A couple of days ago my dear friend AC showed up to Party on the Porch with a particularly thoughtful hostess gift: a gallon bag of gorgeous fresh basil. I used some for garnish on some pasta the next day and I still had a ton left. I certainly didn’t need more...
Quick and Easy
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
It has come to my attention that I don’t post anywhere near enough recipes for sweets. There are reasons for that. First, I’m not really a baker, and what little baking I do is usually bread-type things rather than dessert-type things. Second, I’m not much of a...
Fresh Tomato Tart
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...
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...
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. ...
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...