There is always a festival of some sort in progress in New Orleans.  Years ago, wife Anne and friends Gary and Carroll flew to the Big Easy in late May for a few days of R & R.  Thomas, a friendly cab driver, picked us up at the airport.  He was so engaging that we hired him to drive us everywhere we went.

There was no Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest that weekend, only the New Orleans Tomato Festival – a party highlighted by fresh Louisiana tomatoes prepared in a multitude of ways.  One such way to prepare fresh tomatoes is Tomatoes Florentine, a simple and wonderful dish.

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
2 large tomatoes, cut into ¾-inch-thick slices
½ cup dry Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
½ cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)
3 eggs, beaten
¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
¼ cup grated Parmesan
¼ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 to 3 dashes hot pepper sauce

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch glass-baking dish. Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain well in a colander, pressing with paper towels to remove most of the liquid.

Arrange tomato slices in a single layer in prepared pan. Combine breadcrumbs, green onions, eggs, butter, Parmesan, garlic, salt, thyme and hot sauce in a medium bowl. Add spinach; mix well. Spoon equal amounts of the spinach mixture on top of each tomato slice. Bake uncovered, 15 minutes.

Serves 8.

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• ½ c. Salad oil
• ½ lb. Bacon, diced
• 1 cup Tasso, finely diced
• 1 Large Onion, diced
• 3 Celery stalks, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 ea. Red and Green Peppers, diced
• 2 ears Corn, remove kernels from ears
• 1 Tbs. Tarragon, Thyme, Kosher Salt
• 1 ½ Tbs. Garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. Fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 ea. Bay leaves, 1 pinch Cayenne pepper
• ½ c. White wine
• ¼ c. Worcestershire sauce, 2 dashes Tabasco
• 1/2 gal. Shrimp stock or broth
• 1 c. Blonde roux
• 1 qt. Heavy cream
• 4 c. Crawfish tails, pre-cooked
• 3 ea. Russet potatoes, cubed and par-boiled

Directions:
Heat oil in a medium stock pot, add bacon, sauté 3 to 5 minutes or until bacon is slightly crispy. Add Tasso, onions, celery, carrots and peppers, sauté for 5 to 7 minutes. Add corn, garlic, herbs, and spices, sauté another 2 to 3 minutes.

Deglaze with white wine, Worcestershire, and Tabasco, simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add shrimp stock, bring to a boil then whisk in roux, stirring well, so no lumps form. Turn down heat and simmer for 5 minutes, add heavy cream, crawfish, and strained potatoes. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Season to taste.

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My sixteen-year-old stepdaughter Kate searched the refrigerator in vain for something to eat, or at least for something she wanted to eat.

“I’m hungry,” she proclaimed.

Marilyn recited the litany of food in the refrigerator, freezer and pantry.  “I’m not taking you to Johnny’s for a burger,” she said.

“It’s too late and I already have my nightgown on.”

Unhappy with any of her mother’s suggestions, Kate began pawing through the pantry.  Marilyn joined her search, hoping to find something to satisfy her baby’s insatiable teenage hunger.

“Check this out, Kate,” she said, showing her a specially decorated commemorative can of Spam.

“No way,” Kate said.  “Spam is horrible and only poor people eat it.”

“Have you ever tried it?” Marilyn asked.

“No way!”

“Then how do you know how it tastes?”

“Who cares?  No one even knows what it’s made of.”

“It’s just ham in a can, Kate,” Marilyn said.

Kate was having none of her mother’s argument and finally microwaved a Hamburger Helper.  Still, the discussion caused me to consider the food I ate while growing up in Louisiana and how much enjoyment people miss because they have preconceived notions.

My parents were simple working folks, my mother a homemaker, my dad a pipe fitter.  My dad never made much money but I never thought of us as being poor, and I do not recall ever missing a meal.  I remember my mother’s Spam and eggs for breakfast, Spam sandwiches for lunch, and Spam and green beans for dinner.  Spam was not the only thing we ate by any means, but when we had it, I liked it.

Heck, I also enjoyed eating potted meat and Vienna sausages.  My Aunt Dot sent me a care package when I was deep in the jungles of Vietnam and I remember enjoying the can of Vienna sausages included in the prize better than I would have a lobster or filet mignon.

Money supplies the necessities of life but do more expensive purchases equate to a happier existence.  I think not.  A Rolls-Royce will not take you a single mile further than a Chevrolet, or get you there any quicker.

As the saying goes, money cannot buy happiness.  Now I wonder, how much happiness do rich folks miss because of their snobbery?  This I know - sometimes what you miss most are the simple things you never even think about, until you lose them.

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