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

April 9, 2021 Festivals and events! I'm excited to see my friends in the tourism industry beginning to send me information about upcoming fairs, festivals, and events. On the Northshore, mark your calendars for next weekend: The Covington Heritage Foundation is hosting the Antiques & Uniques Festival (a free event) on the 17th and 18th "One man's junk is another man's treasure...". Down on the Bayou, the inaugural Bayou Terrebonne Boucherie is on the 17th. The family-friendly event includes  ...Continue Reading

March 26, 2021 SO excited to report I dined out for the first time in over a year earlier this week. I joined a great group of women in the lovely private dining room at the stellar restaurant Gris Gris here in New Orleans to help a friend celebrate a big personal milestone. I had a wonderful meal I didn't have to think about, other than to decide what I wanted for my entrée (the daily Gulf Fish, which happened to be swordfish, one of my favorites). We'll do more of that over the coming weeks, and ...Continue Reading

March 12, 2021 Earlier this week some friends were in town visiting their son, a soon-to-be-graduate from Tulane's school of medicine. I was testing a recipe for Crawfish Queso Monkey Bread for the next issue of the magazine (divine) and invited them over to sample that afternoon; we sat outside around the picnic table, talked, and scarfed down an entire bundt pan of monkey bread. It was a tantalizing glimpse of life getting back to normal as this pandemic is brought under control! Of the 6 people around the table ...Continue Reading