Black-and-Gold-Superbowl

What has 22 legs and can't run?

The New Orleans Saints!

According to Forrest's Grandpa, this is a joke he used to tell when he was 3 years old. And that joke was probably still relevant for most of Forrest's life. That is - until this year. The Saints are good, really really good. We both grew up New Orleans Saints fans and if you are a true Saints fan you understand what a difficult journey it must have been. But this year is different. The Saints are 9 and 0 for the first time in the franchise's history. So needless to say, it is a fun year to be a fan. No need for brown paper grocery bags this year!

Now, if you are a Saints fan in Washington, D.C. it is a little more difficult. The Saints are actually good and fun to watch, but watching them in D.C. isn't always an option. At first, Forrest and I found a sports bar to go to that had the non-locally-aired games on satellite. Well that got expensive, so we purchased the NFL radio plan for $19.99 and now we listen to the un-televised games on our laptop. That can be a little onerous and not nearly as exciting, but our love for the Black and Gold keeps us committed.

I wanted to make something to snack on during the game this Sunday that would help round out the experience. Since we didn't have a visual connection to the team I decided we would let our taste buds bring us back home as we listened to the commentary of Hokie Gajan. Bless you Boys!

Andouille Corn Popper

Adapted from Southern Living March 2008

Ingredients

• 1 (8 1/2-oz.) package corn muffin mix
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
• 1 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1-inch slices and casings removed
  
• Peanut oil
• Creole mustard

Preparation

1. Whisk together corn muffin mix and next 2 ingredients.

Mix in Creole Seasoning.

Dip sausages slices in batter, coating lightly since the corn muffing mix will puff when in the oil.

2. Pour oil to depth of 1 inch into a Dutch oven; heat over medium-high heat to 375°. Fry sausages, in small batches, 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels. Keep warm on a wire rack in an aluminum foil-lined jelly-roll pan in a 200° oven. Serve with mustard.