May 26, 2023 Ahh, a long weekend! We got it off to an early start with a girlfriend's lunch and a stop at Vaucresson's to stock up on some excellent sausage-- some of the spicy Creole, and I've not tried the Italian yet. I've got friends coming over Monday afternoon for a barbecue, and we'll put some on the grill. For the recipes this week, I Memorial Day gatherings in mind. First up is a Southern take on the Maine lobster roll; perfectly poached shrimp are folded into a spicy deviled egg salad then stuffed ...Continue Reading

May 19, 2023 It's BLT season here-- I bought some good Wright's smoked bacon, a freshly baked chiabatta loaf, and some burratta, I have some riped Creole tomatoes and crisp romaine lettuce; will probably add a few basil leaves to the mix. I got the makings for my favorite wedge salad with Point Reyes blue cheese and we had a feast last night. For the recipes this week, I chose a baked stuffed flounder that's reminiscent of the stuffed flounder I used to eat at seafood joints along the Mississippi gulf coast. Next ...Continue Reading

May 12, 2023 I am working on tarts for the summer issue right now; mainly savory, although I may throw in a couple of sweet ones before I'm done. Simplicity seems to be what I'm craving right now, clean, fresh, and not too fussy. So, if you have any requests, now is the time! For the recipes this week, along those lines, I selected a pickled shrimp recipe; I'll make several versions over the course of the summer, because I like to have it on hand in the refrigerator. Good for a quick snack, a salad topping, and you'll ...Continue Reading

May 5, 2023 The weather has been  perfect  this week; rain for the weekend, alas for Jazz Festers. But I'm sure the local farmers will be happy to see it; we've had a fairly dry spring so far. We had people over for dinner Wednesday night and I cooked a feast! Chicken kebabs and ground beef and lamb patties, with a delicious tabouleh, some hummus, fresh pita bread, and various dips, cheeses, and olives to round it out. I made enough I shouldn't have to cook for the rest of the week! That'll make a nice ...Continue Reading

April 21, 2023 French Quarter Festival was awesome Friday; I walked down to the Quarter with friends and lazed in the shade for several hours, enjoyed a beer and a crawfish pie, then walked back home. Clocked 9 miles that day! Definitely got my steps in. We're invited to a crawfish boil Saturday afternoon and I'm looking forward to it. My first of the season, and the weather is supposed to be spectacular. For the recipes this week, first up I've selected a favorite from the community cookbook Pirate's Pantry ...Continue Reading

April 14, 2023 A friend works as a restaurant manager and has only Monday and Tuesday nights off. I invited her and a few other friends over for Taco Tuesday this week; there were 8 of us for dinner and it was a lot of fun. I roasted a pork butt and made carnitas, and Jim roasted some marinated chicken thighs that we then chopped up for chicken tacos. I also made a pot of Posole Rojo, made corn tortillas from scratch, and we feasted. There wasn't much food left at the end of the night. I love cooking tasty food for peo ...Continue Reading

April 7, 2023 I'm just getting back into the groove after a long and much-needed beach vacation. We spent the time in Mazatlán, on the beautiful Pacific coast of Mexico, and the weather was absolutely perfect every day. Chilly at night, high 70s to low 80s in the daytime, with very little humidity. My favorite!. For the recipes this week, I have two seafood recipes, and side dish perfect for your next fish fry. Enjoy this week's recipes, stay safe and healthy, and, as always, let me know wha ...Continue Reading

March 31, 2023 I'm just getting back into the groove after a long and much-needed beach vacation. We spent the time in Mazatlán, on the beautiful Pacific coast of Mexico, and the weather was absolutely perfect every day. Chilly at night, high 70s to low 80s in the daytime, with very little humidity. My favorite!. For the recipes this week, I have two seafood recipes, and side dish perfect for your next fish fry. Enjoy this week's recipes, stay safe and healthy, and, as always, let me know wh ...Continue Reading

March 10, 2023 Happy St. Patrick's! I know many of you are still enduring cold and snowy weather, but in this part of the country, it's been warm for so long my cats are blowing their winter coats at a record pace. The weather is going to be lovely for the Irish Channel parade this weekend—I hope I catch all I need to add to my corned beef for corned beef and cabbage. For the recipes this week, I have two old traditional Louisiana recipes, and a deliciously easy one for the grill. The Jumbo Shrimp Viola are from ...Continue Reading

February 24, 2023 While some of our readers are in blizzardy portions of the country, here in New Orleans we're topping 80 degrees, in shorts and flip flops, and grilling. Last night we grilled some spicy marinated chicken, made a fresh salsa, and folded the chicken into freshly homemade corn tortillas. This afternoon I'm grilling redfish on the half shell that my wonderful neighbor Doug caught and gave to me. One of the many benefits of running a recipe testing kitchen and having our Taste Buds stop by to sample ...Continue Reading