Big Easy Style

An enchanting space that’s truly unique calls for a sense of humor, whimsy, and an open mind. From a charmed New Orleans childhood to a successful acting career on Broadway and the award-winning TV show Mad Men to the opening of his popular Big Easy home furnishings boutique, Hazelnut, Bryan Batt has always turned to home design as a creative outlet. To him, the best rooms are unexpected yet refined and, above all, evoke emotion. He doesn’t think twice about hanging oversized decorations from a Mardi Gras float in an elegant dining room or bringing home vintage etchings of sconces when he was actually shopping for real ones. He believes that a vibrant orange wall can be a neutral backdrop for an antique writing desk and earthy accessories, and that an artist’s whimsical bird’s nest sculpture hung in a lavender entryway couldn’t serve as a better welcome into a cozy abode. New Orleans has taught Bryan so much about how to pull together a space that’s fearless and colorful with plenty of panache. With the city as his muse—its strong roots in history, its celebration of tradition, and, of course, the wild festivities of Mardi Gras—he believes that designing a fabulous, livable home that truly reflects a dweller’s passions need not be intimidating. Big, Easy Style showcases rooms that make Bryan smile, with pages of rich photography featuring the work of many designers—and plenty of Crescent City interiors—framed by his own entertaining maxims on color, pattern, collecting, living areas, intimate spaces, and more. Explore rooms he’s personally designed and others that inspire him; from an old-world kitchen imported straight from the heart of France to a luxurious Art Deco media room, these homes are enticing and unique, and through their surprising details, completely inviting. Decorating your home to reflect your personality and taste takes practice and patience and can be a daunting undertaking, but Bryan proposes that we not worry about making mistakes, that any decision we make is better than no decision at all. With Big, Easy Style, learn how to put aside your hesitation and surrender to the wild side of home design for a big statement that’s easy to achieve. "You’ll love his collection of photographs of beautiful New Orleans rooms layered with his design tips and anecdotes of his own design experiences."—Southern Living "[Big, Easy Style] reads like a hard-copy extension of Batt's personality--elegant, gregarious, funny, showman-like. The rooms he's chosen to showcase are painstakingly designed, yet, in that enviable way, appear so easily tossed together."— Susan Langenhennig, The Times Picayune "With great passion and a zest for creativity, [Bryan Batt] and Katy Danos offer thoughtful tips on color, collecting, patterns and much more along the way. Kerri McCaffety captures the beauty of each room in her inviting photographs. I love Batt's unique whimsy style. How many of us would think of placing giant decorations from a Mardi Gras float in a lavish dining room? Or how about hanging an ornate crystal chandelier in the kitchen? Or what about painting a Chippendale-style chair mellow yellow. But they all work!"—Jeryl Brunner, Stylist.com "If you've missed Bryan Batt since he left the set of Mad Men in 2009 (he played Salvatore Romano), catch up with him in a decor ode to his hometown: New Orleans. [In Big, Easy Style], we're treated to his vision of making rooms inviting, festive and ultimately setting the foundation for entertaining, which is what this get-down town is all about."—San Francisco Chronicle "The book is full of Batt's tips. It's like spending an afternoon with someone who you'd like to watch decorate a home."-- Karen Dalton-Beninato, Huffington Post Books

Cock‚A[tail (kŏk'tāl') n: a many-splendored creation believed by some to have been born, bred, and elevated from mere libation to lifestyle in New Orleans. In BIG EASY COCKTAILS, chef Jimmy Bannos pays tribute to the Crescent City with a host of recipes for truly classic cocktails like the Mint Julep, newfangled concoctions like the Gentilly Sunrise, and snacks and appetizers inspired by Creole and Cajun cuisines.A colorful collection of cocktail and snack recipes that capture the authentic flavors and spirit of New Orleans.A portion of the book's proceeds will be donated to support Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.Includes 50 cocktail and 35 appetizer recipes plus 30 food and location photos.Features recommended music selections to accompany each cocktail recipe and a list of New Orleans-related books and movies.

In this, his fourth big cookbook, the award-winning chef John Besh takes another deep dive into the charm and authenticity of creole cooking inspired by his hometown, New Orleans. Besh Big Easy: 101 Home-Cooked New Orleans Recipes, is a fresh and delightful new look at his signature food. Besh Big Easy will feature all new recipes and easy dishes, published in a refreshing new flexibound format and accessible to cooks everywhere. Much has changed since Besh wrote his bestselling My New Orleans in 2009. His restaurant empire has grown from two to twelve acclaimed eateries, from the highly praised Restaurant August to the just opened farm-to-table taqueria, Johnny Sanchez. John's television career has blossomed as well. He’s become known to millions as host of two national public television cooking shows based on his books and of Hungry Investors on Spike TV. Besh Big Easy is dedicated to accessibility in home cooking and Orleans cuisine. "There's no reason a good jambalaya needs two dozen ingredients," John says. In this book, jambalaya has less than ten, but sacrifices nothing in the way of flavor and even offers exciting yet simple substitutions. With 101 original, personal recipes such as Mr. Sam’s Stuffed Crabs, Duck Camp Shrimp & Grits, and Silver Queen Corn Pudding, Besh Big Easy is chock-full of the vivid personality and Louisiana flavor that has made John Besh such a popular American culinary icon. Happy eating!

Lemon Boy Phillips, of Paladin Security, provided protection and crowd management. The Lemon Boy tag was a childhood reference to his complexion and freckles. Then Lola Montclaire strolled back into his life. In New Orleans, bluesman Blind Billy Brown was planning a concert in the Ninth Ward, and he called Old School performers to come home, including Lola, her nephew MC TruLuv, and her security, Lemon Boy, but it wouldn't be N'awlins without controversy. Billy's concert was taking place at the same time as the famous New Orleans Jazz Revival. Secondly, the lead act at the revival was TruLuv's enemy, MC "OOO-WEE," a rapper whose music is only overshadowed by his drunken violence. Then MC OOO-WEE was found dead, and his girlfriend Alexis was found floating in the Mississippi. THAT WAS A MISTAKE, KILLING THEM ON LEMON BOY'S WATCH! Evidence pointed to someone from Blind Billy's concert. The police were eager to make an arrest. Lemon Boy had to make sure it's the right person. With the help of his staff, Terri, Bobby Sr. and Bobby Jr., he will solve the case of: Dying Hard in the Big Easy!

Provides information on hotels and resorts, restaurants, beaches, walking and driving tours, nighttime entertainment, shopping, and sightseeing.

Provides complete travel information on the cities, small towns, and resorts of Florida with advice on transportation, dining, sightseeing, accommodations, sports, shopping, and other attractions

A compendium of grilling recipes, tips and techniques from the editors of Creative Homeowner. Sumptuous spreads of exquisitely grilled food; step-by-step prize-winning recipes; lists of ingredients plus preparation and grill/cook times; expert tips on techniques and the latest equipment; delectable marinades, sauces, and rubs: Char-Broil Everybody Grills! is the definitive cookbook and how-to guide for everyone--from the beginner to the seasoned barbecue enthusiast—who loves preparing meals in the great outdoors. Developed by editors at Creative Homeowner in partnership with Char-Broil, one of North America s leading grill manufacturers, this stunning book will help you grill, barbecue, and cook appetizers, main courses, salads, vegetables—even desserts—that will have family and friends licking their fingers. More than 250 color photographs, with photos illustrating each recipe.

Over the course of the twentieth century, African Americans in New Orleans helped define the genres of jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, and funk. In recent decades, younger generations of New Orleanians have created a rich and dynamic local rap scene, which has revolved around a dance-oriented style called "bounce." Hip-hop has been the latest conduit for a "New Orleans sound" that lies at the heart of many of the city's best-known contributions to earlier popular music genres. Bounce, while globally connected and constantly evolving, reflects an enduring cultural continuity that reaches back and builds on the city's rich musical and cultural traditions. In this book, the popular music scholar and filmmaker Matt Miller explores the ways in which participants in New Orleans's hip-hop scene have collectively established, contested, and revised a distinctive style of rap that exists at the intersection of deeply rooted vernacular music traditions and the modern, globalized economy of commercial popular music. Like other forms of grassroots expressive culture in the city, New Orleans rap is a site of intense aesthetic and economic competition that reflects the creativity and resilience of the city's poor and working-class African Americans.