April 18, 2025 Mothers Day Gift Idea! A copy of my cookbook makes a great gift for Mothers Day. Order here. Jim and I are moving back to California next month; a new chapter in our lives, much closer to family we've not been close to in almost 20 years. We will really miss the family I still have here, and all the great friends we've made here, but here we go on to the next chapter of our lives. I will, of course, continue  with this newsletter, presenting great recipes for your consideration. May be in ...Continue Reading

April 18, 2025 I got a great compliment from a customer this week. A gentleman called to order a second copy of my cookbook, My Louisiana Kitchen. Like me, he owns hundreds of cookbooks and spends a lot of time in the kitchen. He told us that he considers my cookbook to be one of the best that he owns, and that he'll be cooking from it for years to come. That's really gratifying to hear; I put countless hours worth of work into developing my recipes over the years, then even more hours selecting the ones to inclu ...Continue Reading

April 4, 2025 Many thanks to those of you who've ordered copies of my cookbook, My Louisiana Kitchen. I expect we'll be sold out before summer, so now is the time to reserve a copy for yourself  or it will make a perfect Mother's Day gift. I'm getting really positive feedback from happy cooks all over the country. I'm happy about that; also more than a little surprised at how often I pull it out to look up one of my own recipes to cook! Speaking of, for the recipes this week, I'm starting with the class ...Continue Reading

March 28, 2025 Countdown to French Quarter Fest! I intend to be more responsible this year; last year, after a long cold rainy winter, the weather was so nice for the first day and we set up our group of friends in the full sun. For some reason it didn't even occur to me that I needed heavy duty sun screen on, and my arms sunburned so badly I couldn't go outside for a few days. Missed the rest of the Fest. Not going to do that this year! For the recipes this week, I'm starting with my favorite technique for fried shri ...Continue Reading

March 22, 2025 Spring has sprung! We're enjoying beautiful weather this week, and I seem to finally be on the mend after a more than 2 week battle with COVID. I managed to avoid catching it all these years, but Mardi Gras did us in this year. Thankfully Jim and I were both fully vaccinated, so the symptoms weren't too severe; Jim was back to normal in just a few days. It decided to linger with me. For the recipes this week, I'm starting with a decidedly decadent recipe for Crawfish Mac and Cheese, a special treat ...Continue Reading

March 14, 2025 Happy St. Patrick's Day Weekend! Normally there's nothing to do this weekend but celebrate it, as we live on the edge of the Irish Channel. The parade forms up just down the block from us. We've got bad weather forcast for Saturday, unfortunately, so it's cancelled this year. Boo.  For the recipes this week, first up, a tasty recipe for the regional specialty known as the Oklahoma Burger. Use this technique next time you get a craving for a smash burger! Next, also easy, the Chinese ...Continue Reading

February 21, 2025 We're all about Mardi Gras this weekend and I forgot to send the newsletter out yesterday. Better late than never, I guess. I have friends riding in Iris and Tucks today; I dropped off one batch of them uptown for their pre-ride party this morning, and will see them later today on the parade route. The weather's going to be beautiful; I need to remember to pack some sunscreen. For the recipes this week, first up, an easy recipe for crawfish pie, particularly if you use prepared pie crust. The in ...Continue Reading

February 21, 2025 Happy Mardi Gras! Parades begin in earnest this weekend in New Orleans, getting off to a chilly start today for the walking parades and the night parades. It'll be a little warmer this weekend. There are celebrations all over the state, but New Orleans is busiest, with more than a dozen parades this weekend. We'll get a break Monday and Tuesday, then start up again Wednesday night, going non-stop through to Mardi Gras Day on March 4. For the recipes this week, first up, an easy recipe for seafoo ...Continue Reading

February 14, 2025 Happy Valentine's Day, if you celebrate it! We're moving on from Super Bowl to Mardi Gras this weekend, with parades in the French Quarter here in New Orleans. For the recipes this week, first up, a Seafood Gumbo pie from the cookbook American as Apple Pie. The author states that he first had the dish in New Iberia; think gumbo with a biscuit topping. Next, flank steak with a parsley sauce; i used to make this a lot and need to get it back into rotation. And finally, a recipe for Black Bottom Pi ...Continue Reading

February 7, 2025 THANK YOU! to those of you who've ordered copies of my cookbook; we sold out the first printing in three weeks and ordered a second round. It finally arrived last week, after sitting in snowy limbo for a while. We shipped those orders out over the past week, in the midst of an abscessed tooth plus it's Super Bowl week here! Traffic is nuts, there's excitement in the air. I'd love to hear what you've cooked from it; drop me an email and let me know! For the recipes this week, first up, a crawfish ...Continue Reading