Watermelon stands lining the side of the rural parish roads are an especially Southern thing. Truckloads begin arriving as the temperature soars, and there is no better way to cool down than a slice of ice-cold watermelon on the back porch steps. Or maybe there is: Watermelon Bread – hot out of the oven. I’ve…
Grilled Apricot and Herb Salad
Lazy summer days in the South are for eating light and this Grilled Apricot and Herb Salad keys on the freshest fruit and garden herbs you can source in a tasty (and healthy) combination. Time to slow down and enjoy life. Even in these stay-at-home days, life is moving fast–too fast. It’s almost July already…
Jockamo Chicken with Fettuccine in a Smoked Tasso Cream Reduction
Chicken just got a Cajun makeover in this Jockamo Chicken with Fettuccine in a Smoked Tasso Cream recipe featuring the malty flavor of beer in a cream reduction. Spiked with seasoned tasso ham and grated Romano cheese, we’re elevating chicken to new heights. Not sure exactly how it happened, but there’s been a cruel trick…
Sweet Dough. Sweet Life.
Blackberry Sweet Dough Pie with delicate pastry focuses on the burst of juicy flavor from sweet blackberries picked fresh. It is a dish that brings me back to a time long ago and the flavors I long for. Among my fondest memories of growing up in the Deep South are picking pails of fresh blackberries…
Farmhouse Frittata with Lavender Cream
My neighbor Cookie who lives across the alley is a sweet ray of sunshine that brightens my day and occasionally brings breakfast to my back door. I’m blessed to have a former caterer as my friend, and thankfully, she still delivers. She is an exceptional cook and this particular morning she brought me one of…
Dirty Rice Stuffed Onions
An iconic side dish of Cajun cuisine is rice dressing, commonly referred to as dirty rice, made from a Cajun recipe featuring seasoning and spices along with pork liver. You won’t see a meat-and-three plate lunch without a scoop of the stuff–it’s practically a food group in Acadiana. Here in South Louisiana, there are numerous…
Meatball Fricassée – A Classic Roux-Based Recipe
Roux season is in full bloom and the recipe cards and files are coming out of summer hiding. This old-school Cajun recipe for meatball fricassée is one of my favorites and is seen often across the rural culinary landscape of South Louisiana. Deep, dark and full of bold roux-based flavor, this is a prime example…
Braised Beef Shanks with Parsley Pecan Pesto
Let’s cut to the meat of this story–whole sectional cuts of beef are irresistible to me. They harken back to pioneer days and more rustic farm-style butchering techniques. But beef shanks are rarely seen whole in the supermarket. My guess is that retailers fear that timid customers will panic and run screaming from the meat…
Peggy’s Skillet Fried Chicken
Peggy is my momma. She passed away some time ago, but not before I learned her secret to the perfect fried chicken that I affectionately call Peggy’s Skillet Fried Chicken. She was a wiz in the kitchen and taught me the basics of cooking simply. She was a patient cook and knew that time was…
5 Keys To The Perfect Muffuletta
Finally, it’s time to relax. The holiday madness is over, we’ve rung in the New Year and the Super Bowl has officially ended the party season. Right? Wrong. Maybe elsewhere, but here in Acadiana, we love a celebration, and with Mardi Gras coming up, our party season is just getting started. Parties, balls, parades —…