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. ...
Quick and Easy
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...
Perfect Blue Cheese Dressing
So what's the deal with Blue Cheese Dressing? I wasn’t sure, either, so I Googled. Here’s the distilled version: Best as culinary historians can tell, the earliest mention of a blue cheese salad dressing was in the Edgewater Beach Hotel Salad Book, published in 1928....
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....
Lemon Chicken Pasta with Rosemary
I’m on week 3 of working 7 days in a row, so I’ll be quick. Luckily, Lemon Chicken Pasta is the perfect thing for this situation, plus it’s really good. Welcome to your new family favorite! This is one of those one-pot pasta recipes. You don’t cook the noodles before...
Ham and Swiss Party Sandwiches
Dorothy Parker famously observed, “Eternity is a ham and two people.” As much as I admire Dorothy Parker and her wit, that’s nonsense. I--and I know I’m not the only one--love having ham leftovers, and they’re certainly not a burden as long as you plan ahead just a...
Strawberry Salsa
You know it’s spring when the farmer’s markets and local grocery stores start putting out big, fat, beautiful strawberries. I picked some up the other day, and found that they were a little tart for my taste. Luckily, I have a quick and easy remedy for that:...
Orange Ground Chicken
I’m on a mission to use up everything in my chest freezer. For one thing, it sorely needs to be organized. I’m a nicer person when things are organized. For another thing, I’m the kind of weirdo that keeps an inventory posted on the front of my freezer so I know what...
Jambalaya Fried Rice
Please don’t call, email, text, tweet, or message me to say this recipe is straight-up heresy. I already know. My very favorite jambalaya comes from the cookbook La Bouche Creole by Leon Soniat. Mr. Soniat was an old-school Louisiana chef, and he wrote a food column...
Marinated Steak Salad
Marinated Steak Salad is one of my favorite things to eat with my fingers, straight out of the refrigerator, standing in the kitchen, sometimes with the refrigerator door open. (Can somebody please get my Dad some smelling salts? After all, we don’t own the power...
Creole Chicken Fettuccine
This is exactly the sort of dinner I like whenever my week and To Do list are nuts. It’s a tried and true recipe, widely accepted and acceptable, and it doesn’t trash the kitchen. It's the holiday season as I write this--y'all know the fun doesn't let up until Lent...
Roasted Cocktail Shrimp
I’m sure we all know the easy way to cook a pile of raw shrimp. First you fill a big pot with water, salt, and crab boil and throw in a cut up lemon or two. Bring that to a boil and add a whole bunch of shrimp. Put a big colander in the sink. Watch the shrimp like a...