Nawlins Bound

My goodness, what a glorious day it is

You know why? Because I'm Norlins bound. Today, y'all, I'm heading to Louisiana

with one of my bestest girlfriends, Donna Foltz, who always brings the fun

This could turn into the Real Housewives of Savannah. First, it's a sloppy roast beef foreboy

And then it's a Norlins favorite, y'all, stuffed artichokes. Look how gorgeous that looks, y'all

And topping off this meal, we've got some Norland's chicory coffee and an upside-down apple praline cake that'll knock you right off your feet

Our tongues are gonna want to slap our brains out. Oh, my God, it's Annette Funicello

No, it's not. It's Donna Foles. You look like Annette. You know what

Donna was born and raised in New Orleans. Now, she sounds like she's from Jersey

Because she'll call me and she said, Paula, can we have coffee and talk

I said, girl, how'd the girl from New Orleans come out with that kind of voice? Talk to them, baby

Hello, good morning. Good to see everyone. Good afternoon. New Orleans is Donna's city, y'all

her father, he played on Bourbon Street. Yes, he did. And there's no better person to take us to Nolens

than a Nolens grown girl. And we're gonna pay tribute with an upside-down apple praline cake

I've got to get our sugar in with our butter. And I'm gonna put in two and a quarter cups of sugar

to my two sticks of butter. And I'm creaming that. Then I'll add five eggs

Donna is putting together our dry ingredients. They are three cups of all-purpose flour

a teaspoon of cinnamon, two teaspoons of bacon powder, a half a teaspoon of salt

and a fourth a teaspoon of grated fresh nutmeg. Now I'm going to add a teaspoon of vanilla

So now I can turn this down. There, we can turn that down a little bit so we can hear each other think

Okay, good. For our wet, I'm gonna be using buttermilk today. It's gonna make it so good, it's gonna give it a little tang

And if you'll mix that up, Donna. Sure. We are gonna add alternately our buttermilk with our dry ingredients

And you always start with your dry ingredients. Okay. And end with your dry ingredients

So this is gonna be yummy. We used to have pineapple upside-down cake, and I know this is very similar

After we had a big crawfish boil or a seafood boil, we'd all get together

What was your daddy's heritage? Was he French? No, he was Italian

He was Italian. How about your mother? German. German. Mm-hmm. Now, how did they wind up in New Orleans

Well, they met at a high school in New Orleans. They attended the same high school, and they were high school sweethearts

Oh, how romantic. And my dad was a trumpet player for many, many years

All righty. That looks so good. Doesn't it look good? It's a pretty batter

You can see it's got enough cinnamon. Why don't you come around here, Donna, and start preparing our pans

Sure. We've got our melted butter, and if you would just divide the butter between the two pans

You know, New Orleans is a lot like Savannah in many ways. It is

It's a very historical town. They remind me very much of each other

They're very similar. All right, now we're just going to put like three quarters of a cup of brown sugar

sprinkled over that melted butter in each pan. Yum. This is so pretty

Yes, isn't it pretty? This is so, reminds me of New Orleans. Anything that has these pecan pralines

Yes. Now you call it praline. I know. We say pecan, too

We say pecan. I say pecan. We say pecan. We say praline

We say crawfish. Crawfish. Mm-hmm. Some people say crayfish. Crayfish. Mm-hmm. All right, I'm going to core this apple

Okay. And then we're going to slice them. Okay. We've got a Granny Smith and we've got a Fuji

We're not even going to peel them, Donna. Okay. Great. That makes it so much easier. Yeah

We're going to slice them. Okay, good. Real thin. Mm-hmm. And then we're going to layer them on top of that melted butter and brown sugar

And those apples are going to cook, and they're going to get all caramelized and gooey

and our tongues are going to want to slap our brains out. Oh, goodness

When is the last time you been back to New Orleans Um it been about a year It been about a year yes All right Donna I gonna start layering my apples Okay We are fixing to take a road trip though

Oh, that is gonna be so much fun. We have rented an RV, and we're going to..

All right, you do yours, and I'll do mine, Mertis. Don't be taking my apples

Keep your hands off my circle. or this could turn into the real housewives of Savannah

Going to Norland's. Why are you using my apples? Because we're mixing them, doo-doo

I meant Donner. Well, I need some of yours. I want you to have some

So I'm just going to take our batter and just divide it until all of our batter is gone

So we're gonna put these in the oven. Yes, they're like you

They're pretty. We're gonna put them in the oven, 350 for 35 to 45 minutes

Y'all hang around because you're not gonna believe what we're gonna do to these two cake layers

Perfect, perfect homage to Nolan's. Yay! Coming up next, y'all are fixing to find out why Donna is one of my best cooking buddies

It's gorgeous. You're gorgeous. It's delicious. You're edible. And later, don't forget to come back

because we've got lots of Nolan's Fun coming up. Mmm. I'm in here in the kitchen with one of my dearest friends

in the whole world, Donna Foltz, and she is constantly talking about this sandwich

sandwich. Of course, as many meals as you've cooked for me, you have never

made this sloppy roast beef po' boy. And you know, Norland's is

famous for all kind of po' boys. So that's what Donna's gonna make us. Yes

Okay, so what we're doing is I'm taking this two and a half pound eye of the round

roast, stuffing it with five large cloves of garlic. But it's nice

to put the large cloves, y'all, because when you slice it, you slice it very thin

you can actually see the garlic clove. It's really cool. Right, and get slices of that garlic

Yeah, it's nice. Okay, so I'm going to salt this beef, and we're going to put it into the pot

The heated vegetable oil, it's about... Yeah, I put about two tablespoons probably in here

Okay, perfect. And then we're going to put half a bell pepper and two bay leaves

So we're going to put this and sear it. This is probably the most important part

of this po' boy sandwich recipe. because the gravy is going to come from the drippings from this process

You want to turn it as few times as you have to. Okay

So what we're going to do, I'm going to wash my hands. Okay. And there's a term in New Orleans that is called dressed

You go into a restaurant, you order a sandwich, they'll ask you at the counter, well, would you like it dressed

I don't know. I kind of like mine naked. Well, that simply means that you would have lettuce, tomato, pickle

Oh, okay. And mayonnaise. Extra mayonnaise. Yes. Extra mayonnaise. Because when Donna talks about this sandwich to me, y'all, she talks about licking her arms

Well, the gravy and the mayonnaise, yes, it runs down your elbows

It is a messy sandwich, but it's absolutely delicious. And it's not as good if it's not sloppy

Yeah. Okay, this is looking really good. Are you kind of ready to..

Yeah, it's almost time we can... Oh, look how pretty. Look at that big old chunk of garlic, y'all

right there. It's pretty, yeah. Okay, so we're going to add hot water to it

Yeah. Two cups of water. You want to add that, please? Yes. And slowly so it doesn't miss

I know. I was going to say we need to stand back. Yes. So. So we're going to drop in our bell pepper

and our bay leaves. So now we're going to put our two bay leaves and half of this

bell pepper, and we're going to continue to monitor, you know, the water

and see if the level goes down. If it goes down too much, we're going to add some more hot water. Okay

So we're going to leave this. About three hours, we're going to go down, we're going to stuff the artichokes

I love artichokes. Love, love, love them. All right, now you tell me what to start putting together

and I will do it. Okay, you can do two cups of breadcrumbs

Of breadcrumbs. And then one-half cup of cheese. And I am chopping two large cloves of garlic

one quarter cup of olive oil. Okay, that. And then we're going to add half this lemon juice

And now I'm chopping some flat-leaf Italian parsley. We're going to do a tablespoon and a half

You can't have too much parsley. I know. So we going to stuff those artichokes You doing a great job This is interesting y This is Now do you serve this as a side Donna We You know Paula

Or an appetizer, or... Well, this is the situation with these artichokes

Any... Almost any deli that you go into in New Orleans, when you go to buy your sliced cold cuts

there normally is a tray of stuffed artichokes. Really? It's just a thing that people in New Orleans love

Well, I always try to take in a grocery store when I'm in New Orleans

Yes. But I've never noticed the stuffed artichokes. Yes. Look how gorgeous that looks, y'all

And, you know, some people use different things to stuff them with

Uh-huh. And a good old loaf of French bread. Oh, that would be so delicious

Aren't the breads in New Orleans wonderful? Yes, they really are. Okay, now what we're going to do is we are going to get some aluminum foil

Mm-hmm. If you give me a... All right, how big a piece do you want? Like, about this big, because we're going to sit that artichoke..

Okay, about like that? Yeah, perfect. Thanks. Okie doke. We're going to put this in here

You always use some lemon juice on top. Uh-huh, uh-huh. We're going to put a nice slice of lemon

Okay, so we're going to wrap this like this. Uh-huh. And we're going to put it in the pot

Now, Donna has about an inch and a half of cold water in here

I love cooking with my friends that are from different areas of the country for me

because, you know, there's so many different ways to do things, and we kind of get stuck in the way that we were originally taught

That's right. That's true. So this is so much fun for me. And I love cooking for Paula because she is..

Because I like to eat. Well, she's not picky or fussy, and she enjoys everything

and she likes to taste new things, which is great. Yes, I do. It's fun to cook for someone like that

Definitely. All right, so we're going to cover this. So if you're only cooking two artichokes, you're looking at maybe two hours

True. Lid on, forget about it, honey. But don't forget to come back, because it's going to get good

Coming up, Donna's got even more great tips to share with us, y'all

Do y'all see why Donna and I are such good friends? And later, we're treating ourselves to something a little extra

You are a bad influence on me, buddy. All right, we're back

Donna's things look so wonderful, and our beef roast, our round is ready

We are gonna just take our bell pepper out, right? Yes. We're going to remove that

Okay, we'll lay it right here. Yes, perfect. So now I'm going to make our gravy

Now, y'all, I'm going to add a tablespoon of flour to our leftover juices right here in the pot

So we'll let that cook for a second and see if I need to add some more

And I'm going to slice this roast. Look at that garlic. Oh, my goodness, I see it

Look at this garlic, how pretty. It's starting to get a little thick. Let's see

Mmm. Oh. Mmm. It's delicious. Now what we're going to do is we're going to put some of these slices back into the pot

Get out, honey. Go. Okay, you ready? I was ready about two hours ago

Oh, my goodness, girl. You should be spanked and arrested. You see in New Orleans what they call this, all this here, they call it debris

Like the best part. Yes, it's the best part. We're going to put it in, aren't we? Yes, and you can go into a restaurant and you can order a debris

Poor boy. A debris. Yes. Okay, I'm ready. Let's go. Okay, you got our French bread back there

We're done. Okay, let's... Now, have you toasted that? Yes. Here we are

Yum. This looks fabulous. So what we're going to do... Oh, my gosh

First, we've got to put the gravy. Oh, yum. Look. Mmm, love that

Some mayonnaise. Mayonnaise. Yes. Yum. Look, look. Do y'all see why Donna and I are such good friends

We kind of eat the same way. Now, we're going to get the roast

You hold it, thanks. Oh, my gracious granny. Oh, yum

Yes. And then we're going to put some pickle slices that we're going to just grab here

since my hands are clean. Yes. Yum. No onion, Donna. No onion

So then you wrap it in the parchment paper, which is great. Cut it in half

Okay. Oh. And then there you have a beautiful poor boy. Look at that Donna I can wait for the artichoke Okay All right now so the key here is not to eat your paper Right Oh yum

Wow. Wow. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm

Legend has it that these group of working men would come into the store

at lunchtime just hungry. So since crawfish and shrimp were plentiful, they could do these sandwiches really cheaply for these guys

And they called them poor boys because they'd say, here comes those poor boys, let's fix them some lunch

Oh. Something the poor boys can afford. Yeah, that's very cool. Well, I'm ready to taste my artichoke

Oh, my gosh, that looks so good. Now, take that, and that's what you do

Okay, which end do we go from? You go from the top

You eat this part So what you do is Mmm Mmm Mmm

It's so good It's so good You wouldn't think all that would work, would you

Okay, try that You know the technique? Mm-hmm. I'm about to get full, Donna

You like it? Mm-hmm. It's delicious? Mm-hmm. It's gorgeous? It's gorgeous. You're gorgeous

It's delicious. You're edible. Up next, we've got one more stop on our trip to Norland, y'all, with this dessert

Do you feel like you're in Norland yet? Yes, I do, girl. All right, we got our first one out, y'all

Oh, my goodness. Are you excited? Oh, I am. I cannot wait

I am, too. Mmm, yum. Yum. Yum. I'm going to put a few of these in between

Yes. Mmm. Look how good. Now, those pecans are going to be so good in there

All right, now, we've got our frosting in here, Donna. Mmm. Okay

And we're just gonna put it in between. Now, we made this icing earlier by whipping together some cream and sugar

adding some melted caramel sauce, and then just putting it in the freezer

You can find this recipe at foodnetwork.com. And I'm gonna just spread this mousse

Oh, my goodness. Do you feel like you're in New Orleans yet

Yes, I do, girl. Oh, my gosh. I know. Beautiful. All right, Donna. Yum

Yum. Yes. We got to garnish this. Yes. Those are delicious. Look how gorgeous

Beautiful. Yum. All right, Donna, I've got us some coffee brewed over here

Oh, my gosh. Now, I'm just going to fill up our cups with some vanilla ice cream

Yum. If you want to pour the coffee, I've got a good, strong coffee

You know, New Orleans is known for their coffee and especially their chicory coffee

And I was told that the reason they added chicory to it was, I guess, maybe during the Depression

I'm not sure. To stretch it? In order to stretch their coffee because it was so expensive

I did not know that. They would add chicory to it. This is beautiful

Yes, this is beautiful. Mm-hmm. Look at that. Yum. Beautiful. Mm. Nice

And this just goes like perfect along with our cake, doesn't it

Look at that. Look at that, girl. How pretty. And let's come on over, and we'll cut us a piece of cake

Yum. You are a bad influence on me, buddy. Yum! Mmm! Oh, my goodness

Y'all, the best cake that you have ever had. Oh, my goodness

And it really wasn't that difficult to make. No, it wasn't. Look at that apple that wants to come out, Donna

Delicious. Let's fold him up and put him right there. Tuck him nice and safely away

You ready? So nobody can hurt him. Mmm. But me. Mm-hmm. Donna

Thank you for having me. To my dear buddy. I love being here

Who I love forever. Mm-hmm. I love you back. I'll always love Nolan's

And I'll love you back. And I'll always love y'all. Best dishes in love

Try this cake, y'all