I was at my parents’ house recently, and my mom was making me take home tomatoes from their garden. (That makes it sound like a bad thing--it’s not.) I guess we were talking about what to do with tomatoes when she announced that a gentleman they know has the best...
Family Friendly
Stuffed Figs Wrapped in Bacon
If Leslie Anne Tarabella isn’t your personal friend, I’m so sorry. But chin up! Leslie Anne writes these terrific collections of stories that help the rest of the universe understand the Deep South. She’s a hoot, and very insightful. Is there a word for that? In any...
Baked Shrimp Scampi
As long as we’re cooking quick and easy summer food, you need to know about delicious Baked Shrimp Scampi. (You’ll note that this is also a quick and easy blog post.) This recipe is based on the typical North American version of Shrimp Scampi, specifically the one...
Sweet Potato Hummus
I haven’t made Sweet Potato Hummus in a while, and I made it last weekend for a party. It’s one of those things I forget about, and then when I do make it I think, “Why am I not making this all the time?!?” There’s nothing authentic about it, and I don’t care. ...
Bloody Mary Shrimp
I know y’all like detailed history lessons and such, but I’m busy this week and you’re just going to have to make do with the condensed version. Here it is: bloody marys have been around since the 1920s; they were probably invented by Fernand Petiot at Harry’s Bar in...
Fresh Corn Salad
We’ve talked before about how seasonally-dependent we all are on fresh-picked, local, Silver Queen corn. Well, last week my favorite fresh corn dealer let it be known that she’d be back in business on Friday at her usual spot--the side road next to the liquor store. ...
Pepper Jelly Glaze for Chicken
I have just discovered something fantastic. It’s a new sauce/glaze for chicken, and I can’t believe I haven’t tried it before. I was cleaning the refrigerator recently and found half a jar of red jalapeno pepper jelly left over from the holidays. I was considering...
Deviled Egg Salad
We had egg salad sandwiches frequently when I was growing up. We also had tuna salad and chicken salad. I liked them all. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I realized you couldn’t eat egg, tuna, or chicken salad from just anyplace. In fact, all of them were...
Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Shrimp
One of my very favorite treats is stuffed Gulf shrimp. Stuffed seafood is definitely a thing all along the Gulf Coast, and stuffed shrimp is a restaurant delicacy. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve happily ordered stuffed shrimp over the years. I know...
Macaroni and Cheese
Let me be perfectly clear right up front: this may not be the Mac and Cheese you were expecting. I’ve been making this Macaroni and Cheese for a long time. It has many similarities to the Macaroni and Cheese that my mom made for us growing up, but I’ve long since lost...
Meatloaf Burgers
I recently had a reader request comfort food recipes. I thought all of my recipes were comforting, but what do I know? So I asked what sort of thing he had in mind. The answer was meatloaf and mac and cheese. Fine. Meatloaf today, Macaroni and Cheese next week....
Chinese Baby Back Ribs
Y’all already know that I love Chinese-American food almost as much as I love TexMex, and that’s really saying something. I keep Asian seasoning ingredients in my pantry so I can whip up something even better than Chinese takeout at a moment’s notice. I love that with...