November 12, 2021 Thanksgiving is two weeks from today and I'm gearing up for a crowd. We have a family conference call scheduled to make sure everyone gets all their favorites; macaroni and cheese is at the top of my list. My brother is making a ham, and I'm in charge of the roast turkey; I think I'll go with a dry brine this year, as I've had such good success dry brining chicken lately. In addition to family members I've invited a couple who are new to the US; she is from Thailand, and he is from the Netherlan ...Continue Reading

November 5, 2021 The weather is great; South Louisiana is going to smell like gumbo this weekend, for sure. I might splurge on a pot of it myself, chicken and smoked sausage so I can share it with my friend who has a very unfortunate shellfish allergy. Here's my recipe, made in my Instant Pot; it's still an all-day project, though, unless you have home made chicken stock in your freezer. But it's well worth the time; leftovers freeze beautifully, perfect for a simple dinner on a busy night when you don't have ...Continue Reading

October 29, 2021 Brisk! I love it. We finally had a cool front move through and it looks like it's going to stick around for a while. So I'm all up in cozy food mode for the next few days. Plus, my family just finalized plans for Thanksgiving this year; I'm hosting, my sister is flying in, my brother and his clan are coming, the Netherlands/Thai neighbor couple are coming for their first-ever American Thanksgiving... Last year it was pandemic, the previous year we went to my friend Debbie's house in Brea ...Continue Reading

October 22, 2021 Ugh it's never going to get cool...a little better last weekend, but when we started out on our morning walk this morning, the windows were fogged over with condensation and it was hot and muggy. I'm ready for sweater weather, hot cocoa, and soups, stews, and gumbos. I'm putting finishing touches on the holiday food guide and will be shipping it soon, then on to the first issue of 2022 and I am looking forward to cooking some serious comfort food. I'm going to devote a section to making stock; it ...Continue Reading

October 15, 2021 One of my nieces blew threw town yesterday, and my younger brother was able to drive over from Mississippi; we made little piggies of ourselves on po'boys, muffulettas, and redfish from the ever-popular Mahoney's here in New Orleans. I'd not seen her in TWO years, and I got to finally meet her fiancé face-to-face instead of just over Facetime or Zoom. It was only a few hours, but it was great to see everyone. Earlier in the week, a med-school starving student neighbor jumped on my inv ...Continue Reading

October 8, 2021, 2021 National Gumbo Day is Tuesday, and the weather forecast is predicting a high of 85F here in New Orleans for the day; I may have to turn the thermostat down and pretend it's cool enough to make a roux. I've yet to meet a well-prepared gumbo I didn't like, which is why I enjoy acting as judge for the annual Got Gumbo? cookoff each fall here in New Orleans, benefitting the United Way. I grew up on seafood gumbo from along the Mississippi gulf coast, much different than the gumbo you'll find in ...Continue Reading

October 1, 2021, 2021 Here we are, starting the final quarter of 2021. Here in New Orleans, the Hallowe'en decorations are starting to go up, and we got the welcome news earlier this week that the beloved Krewe of Boo 2021 has been given the go-ahead to roll on October 23, the first parade in over 18 months. Signs that normalcy may be around the corner, I hope. For the recipes this week, I've linked my favorite fried eggplant recipe; we had some Saturday night with a plate of spaghetti and marinara sauce. The deviled ...Continue Reading

September 24, 2021 It finally stopped raining and the temperatures have dropped some, much to the relief of our fellow Louisianans still without power almost 4 weeks after Ida came ashore as close to a category 5 hurricane. If you can, donate something, or send supplies to, the Cajun Navy. They are doing a world of good in the severely affected areas. For the recipes this week, I turned to the archives. I've linked to both my go-to recipe for chicken and sausage gumbo, and my favorite red beans and rice, then rou ...Continue Reading

September 17, 2021 We made it through Ida relatively unscathed-- no wind damage, no water damage, and we were able to get a generator on the refrigerator and freezer, so we didn't lose too much. Thank you to all who emailed and checked in. We are slowly getting back to a normal routine so I will keep my letter short. There are many south of us still without power and who are still suffering. Please keep them in mind and if you can help where you can. Enjoy the recipes below, stay safe and healthy, and, ...Continue Reading

September 10, 2021 We made it through Ida relatively unscathed-- no wind damage, no water damage, and we were able to get a generator on the refrigerator and freezer, so we didn't lose too much. We had two full propane tanks for the BBQ, and by then end of the day Wednesday had three large ice chests full of ice, so we were also able to save a lot of neighbor's food. We cooked dinner every night for more than a week, made coffee every morning, and did what we all could to help each other out. Our power came back o ...Continue Reading