Some of you may know that I used to be really good about blogging. Lately, busy with two kids, work, and a job search, I’ve been slacking. Back when I was blogging a lot, I had a food blog called Syrup and Cornbread (you can still access it in the link on the sidebar) and I posted MaMa Nola’s brownie recipe. One day I got a call from a very nice lady who asked to use this recipe in a cookbook which would feature recipes from home cooks across the country. I gave her the recipe and never heard anything. Well, the other day at church, a friend stopped me and said that she thought she saw my name in a new cookbook she’d just bought. Sure enough, MaMa Nola’s brownie recipe has now been published! It’s in One Big Table: A Portrait of American Cooking compiled by Molly O’Neill. I’ve scanned the page for you:
I sent most of you an e-mail, but thought I’d post it here too (I don’t have the energy to call everyone, but do feel free to call if you want to chat). I’ve accepted a position at the National Archives in College Park, MD, and I start on Jan. 18th. We’ll be moving around the first of Feb., and I’ll be in touch with my new address, etc.
Hope all is well with you and you had a Merry Christmas!
Aimee
I just thought I would share this book with everyone. It’s all about the festivals held in South Louisiana, and even features the Cattle Festival in Abbeville! The man who wrote it lives here in Arlington, MA, and our daughters went to school together. It was pretty funny when we were talking on the playground and he told me that he’d spent some time in Abbeville. That was certainly a first.
Anyway, here’s the link to a description on LibraryThing (a fun, if nerdy way to pass the time and learn about new books), if any of you are interested: Rhinestone Sisterhood: A Journey Through Small Town American, One Tiara At a Time.
Michael Hebert is a full professor at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, effective July 1, 2010.
Congrats, Michael … and Hotty Toddy!
This pet pig was left out in the sun too long …
Just kidding. That’s the cochon de lait we had at restaurant COCHON Friday.
Next time you’re in Nevada, be sure to pop into the town (village? or hamlet?) of Primeaux. It’s several miles west of Elko, which is suspended in the desert wasteland between Reno and Salt Lake City.
And if you are in the Pyrenees in the south of France and run out of things to do, just rendezvous in Mouledous.
You can find them both via Google Earth.
How did that happen?
I hope it goes away when I wake up.
The family gathered in Metairie for the big event on July 31, 2010.
It was a beautiful wedding, followed by a superb reception at the Chateau Country Club in Kenner.
Those of us who stayed at the Courtyard Marriott shared the premises with the Flaming Knights Motorcycle Club whose members biked in from all over the country. We saw and talked with bikers from San Diego, Connecticut, Maryland, Jacksonville, FL., Atlanta, Wisconsin, Los Angeles, and more.
Here is our only pic from the wedding … 
Lisa took some pics at the reception. The quality is not so hot due to the dim light, but the party was jumping! Here they are …
From Phil Mouledous …
During the 4th of July holiday, Steve and I took a trip to Montreal to see the Jazz Festival. It was my first trip to Montreal, and while we were really there to visit a friend and take in some good music, we couldn’t help but take the opportunity to visit the hometown of one of our progenitors, Francois Primaut. According to the family history on this blog, Francois and Marguerite (2nd generation) settled in an area close to Montreal called Chateauguay.
When we told Yvan, our friend who we were staying with, that we wanted to go to Chateauguay, he was amused. Although he’s lived all his life in Montreal, he couldn’t recall ever setting foot in Chateauguay. He laughed, saying it was just a suburb that had nothing going for it. It became a running gag, in fact, with everyone we met. “So, what do you plan on seeing while you’re in town?” “We’re going to Chateauguay!” Which would always be met with looks of bemused disdain. One of Yvan’s friends called it “An ugly little town.” But of course, we had to go!
We set out Sunday afternoon (July 4th), armed with Yvan’s GPS set on English to help us find our way. Chateauguay is only about a half an hour outside of Montreal, which is an island set between two rivers: the St. Lawrence and the Prairie. Here is a map from the 18th Century of Montreal and its environs:
Map from Inside St. Joachim Church, Chateauguay
We found our way to Chateauguay, which is, indeed, an ugly little town. There is really nothing too distinguishing about it. It looks very much like any small American town, riddled with strip-malls, with little sense of history. And then, we came upon this:
Saint Joachim de Chateauguay
A gorgeous church, that dated to the mid-18th century. The door was open, and when we walked in, there were two ladies inside who were very happy that we stopped by. I told them I was a Primeaux with a Louisiana background, and they looked at each other and smiled. Both nodded vigorously. “Oh yes, yes, yes. There are many Primeaus here. Many Primeaus.” One of the ladies told us where to find the cemetery, and we signed the guest book.
We made our way to the cemetery, and although we didn’t see any gravestones that were older than the early 20th century, we did find these:
The name on the very bottom: Marie Primeau
I felt connected to all of these people–after all, they are distant cousins. After leaving the cemetery, we found ourselves on this street:
And driving further, near the Chateauguay River, a St. Lawrence River tributary that runs through the town, we found a house for sale. Interested? Give Ginette a call:
Our Canadian Primeau history confirmed, we made our way back to Montreal.
Louisiana – Quebec bonds were strengthened when we finished our Jazz Festival experience by seeing Allen Toussaint, who gave a masterful, warm performance. It was a complete joy to see him. If you come across his new album, The Bright Mississippi, check it out. I highly recommend it. Here are additional pictures proving our Canadian heritage (from Old Montreal):
Canadian Crawfish? Who knew?!?
Love to you all, Michelle
