Thanksgiving in New Orleans -- without leaving home.
We like traveling at Thanksgiving. And as much as we love turkey dinner like mom used to make, we've had some nontraditional dinners that made us rethink the whole thing.
Last year, we went to Seaside, Florida, which is close enough to New Orleans to have fantastic Cajun food. This year, we don't want to get on a plane, but we still want a New Orleans food fix.
Enter cajunturkeyco.com, who sells a 10 -12 pound Cajun turkey for $52.50, plus shipping. The magic ingredient here is a secret blend of orange juice, peppers, spices, and vinegar called geaux juice. The Cajun Turkey folks inject a full quart of it into the bird, let it marinate overnight, then deep fry the whole thing in peanut oil.
It's wrapped in foil, vacuum packed, flash frozen, and then FedExed to your door. All you do is thaw it, and then pop it in the oven for an hour.
What comes out is a tender, juicy turkey that bursting with flavor. You can order interesting sides like crawfish etouffee or chicken and sausage gumbo, or make your own favorites.
For breakfast, have chicory coffee and beignets from www.cafedumonde.com. Later that day, put the turkey in the oven, mix up a pitcher of Sazeracs, throw on a couple of zydeco CDs, and enjoy Thanksgiving, New Orleans style.