” and how I like to entertain for friends and family at home.

Should I call it ‘Barefoot Fancy’? Or, even more fun… what would you call this style of cooking and entertaining? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Wishing you all an excellent, relaxing day of eating, cooking, or relaxing… whatever strikes your fancy! #GumboLove

Here’s a question I get asked a lot: what’s your favorite thing to eat at LuLu’s?

Well, I can’t name just one! It depends on what mood I’m in, what’s on my mind, what day of the week it is, what I’m wearing, whether it’s sunny or cloudy…the list goes on. 

Here are my top five faves in no particular order:

Nachos: There is something about chips and salsa I simply crave. The salty crunchy chips with the spicy chunks of tomato bursting with flavor…add cheese and, well, it’s more than a meal in itself! Nachos is not something I ever get sick of, and we have several varieties of toppings so I could almost go so far as to say there is a different nacho for every one of my moods.

Fish Tacos: All fish tacos are not created equal. Our menu describes our version with one word—”Scrumptious!” And I can’t think of a better way to put their addictive finger-licking deliciousness. The chefs at LuLu’s have perfected the art of combining melt-in-your-mouth fish with the texture and flavor of black beans, salsa, shredded cabbage, a chipotle cream sauce, and, of course, cheese. If the idea of a fish taco doesn’t do it for you or you’ve had a bad experience with fish tacos in the past, our fish tacos might be able to fix that problem for you.

Fried Shrimp: I don’t need to explain myself here! Fried shrimp remains an iconic LuLu’s and Gulf Coast delicacy worthy of celebration every day.  

Pa-menna Cheeseburger: My idea of paradise! A perfect combination of a delicious burger with the Southern touches of pimento cheese and fried green tomatoes. I’m such a texture person, and there is something about that gooey warm pimento cheese paired with the crispy fried tomatoes that take this burger into a higher realm. 

Fried Crab Claws: Speaking of higher realms, I called fried crab claws “heavenly” in my first cookbook, LuLu’s Kitchen, and I think you’d agree that their sweet luscious flavor would make the saltwater angels sing. This Gulf Coast specialty is a must-have first course around our beaches that you really don’t see outside the region. I love to introduce visitors to the Gulf to this truly special dish that captures the flavorful bounty of our little slice of heaven.

If you’re not hungry after reading this, well I salute you! I for one may be headed to LuLu’s. Hope to see you there!

Photo by Angie Mosier

 

As I approach another birthday this week, in addition to thinking “time flies” and “how many years?”, I am also thinking about my birthday road trip menu (more on that later).

As we get older, some of us are discovering that the things in which we once indulged, we just can’t do as often. Anyone experiencing similar situations?

True confession: I’m turning 64 and I still have a raging sweet tooth! And, wouldn’t you know it, as I age I become more sensitive to sugar. But, this will not deter me from the well-earned celebration of having successfully made another turn around the sun.

In Gumbo Love, I wrote,

“I don’t believe in ‘good food’ and ‘bad food.’ I believe in celebrating food, and where there is love, mindfulness, and gratitude, all food is a gift…Approaching any food that we eat or cook with love and gratitude positively charges that food to best support our bodies and minds.”

So this week, since we are on the road, I will have one of my favorite forms of birthday cake…Krispy Kreme Doughnuts! With love, gratitude, and appreciation I will consciously indulge, enjoying every last morsel and sprinkle while counting my infinite blessings! I am beyond grateful for this wonderful life!

How do you enjoy your birthday favorite treat?

#celebrationfood #perfectbite #krispykreme #GumboLove

I wouldn’t go so far as to say we have a fall nip in the air this weekend, but certainly a dip in the temperatures. It gets down into the sixties at night in the coastal South and we start making chili and shopping online for sweaters! Mother Nature knows her stuff much better than we do, however, and that’s why I time my changing of the season by the pecan trees.

In my world, when the pecans start dropping, that’s when fall has truly arrived. Wintertime turns the majestic pecan trees into scary bare skeletons, but we know spring is just around the corner when just a speck of green starts to show at the tip of those craggy branches and then it seems that overnight they transform into lush leafy canopies that make the most picturesque orchards all over the South. 

My local pecan source is B & B Pecan Co. in Fairhope. I love driving past their groves. I love going in their little shop. I love using their pecans in both sweet and savory recipes.

Pecans make great presents because they are delicious, they last almost forever in the freezer, they can be used in SO many recipes, they make a textured tasty crunchy topping, and they are a great consumable gift for those of our loved ones who simply don’t need another darn thing.

These Deep South natives are also an essentially Southern ingredient and taste, inspiring such Southern classics as pecan pie, pecan divinity, and pralines. I love them roasted with savory herbs. And they’re not bad all on their own. Sitting down and cracking pecans with a dear friend or family member and nibbling on the fruits of your labor is time well spent.

Happy first taste of fall if not temperatures of fall. Those temps will be here soon enough and it’ll be time to gather up all the nuts—our family and friends and the pecans!

Photo by Angie Mosier

We’ve been fully immersed in Hurricane Season, haven’t we? This year those in Texas and Florida will be living with Hurricane Season long after it has officially ended on the calendar. As a cook my thoughts in times of needed comfort turn to food. If I could cook up nourishing pots of gumbo and send them I would. In fact, my prayers for all those affected are laced as always with Gumbo Love.

As we in the coastal South endure the spontaneous destruction of Hurricane Season, we are also blessed by the more predictable rhythms of tomato season, Silver Queen corn season, butterbean season, and okra season, which is around for just a little bit longer.

Okra is a key ingredient of summer gumbos, and now that we can so readily buy frozen okra we use it during the wintertime as well. In gumbo it provides that viscous velvety texture that keeps the gumbo thick enough to “stick to your bones.” As it’s transformed in the gumbo magic, people often don’t even notice it’s there. On its own, people tend to either love okra or hate it. I get it. It can be slimy. It can even be a little hairy! 

If you are an okra skeptic, I give you this challenge before the end of okra season: 1) If you’re near LuLu’s Gulf Shores or LuLu’s Destin, try the fried okra on the menu, and 2) Try the Whole Roasted Okra with Parmesan Crunch recipe from Gumbo Love. I’ve put the recipe below, and I think you’ll find there is a lot to love about this very EASY, affordable, tasty, unusual, and Southern vegetable.

As we eagerly wait for Hurricane Season to pass us by, let’s celebrate okra season and all the comfort it has to give.

Whole Roasted Okra with Parmesan Crunch

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1¼  pounds fresh whole okra, washed and patted dry
½  cup shredded Parmesan cheese

 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 2. In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, and pepper and mix well. Add the okra and toss well to coat each piece.

 3. Place the okra on a baking sheet, keeping the pieces close together but in a single layer. Top with the Parmesan and bake for 20 minutes, or until the Parmesan is golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve as a side dish.

Photo by Angie Mosier

 

My daddy was the original son of a sailor. I loved it when he would reminisce about his earliest childhood memories of being on a merchant marine ship. For most of his life, if he wasn’t on or tinkering with one of his boats, or taking us for a boat ride, he was submerged in the culture of boats at the shipyard where he worked until retirement.

I inherited a love of boats from my daddy.

There is no better fix for a bad mood, a well-deserved reward for a hard day’s work, or perfect way to pass precious time with family and friends than a boat ride.

For me, to be out on the open water, is a portal into a spacious and free place in my mind and body. It is a celebration of nature, life, and craftsmanship that is constantly beckoning me in. There’s that moment when the motor drowns out the noise of the world and the wind and water literally cleanse me of any stress of the day.

Now more than ever, we all need something in our lives that fosters  more quality time and helps us “get away” from the anxiety of current events, the news, and just regular challenges of daily life.

The older I get the more I am grateful for my heritage and my coastal life and realize the importance of passing it along to my children and grandchildren.  #AttitudeOfGratitude #Family #Boats #CoastLife

If you’re from the South, then you know, whether you are a fan or not, that college football starts in earnest this weekend. And if you’re from Alabama, either you or someone you love has not slept in days in sweet anticipation.

If you’re from Texas or have loved ones in Texas your mind is probably on much more important matters than college football. Texas has quite a mighty football tradition, and our thoughts remain with all the players and fans affected by Harvey in the state of Texas and we pray for the safety of them all. Once football gets going, I imagine and hope it might provide a little bit of needed diversion from the long journey of recovery ahead.  

Every fall Saturday when I was growing up was “game day,” and my father would be glued to the tube to watch all the SEC games. When the Iron Bowl game between Auburn and Alabama rolled around, millions of folks gathered in party mode, and they still do.

On game day in the South, if you’re not in the stands or tailgating in the parking lot of the stadium, you are among the hordes of fans cheering on their team around TVs in living rooms and dens and sometimes around TVs rigged up in garages, porches, backyards, docks, and boats.

If you happen to be walking down an Alabama street on a big game day (the streets will be empty like a ghost town), every few minutes you’ll hear out of nowhere a collective hooting and hollering from the fans who are crowded around the TVs, sweating and breathing as hard as the players themselves. If you see somebody, it must be halftime, when some fans feel the need for a smoke or breath of fresh air.

If you’re not a fan, my advice is not to tell anybody. Just dig into some delicious game-day food and (privately) not care who wins or loses. Whether you’re tailgating in person or in spirit, coming up with game-day food is a fun activity to distract you until the games actually get started. 

Some of my favorite tailgating foods include pimento cheese, ribs, wings, and brownies or other little pick-up sweets. In Gumbo Love I even have dueling War Eagle and Roll Tide cocktail recipes! I’ll never tell which is my favorite.

What’s YOUR favorite tailgating food? 

P.S. War Eagle 🙂

Around this same time every year, I organize my pens and pencils. I know it sounds geeky, but I get a great sense of comfort and accomplishment out of this little task. It is all in preparation for an even more fun yearly event that is coming up. My grand babies are headed back to school after Labor Day. So this weekend, I am taking them school supply shopping. My daddy absolutely loved taking us to downtown Mobile to first Zoghby’s for our school uniforms and then for the fun… to Kress for the yearly haul of pencils, sharpeners, erasers, notebooks, loose leaf papers, folders, and all the other little odds and ends. My favorite part was the crayons! If he could, Daddy would splurge and buy us the biggest box. I think he loved the built-in sharpener! Even back then I was drawn to the pinks and the turquoise blues and the sea green hues. (As an adult I discovered that Crayola had added Caribbean Green as a color and I had to go immediately buy the whole box just for that one crayon.) If he had extra money, daddy would buy me marbles. At Kress they had crystals and bohunks and steelys – which was special because those were hard to come by. Every year Mama would be mad that he spent so much money. But I think she was just happy we were soon to be in school. I would be thrilled with all of my new shiny loot. I still think there is nothing like a brand new box of 64 crayons to boost a shy little girl’s confidence to go back to school. I can’t wait to do that for my own sweet song lines!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the Summer tourist season starts to wind down along the Gulf Coast beaches, I have been feeling ever more grateful for LuLu’s, for the new friends we have made this year, and for all of the wonderful people who visit us year after year. I am especially grateful for the big team of souls who make LuLu’s happen daily. Every single time I arrive at my homes away from home, where I work — whether it be Gulf Shores or Destin— I sit for a moment to just inhale and take it all in. I can feel the collective positive and happy energy that everyone brings here!

I marvel at not only what a great restaurant it is, but also what a nice place to come enjoy life for a while… to sip an iced tea, look at a pretty view,  and just take a relaxing break! Thank you to everyone who contributes to the #GoodVibes! #AttitudeOfGratitude
#HatsOffToYou
#SundayFunday
#RelaxRenewRestore
#GumboLove

Going fishing has been a theme on the blog recently, but if you don’t have the time or the geographic good luck to go fishing anytime soon, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy eating the catch of the day.

One of my goals when I wrote GUMBO LOVE was taking the mystery out of cooking seafood at home. In the book, I give some tips on how to buy, store, prepare, and of course cook whatever fresh fish you can find where you live. Another way to enjoy some lovely fish on your plate is to go out and let somebody else do all that for you! 

Whatever is locally caught and the most fresh is your very best bet when ordering fish from a restaurant, but a lot of fish can be flash frozen or even shipped overnight without sacrificing too much in quality. One of the easiest ways to order the best-tasting fish of the day is simply to ask the waitstaff which fish dish they recommend. 

At LuLu’s I am absolutely fascinated by the Fish Trax program. For our red snapper dishes, each piece of fish that finds itself on a guest’s plate comes with its own Fish Trax tag. You can scan the QR code on the tag and find out WHO caught that fish and WHERE they caught it! How cool is that? At LuLu’s our red snapper comes straight from the Gulf from dedicated fishermen who are committed to responsible harvesting practices. So if you can’t catch the fish you’re eating yourself, at least you can know the guy or gal who did! 

Sure, fish that you just caught yourself tastes the best of all—it’s as if all your patience, preparation, “hard work,” and good luck have gone into the flavor. But even when we don’t catch it ourselves, we can still be mindful of where it came from and appreciate the good souls who brave the seas everyday to bring it to us and of course pay homage to Mother Mother Ocean who provides so much nourishment for our bodies and souls.