April 5, 2024 The weather is spectacular here in New Orleans, and I intend to spend the weekend with my hands in dirt. I'm ready for peppers, herbs, and flowers. And for the oak pollen to be gone, please and thank you! We did get a little rain earlier in the week that seems to have washed most of it away. For the recipes this week, first up is a simple recipe for salmon croquettes. I'm reading everywhere that we all need to be eating more salmon for the healthty fats; this was a childhood favorite. Next ...Continue Reading

March 29, 2024 We live close to Coliseum Square Park here in New Orleans, and when the weather's nice, we get musical acts performing in the park. Wednesday night it was Piano on a Truck; André Bohren performed a full hour of classical piano pieces. What a nice way to end a weekday! This weekend I'm heading over to Mississippi for a seafood boil; my nephew's getting married. Their ask for my contribution to the potluck was my chocolate chip cookies, so I'll be baking cookies all day. For the recipes ...Continue Reading

March 22, 2024 We've had two false springs so far, and a third one is forecast for this weekend, with abundant sunshine and warm temperatures. I think I'll get my herb garden started, along with some hot pepper plants. Italian basil, parsley, oregano, and thyme are my staples, along with a cayenne pepper, jalapeño pepper, and serrano pepper plant. I've had no luck growing tomatoes in containers, so I'll give them a pass, probably. For the recipes this week, I'm looking forward to grilling the jalape&n ...Continue Reading

March 16, 2024 Happy St. Patrick's Day! It rolls through the Irish Channel here in New Orleans tomorrow, and we have a crowd planning to walk up to Magazine Street and enjoy the festivities. I hope I catch a cabbage, as I have a corned beef ready to put in the pot Sunday morning, along with potatoes and carrots. For the recipes this week, we're going easy. First up a stir-fry that will be equally good over a bed of hot cooked rice or Chinese-style noodles. Just specify that you want domestic shrimp. Next, a ...Continue Reading

March 2, 2024 I was treated to dinner earlier this week at Sofia (my first visit, will definitely go back!) by the people who threw the surprise birthday party I cooked for earlier this week. The food was delicious, but the CAKE! The birthday girl, my newfound friend Irene Sage, is not only a talented musician, but a magical cake baker. She made me a caramelized apple upside down cake that was, truly, one of the best cakes I've ever had, and my mom was a great baker. She says she has a method, and a basic bat ...Continue Reading

February 23, 2024 Last Friday I cooked dinner for a large group of people who got together to throw a surprise birthday for a beloved cousin. Italian-themed, I baked a 10 pound lasagna, nursed dough for 6 focaccias, and made blackened shrimp alfredo and linguine with shrimp and clams. It was all a big hit, some of the recipes are below. The birthday girl loves shrimp, plus it was Friday during Lent, so two of the dishes were seafood. First up, we blackened 2 pounds of shrimp and added them to a rich, creamy ...Continue Reading

February 9, 2024 Happy Mardi Gras! The big parking lots all around me are full of floats waiting to be staged and it'll be buzzing around here until Wednesday morning. We live in "the box" between St. Charles, where most of the parades roll, and Tchoupitoulis, where floats are moved uptown to stage for parades, so I have to be careful about getting in the car on parade days. I'm going to get my grocery shopping done early tomorrow so that I don't have to schedule everything around not being able to get h ...Continue Reading

February 2, 2024 It's my birthday weekend and I hear there will be a few parades rolling down St. Charles to celebrate ;-) ! We're planning to walk down to the French Quarter tomorrow afternoon; we have friends walking with the Krewe of Cork and the weather's supposed to be nice. For the recipes this week, I've chosen a shrimp scampi recipe that's easy, and topped with a crunchy Panko mixture you'll find lots of uses for. Next, a family favorite recipe that my mom and my grandmom made frequently: old-fashion ...Continue Reading

January 26, 2024 The weather still dominates the conversation here in New Orleans, with torrential rains and flooding this week instead of freezing temperatures. Hopefully it will clear up for the weekend's Mardi Gras festivities. It's not looking good for the first big parades next weekend, but that could change. For the recipes this week, I selected a buttermilk fried chicken cobb salad first up; we try to have an entree salad for dinner one night a week, and this one fits the bill. Next, a classic veal milanes ...Continue Reading

January 19, 2024 We're warming up briefly in New Orleans, with another freeze expected for Saturday night. We had ice on the ground for more than 24 hours Tuesday and Wednesday, something that is very unusual here. However, our pot of mustard greens made it through, and they should be better after the cold weather. My mom would never pick them until after the first frost; like collard greens, they're less bitter and sweeter after a cold spell. I must have had warmer weather on the brain when I selected the recipe ...Continue Reading