Food+Drink

Cool Off This Summer

It’s hot out there. But we don’t have to tell y’all that. We do love our state, but summers can be long and a bit on the sweltering side. However, there’s good news. Throughout Louisiana there are numerous hotels offering…

How Breaux Bridge Sparked Our Crawfish Obsession

We take our state crustacean for granted, routinely imbibing crawfish at those enormous family crawfish boils or enjoying the more sophisticated crawfish étouffée or bisque in a white tablecloth restaurant. But serving up those popular crawfish experiences wasn’t always a…

Louisiana Honored at the Bocuse d’Or Americas 2024

NEW ORLEANS (press release) – On June 12 and 13, for the first time in the United States of America, the 2024 Americas selection for the Bocuse d’Or will take place in New Orleans. A doubly original selection as it…

Sixth Annual Cook-Off for the Coast at Docville Farm

NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The sixth annual Cook-Off for the Coast will offer free family-friendly fun on Saturday, Feb. 24, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Docville Farm in St. Bernard Parish. The event – co-hosted by Restore the Mississippi River Delta, Vanishing…

Impromptu Soups for Cold Louisiana Weather

Often listen to music when I cook. Lately, my choice has been “The Complete Million Dollar Quartet,” an impromptu jam session that took place at Sun Records in Memphis on December 4, 1956, with Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee…

Holiday Decadence

  As the holiday season approaches, we’ve already started making plans for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Those big family celebrations are wonderful, but we also look forward to small seasonal meals with close friends. Here’s a menu loaded…

La Nouvelle Louisiane

While it may also be known as Sportsman’s Paradise, Louisiana is home to more than just natural beauty. From top restaurants and breweries to music venues, museums and dance halls, the state is brimming with individuals keen to make Louisiana…

Frozen Flavor Explosions

Since ice cream knows no season, this is a good time to enjoy some of autumn’s fruits and nuts in frozen form. Pecans, persimmons and apples, three fall favorites, can be turned into delicious ice creams. There are an infinite…

Savory Summer

  The scientific name for the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) means “tasty (or savory) beautiful swimmer,” and that is a most fitting description considering how delectable crab is and how many ways it can be prepared and served. The sweet…

Quick and Cool

If ever there was an optimum time to become a vegetarian, it is now. With all the fresh local produce available this month, a person could make the change and not feel at all deprived. A visit to the farmers…

Wine and Dine

photo courtesy delta biscuit; herons on the bayou; landry vineyards We must admit we’re skeptical when people rave about Louisiana red and white varietal wines. Most vineyards in the Deep South produce sweet muscadine or fruit-based wines. But we…

Call of the Wild

SPRING/SUMMER Spring and summer are the seasons seafood lovers look forward to during the cold, gray winter. Shrimp, crab, red snapper and redfish are some of the most longed for delicacies. Start dinner with crab cakes and then have red…

Bicentennial Festivities

Lafayette’s year-long bicentennial revelries continue with the Celtic Bayou Festival bicentennial celebration March 17-18 (celticbayoufestival.com) followed by the March 26-30 Festival International de Louisiane bicentennial celebrations (festivalinternational.org). Chartered by the Louisiana Legislature in 1823 two years after its founding, the…

Spirit Filled

Hometown Lakeland, Louisiana Age 32 Occupation President/CEO, Oxbow Rum Distillery Web oxbowrumdistillery.com   Wheeling through the fields, the pickup bumps and bounds past walls of tall golden stalks. Windows rolled down, a small hand hanging out of the truck…

Big skies & wine

Drinking and driving? That’s dangerous! But nobody says you can’t shuffle a few steps from the wine bar to your comfy bed using your own two feet after a few tipples. Romantic, beautiful to behold, and a way to…

‘Tis the Season for Sweet Potatoes

The Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission is celebrating its 70th anniversary with various promotions that feature growers. René Simone, director, says it’s been a good year for our nutritious, delicious Louisiana sweet potatoes. The Beauregard harvest usually ends in mid-November. It…

Take Two

Gin & Tonic 1 slice lime 1 slice cucumber 1 large basil leaf 2 ounces gin ice cubes 4-6 ounces tonic water Place lime, cucumber and basil leaf in a tall glass or balloon glass. Add gin and press on…

Kitchen Gourmet: Local Catch

Tip Use your favorite salsa, either homemade or commercial, for this recipe. Crema is a slightly tangy Mexican cream. If unavailable, substitute sour cream thinned with a little milk or cream.   It’s a tradition in these parts to take…