If you're itching for a culinary adventure, there's no need to leave your home! Escape to Avery Island for a crawfish feast with Food Orleans.

This was my lunch. I ate it all.

Avery Island is a gorgeous place; it's surrounded by a long lace of bayous, has plenty of wildlife roaming around freely (deer, bears, raccoons, alligators), and houses the beautiful Jungle Gardens and Bird Sanctuary.  You can spend a full day there soaking up the splendor, especially if you pack in a trip to the Tabasco factory.

We had a lovely, long ride down the bayou to the McIlhenny family's trapper's camp, just so we could get in some air boat rides (FUN!) and a little of this:

My favorite lunch in the world! These fellas were HUGE.

I'm only partly responsible for this amount of crawfish carnage.  Let's just say that my tablemate, Cecil, is one fast picker.

Earlier that day, we had a tasting of all seven flavors of Tabasco sauce, led by CEO and Chairman of the Board Paul McIlhenny.  His chief flavor developer, Charlie Chang, who has worked for the McIlhennys for over 30 years, was also present at the tasting. It was fascinating listening to the two describe how certain flavors were inspired, or how they were refined to become what they are today.  I have to say, my new favorite hot sauce is Tabasco Habanero.  It's Jamaican inspired and has a lot of fruit flavor to it, plus it packs a slow, intense heat that hits you at the end.  For the tasting, we had saltine crackers and softened butter to help us tolerate the high amounts of heat in some of the sauces.  I discovered that a saltine cracker spread with butter and topped with a little Habanero sauce is extremely delicious--like eating a wicked little butter cookie.  I'm in love.

For more on this tasty adventure, plus a Tabasco-inspired mixology lesson, keep reading!

Just reading the words "pull-apart cinnamon rolls" gets our taste buds all excited. We're so grateful to Life Above the Clouds for providing us with this fantastic recipe.

I found a great looking recipe for Monkey Muffins using leftover bread dough or biscuit dough. I'm still not sure why it's called monkey bread, but I think it's absolutely decadent. It's coated in butter and you get to eat it with your hands! It came out more like a pull-apart cinnamon roll, but that's OK because I love cinnamon rolls too.

For the recipe, keep reading!

You've heard how meatless Mondays are good for the planet. Now, look to Cooking in Pajamas for a fast and easy vegan chili recipe.

Meatless Monday is back baby!  It never actually went anywhere, I just kept forgetting to blog about it. In my quest to get healthy and lose a few pounds before my 20th anniversary trip in April, I have been testing out a plant based diet. I keep going back and forth on whether I want to include fish in my diet. I am thinking of limiting it to once or twice a month. While I decide, I am loving some of the vegetarian dishes I have made. For lunch yesterday I made a polenta pizza. . .a grilled slice of polenta topped with a slice of heirloom tomato, shredded mozzarella, garlic and basil.

This chili will knock your socks off. Not only is it healthy, it is a flavorful and spicy bowl of vegetables, beans, chiles, spices and wine. You can easily serve this to the die-hard meat eaters in your house, and it will be gobbled up.

This chili is also vegan, which means it contains no dairy products. If you are not into the vegan thing, feel free to top your bowl of chili with sour cream and sharp cheddar. The chili is quite spicy. As you see it has a jalapeño AND a chipotle chili. If you would like a more mild version, use half of the jalapeño with the seeds removed. Try not to cut back on the chipotle because it adds a deep, smoky flavor.

For her unique technique — which involves marinating tofu for extra flavor! — keep reading.

We couldn't agree more with Food Orleans: the sight of grass-green asparagus is a sure sign of Spring.

Do you love asparagus like I do? 'Cause I really, really love it. I also love that it's a harbinger of spring eating, and even though we can technically buy it at the store year-round, I try not to. Waiting until the spring for asparagus is one of the first seasonal-buying lessons I learned when I started learning to cook. Plus, I like the fact that I can get excited about a vegetable.

It's like the beauty pageant version of broccoli. The diva of the vegetable world. I scan the market for its stalks as if I were checking for grass shoots. It's tall and lean and might be usable as a paintbrush, in a pinch. Plus it's awesome in salads of all kinds, especially this yummy potato salad full of herbs and lemony, light flavors. All it needs is a quick steam and a plunge in some ice water to set the color, and you've got spring in a bowl!

For her creole-inspired asparagus and potato salad recipe, keep reading.

This combination of flavors on a bagel is classic and expected, but in sandwich form, it's innovative and exciting. Find out what Between the Bread thought about this sandwich experience.

On a rare day when I don't bring my lunch to work, I always tell myself I'll get a salad, but I end up falling for a sandwich instead. This happened on a recent excursion to Fleur de Sel to buy a tasty salad. But when I stepped up to the counter, I was tempted by this bagel and lox-inspired sandwich.

On soft and yummy multigrain bread, this sandwich combined velvety smoked salmon, lemon-tinged cream cheese, pickled red onions, and capers. Though it was a little too wet (made earlier that day), it exceeded my premade sandwich expectations. The zesty, creamy, tangy, and bright flavors added up to a deliciously complex mouthful for just four ingredients.

Also: capers on a sandwich is a great idea. I'm going to try it on some other combos too.

For more sandwich adventures, be sure to follow Between the Bread, and share your own when you create an OnSugar blog!

Lots of moms like to think out loud, and MiaFT is one of them. Here is one of the latest posts to her Baby Love blog.

I have to admit, I did it. I bought Audrey a wrap dress from the Diane von Furstenburg for Baby Gap collection. I mean, how could I not? I actually don't usually spend that much on a dress for her unless it is for a holiday. I try to spend a max of $30 on any items for her everyday wardrobe. But I think she will end up wearing this to a party, so I can make an exception! Plus I'm sure she'll wear it again and again. It's a great item for her Spring/Summer wardrobe. And I just think that it is darling to have a mini wrap dress for a toddler. I can't wait to put it on her! I'll be sure to share pictures!!

Want to see more? Start following Baby Love or start your own OnSugar blog. It's easy, it's free, and we just may feature your content on our site!

OnSugar blogger Fresh Tart creates beautiful-looking food, and this tarragon-crusted lamb with goat cheese fondue continues her streak.

Spring is in the air! And on your plate!

Tarragon-Crusted Lamb with Goat Cheese Fondue at Andrew Zimmern's Kitchen Adventures/Food & Wine Magazine.

Want more? Start following Fresh Tart, then get crackin' on your own OnSugar blog. Who knows? You could wind up featured here!

Lots of moms like to think out loud, and CherylDee is one of them. Here is one of the latest posts to her Lipsticks to Baby Bottles blog.
This is probably one of Kiara's favourite dishes, and I believe many Asian kids, too! It's easy peasy to make and tastes delish!

What you'll need:

• Minced chicken
• Diced carrots
• Rice (brown rice if you want a healthier choice)
• Bovril (optional)
• Garlic (optional)
• Chicken stock (optional)

For all the items that I stated as optional, it's really up to you which you would prefer. Some would rather skip Bovril and garlic and just use chicken stock, whereas some would do the opposite. So that part is really up to you and depends on how you would like your baby's food to be. I personally have used all three methods, and Kiara likes them all the same.

Step one: Add rice and carrots to a pot of boiling water (or boiling chicken stock). You can add finely chopped garlic if you would prefer to add more flavor to the dish.

Step two: I let this simmer in for about 15 to 20 minutes until the carrots are softer. Plus the rice takes a while to cook, too! Once done, add your minced chicken, which cooks quite fast since it's itty-bitty pieces.

Keep reading to see the rest of the recipe.

Could Between the Bread be more spot-on? She's absolutely right; everybody does love sandwiches. Who can resist something like a prosciutto loaf-wich?

Everybody likes sandwiches — at least everybody I know. So to serve a crowd, I love to make a loaf-wich. That is, one big sandwich on a loaf of ciabatta or French bread, sliced into individual servings.

At a recent family gathering, we made two of these ciabatta sandwiches, featuring prosciutto, manchego, fig butter, mustard, arugula, and a mix of fennel and lemon slices, sliced very thin and sauteed. The fennel and lemon combo, inspired by a 'Wichcraft recipe, tastes mild yet zesty and pleases even picky eaters.

Find out how to replicate this loaf-wich at home.

As a self-professed experienced eater, Yoo Eatz tells us the story of her introduction to Korean food, and, boy, does it sound delicious.

By the time I entered college, I thought of myself as a rather experienced eater. Born and raised in a multicultural family in the San Francisco Bay Area, I had been exposed to all sorts of foods from the get-go and was rarely fazed by anything "weird" (Chicken feet? Sure. Alligator tail? No problem. Crab innards? Give it to me over rice.) And my young adult self was certain that there was no cuisine I had yet to conquer.

Then I met the guy who is now my husband, and he proceeded to rock my world with the marvels of Korean food. Yeah, I had experienced plenty of barbecue and jjigaes (stews) by then, but one night he took me to a Korean-owned sushi joint tucked away in a tiny Oakland strip mall, and he ordered us two heaping bowls of hwae dup bap that seriously changed my life.

According to my loose understanding of the Korean language, hwae dup bap translates to raw fish over rice, and while it lacks the orchestrated beauty of Japanese chirashi, you can think of it as chirashi's untamed cousin. Everyone has their own version of this dish (my husband remembers his mom making a simple version with just sashimi and rice for church picnics), but the general equation is as follows (from the bottom up): sushi rice, greens, chopped raw fish, fish roe, and a quail egg, drizzled with sesame oil and a vinegary gochujang sauce. It's refreshing, light, but incredibly filling, and it will change the way you think about sashimi. The Japanese girl in me still enjoy a slice of toro delicately dabbed in shoyu and fresh wasabi, but my newfound Korean side absolutely melts for hwae dup bap.

I based this recipe on our spot in the East Bay which included seaweed salad to round out its from-the-sea flavor. If you have access to good quality sashimi and an Asian grocery store, then you'll have all the ingredients you need for this explosive dish.

For the recipe, read on.

Lots of moms like to think out loud, and House of Anaïs is one of them. Here is one of the latest posts on her House of Anaïs blog.

A little while ago, we went to a lovely birthday party, and the kids absolutely loved it. Give the young son some glue, and he is glued to the activity forever and ever. Give the girls some fairy wings and fancy decor, and they will make their own fairy tale. Give the parents some mimosas and the most amazing sweet and savory treats, and they will not want to leave the party ever.

Since the hosting family is a pretty green family (think of growing chickens in the middle of city), we chose more sustainable wooden presents, and this time, they all ended up being from Melissa & Doug. The presents are always a hard one for me, as the etiquette is not so simple to figure out — when you have multiple kids, should you get a little present for each to give, or just have one together?

And talking about presents, I think it's great experience to let children help shop for the presents and put some thought into what their friends might like, but with so many parties to go to in a year, I am thinking that our shopping might move more online, as everything always seems to be discounted somewhere . . . Sad, but at the end of the day, it will save a lot of money.

Keep reading to see all of the details from the party!

These mushroom sandwiches via Between the Bread look so enticing, don't they? Makes us wonder why every deli board doesn't have a "mushroom sandwiches" section.

For most of my life, I hated mushrooms, and when I turned the corner into mushroom conversion, I became somewhat obsessed. Lately, 'shrooms have been my go-to sandwich filling if I'm not feeling particularly meaty. The earthy, salty taste and the substantial presence feel so decadent, especially when melted with cheese.

First we have a mushroom panini from DeLessio Market, smushed into cheesy service with zucchini and onions. Like many mushroom paninis, this suffered from a slight slipperiness, but that didn't stop me from eating the whole thing.

Check out her other mushroom sandwich encounters when you keep reading.

Get ready for your mouth to water. Food Orleans invites us to share some of her favorite iPhone food photos from New Orleans and beyond.

I've been cleaning out my iPhone photo roll and came across some great shots that made me swoon, laugh, and shake my head at how good this stuff was. This year I got to go to my first LSU game in Baton Rouge, and although I probably lost a small percentage of my hearing, I had a great time. And the jambalaya was great! We're also enjoying some shucking-good oysters these days. Come visit!

Creole Creamery: knock your flip-flops off good!

a fried-potato omelette from Camellia Grill (Riverbend). I think this should be on everyone's to-eat list.

For more, keep reading.

We've always wanted to take a stab at rolling out a few Natchitoches meat pies. Thanks to an easy recipe from Food Orleans, this might be a dream realized sooner rather than later.

[Baked or fried? You decide.]

Natchitoches meat pies are one of those special little treats with a name as fun to say as they are to scarf down. Nackadish — that's how you say it — is a small town we drive through on our way north to visit Alexandria or Oklahoma, and it's where Steel Magnolias was filmed, and it's famous for these little pies. It's a beautiful little place, with a picturesque riverfront lined with shops and restaurants that have their own sort of French Quarter-ish wrought iron balconies (remember the Easter scene where Jackson slapped Ouiser? That's the riverfront!).  But you don't have to go into the actual town to get yourself some meat pies; just stop at any gas station right off I-10. They all fry them up and they're all pretty wonderful.

For her recipe, continue reading.

Sea urchin is often a polarizing ingredient. Yoo Eatz encourages us to muster some courage and embrace this culinary adventure in the form of pasta.

What's so gross about sea urchin? Even some of the most adventurous eaters I know will make the most horrific faces when the topic comes up.

I asked my husband about this — he generally recoils when I suggest that we share a pair of nigiri at the sushi bar — and he offered that it's a textural thing. Some people say it resembles phlegm (or worse), and I heard one person characterize the briny bits as "little orange tongues" (although, let's face it: the truth of what uni is may actually be harder to stomach!). But a lot of these same people will tell me that the flavor doesn't bother them; in fact, they find it quite pleasant.

For more, plus a recipe, keep reading!

After a long day of football-watching and cocktail-drinking, this ginger fried rice topped with a fried egg from Fresh Tart sounds like the perfect hangover helper, don't you think?

OK yes, I realize that I'm posting yet another fried egg dish, but this one is just too good to not share. I had actually forgotten about it, which is rather amazing given how many times I've made the dish since Mark Bittman first wrote about it in the New York Times two years ago.

This is a Jean-Georges Vongerichten recipe, simple and elegant and exactly how I like to cook and eat. The fried rice itself has but three ingredients: oil, leeks, and rice. You wouldn't expect just rice and leeks to be so addictive, but they are, particularly when topped with a fried egg and crispy ginger and garlic. A drizzle of soy sauce and sesame oil to finish makes the whole thing completely sublime.

If you make an effort to keep leeks around, count this as a perfect quick dinner when you invite someone over and forget to swing by the store to pick up ingredients. I don't often find myself with leftover rice, so I make a fresh batch and cool it on a baking sheet before continuing — works perfectly.

For the recipe and many others, start following Fresh Tart, and if you're feeling creative, start your own OnSugar blog!

Between the Bread has a knack for offering up drool-inducing photos and descriptions of the many sandwiches she samples. But her story of her most recent encounter with Peg Leg Pete's fried grouper sandwich has given us a major craving.

I have already sung the praises of Peg Leg Pete's fried grouper sandwich, but one visit wasn't enough. So on my last trip to Pensacola, dad, Dee, and I took Andrew to taste the strange deliciousness of American cheese on fried fish.

Thankfully, Peg Leg's did not disappoint. We ordered two dozen oysters, an afternoon bushwacker, and a few fish sammies. I got the Cajun grilled grouper this time (below), and though the fish is just as succulent and buttery, the fried version still wins out.

Keep reading for more.

OnSugar blogger Beauty and the Budget shares the shocking unemployment statistics of college graduates.

As a teenager, it seemed as though the next few steps in my life were going to be easy. You go to college and you get a job. That's what all of the older kids did. What I didn't know was that I would graduate college one year after the recession began and that my dream job would be even harder to grasp, much less finding a job with a good salary and benefits.

Since graduation, I have not been able to find a job that pays more than $10.50 an hour. Even though I have liked my jobs, that doesn't mean I am not financially stressed. I have around $40K in student loan debt — and that's even after receiving a $10K scholarship. Sometimes I feel like I could have skipped college altogether considering I have worked jobs that don't even require a college degree. On the optimistic side of things, I still feel like getting a college degree is a good idea. I just wish I'd have known then what I'd be getting myself into and that I wouldn't just magically graduate with a good job.

Read on for more.

Winter's prime time for comfort foods, and what could be more reassuring on a bleak day than truffle mac and cheese? Cooking in Pajamas expounds.

You could go to a restaurant and pay $15 for a bowl of this decadent pasta, or simply make it at home for a fraction of the price. That's right. You can make this at home for a surprisingly reasonable price. The secret is truffle oil.

The use of truffle oil has become controversial in culinary circles. Ask any chef what they think of truffle oil, and they will most likely turn up their noses and declare it to be an unacceptable substitute to the real thing. One of the biggest reasons for this is that many truffle oils on the market do not contain any actual truffles. They use a synthetic ingredient to duplicate the aroma of the truffle, but their are a few brands that contain natural truffle to infuse the oil.

Keep reading for her truffle macaroni and cheese secrets.