click to order ^^ February 20, 2026 *It's cold and rainy *at the beach this week; as I write this on Thursday afternoon I have a pot of beef and bean chili simmering on the stove. I'll make a pan of buttermilk cornbread to serve with it, and we'll have a nice, warming meal tonight. I intended to make a pot of red beans today, but the little grocery store I went to was out of ham hocks and only had dried pinto beans. So I switched lanes and got ingredients for chili. Red beans next week. I picked seafood for the r ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ February 13, 2026 *Happy Valentine's Day, *for those of you who observe it; it's not anything we've ever observed, but it's fun to see the flowers and decorations. Back in New Orleans, it's full on Mardi Gras for the weekend, will probably be some heart-shaped throws for the Saturday parades. I've got beads hung on my fence outside, and a yard flag; a few people have commented, but it's odd to experience not much happening. For the recipes this week, first up is a smothered pork chop with gravy. ...Continue Reading

February 6, 2026 *I have had a great birthday week. *Jim was more than generous, with dinner out every single night this week (although we got takeout Chinese Thursday night and watched the latest episode of The Pitt), then he really surprised me on my birthday with a really nice Apple Watch. Now I need an Apple Watch for Dummies class! For the recipes this week, first up a decadent shrimp and crawfish fettuccine. If you don't have access to crawfish, double the shrimp, or add some crab meat! Next, a classic stuf ...Continue Reading

January 30, 2026 *I love a weather forecast that starts with "Abundant Sunshine" *and that's just what we have this week, and gloriously warm weather, unlike much of the rest of the country. The SoCal family is gathering in West Hollywood on Saturday for a joint birthday celebration for my great nephew and for me-- it's going to be mid-80s. I've always said I'm part lizard, as this is perfect temperatures for me, For the recipes this week, first off is a feast-worthy pork rib roast. Try the brine-i ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ January 23, 2026 *It's gray and rainy at the beach this week, *good weather for staying inside. I did go back to the King Arthur Flour Mardi Gras King Cake recipe earlier this week and made a pretty darn good King Cake. I made a brown sugar/cinnamon filling instead of the cream cheese filling in the main recipe, and plan to make another one with an almond filling, maybe for my birthday next month. I face-timed with my girlfriends back in New Orleans over the weekend; they were decorating specialt ...Continue Reading

Cookbook order click here  January 16, 2026 *We entered the lottery this week *for a chance to buy tickets to the 2028 Summer Olympics; fingers crossed!  There will be a lot of events practically in our back yard, and I'm going to sign up as a volunteer as well. It's starting to get exciting, as the announcements keep coming about the planned festivities. My friends back in New Orleans are gearing up for Mardi Gras-- it's a little early this year, with Fat Tuesday falling on February 17. I att ...Continue Reading

January 9, 2026 *Happy New Year! *I hope you and your family had a peaceful, enjoyable holiday season. My sister flew down, and we spent Christmas Eve with Jim's family; amazing prime rib. Christmas Day, I had everyone over and we all made pizzas. The kids came in their pajamas; it was a fun day. This week, it's chilly here at the beach, so I made a big pot of beef stew. I'll have to make it again and measure ingredients as I go; I've been making it for so long it's basically muscle memory for me. For the recipe ...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

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