Birthdays were a big deal when we were young. We got dressed up and mom and dad piled my brother, sister and I into the Impala for the ride into the city to a fancy restaurant. It was usually an old-line establishment with white linen napkins, more glasses than there were liquids and a confusing […]
Early Lessons in Restaurant Etiquette Read More »
It’s the part of cooking that no one ever talks about. It’s a topic rarely covered on the countless food shows hosted by famous chefs. Prepping food for a recipe is not glamorous and does not sell ads. Even so, this mundane, time-consuming task simply must be done. There are a few ways I like
How to Entertain (Yourself) During Food Prep Read More »
Early in my career, I worked too much and slept too little while covering crime, floods and the daily circus of news. I needed a break from urban reality and the adrenaline rush. I needed a reboot. I reasoned a visual study would calm me mentally and spiritually and perhaps help me understand what was
Coming Full Circle Read More »
Sharing a cocktail with your one true love is a wonderful way to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day! Here are four recipes to put you in the mood for love.
Our Favorite Valentine’s Potions Read More »
I am a Mardi Gras veteran. A childlike Christmas morning feeling of anticipation resonates in me the night before Fat Tuesday. It’s congenital, born with the first butt tap when I was introduced to this world at Baptist Hospital on Napoleon Avenue, just a few days into the Lenten season. That seed for carnival excitement
Parading Down Memory Lane Read More »
There’s a famous art installation in Amarillo, Texas called the Cadillac Ranch, where a line of classic wing-tipped, fin-tailed Cadillacs are half-buried, nose first in the stark dirt. I’ve always loved the striking visual—decadent post-WWII luxury roadsters arranged in a line of 10, as if they had hit the earth from outer space doing well
Meatloaf: A Revisionist History Read More »
THERE WERE TIMES in my youth I thought Santa lived with my grandmother. I grew up across the street from my maternal grandparents. It was on a day I was sick at home from school, busy building a tent of sheets over a collection of chairs in the living room, when a sixth sense gave me pause. Just as
Believing in the Holiday Spirit Read More »
It’s October. Did I just hear the last gasp of summer? I hope so. Open the windows, plant the fall gardens, toss the sunscreen, put away the white shoes and purses, the seersucker suits and white linen. Cooler nights and a hint of autumn is creeping in bringing colorful fall crops; tomatoes, leafy greens like
Primi, Secondo Contorni, Dolci Read More »
CHOCOLATE- CREAM CHEESE MOUSSE From “Recipe Girl” This is a decadent, very rich dessert. It’s delicious, but should be served in small portions. I would even suggest serving it in after-dinner drink glasses with small spoons. INGREDIENTS: Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened 2 cups granulated white sugar 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 cup
More Recipes from the Ancient Order of Southern Gourmets Read More »
I love this rich, roux based tomato sauce with fish stock. This is definitely one of my favorite Creole recipes. To achieve the complexity of flavors, you must go to your local seafood market and ask for fish bones and heads. Not for the faint of heart! This will give you the depth of flavors
Maggie’s Redfish Courtbouillon Read More »
Something old, something new. The twelve days of Christmas. Take me back to when no one counted calories and we thought it was absolutely fine to eat processed food. My mom used to make these for Xmas Eve and serve them warm straight out of the oven. Kind of like cheese straws wrapped around olives.
Every year on Christmas Eve, my friends and neighbors, Lizby and Randy Eustis, travel the streets of Covington in their decorated golf cart delivering Christmas cheer. Their Christmas milk punch packs a punch and definitely spreads joy throughout Covington. Rich, delicious and potent and now part of the Robert Christmas tradition. Makes 1 gallon:
Lizby and Randy Eustis Christmas Milk Punch Read More »
