My usual pet sitter wasn't available to watch our cats when we were out of town last month, so three of my neighbors tag teamed and looked after them. I brought them all some Talavera pottery, and am having them over for dinner this weekend. I'm planning to put together a Mexican feast, with posole, several options for tacos, and a variety of salsas. Maybe a rice pudding for dessert; I don't know that I'm up for flan for 8 this weekend.

For the recipes this week, I came across the roast salmon recipe in an old cookbook and the warm lentils took me right back to a salad I used to have for lunch, 30 years or so ago, at a restaurant across the street from our offices in San Francisco. I'm motivated to try to reacreate the original recipe; if I can nail it, you'll most likely find it in the next issue of the magazine. Next up, creamed Swiss chard that is definitely a contender as a side dish to a holiday roast of some sort. And finally, an herb-rubbed grilled chicken because we're eating a lot of chicken, and the weather is just perfect for grilling outside right now. Bonus:  It's also really easy.

Enjoy this week's recipes, stay safe and healthy, and, as always, let me know what's on your mind. 

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Susan Ford, Publisher and Editorial Director
Louisiana Kitchen & Culture

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Roasted Salmon over Warm Lentils

I'd not looked at this recipe in a while, and it brings to mind a favorite lunch I used to get years ago at a little restaurant across the street from our office on Second Street in San Francisco. It was a warm lentil salad with a disc of goat cheese that had been breaded and seared; absolutely delightful. I'm going to see if I can recreate it one of these days...

Creamed Swiss Chard

I really like this recipe for a holiday meal side. A leafy green vegetable will be welcome, the cream and Parmesan elevate the dish. I'd probably sub in smoked ham for the prosciutto, because that's what I'm likely to have on hand.

Grilled Chicken with Herb Rub

This recipe is from an older Williams-Sonoma cookbook. Two things that I do differently: I make the rub in advance, rub the chicken, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight; and make extra of the rub, set it aside, and use it to season skewers of vegetables for grilling. It's an easy, tasty recipe.