for a little lagniappe...

Check out the boys on The Today Show!

Snow Days!

A few pictures from the DC area's recent Snowpocolypse and Snowmageddon which resulted in the breaking of the record for the snowiest winter on record set during the winter of 1898-99.

No School!

Those Sweet Saints

Pastry chef David Guas loves it here in Washington, his adopted home these past twelve years, but his heart is in New Orleans – and New Orleans is gearing up for a month to remember. Normally, to say that the weeks leading up to Mardi Gras is ‘high season’ is an understatement in the extreme; now, with the beloved Saints headed for the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history, well, that’s the icing on the cake, the cherry on top -- in fact, it’s a little like getting to eat your dessert first [as the big game falls on February 7, a full nine days prior to Mardi Gras.]

Dam Good Sweet, Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth New Orleans Style [Taunton Press, November 2009,] is Guas’ tribute to his hometown’s dessert heritage, not the grand restaurant confections, but the comforting, home-style delights of childhood. What better way to prime and ready your Super Bowl extravaganza than with the ‘divine’ treats among Guas’ recommendations, including the salty Caramel Peanut Popcorn, traditional Pralines, and, because no high profile game involving a name like The Saints should be without it, an ultra-sweet known as Heavenly Hash.

Guas’ book has already won coveted accolades from top publications: “Favorite New Dessert Cookbooks,” Food & Wine Magazine; “One of Thirteen Best Cookbooks,”AOL's Slashfood.com; and one of three cookbooks that "Make Baking More Fun Than Ever," Saveur magazine. Dam Good Sweet is consistently landing on all the top cookbook lists for its southern style desserts that can be prepared in home kitchens everywhere.

To become a Saint for the day on February 7th - or just for the dessert course – check out Dam Good Sweet and hit the kitchen before you hit the couch , to whip up one of New Orleans' sweetest.

And check out "The Soul of New Orleans" video to really get you in the spirit!