Ami Eats Everything

10/11/2026

If you squint hard enough, a day trip to Marshall Texas is kind of like taking a vacation.

And Baffo Candy Co. can make that vacation GREAT.

Every time we go to Marshall we try to do something new, this time it was the which was filled with a lively display of Dia De Los Mu***os art from the high school. Including a large collection of brightly colored Mexican animal sculptures that were delightful.

But not as delightful as discovering along the way a brightly colored banner sign in blue and pink that said “Handmade Candy” and an arrow pointing down a street in Marshall I don’t think I’d ever been down before— despite spending most of my Christmases here as a child.

Had I come down this street a hundred years ago there would have been a candy shop in this same spot. Sitting beside the workshop of Joe Pine Coffee, this delightful shop filled with brightly colored hard candies and truffles and fudge is peak perfection of a children’s wonderland.

As I heard the story of how this new to me sugar shop came to be, I couldn’t help but think of the wonder and amazement that 1900’s rural east Texas children must have felt, pressing their faces against the glass confection cabinet.

I have a feeling it never looked or tasted as amazing as this.

All their candy is handmade the old fashioned way. The two dozen variety of hard candy would not normally be my first choice but as I walked through the shop and found a bag called “Sweet tea” I couldn’t resist.

These things are a perfect sized glass of sweet tea in a lozenge form. I LOVE them.

I can’t wait to go back for their “favorite” cinnamon for my apple c***r this fall.

I could go on but I need to get to the truffles. These things are HUGE. Each crisp chocolate exterior holds and chocolaty flavor to fill your face. The cheesecake was the first one I fell for.

It’s more luxurious than any Lindor Truffle. These things would make GREAT Christmas presents.

And finally the fuge. Not the kind I make in the microwave…. Not the kind that comes from a box….

REAL. DEAL. HOLLYFIELD. KNOCK. OUT. FUDGE.

You pick your flavor but regardless of the one you pick you can rest assured none of it touched a microwave…

Honestly I don’t know if the electricity in a 100 year old building could handle a microwave.

They do live shows on Saturdays and you get to see them mold the pretty hard candies in their ancient candy molding machine and break them for you to enjoy too.

So if you’re looking to get out of town, without spending a mortgage payment on gas and a hotel, just head over to Marshall sometime. There’s plenty to do, see, and eat to make you feel like you’re on vacation, even if you ain’t.

10/10/2026

I love anticipation…Delayed gratification is SO much sweeter than instant satisfaction…

When I was a kid, and even now as not a kid, I love my wrapped Christmas presents. The colorful paper, the fancy bow. When they were wrapped they are sparkly and pretty and MAGIC and under the tree they could be ANYTHING.

Was it a Super Nintendo or a new VCR, or a PONY, or a pair of socks??? I didn’t know, but before that present was opened it could be ALL of those things (ok maybe not the pony) and in my child brain, it was ALL THE THINGS, because I’d spent so much time in my head building it up.

The waiting became the best part.

So sometimes STILL I put things off that I REALLY want because I love the anticipation. I plan to pick the PERFECT moment to have it, whatever it is, at the best conditions for everything

and until I’m there… the possibilities are endless…

That’s why Orleans on Main Bistreaux hasn’t been on my page already. I knew it was there, the New Orleans chef run “hidden gem” in Minden that certainly you would not expect to find in Northwest Louisiana…

I knew it was going to be good, i was waiting for the perfect moment and it had finally arrived - a month ago when my friends Pete & Elaine got married.

As most new couples are, their dinner card has been packed full since the wedding so I got to wait even longer… I didn’t mind… I knew it was going to be worth it, and let me tell you…

So I put on a brand new dress, forgot to take the tag off, and like Minnie Pearl from Hee-Haw, I rode in the passengers seat to have our first double date in Minden.

We started with the LaSalle Oysters (like oysters Rockefeller if the chef just kept adding crab and cheese and bacon and other things to the oyster shell until nothing else could fit anymore). We also had the special crab and corn hush puppies which came with 4 HUGE tennis ball sized fried goodness with remoulade.

Both of these were really fancy and oysters and crab aren’t always everyone’s thing but one dish we could ALL agree was the crispy Brussels sprouts. If my mom had made Brussels sprouts like these when I was a kid I would have eaten them all the time.

They’re soft on the inside and crispy on the outside and covered in bacon and shredded Parmesan. The chef said he only put them on the menu after being cajoled by some of his friends.

I think his friends were angels because those were the best Brussels sprouts of my life.

For dinner, I went with the catch of the day redfish my FIRST time eating redfish and you can get it grilled or blackened. I went with grilled but was later told blackened was the way to go with EVERYTHING on their menu. It was delicious as it was but I will be having what Elaine was having….

The blackened 8oz filet mignon. The crispy crust on this thing was a work of art. Not burnt, not charred, blackened with Cajun spices and a perfect pink medium rare center. Her garlic mashed potatoes were something we all had some of. Creamy potatoes covered with cheese and full of garlic flavor.

The boys had the bone-in pork chop, one grilled and one blackened. They were juicy and flavorful and not at all tough and dry like the pork chops I make at home. Turns out when you know what you’re doing, pork chops are pretty darn good.

I know you see creamed spinach and it was fancy but I didn’t even take a bite because I had my eyes on dessert.

We’d mentioned to the waiter before they had arrived we’d be celebrating. We had no idea that would turn into a fireworks show of precious personalized dessert that said “Congratulations” on the plate.

We made room on the table and had a group table yoga session to stretch to make enough room to eat it.

Somehow Orleans on Main managed to make a special night even more special.

And made the anticipation sooooo worth wait.

Turns out it WAS a pony!

10/09/2026

I don’t know what Saint Laurent Pizza is the patron saint of. But I’m guessing it’s flavor because MY GOD these pizzas are amazing.

While Mr. White is my all-time favorite and I have said often “I could eat a whole one of these by myself” I am still trying to knock out every pizza on their list.

Which is now easier for me to do because I found out only now when they’re at their new location that I can order a half and half of any size and ANY TYPE of pizza they offer.

That’s right… are you a white sauce fan in a house full of red saucers? Do you dig the pig and to for a sausage and pepperoni and ham in a world of “five cheese please” friends?

Nobody will be disappointed.

Now in addition to their “slice of the week” specialty pizzas they offer they also have a pizza of the MONTH.

This month gives a nod to our shared personal love of Cajun food with a Crawfish ettouffee pizza. It’s spicy enough I had to drink a lot of water but the roux they use is full of that expected “roux flavor” but the nice touch of dollops of ricotta cheese cools it off some and that with the addition of the Italian seasonings they put on top reminds you you’re eating a pizza (that, and the fact that it comes on a round flat bread in the shape of triangles)

They’re in a new location down by Glow Alchemy Kitchen and they share dining rooms and menus with one of Shreveports healthiest plates to eat.

They made my panzenella (the “stale bread” salad with the tomatoes and cucumbers and onions) the salad I order EVERY FREAKIN TIME in a large because I find bringing it home and eating it the next day makes the crunchy bread soaked in the dressing is a REAL treat.

I’ve bought all the things to try to make it myself at home for a family dinner this weekend but honestly, I’m just going to go pick up another one… there’s no way I could make a SALAD this good.

I don’t eat many salads… if you haven’t noticed.

I have been eating plenty of pizza since I’ve discovered the holy shrine of Saint Laurent.., and now that they’re even closer to me it doesn’t look like that will be slowing down any time soon.

Saint Laurent, is helping me pack on the pounds… glad I can balance it out with some delicious healthy feel good food from Glow Alchemy Kitchen….

As soon as I get through with this pizza menu conquest.

10/08/2026

The Red River Revel started today down at Featival plaza for its annual food and art and music festival and since I had my nephew in town from LSU I decided to take him with us to check out the food and try to find a piece of art for my dining room.

As is my nature, I’ve looked at hundreds of them, and not decided on one yet.

That’s the same level of overwhelm I felt when I saw the number of food options available at this years event. It was too hot today to stay and get EVERYTHING I wanted to eat, but Keith and my nephew were luckily there to help me out by getting their own dishes and letting me try.

I wasn’t disappointed with any of these. In fact, the fact that this blackened catfish and dirty rice came from Inner City Youth Sports, a nonprofit and with no physical location for me to track this delicious meal down again.

My nephew says he especially enjoyed the dirty rice.

Then there’s the Gyro from Efe’s Fine Foods. I didn’t get to eat a lot of this because he’d already eaten most of it but the little bit I DID eat made me drive through Yeero-Yeero on the way home to make sure I got a Pita wrapped gyro with tzatziki and tomato and onion and lettuce.

The one at the Revel was $14… and full of meat (the one at Yeero Yeero was that much with fries drinks AND a tip…

Revel prices are pretty reasonable for being a festival event, and many notable local food purveyors are there, including our own favorite Dripp Donuts and Mr. Grilled Cheese but I decided to go with our other own local Louisiana Stuffed Pistolettes and I am OH so glad I did.

I’ve been wanting these for a WHILE and I’ve seen them online and at Shreveport Biscuit Companys frozen section but I’ve never had one from them before.

Fry me a river… listen if you stuff BREAD with ettoufee of any sort, or even beef stew or a pork dumpling stuffing and then FRY THAT BREAD….

You’ve won my heart.

Fried bread forever….

So if you go before 5 it’s free to get in, definitely consider giving the Revel a try this year if you’re looking for good food and great music.

The Revel this year does not disappoint.

10/08/2026

Ohhhhhh man….

I love croissant in any form… croissants, cruffins, cronuts…

But I never even thought about a croissant waffle before…

Better get to Minden to pick one up from Brick Street Coffee

Calling all our Croffle obsessed customers… this one’s for YOU! 🍓🤍

Meet our Strawberry White Chocolate Croffle, a buttery, flaky croissant pressed into a golden waffle, drizzled with white chocolate and sprinkled with dried strawberries. Those crispy edges. Those little pockets of sweetness. 😍

Already love croffles? Meet your next favorite.
Never tried one? Let’s fix that! 🧇✨

10/02/2026

I know I write about Granny’s Bakehouse a lot but I just can’t get enough of her right now. Especially with her always creative and special flair she adds to the things she bakes.

If it’s not Baklava cheesecake that I got an extra slice of and ate at 2am and left a paltry “last bite” to Keith after devouring it in the dark kitchen hoping he wouldn’t hear me sneaky snacking….

Then it’s the Dubai Cheesecake that she makes a magic shell like crust for and covers in her home ground pistachio butter…

But this morning is something she made for me. And everyone else too. But mostly because I said “I love cinnamon rolls but they’re all so big I can’t finish one and end up throwing half of them, dried out, away.

In come - Mini-Cini’s. That’s right, they’re the perfect size for my morning sweet tooth. They’re made with a buttery brioche pastry and buttery cinnamon swirl and come with a creamy drizzle that makes each bite (two or three per cinni) perfectly sweet.

The cinnamon braids she sent I thought looked like apple fritters. But they were a braided twisted roll-up of more cinnamon and sugar. Fun to eat with more cracks and crevices for crunchy bits but still soft enough to roll around your finger like the old telephone cord I had on my kitchen phone as a kid.

The chocolate bar that’s mostly brown butter cookie Immsaving for dessert…. Which may happen at 2:30…. Who knows!

Her Baklava cheesecake will be at Giuseppe’s today but you can order from her anytime from her page.

Thank you, my friend, Bridgett Moody Frith for always bringing joy to my belly!

09/27/2026

Marilyn's Place BBB: Big Breakfast Burrito Brunchfast

09/27/2026

Like looking up at the skyline at the exact moment the sun dips below the horizon, as some sort of fate or destiny, we wound up at Marilynn's Place at exactly 10am when they open for brunch.

On the day I’ve been waiting for. The first day since March I think I would even consider sitting outside in this Louisiana heat. I am not built like you Louisiana people. It’s too hot to sit outside.

You know who IS Louisiana people? The folks making these fried chicken beignets and serving up brunch and bottomless mimosas with Cajun inspired flair.

Move over Chic-fil-a Chickn’ Waffles there is a BETTER sweet savory biscuit bite in town. And this one will show you how we REALLY do things in the South.

Hand fried, well at least hand breaded (and oil fried) crispy chicken tenderloin halves pressed between two buttery flaky beignet halves and topped with sweet syrup

Finally the cure for my itch for Chicken and Pancakes that’s been missing since the departure of Tejas. Except this time Louisiana style.

Now lemme tell you about this two fi**ed breakfast burrito.

To make this, You wanna take all the food that your MawMaw told you to “go in there and get you something to eat.” And wrapped it in a panini pressed delicious flour tortilla.

There are 3 maybe 4 eggs in this bonus sized bad boy, at least two patties worth of delicious “this don’t taste like Jimmie Dean” sausage and 2-3 strips of perfectly cooked thick cut bacon and cheese.

You may wanna eat this thing with a buddy. It could really use 4 hands.

But no matter how you like to man-handle your brunch burrito, if you’re a hungry breakfast burrito bandit - BOOM! You can get that here too.

They have brunch specials like today’s apple pecan French toast and some of their menu staples like seafood gumbo and shrimp and grits… but I ran out of room and by the time I was done so had the restaurant.

This place fills up fast for a reason, but if you’re looking to fill up, pull on up to the gas station turned one of my new brunch favorites, check out the NEW Marilyn’s Place.