Ask Nana Jorj Morgan is the author of 5 books whose subjects range from entertaining to cooking and most recently to health and wellness. Jorj’s books include Gorgeous: The Sum of All Your Glorious Parts, Fresh Traditions: Classic Dishes for a Contemporary Lifestyle, and At Home in the Kitchen. Most importantly Jorj is a mom and new grandmom. Learn more on her website From Nana's Kitchen Cookin' New Orleans Style Q: Dear NANA, Last year my daughter moved out of state ,and I’m afraid her father and I didn’t take it well. It broke our hearts to see our grandchildren uprooted to Louisiana. We did get over it, though, and I want my daughter to see that. We’re happy for her. Our son-in-law has a great job, and the children love their elementary school in the Big Easy. I’m writing for your advice because my daughter is giving a big dinner party. My husband and I are flying out to see her, and the party will be at the tail end of our visit. I don’t want to be underfoot as her house guest. The night before the party, I plan on shopping for her, and, of course, I want to make a dish all my own to contribute. It’ll be a big banquet table full of mix-and-match casseroles and goodies. My daughter says about 40 guests have RSVP’d, so any large, tasty dish is welcome. Any special entrée suggestions? Yours, Grateful in Grinell Grinnell, IA A: Dear Grateful, Wow! Your daughter did move far away. If your grandchildren were used to the Midwest, getting used to the deep south can’t have been easy—even if New Orleans, The Big Easy, is aptly named : ) Casseroles happen to be my thing, but I’m going to surprise you by not suggesting one of those. I went to bed thinking about your quandary—it really registered with me, as I, too, had my son and grandchildren move out of state a few years back. It really is hard, but they do need your support. Trust your grown child’s judgment! Picking up stakes and moving like that isn’t something—I’m sure!—that your daughter took lightly; I know you’ve honestly come to believe that and I’m preaching to the choir—just make sure your daughter and son-in-law know it too. Here’s what I’ve come up with that puts your best foot forward. Show your daughter the ultimate gesture of being excited for her Louisiana lifestyle by perfecting your New Orleans-style dishes—and believe you me, just following my simple N’awlins recipes will trick her into believing that you know all there is to know about Crescent City cuisine! It just so happens that a few Februarys back, I hosted a Mardi Gras party featuring a dozen of my nearest and dearest, along with 30 pounds of fresh crawfish. We made Clams Casino and New Orleans Style Red Beans; I’ve linked to both recipes and think either dish (or both!) would make a fine contribution to your daughter’s party. When you visit my blog, you’ll see how easy it is to let the “good times roll” during your visit. Stay in touch and let me know if they did! —Top NANA Send your Ask Nana questions to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it