DONNA KEATING / L’Observateur / March 19, 2000

LAPLACE – As a child, Bambi Rome of LaPlace spent a lot of time in her grandmother Irene Terry’s kitchen. When her grandmother cooked she would tellBambi how to do things and why it was done that way.

Bambi once told her grandmother, Terry, “I don’t have to learn to cook because I have you and mom to cook for me.”Her grandmother responded, “We won’t always be there, so you will have to remember what we teach you.” And she did.

Her other grandmother, Mammere Rome, was another guiding force along the way.

Grandmother Rome’s recipe for Mammere cookies is a baking tradition that continues every Christmas in Bambi’s kitchen.

Bambi got married at 18 and first started to cook. She wanted to make gumbo andcalled her mother, Jean Terry Rome, for directions. Her mother said, “You’ve beeneating gumbo all of your life – think gumbo.” After her mother filled her in on thebasics, Bambi made her first pot of gumbo and it came out perfect.

Now Bambi considers cooking and baking her main hobby, and she says it is therapeutic for her. She added, “Whipping cookie dough can relieve a lot ofstress.”She has also baked wedding cakes and cooked for wedding receptions and other large social gatherings.

Her favorite time to cook is when friends and family visit. “I call friends and tellthem I’m cooking and they come over,” she says.

Bambi’s secret for cooking is she takes her time, cooks when she is in the mood and knows the basics.

Some of her favorite things to cook are sauce picante, stews and gumbos. But hervery favorite thing to cook is crawfish bisque. She uses the same recipe used byher mother and grandmother Terry, and it is still prepared the same as it has been for two generations.

She also makes blackberry jelly when blackberries are in season, usually in April and May. And in the fall (or whenever someone begs her to make it), she makes pepperjelly, a favorite among her friends. Another favorite among her friends is hersecret recipe for Cajun cowboy beans.

Her 19-year-old son Dean’s favorite is her recipe for pepper steak.

Bambi usually makes it a tradition to cook for friends and family on Sundays, with the exception of an occasional fishing trip she takes on weekends. She says sheenjoys fishing and cooking what she catches.

She bakes a wide variety of cookies for her friends at Christmas time. Whenfriends stop by during her cookie baking season they often help her bake the cookies, and they definitely help eat them. In fact, sometimes her freshly bakedcookies are gone before she is finished baking the batch.

Here are a few of Bambi’s favorite recipes: PECAN TARTS

Crust: 1 stick of margarine 3 ozs. cream cheese1 cup flour

Mix all ingredients together with a fork. Form into small 1/2-inch balls. Form intogreased mini muffin tins.

Filling: 1 cup brown sugar 1 egg, beaten 1 tbsp. butter, melted1/2 tsp. vanilla extract1 cup pecans, crushed

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Spoon filling into uncooked tart crust in mini muffintins. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

CANDIED PECANS

2 cups whole pecans 1/2 cup water 1 cup sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients in a heavy pan. Cook over medium heat until liquid is gone;stirring constantly. Pour onto cookie sheet to cool.

FRIED STUFFED SHRIMP

2 doz. shrimp2 tbsps. onion, chopped2 tbsps. celery, chopped2 tbsps. green pepper, chopped2 tbsps. parsley, minced1 clove garlic, minced 2 tbsps. butter, melted1 tbsp. flour1/4 cup milk 1/2 cup bread crumbs 1 cup crabmeat, cooked 1 1/2 tsps. Worcestershire sauce1/2 tsp. lemon juice1/2 tsp. salt1/4 tsp. pepper

Shell, devein and butterfly shrimp leaving tails on the shrimp. Saute onion, celery,green pepper, parsley and garlic in melted butter over medium heat. Blend in flourand then milk, stirring until thick. Add bread crumbs, crab meat, Worcestershiresauce, lemon juice and salt and pepper; mix thoroughly.

Place a small amount of crab stuffing on each shrimp, packing firmly into shape.

Chill in refrigerator for at least one hour to firm stuffing. Dip into batter recipeand deep fry at 375 degrees for five minutes or until golden brown. Serves four.

Batter: 1 egg 3/4 cup milk 1 cup sifted flour 1 tsp. salt1/8 tsp. red pepper

Beat egg, add milk, flour, salt and pepper; stir until blended.

CRAWFISH OR SHRIMP FETTUCCINE

3 stalks celery, chopped 1-2 onions, chopped 1 small bunch green onions, chopped garlic powder, to taste Tabasco sauce, to taste 1 stick butter 2 cans cream of shrimp soup 2 cans evaporated milk or half and half 2 lbs. crawfish tails or shrimpfettuccine pasta, cooked

Melt butter. Saute onions and celery in butter until limp. Add soup, evaporated milkor half and half, garlic powder, Tabasco sauce and other seasonings to taste. Cookon low 15 minutes. Add crawfish or shrimp and green onions. Simmer for another15 minutes. Serve over fresh cooked fettuccine pasta.

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