December 15, 2023 Ten days to Christmas! My sister-in-law texted me last night that I was hired to help her wrap presents next week, with the caveat of no pay but plenty of wine supplied. I'll take that! Last year I took packages of Camellia red beans, and frozen smoked sausage and tasso along with my recipe for red beans and rice for both our niece and nephew to make for their family. TSA had to inspect my bag because the dried beans looked like "pointy objects". The same thing happened a few years ...Continue Reading

December 8, 2023 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 sh ...Continue Reading

December 1, 2023 With Thanksgiving behind (I have to admit, I was not on my A-game for the Thanksgiving meal, but the company was the best), I'll be looking ahead to holiday feasts. We always spend Christmas with family on the West Coast, and Christmas Eve is the big get-together; I'm in my sister-in-law's kitchen as sous chef. We've not talked about the menu yet, so this week I'm putting out some ideas for casual get-togethers. First, an easy but delicious cream of oyster soup, my husband's favorite. Delicious i ...Continue Reading

November 17, 2023 Thanksgiving is here!  If you don't have your menu quite set yet, I have compiled a list of suggestions here. I already cooked Thanksgiving this year, so we're going out to eat. This year I've got my family coming for a feast on Saturday; it's the day that works out best for the hectic schedules of the younger generation. It will be my first Thanksgiving without my brother in the kitchen to help out, so it's going to be a bittersweet day, to say the least. But I'm really looking forwar ...Continue Reading

November 3, 2023 The theme of this week's newsletter is "Easy". I'm taking a break from heavy-lift cooking in anticipation of what is to come later this month for Thanksgiving. I'm going to have a crowd this year, and it will be bittersweet without my brother here to help me as he has in years past. Up this week, first, a really simple but tasty shrimp and asparagus stir fry. Get your prep work done while the rice is cooking, and finish up the stir fry while it lasts. Next, a hearty beef stew that cooks ...Continue Reading

October 20, 2023 Thanksgiving is just a month away, and I'm already working on lists of ideas to go along with the roast turkey I make every year. Based on the information coming my way from our website's analytics, plenty of people are doing the same, so I've included a couple of holiday classics here this week. First up, a delicious oyster dressing from the venerable--and sorely missed-- Leah Chase. She uses the oyster liquor to soak bread cubes, so the entire dish is infused with briny flavor. Next, not h ...Continue Reading

October 13, 2023 Friday the 13th in October: Super Spooky! New Orleans goes all-out for halloween, and we're planning to get a group of friends together to take in the sights. We'll walk up to St. Charles, hop a streetcar, and ride uptown-- get a drink and a bite to eat somewhere, then make our way back home. It'll be entertaining, to say the least. For this week's recipes, I started out with char-grilled oysters. If you don't have access to oysters on the half-shell, put oysters in mini muffin tins, season, and ...Continue Reading

September 29, 2023 I hope that some of you made the Chicken Chile Verde from last week's newsletter; I did, and it was delicious. I found jarred roasted Hatch chiles, medium heat, and it was perfect. We ate about half of it and froze the rest; one day when I need dinner in a hurry, I'll pull it out and make chicken enchilada pie with the rest of it. For this week's recipes, I started out with delicious roasted corn grits from Zea Grill & Bar; I'm already starting to work on my Thanksgiving menu and I think I' ...Continue Reading

September 22, 2023 I read recently that the wonderful organization that feeds people all over the world in the wake of disasters had published a cookbook-- The World Central Kitchen Cookbook by chef José Andrés. My local bookstore had a copy in stock so I picked it up-- what a worthy organization to support. It is full of stories of these hard-working chefs and cooks striving to provide food and comfort under very challenging circumstances-- and it's FULL of wonderful recipes. I've included the Chick ...Continue Reading

September 15, 2023 We finally have a bit of a break in the heat wave, but not enough to break out the gumbo pot. Although I think my first cool weather cook will be red beans and rice; it's been too long since I've had a bite. For the recipes this week, I've got weekend gatherings for football games on my mind. First up is an easy appetizer that can be assembled in advance then grilled at the last minute so the bacon is crisp and sizzling and the cheese is melty. Next up, that guilty pleasure called Frito Pie. Ke ...Continue Reading