click to order ^^ September 11, 2026 It has been some kind of hot here in Southern California, with a hurricane out in the ocean pushing in really humid air and some crazy waves. The worst seems to be behind us, thankfully, so back to typical weather next week. I'm glad, because I need to spend some quality time in the kitchen cooking for our nephew and his wife; I intend to get some good, healthy meals in their freezer to make things easier after their first baby comes next month. First and foremost is a slow-bra ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ August 28, 2026 I am on the shores of Lake Michigan enjoying some much-needed R&R time with my friends from New Orleans. We have a lazy weekend planned, with good food and lots of fun. Then, I'm going to spend a few days in Chicago; I haven't been in a very long time, and am looking forward to seeing the sights. Top of my list is a visit to the Field Museum to see the dinosaurs. As a kid, we had an illustrated set of encyclopedias, and the edition with the dinosaurs automatically fell open at tha ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ August 21, 2026 I fly out to Chicago next week to meet some of my New Orleans girlfriends for a long weekend at a lakehouse. I'm really looking forward to the trip, and seeing them; it's been almost 16 months! I'm going to ask for Camellia red beans and blackeye peas. They're the best. When I get back, I'm going to start cooking to fill up my nephew's freezer so they'll have easy, delicious meals on hand for the first weeks after the baby comes. For the recipes this week, first up, an easy Parme ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ August 15, 2026 We've got a baby shower this weekend; this side of the family is looking forward to seeing cute baby girl clothes for the first time in a long time. I fell into an end-of-summer close-out sale and couldn't stop buying cute-cute-cute sun dresses for next spring and summer to go with the big box of basics I already bought. Two months to go! For the recipes this week, first up is an old Cajun recipe for seafood meatballs in a tomato gravy. Lots of ways to eat them-- over rice, grits ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ August 8, 2026 Sorry I missed you last week; the nasty summer cold that's been making the rounds caught up and took me out for almost 2 weeks. Avoid it like the plague if you can! Poor Jim hasn't had a home cooked meal in a while and I'm two weeks behind on housekeeping. It's been too hot to think about it, anyway. For the recipes this week, first up is a family recipe from the Gibsons, a multi-generation shrimping family from south Louisiana. I accidentally made it with smoked gouda once, and i ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ July 24, 2026 The focaccia-making got postponed until this weekend, because half the family came down with a nasty summer cold and the rest of us had no desire to get it. So I'm going to start the dough today, and make a big batch of meatballs to simmer in marinara sauce. We'll either have meatball sandwiches, or I'll cook a pot of pasta. Salad on the side, and we'll call it a delicious Italian family dinner. I know we're in the middle of a heat wave, but it's never a bad time to make meatballs. ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ July 10, 2026 I made an enormous slab of focaccia earlier this week because I'd not done so in a while and wanted to be sure I'd not lost my touch. It was delicious; I foisted some of it off on neighbors. We have tentative plans to make it again this weekend; if that pans out I'll take pictures and post the recipe. It's easy, doesn't take much hands on time, and is all around well worth the little effort it does take. It's hot this week, so planning ahead for low lift dinners at the end of t ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ July 10, 2026 This is Jim's birthday week, and he wanted: yellow cake with chocolate buttercream frosting for his birthday cake; and to try several new restaurants for dinner over the week. We had a fabulous Italian feast at Primo Italia in Torrance with his sister Tuesday night; a quick snack at a local bar before a sunset harbor cruise Wednesday night that included a tour of the port of Long Beach; and a new Japanese restaurant last night. Not sure what he has on the agenda for the rest of the ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ June 26, 2026 The weather has been nice at the shore. A marine layer most mornings that burns off by midday; sunny afternoon with highs in the low 70s. It'll get hotter late July and August, but still relatively low humidity. Perfect, in other words! I picked recipes to suit the weather this week. First up, blackened catfish that you really want to cook outside unless you have restaurant-grade ventilation in your kitchen. It throws off a lot of smoke. Bonus: Once you master the technique, y ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ June 19, 2026 Here comes summer and all the summer fruits and vegetables that come with it. Probably my favorite time of the year for meal planning. There's a pickled cucumber and onion salad in the refrigerator for noshing on all week, and it's the rare night that I don't put a platter of sliced tomatoes and cucumbers on the table. We've been putting sweet, juicy corn on the grill for a few weeks now, and have already had some really good watermelon. I'm waiting for the cantaloupes to come in; I ...Continue Reading