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

December 17, 2020 It's grey and chilly in New Orleans this week, and I scored a PERFECT bunch of collards yesterday. I intend to put them on the stove this afternoon with plenty of ham and smoked sausage; I've got some leftover smoked pork stock in the freezer and will add half a pound of black eye peas for the last hour or so. I'll bake a pan of cornbread loaded with lots of sharp cheddar and jalapeños, make a pot of rice, and call it dinner. DELICIOUS dinner! What time y'all stopping by?? There will ...Continue Reading

December 10, 2020 It's hard to believe that Christmas Eve is just 2 weeks from tomorrow, but it is. It will be a quiet holiday season this year; for the first time in years we aren't traveling west to see Jim's family. We haven't even started to talk about what we want to cook for Christmas dinner; I'll probably keep it pretty simple since it's just the two of us and, what with recipe testing turkey breasts for the magazine, we've had our fill of turkey for the year. Maybe I'll make a luxurious pasta dish with r ...Continue Reading

December 3, 2020 *The Holiday issue is in the mail. *➠➠➠➠➠➠ Thanksgiving was good--I made the buttermilk-brined turkey breast recipe that's in the holiday issue (which is in the mail!) with just one change- instead of lightly browning my turkey wings and then cooking them in water for stock, I seasoned them and roasted them at 350F for almost 2 hours, then broke them down and cooked them, with onion, celery, and garlic, in the Instant Pot for 2 hours. Best turkey stock I've ever made--it made a really ...Continue Reading

November 19, 2020 Click over on on the cover and get your digital copy. ➠➠➠➠➠➠ Thanksgiving has long been my favorite winter holiday, and I'm very sad that we won't be having friends and family over this year; it's just too dangerous. We've worked too hard for too long to let down our guard when it comes to COVID-19. So this will be my third year in a row without a crowd; last year my family had other obligations work-wise, so we joined some friends for a delicious meal in the western part of the state. For Thanks ...Continue Reading

November 12, 2020 Click over on on the cover and get your digital copy. ➠➠➠➠➠➠ When I started writing this yesterday morning it was cool and drizzly, thus the comfort food recipes below. Since our morning walk was delayed for weather, we went out mid-afternoon and it was muggy and hot; these recipes don't look nearly as appealing now! But those of you in cooler places will enjoy them, and the rest of us can turn the AC thermometer down a few points and pretend. It looks like fall outside, anyway... Congratulatio ...Continue Reading