Wednesday, August 8, 2012

#AADNOLA: Spears and Rubber Chickens...And W*n a Welcome Bag Goody

Just registered for Authors After Dark, and have my nifty name tag!



I'm shy, reserved, and all that jazz so it'll be a challenge for me to interact. But I promise not to hide in my room all week.

First thing I saw when I got off the elevator after checking in late yesterday? Ha! Bonjour, mon pirate.



Last night, I met a couple of my besties for dinner at Charlie's Steak House on Dryades Street in uptown NOLA. First, I stopped by Lora's condo and got reacquainted with Huckie, who is the inspiration for Sebastian in the Sentinels Series (he was Gerry's cat that DJ kind of got stuck adopting).



Lora, Debbie and I headed off to Charlies, and discussed the menu (which only has six items on it so they don't even bother to print it up)--this is an old-time, New Orleans neighborhood place. We finally decided, yeah, we should probably split the order of onion rings instead of ordering separately.

OMG. And no, we couldn't finish them. But we came alarmingly close.



Then I had to go back to the room, carrying my spear and my rubber chicken (the reason for these things will come up later in the week), and came across these ladies literally running down Conti toward Bourbon Street, obviously late for work. Yeah, I know it is blurry, but I really was carrying a rubber chicken and a five-foot-long spear and trying to take a photo with my iPhone. Give me a break :-)



I needed my items for the welcome bags ready by the time I registered this morning, so I was up until about 1 a.m. stuffing plastic bags with a card from DJ--really, from DJ herself--with a magical gemstone bracelet. Here's the pile o' bracelets before they went into the bags!



Now...if you'd like to win one of the goodie bags with a gemstone bracelet infused with magic by DJ herself, just as she does them in ROYAL STREET, just leave a comment as to the most frighteningly humongous appetizer you ever got in a restaurant. Or just leave a comment :-)

I'll be doing little giveaways from Authors After Dark all week, so keep checking in!
Posted by Suzanne Johnson at 10:12 AM
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47 comments:

  1. Oh I would love to win a goodie bag. Post is great. Makes me feel like I'm part of AAD NOLA. HAVE FUN!!!

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    1. Whew. Finally back from the official opening and have some more great shots to add in the a.m.!

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  2. Roger is right it made us feel like part of the fun and that's great. I would love to win a goodie bag yes ( the bracelet with green/blue gemstones are wonderful)

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    1. Thanks, Miki! I hope the bracelets go over well. Some other fun stuff in the goody bags too!

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  3. Okay... here I am, commenting away. Yes, a gemstone bracelet would be lovely to own, thank you very much. I MUST get to Charlie's next time I visit NOLA... never have eaten there.
    But please get a muffaletta at the Corner Grocery for me!
    And watch out for those Hand Grenades!

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    1. Hope to get my hands on a muffaletta tomorrow! I keep seeing people walking around with Hand Grenades--I want one just for the glass!

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  4. I wish we got giant appetisers over here I really do! We went out a couple of weeks ago and ordered a side of chicken nuggets for the little one to eat. Whent hey eventually arrived we got... wait for it... 5! I mean even McDonalds gives you 6!
    Would have loved to have seen my lot's faces if we got a plate of onion rings like that- nobody in our family eats onions!

    The bracelets looks really pretty!
    Thanks! ☺

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    1. LOL-if your family doesn't eat onions, they would NOT be happy to see that humongous pile of onion rings!

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  5. I am pea green with envy that you are in N'Orlins
    I would love to have a lovely bracelet :O)
    The most frightening appetizer was WAAAAAY back in high school the French club went to a French Bistro and they served us escargot UGGGG snails are so not my thing.Carin
    mawmom(at)gamil(dot)com

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    1. Um....I've never had snails. I'm a pretty adventurous eater but...I'm not sure about snails. Maybe if I were in Paris, where I might be able to separate escargot from the image of those nasty things that slime across my patio after it rains. Ugh.

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  6. Wish you had your pic of juggling spear and chicken up!! Have a wonderful time. Isn't N'Orleans grand!
    My most humongous appetizer was at a little outdoor restaurant in Pensacola. The hushpuppies came in a big bucket!!!

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    1. Now, a bucket of hush puppies I could do some damage on. Love those babies! The spear and the chicken will be coming toward the end of the week!

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  7. I love New Orleans - Im in Texas and my hubby and I are planning a trip for our anniversary! Yay - seafood hushpuppies - a HUGE basket of them from a restaurant in FW. YUM

    kerryjcj AT verizon DOT net

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    1. Another vote for hush puppies! That's one thing you have a hard time finding in NOLA. They serve french bread with fish, even catfish. In fact, instead of draining the fish and then putting it on the plate, they put the bread down, and set the fish on top of it so the oil from the fish soaks into the bread. Not as gross as it sounds!

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  8. I got a nacho appetizer at Champps that was bigger than the entrees! We split it between 4 people and still didn't finish it. And now I'm hungry...

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    1. I'm trying to picture a platter of nachos that four people couldn't finish! That's gotta be a HUGE plate of nachos :-)

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  9. The weirdest appetizer I ever ate was snail.

    +1 comment

    Glassheart18ca@hotmail.com

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    1. Yeah, snails...not so much. Just can't do snails.

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  10. The weirdest thing I ever ate was a sandwich. First time in Naples, Italy, I wandered way off the beaten path and found a Deli, went and found that no English was spoken. Pointed at and bought sliced roast beef, cheese, tomato, lettuce, a loaf of Italian bread and a bottle of wine. Took them outside to a sidewalk table and made a really nice fresh sandwich. Soon an Italian that could speak some English came by and asked if I knew what I was eating. Turns out the roast beef was octopus!!! Tasted like roast beef to me! In honor of AAD I am having an Abita, Strawberry, Harvest Lager. Maybe two.

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    1. Yah, Abita! I'm laughing at your story because I did a similar thing in Venice, Italy--nobody spoke English, so I just pointed at something in a deli case and went out and sat on a curb in the Piazza San Marco and ate it and people-watched. I still don't know what it was...but it was good. Maybe it was octopus :-)

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  11. We ordered fried oysters that turned out to be huge. Not sure they were really oysters, but they were tasty.

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    1. Were they Gulf oysters? Some of the ones from around Apalachicola are ENORMOUS. They're like giant mutant oysters. Good stuff, too :-)

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  12. Hi Suzanne! I absolutely love Nola! I know that you will have a fantastic time at AAD! To be honest with you, I normally don't order appetizers so I can't really come up with anything to mention, but I really would love a goodie bag! Thanks for the fun giveaway!! bpatrick64113@sbcglobal.net

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    1. Thanks, Barb! It's going to be a fun week, I think. So many people here!

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  13. I can't really think of any humongous appetizers but I am really looking forward to finding out about the spear and rubber chicken. I wish I was in NOLA this week, I have wanted to see that city since I was a kid :)
    Have a great week!
    manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com

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    1. Stay tuned for Friday, June...Friday night is when the rubber chicken and the spear come into play if I can work up the nerve
      :-)

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  14. I've never had a frighteningly humongous appetizer.Thanks for the chance to win a goodie bag.I hope you have a fantastic time in NO.
    elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net

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    1. Thanks, Elaine! I'm tired and it's really just the first day. I'll be a zombie by Sunday.

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  15. That is one gigantic pile of onion rings!! Mmmmm ...

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  16. Have fun. Sounds like a great con.

    The onion rings look great. I dont think I have ever had a single appetizer that large. Just those combo deals that are meant to split.

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

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  17. Those bracelets look gorgeous! AADNOLA looks like it would be sooo much fun..!!

    As far as huge appetizers go.. Back a few years ago at Claim Jumper, you could get something called Irish Nachos. OMG. Heart attack waiting to happen. French fries with massive amounts of cheese, bacon, chives (and sour cream if you wanted). A group of 4 people couldn't normally finish the damned thing lol. It was enormous.

    readsalot81@hotmail.com

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  18. awesome goodies bag and wow i see royal street's romance trading card, love to get them :)

    eli_y83@yahoo.com

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  19. I'm so jealous! I bet you are having a blast. I can't think of a humongous appetizer, but I did get the world's most frighteningly overdone dessert at Mitchell's Fish Market at Newport on the Levee once...it was one slice of a 7-layer carrot cake, and it fed five kids, after I got done gnawing on it.

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  20. i never had a humongous appetizer before :))

    have fun at AAD suzanne!

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  21. I don't think I've ever actually had a humongous appetizer before! It looks like you're going to have an awesome time in NOLA, wish I was there : ) Love a goodie bag! Those bracelets are great!! Have fun at AADNOLA!!

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  22. Oh man, those fried onions look good, I have heartburn just thinking about them, lol. I think the largest thing I have contemplated (only contemplated) is the multilayered chocolate cake at Claim Jumper. I have been known to have appetizer platters for my meal anyway! Thanks for sharing some of the flavor of N'awlins.

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  23. The biggest appetizer I've seen is the blooming onion.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  24. I'm pretty sure that the biggest appetizer I've ever been served was a blooming onion sort of thing. Ginormous, it was.

    +1 Comment
    +1 GFC follow: Kelly
    +1 Twitter follow: kellym2372
    +1 Tweet: https://twitter.com/kellym2372/status/233992331370582016

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  25. Having a blast at #AADNOLA too! Biggest appetizer would be at Applebees...3 wonton tacos, 2 sliders and mozzarella sticks. It was a meal all its own.

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  26. I would love to be at AASNOLA. I am happy though to be able to sit back and watch all the twitter and facebook updates from everyone who is there. Thanks for the giveaway, it really does make not being there better.

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    1. +1 Comment
      +1 GFC follow
      +1 Twitter follow
      +1 Tweeted
      https://twitter.com/ERachaelM/status/234205403980898304

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  27. I've never had anything like this! but I'd love to give it a try :)


    +1 comment
    +1 blog follower
    +1 twitter follower

    aliasgirl at libero dot it

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  28. I can't think of a time that I haven't gotten a ridiculously huge portion at a restaurant- appetizer or not.

    +1 comment
    +1 GFC: Molly Frenzel
    +1 Twitter: @dg_molly
    +1 Tweet: https://twitter.com/dg_molly/status/234371702568665088

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  29. Nothing comes to mind. There is an appetizer I eat at one restaurant for my meal. Firecracker chicken wraps, they are really good and they are filling enough to be an entree.

    +1 comment
    +1 GFC
    +1 twitter (beckerjo)
    +1 tweet
    https://twitter.com/beckerjo/status/234488138624561152

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  30. The only huge appetizers I have had are onion rings but they were not as large as yours.

    +1 comment
    +1 follower
    pefrw at yahoo dot com

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  31. Yes, I would love one of those bracelets, they are very pretty!
    I hope you had a lof of fun at Nola, and meeting old friends again.

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