I need to talk to my sister-in-law in Southern California to talk about what we're going to cook over Christmas. We always spend this holiday with Jim's family there, and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. Stephanie always makes a big pot of split pea soup for Christmas Eve, but the rest of the menu changes from year to year. Some years it's a sit-down formal year, some years a large selection of hors d'oeuvres to nibble on. 

For this week's recipes, I start with a garlic butter shrimp dish that will make two generous servings for entrées, probably  8 appetizer servings if plated atop sliced toasted French bread. Either way, delicious. Next, Louisiana native Chef Kelly English's dad's grillades recipe, great for any meal from breakfast to a midnight feast. Make a pot of your favorite creamy grits for serving. And finally, a baked creamy feta orzo dish that can work as an entrée or a side pasta salad. It's pretty enough with red tomatoes and fresh green basil to add a festive look to a holiday buffet.

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

Garlic Butter Shrimp

Turns out the key to great garlic butter shrimp, besides Louisiana shrimp, is a boatload of butter and garlic! Some people would think that half a pound of shrimp per serving is a little excessive, but not me. Serve with plenty of hot French bread for dunking.

Kelly English's Dad's Grillades

This is a great recipe for a cold winter night. Look for authentic Louisiana crawfish tails, ensuring that they're actually grown and processed here, not just packaged here using crawfish from China. 

Baked Creamy Feta Orzo

This serves 5 as an entrée, but it would probably serve 10 as a side dish/pasta salad at a pot luck or buffet table. Bonus-- prep work takes only about 5 minutes, the remainder of the time is in the oven.