December 11, 2025 **Order copies of my cookbook, My Louisiana Kitchen, by mid-week for delivery before Christmas** *We gathered up family for our holiday big cook *last weekend and made tamales. We had beef, pork, and chicken filling, and both banana leaves and corn husks for wrapping. We got the masa nice and fluffy, steamed them for 90 minutes, and learned that the ones wrapped in banana leaves needed to go about 30 minutes longer. It was a lot of fun, the food was good, and the company was great. For the ...Continue Reading

December 5, 2025 *My cookbook is back in stock and shipping *this week. I've included three recipes below from the book to give you a sense of the range of recipes included; all delicious and makeable. Order copies by December 15 to ensure delivery in time for Christmas! Jim's family is getting together this weekend for our first-ever tamale making party. We're going to make pork, chicken, and beef tamales with plenty of salsas to serve on the side, and a pot of black bean soup. I can't wait. For the recipes thi ...Continue Reading

One of my favorite cookie recipes, perfect for Christmas, is linked at the bottom of this promotion. It's in my first cookbook, My Louisiana Kitchen, back in stock and shipping this week in time for Christmas. Details, a peek inside, and ordering information are below. It will make a great gift for you, and for all the foodies on your list. It finished out at 192 pages and has more than 140 recipes, a combination of new recipes and reader favorites from over the years. Many of them are my personal fav ...Continue Reading

November 22, 2025 Thanksgiving is here! Or pretty darn close, anyway. Our family gathering is going to be just 5 people, so I've got a 12 pound turkey and I'm going to spatchcock it, a first for me. Dry brine for a few days, then I'll inject it with a flavored butter solution and roast it. I'll get a jump start on everything and make a big batch of turkey stock this weekend; I end up putting a bit of it in most everything I cook for Thanksgiving. I'm going to make Jim's favorite cream of mushroom soup, the smothe ...Continue Reading

November 14, 2025 *We're planning a family get-together* this weekend to help Jim's sister get a head start on her holiday decorating. We have a rainy weekend forecast, so I'm going to make a big pot of chili. And yes, I do put beans AND tomatoes in my chili, so it's not a traditional Texas Red, but I've never had to worry about having too many leftovers. I may get motivated to bake a loaf of bread, may just serve it with chips and crackers.  For the recipes this week, first up, a very elegant stuffed eggpla ...Continue Reading

November 7, 2025 *It's just three weeks* until Thanksgiving. Hard to process how quickly the year has flown by, but it has. We're keeping the holiday fairly low key this year; I'll roast a turkey because you can't have good gravy without true roasted turkey drippings and what's Thanksgiving without gravy?? Jim's also asked me to make cream of mushroom soup for starters. It used to be a tradition, but it's been a few years since I made it. Also, my nephew likes green beans cooked the way I do, til they're dull gree ...Continue Reading

October 31, 2025 *It didn't take long* for me to get swept up in Dodger Mania-- I've been wearing blue all week, my nails are painted blue, and I've watched more baseball this week than I have in the last two years. Hopefully the game tonight will have a better outcome than Tuesday and Wednesday. Last week we got a taste of fall weather with a few brisk days, this week the Santa Ana winds made an appearance and we're back to beach weather here in Southern California. Which clearly influenced my choices for recipe ...Continue Reading

October 24, 2025 *Y'all, we are two months away* from Christmas! This year has flown by. My birthday in early February will be here before I can blink, and it's a big one. I need to start thinking about what I want to do to celebrate. Speaking of, our great nephew celebrates a birthday on Tuesday and of course he chose a taco place for his celebration, so Taco Tuesday in style next week. For the recipes this week, simplicity rules. First up, catfish filets are rubbed with a spicy blend and pan sautéed, the ...Continue Reading

October 17, 2025 *We had our first* significant rain earlier this week and it's getting down to brisk weather at night. We have a beautiful weekend in store, though, with highs in the mid-70s with lots of sunshine. I think I'm going to make pizza Saturday night, and get some red beans soaking on Sunday for a Monday cook. We'll see how the smoked sausage I've found stands up in my recipe. For the recipes this week, first up, easy food food: A bourbon chicken stir fry that definitely benefits from an overnight mari ...Continue Reading

October 10, 2025 *I wrote last week about* soft, fluffy dinner rolls- technically, they turned out perfectly, but the end result just didn't suit me. I used a recipe for Japanese milk bread from King Arthur Flour, and it called for 4 tablespoons of sugar; WAY too sweet for my tastes. The dough would be perfect for cinnamon rolls, though, so I'll hang onto it. Back to the drawing board! I sure do wish my mother had written her recipe down. For the recipes this week, first up, comfort food: Creamy, cheesy Ench ...Continue Reading