Check this out Foodies...

Y'all know how much I love to cook shrimp creole, shrimp etoufee, shrimp gumbo, even fried shrimp --I could go on and on--you get the gist. (In fact, my husband laughs that he gained thirty pounds when we got married due to all my good Cajun cooking! And I especially like to cook at this time of year--football season! Nothing goes better with a cold beer than a shrimp po-boy!)

The 2008 Great American Seafood contest is underway, and man oh man, is this year's competition tough. There are five wonderful seafood recipes and you get to help pick the winner of this great cook off at http://www.greatamericanseafoodcookoff.com/. Unfortunately, I am biased and voted for Louisiana's Chef Brian Landry and his Shrimp and Andouille Cassoulet recipe. (Brian is a chef at one of my favorite eateries, Galatoire's. There is a location in New Orleans and another in Baton Rouge. YUM!)

I plan to try his amazing recipe next week, but I will probably use smoked sausage instead of andouille sausage (since that's not an easy thing to find in Florida--and I don't have any in the freezer right now! Dad, you hear that!?)

While on the subject of seafood, let me add this comment....Now y'all know a Louisiana girl like me loves to cook shrimp, crawfish, and crabs on a regular basis. I tell you, I only use domestic seafood. You can really taste the difference--much freshier! I try to buy fresh seafood whenever possible and always ask "where is it from".

So, okay, now it's your turn-- enter to win a trip to New Orleans by voting in this year's contest. Imagine a few days drinking on Bourbon Street, visiting the awesome Zoo, eating good seafood, breakfast at the Court of Two Sisters! So enter now...and good luck!