King cake opportunity! If you live in my neighborhood, that is. It finally warmed up enough yesterday to get in our regular morning walk, and we discovered that the cute store, Wicks NOLA Candle Company, that's been building out on the corner of Magazine and St. Mary, has finally opened. We met the proprietress, and she invited us to her grand opening King Cake Extravaganza this Saturday afternoon from noon until 3:00. She's going to have various King Cakes on hand to sample, some champagne, and of course, all her custom wares; stop by if you have the opportunity. Supporting local businesses is really important right now.

For this week's menu selection, I went through my cookbook collections and picked three simple, yet very tasty, recipes; getting something on the table quickly is what it's all about. Enjoy the recipes, stay safe and healthy, and, as always, let me know what's on your mind. 

Best regards,

Susan Ford, Publisher and Editorial Director
Louisiana Kitchen & Culture

P.S. If you are due to renew your magazine subscription or gift subscriptons we have emailed you a courtesy reminder. Renew Today!

Jan/Feb Issue In the Mail:

Mediterranean Shrimp with Feta

I usually have shrimp in the freezer, feta and olives in the fridge, and there's an oregano plant in a sunny spot, so I can swing this on a weeknight and still feel like I've got a fancy dinner. If you don't have couscous on hand, rice or a small pasta works just as well.

Chicken Paella

This is a Spanish take on Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya. The rice base is infused with saffron and smoked paprika, the sausage is chorizo instead of anduille, and, much to my Cajun friends' horror, a couple cups of tomatoes. Delicious, fast enough for a weeknight.

Easy Tortellini in Broth

This is another simple recipe using what I consider to be pantry staples, particularly since I discovered how good dried cheese tortellini can be. Have some hot French bread ready, and put together a simple green salad, and you've got dinner in a hurry.