September 22, 2023 I read recently that the wonderful organization that feeds people all over the world in the wake of disasters had published a cookbook-- The World Central Kitchen Cookbook by chef José Andrés. My local bookstore had a copy in stock so I picked it up-- what a worthy organization to support. It is full of stories of these hard-working chefs and cooks striving to provide food and comfort under very challenging circumstances-- and it's FULL of wonderful recipes. I've included the Chick ...Continue Reading

September 15, 2023 We finally have a bit of a break in the heat wave, but not enough to break out the gumbo pot. Although I think my first cool weather cook will be red beans and rice; it's been too long since I've had a bite. For the recipes this week, I've got weekend gatherings for football games on my mind. First up is an easy appetizer that can be assembled in advance then grilled at the last minute so the bacon is crisp and sizzling and the cheese is melty. Next up, that guilty pleasure called Frito Pie. Ke ...Continue Reading

September 8, 2023 Here's an easy meal I wholly recommend. Jim made it for me on a really stressful night earlier this week. Our local supermarket carries the RANA brand of tortellini in the refrigerator section; I got the 5-cheese blend. I keep a few jars the Lucini brand of organic pasta sauce sauce on hand, he went with Spicy Tuscan. He heated up a good glug of olive oil over medium heat, diced half a medium onion and chopped a few cloves of garlic, and sweated them until nice and soft. He then added a ...Continue Reading

September 1, 2023 Wednesday night, André Bohren, a really talented classical pianist, had his piano on the back of a truck parked at Coliseum Park in our neighborhood. Jim and I walked over to the beautiful park with a few friends, sat down under the old oak trees, and listened to him play. It was a lovely 90 minutes. For the recipes this week, I picked an easy shrimp and orzo dish from a cookbook I picked up recently; the marinated feta is an excellent addition, and I'll be using it in salads and sprinkle ...Continue Reading

August 25, 2023 Alas, the one cool-ish day we had last week didn't last; I'm writing this Thursday afternoon and the temps are heading toward 100+ with a "feels like" heat index of about 115F. Dangerous, in other words. I'm doing as little as humanly possible, after we get our morning walk in. I don't remember a stretch of this kind of heat ever, and the 10-day forecast has temps over 90 every single day. We need a break, and some rain. For the recipes this week, I selected a very simple fried pork chop ...Continue Reading

August 18, 2023 Wednesday when we started out on our daily walk the temperature was *only* 78F, the coolest it's been here since early June. The temp *only* climbed to about 92F in the afternoon, also the coolest high temperature we'd seen for a while. Alas, back to 95F today, and even hotter over the weekend. We could use some rain. For the recipes this week, I picked a crispy salt and pepper shrimp; the shrimp are fried with the shell on and the crunchy bites are irresistable. Next, a decadent seafood-stuf ...Continue Reading

August 11, 2023 Many thanks to all who reached out to me over the past week. I couldn't respond to all of you; please know that it meant a lot. My sister is still in town, she'll be headed back home on Saturday. Again this week, I've only included 1 new recipe this week. It's also from the May/June 2022 edition of the magazine and is one Drew cooked for me to photograph. It's definitely a special-occasion recipe, but is sure to impress. I often make more of both the deviled shrimp and the pickled shrimp ...Continue Reading

August 4, 2023 My baby brother was killed in an accident last week and I am crushed.  He spent the weekend after July 4 with us here in New Orleans and we spent Saturday afternoon in the kitchen cooking together, something we loved to do. His final task was to stand over the stove, pressing and cooking 32 torillas for our taco feast. He grumbled at the tedium of it, but got it done. We had some people over that night to help celebrate Jim's birthday, and Drew ate at least 4 tacos. He had a couple more for bre ...Continue Reading

July 21, 2023 I stopped in the bookstore earlier in the week and found Chef Vishwesh Baht's James Beard Award-winning cookbook I Am From Here on sale, so of course I bought it. He's the head chef at Snackbar up in Oxford, Mississippi, and his menu takes beloved local ingredients and often uses some of the flavors and techniques from his Indian heritage to give them a new twist. He has several recipes for grilled okra, a cooking method for okra that I've never tried, and I'm looking forward to giving it a go. We ha ...Continue Reading

July 14, 2023 Last night I went to Port of Call here in New Orleans for burgers with some girlfriends; I'd never been before, and was skeptical that the burgers were as delicious as billed, but they really were. I'd recommend it for any casual meal you're looking to have in the city. Jim, on his own for the evening, took himself out to dinner at Gianna's and he's not stopped raving about his meal. He had a bolognese verde and finished off with a lemon mousse cake; I'd bet we'll be back there before the month is ov ...Continue Reading