Author Archives: thegumbodiaries

About thegumbodiaries

On the search for the perfect gumbo!

Hurricane Gumbo: Music, Poetry, Legend or Recipe?

Posted on July 18, 2017

  Why Margaret Mang named her gumbo “Hurricane Gumbo” I’ll never know for sure.  But I have a good guess. Her 1982 recipe appears in A Cookbook  from The Woman’s Club of Pensacola that I picked up at an estate … Continue reading →

Posted in Dear Diary (Gumbo Experiences)... | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Did you hear the one about the Jello-O ?

Posted on March 23, 2017

In a lively and unapologetically Southern talk at the Magnolias and White Linen gala luncheon,  James Farmer III said so many memorable one-liners that I pulled out my pocket notebook and started writing. He was talking my language. Family stories. … Continue reading →

Posted in Literary Gumbo | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Florida Pecans: for deadly delicious Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings pie and — would you believe — gumbo?

Posted on March 16, 2017

  In the movie Cross Creek, there’s a shot of a marvelous wedge of pecan pie just oozing with flavor. Not a word is said, the photo says it all — in about a thousand calories. And that picture personifies … Continue reading →

Posted in Literary Gumbo | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Small towns focus on food celebrations for Mardi Gras

Posted on February 24, 2017

Mardi Gras dinner at a local Catholic church proved the perfect way to start Mardi Gras Week. I toted my petite Blue Crab Boil purse and wore my beads. The gumbo was so good, I’d like to order a gallon. … Continue reading →

Posted in Dear Diary (Gumbo Experiences)... | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cooking Bear Gumbo? No, not even for a 75th Anniversary

Posted on February 9, 2017

We live at the junction of two lonely streets, directly across from a densely wooded wetland.  At night, with no moon, it’s pitch dark except for the golden glow from two mist-shrouded street lamps casting eerie shadows. The other evening, … Continue reading →

Posted in Literary Gumbo | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Celebrating 75 years of Cross Creek Cookery, Florida style

Posted on February 5, 2017

I wanted to know more about the history of small Florida towns in the 1930s, so my friend Sally, who grew up around here, took me to a Gulf Breeze Area Historical Society meeting.  I hoped the presentation on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Literary Gumbo | Tagged | Leave a comment

Disney’s gumbo no match for plums in the icebox

Posted on November 29, 2016

When I promised to blog about Disney’s kale-quinoa gumbo debacle, I never imagined I would link it to poet William Carlos Williams. In September Disney posted a two-minute video recipe for Tiana’s Healthy Gumbo on its “Princess and the Frog” … Continue reading →

Posted in Literary Gumbo | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments