The Perfect Bloody Mary

Louisiana’s hottest chef, Donald Link, reveals his family secret





Cathy’s Bloody Mary*



*Excerpted from REAL CAJUN: Rustic Home Cooking From Donald Link’s Louisiana
Donald Link with Paula Disbrowe. Photographs by Chris Granger, Clarkson Potter Publishers


This is my mother-in-law’s famous (at least in our family) rendition of the classic. I find too often that this drink is too bland for my taste, but this version has plenty of kick. (Cathy thinks Tabasco is essential.) Fiery drinks are a staple for weekend brunches and football mornings.

Makes 1 Generous Drink
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) vodka
1 cup tomato juice
½ cup Clamato juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¾ teaspoon Tabasco
1/8 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon grated horseradish
Pinch of celery salt
Ground black pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lemon wedge
Pickled okra, for garnish
Celery stalk, for garnish

Fill a 16-ounce glass with ice cubes and add all the ingredients except okra and celery and stir well. Garnish with pickled okra and celery stalk.


His favorite dish for a large crowd?
Chicken Sauce Piquant, which starts with the “holy trinity” of chopped celery, onion and green peppers, and is then rounded up with Cajun seasonings like cayenne, paprika and Tabasco sauce—then the chicken is stewed down with tomatoes until it falls off the bone. It can be served over rice. This is his favorite dish for a crowd: he says your only limitation is the size of your pot.
He recommends having it with your favorite beer or, of course, his mother-in-law’s famous Bloody Mary. His favorite dessert? Satsuma Buttermilk Pie.




About Donald Link:
Donald Link has won the James Beard Best Southern Chef & Best New Restaurant to Anthony Bourdain’s Gold Clog. His restaurant Cochon, was named by Gourmet magazine as one of the top 50 restaurants in the U.S. The New York Times voted Cochon as the 3rd best new restaurant. After Hurricane Katrina, the only thing Donald was able to salvage from the wreckage of his home was a single trusty cast iron skillet. It is on this skillet that Cochon was born. Temporarily homeless, Donald and his family decamped to SW Louisiana, where he grew up and where much of his family still resides. Here he was reunited with his love of true Cajun cooking - as it is done at home, and has been done for generations. This is the food that has put Cochon on the map, and made Donald one of the most talked chefs in the country.

A Deck Rebuilding Project You Don’t Ever Want To Undertake!

It’s finally spring and the weather is beginning to get a bit warmer here in the Northeast. Now if we can ever get rid of this rain it might finally be time to get outdoors and enjoy the warm sunshine in the backyard.

Just got back from Niagara Falls where we watched the work crew from the NY State Department of Parks and Recreation re-build the decks and walkways at the Cave of the Winds at Niagara Falls. Every year these walkways and viewing platforms are re-built in the spring for the tourist season and then taken apart in the fall to prepare for the winter and the ice build up on Niagara Falls. What a job!. Six guys hauling wood for the decks and stairs up and down the rocks under the Bridal Falls. Each year they re-build the decks from scratch as the rocks shift a bit during the winter. So the decks are never in exactly the same place from year to year.

And as if that weren’t enough of a challenge, the rocks are home this time of year to one of the largest and most diverse concentration of gulls in the world. 100,000 gulls on migratory flights from as far north as Greenland and the Canadian Arctic to as far south as Florida, find their way to the Niagara River. The Niagara Falls Nature Club has identified 19 individual species of gulls on the river out of 43 species worldwide. So you have to be sure to keep your head covered when down on the decks to protect you from the wind, rain, spray from the falls and now lots of bird droppings!


With 150,000 gallons of water, splashing down onto the decks every second, these decks get a lot of abuse. Much more than the average homeowner would ever experience even in the wettest parts of the country. All of the wood at Niagara Falls State Park is treated with Thompson’s water seal and deck stain and can certainly withstand whatever Mother Nature throws its way.

We worked with DIY “Deckspert” Jeff Wilson who gave our viewers tips on how to get their decks ready for spring this year. (see video)

Jeff has lots of information to share about decks and what is the best way to maintain them. He even has some samples of good decks and tips on how to know when its time to repair the deck.

With more of us staying home this summer due to the economy, it’s useful to know how to make your deck a welcoming retreat.

For more info, go to: www.thompsonswaterseal.com

Marie Osmond - "Might As Well Laugh About it Now"

From the hit television series, The Donny and Marie Show, to most recently, Dancing with the Stars, Marie Osmond remains a veteran to the entertainment industry both as an entrepreneur and American icon. The vast experience during her career as a country music artist, author, and Broadway entertainer is best told in her new book, MIGHT AS WELL LAUGH ABOUT IT NOW.
She explains personal battles behind closed doors, such as overcoming bulimia, learning to manage family life and a career, and reveals thoughts of her own self image in the public eye.

Check out our interview with Marie as she recalls the triumph leading up to and after her “famous fainting spell” on Dancing with the Stars, and her inspiration for writing this book.