June 18, 2021 My sister leaves tonight-- we've had a nice visit. Friends came over for a casual dinner last night, bringing boudin that we put on the grill, I made a loaf of my good Italian bread, and we feasted. I made the chilled tomato platter linked below, except I added come sliced cucumbers to the mix, and we grilled some corn, then finished up with a ripe cantaloup. My idea of a perfect light supper for a hot summer day-- and Monday is the first day of summer, so appropriate. The colossal grilled shrimp wo ...Continue Reading

June 11, 2021 Earlier this week my sister flew in--we'd not seen her in a year and a half. We haven't done anything particularly exciting besides catch up, although we did make a trip down to Plaquemines Parish to stock up on Creole tomatoes. A platter of those with sliced pickling cucumbers, avocado, quick-pickled onion, etc. have been on the table every night. Our brother and his family will be over this weekend; I think pizza is on the agenda, because it's easy and we have a lot of catching up to do. Looking fo ...Continue Reading

June 4, 2021 Earlier this week I attended a reception for the New Orleans tourism and hospitality industry at the brand new Higgins Hotel, part of the burgeoning National World War II Museum complex in the central business district here in New Orleans. It was great to catch up with old friends I've not seen in 18 months, and meet some new ones as our industry rebounds post-pandemic. I strongly suggest you put the museum on your itenerary the next time you're in town, and check out the Higgins as a potential ...Continue Reading

May 28, 2021 Memorial Day, as a kid, marked the official start of summer. School was out, the weather was almost hot enough to go swimming--after we finished picking and cleaning whatever vegetables were ripe in the garden and other chores left for us--, and we were free to roam. Our summer break was less than 3 months, but it seemed like forever when I was that age. This year, as we're slowly emerging from pandemic isolation, I don't have much planned for the holiday weekend. It's going to be hot and sunny, tho ...Continue Reading

May 21, 2021 It's been rainy this week and I'm sick of it, but I have to say our flowers, herbs, and pepper plants are loving it. I swear they grow several inches every day, and the jalapeño pepper already has tiny peppers on it. In an effort to get rid of some of the pandemic pudge we've been paying close attention to what we eat--calories in vs. calories expended does work, after all--but this weekend the weather's going to be better and we're having friends over for a pizza fest. I make a great Neapoli ...Continue Reading

May 13, 2021 Earlier this week I pulled out my sous vide wand, mixed up a marinade pulling flavors from our extensive Vietnamese community, and put it and a flank steak in my silicone sealable food-save bag. I cooked it sous vide at 130F for a full 24 hours, then seared it on screaming hot cast iron under the broiler because it was monsooning outside and I don't grill in the thunder and lightening. The steak wasn't quite fork-tender, but it was, hands-down, the best flank steak I've ever cooked. You'll find t ...Continue Reading

May 6, 2021 Abbreviated note this week; my surrogate nephew/newly minted medical doctor neighbor got matched with the Cleveland Clinic for his residency, and will be pulling out of New Orleans for good tomorrow morning. We're sharing a final dinner tonight, I've baked him a loaf of bread today for the road, so not much time to dedicate here today. For this week's recipes, I selected a fiery grilled chicken recipe complete with a chile sauce you'll use for other things; Italian-style Barbecue Shrimp you' ...Continue Reading

April 30, 2021 If you love music, and/or routinely attend Jazz Fest, point your browser to WWOZ (click the "Listen Now" button at the top of the screen), or local radio station here in New Orleans. Because Jazz Fest was cancelled, they're streaming Fest in Place all weekend, with a great line-up of musicians from years past: here's the schedule.  I've been cooking like mad for the last week for the next issue of the magazine. Earlier in the week it was a deviled shrimp burger, baked instead of ...Continue Reading

April 23, 2021 If you love music, and/or routinely attend Jazz Fest, point your browser to WWOZ (click the "Listen Now" button at the top of the screen), or local radio station here in New Orleans. They're streaming Fest in Place all weekend, with a great line-up of musicians: here's the schedule.  Jim and I have been entertaining a bit and it feels wonderful. My adopted "nephew" med student is getting ready to move away for his residency and I'm having him over with some friends for ...Continue Reading

April 16, 2021 I don't know about you, but here in New Orleans, if "April showers" portend "May flowers", we'd better get ready for bounty. I've lost count of the rainfall so far this month, and there's more to come!   For this week's recipes, I selected a very simple Alfredo recipe with shrimp and broccoli; a chicken paella recipe that I've been making in one form or another for more than 20 years; and a decadent, creamy seafood lasagna. My Italian husband believes that "real&q ...Continue Reading