I wasn't feeling very hungry until I read this thread. Rjw, I could be there in less than two hours.......

Have y'all tried the Tony Chachere's frozen boneless stuffed chickens? I really like the crawfish stuffed one. Haven't tried the turduken yet but it's on the list. Walmart here (N of NO) has them.
This Thanksgiving it's fried turkey & gumbo again with a side of cornbread dressing, sweet potatoes with pecans & fried okra (the boiled stuff creeps me out too).

OK, here's my fried okra recipe. Just cut off the tips, but into little pieces (smaller rather than bigger), toss them with flour, pan fry in a small amount of vegetable oil (no olive oil). Cook them on one side for a few minutes, then turn once and do the same. Salt. Enjoy, bon appetite!

...er, do not "but" into little pieces but rather "cut" into little pieces.

benj: In all of my trips to Cajun country, I had never heard of "turduken" until now, so I googled it.

I wonder why they didn't call it "chidukey", or "chiturduk", or "chikeyduk", or "dukchitur", or ... ???

I'm sorry, it does sound tasty, but what a strange name ...

Chickendukey!

What do Louisiana folk think of Paul Prudhomme's food? I ate at K-Paul's a few years ago. It was tasty, but oh so rich. Is that considered the elite of creole cooking? Where do the locals consider "the best" of cajun/creole? We might be back in NOLA in Jan.

Everyone has forgotten Commander's Palace. In my opinion, it's the best restaurant in New Orleans. Is it Cajun or Creole? I don't know the answer. It's just awesome.

dwoodliff,
You have to use Louisiana logic to understand turduken, First comes the TURkey that is de-boned & stuffed with a stuffing & next comes the de-boned DUck that is stuffed in the turkey along with more stuffing. Finally comes the de-boned chicKEN that is filled with a 3rd stuffing & shoved in the duck. See, doesn't that make perfect sense now??? Well, if it doesn't then have a few beers & eat a lot of spicy food & it will.

The only thing better is what a friend had. It was a suckling pig that had been de-boned & filled with a stuffing of crawfish rice & quail. It was fabulous.

I usually suggest Commander's to people that want a special meal but thought Arnaud's might offer more creole options. Either would be a good choice.

benj: The turduken sounds delicious. How spicy is it? I doubt that they will have it at one of the Walmarts here in Texas, but I'm going to look for it anyway. Is it served in restaurants in Louisiana?

Donna

Donna,
The turduken isn't super spicy. If you like cajun food then you should be fine. It makes a real conversation piece for a dinner.

If you can't find it at your Walmart then try checking online. I have seen ads here for a business that ships specialty foods. It's called Korbin Foods & you can get a free $50 gift certificate by using the code korbin1 at their site. I don't know anything about them but their ads look good.