March 5, 2021 What I'm working on: Monday I roasted a large bone-in pork butt that I seasoned Saturday night and marinated all weekend; it's for the Leisure Cooking section of the next issue of the magazine and I got rave reviews from all who tried it. I finalized developing recipes for a dinner we have at least once a month that involved roasted Gulf fish, a complementary platter of roasted vegetables, and garlicky spinach. This one comes together in just about an hour and so qualifies for a Weeknight dish, ...Continue Reading

February 26, 2021 Much to my relief, I got my first COVID-19 vaccination earlier this week with nominal side effects. I was a little tired in the afternoon, and my arm is a little sore, but that's it. My second round is scheduled for mid-March, so by the end of March I'll feel much better going about my business. Jim's fully vaccinated—I dreamed of puppies and kittens a sure sign that my mind is fairly untroubled! What are you going to do with your extra day this year? Monday is leap day; I think I'm going t ...Continue Reading

February 19, 2021 Still cold, but not like other parts of the country, and thankfully, at least so far, our power and water have not been interrupted. Freeze warnings in effect at night still. It'll be above 70 by the end of next week...  I'm in the middle of developing and testing recipes for the next print edition; plenty of crawfish on the horizon. I've not heard yet how the freeze in the western part of the state has affected this year's crawfish season, but I'm sure it will get a late start. Meanwh ...Continue Reading

February 12, 2021 Brrr it's going to get cold! Rare here in New Orleans, we're expecting a freeze at least 1 night next week-- I'll have to bring in the plants and make sure the porch kitty's heating pad is on high. I wish she'd move inside, but at least I know she'll stay warm. If the year were "normal" we'd be right in the middle of Mardi Gras right now. I suppose the bright side is, at least we won't be out in miserable weather. Everyone's already making plans for next year. The February/March ...Continue Reading

February 5, 2021 My birthday was earlier this week; for my birthday dinner, I baked beautiful halibut fillets, roasted a pan of vegetables, and sautéed a skillet of garlicky spinach. (King cake for dessert!) This has become one of our go-to meals, and I'll get all the recipes written down with actual measurements instead of just eyeballing it. They'll be included in the spring edition of the magazine. I wrapped up the February/March edition this afternoon and shipped it off to the printer; I'm going to be ...Continue Reading

January 29, 2021 Next week is my birthday week and I asked Jim yesterday what kind of birthday cake he wants me to get (he's got the sweet tooth in the family) He's still pondering; he needs to let me know soon if it's to be yellow cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, because I don't have any cocoa! Birthday cake and king cake aside, we've decided to get our diet a little healthier for a few weeks; the COVID pounds are creeping up on us both. Weekly pizza plus a weekly loaf of Italian bread has a way of doi ...Continue Reading

January 22, 2021 As I'm sure is the case with many of you, the stay home / socially distance and other COVID protections is old... I haven't spent this many consecutive days without at least 1 night away from home in my entire life. I am so ready for some return to normalcy, to be able to have friends over for dinner. But I have to tell you about what may be the best compliment to my cooking I've ever had that came earlier this week. I've mentioned before that one of my neighbors is a young medical student, f ...Continue Reading

January 8, 2021 I want you all to know that I did make a big pot of chili, bought some Fritos, and assembled Frito Pie, per the directions on last week's newsletter. It was delicious and Jim is reliving his childhood with chili cheese dogs using the leftovers this week. The chili was my own concoction. It was awesome and I kind of wrote the recipe down as I went along; chili isn't something I'd normally include in the magazine but I might make an exception for a later issue so let me know if y'all are in ...Continue Reading

January 8, 2021 Happy New Year! I hope your year is off to a fresh start. I made a big pot of black eye peas with ham and smoked sausage; a pot of slow-braised cabbage and onion; a pork roast that I put in sous vide for about 4 hours with garlic, ginger, and soy that was divine, I'll work on a formal recipe for that one and share it later this year; and a big skillet of yellow buttermilk cornbread loaded with jalapeño peppers and cheddar, with a super-crispy crust. One of my neighbors is a young medical stu ...Continue Reading

December 24, 2020 Merry Christmas! I pulled a few recipes from the archives for this week-- we've been busy with a rush of last-minute gift subscriptions for the magazine. Readers are LOVING the holiday food guide, and are calling up to send copies to family and friends. I'll be back early next week with a newsletter full of recipes for good health, good luck, and wealth for your New Year's Day menu, then I intend to take the rest of the year off!  Whatever you and your family plan for the season, please st ...Continue Reading