Inspired by my trip to New Orleans last weekend, I decided to do a New Orleans-themed alphabet illustration, chock full of stuff from the Big Easy, A-Z. What a foolish idea!! This took FOREVER - but it was way fun to do. Consider this a tip of the hat to my Cajun roots as well as my tribute to the fine folks in New Orleans two years after the devastation of Katrina. May the Lord lift their burdens as they continue to struggle, survive, then thrive...

Thanks to my little brother Dave and my Mom who both helped me think up words for some of the trickier letters - I appreciate it y'all!!

Here are the words, A-Z:

A - Alligator

B - Beignets (French Doughnuts...yum!)

C - Crawdad (or Crawfish if you prefer)

D - Dixieland Band

E - Etouffee' (Cajun dish with spicy brown sauce and shrimp or crawfish)

F - Fleur-de-lis (Iris - what the common icon is patterned after)

G - Gumbo (Shrimp, seafood, or chicken "stew" - a staple of the Cajun diet)

H - Hot Sauce (this stuff'll make you cry)

I - Ice Cream (needed for those hot muggy days in New Orleans)

J - Jazz

K - Kettle (gotta have one for Cajun cooking)

L - Louis (Armstrong, of course)

M - Magnolia (the Louisiana state flower)

N & O - New Orleans (that worked out pretty well)

P - Pelican (the Louisiana state bird)

Q - Queen

R - Red Beans 'n Rice (also called "washday supper" - it's easy, good and hot!)

S - Saints (the New Orleans Saints football team)

T - Trolley (gets you where you need to go)

U - Umbrella

V - Vieux Carre (French for the "French Quarter" - home to the famous Bourbon Street)

W - Watermelon (perennial Southern summer favorite)

X - RouX (the basis for most Cajun dishes - flour and oil cooked in an iron skillet down to the color of dark peanut butter)

Y - Y'all (short for "You All" - and heard all throughout the South)

Z - Zydeco (fun Cajun music that always includes an accordion)