Dina's Creole Table

How many of you grew up drinking root beer or enjoying root beer floats?    Growing up in northern Louisiana we primarily had access to A&W and Barq’s Root Beer.   My parents occasionally treated me and my brother to root beer or root beer floats.   I liked the taste of root beer because it wasn’t super sweet, but it had a slightly sharp after taste.   When I drank root beer, it had to be very cold and I had to have lots of ice in my glass. When I attended graduate school in New Orleans in the early 2000’s, I was introduced to Abita Root Beer.   Abita Root Beer was produced by the Abita Bottled Water Company which was located in Abita Springs, approximately 30 miles north of New Orleans.   Barq’s Root Beer on the other hand was produced in New Orleans. Barq’s advertising slogan was “Barq’s has bite.”   Both Barq’s and Abita Root Beer are best enjoyed in cold glass bottles. RESULT: Both root beers are very tasty. ...

My love of smoked sausage started in my childhood.   I recall my mother making wonderful smoked sausage sandwiches for breakfast or lunch.   I loved eating smoked sausage po-boys, the taste of good smoked sausage in red beans and in smothered potatoes and especially sausage in seafood boils.   Ok, I better stop now because I’m starting to get hungry! 😊 When I attended college in New Orleans, I was exposed to both Manda smoked sausage and DD smoked sausage (also called Double D or D&D by the locals).    Manda sausage originated from Baton Rouge and DD smoked sausage was made in New Orleans (but is now made in Bogalusa post-Katrina).   Both sausages were in high demand in south Louisiana because of the delicious flavor that the sausages added to cooked dishes.   I met die-hard fans that swore that they would only eat either Manda or DD smoked sausage.         I used both Manda smoked sausage and DD sm...