Browsing: Recipes

I have been making homemade eggnog for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays for 50 years. Homemade eggnog has a vastly different taste than anything from a store. It is best served hot, right out of the pot. But most of all, it is best if shared with family and friends. The recipe below is my gift to you this year.

Recent conversations about our family gathering have included the menu with side dishes being the more specific topic.

Of course, side dishes need to encompass some healthy vegetables and enough food choices to satisfy a crowd. Yet, Thanksgiving almost commands that a comforting side dish be among the spread.

Potato salad is an essential side dish of summertime meals. I am unsure whether it was her special homemade pickles or her special knack, but my mother-in-law’s potato salad was my favorite.

June is blueberry season. Memorial Day signals the start of the harvest time. In some years, the berries ripen sooner. However, you can bet they won’t last longer than a month.

Summer is about to begin! Memorial Day Weekend provides the opportunity to gather with loved ones and host a  cookout to kick off the summer season. You can still enjoy a seasonal shindig without sacrificing nutritious food choices.

The Italians have roughly three hundred different kinds of pasta (if you think that is a lot, the Chinese have about one thousand two hundred kinds of noodles), but the Italian varieties can be broken down into two basic categories: fresh and dried. Eighty percent of pasta eaten in Italy is dried, and the balance is fresh.

Spring has sprung, and so have allergy sufferers’ seasonal woes. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) released its 2024 Spring Allergy Capitals report on the worst cities in the US for allergies. They found that people in the South, Southeast, and parts of the Midwest tend to have the most issues. Everyone is battling watery or itchy eyes, a runny nose, and constant sneezing.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. To bring awareness, February is  Heart Health Month, emphasizing educating the public on stopping preventable, premature deaths due to cardiovascular diseases.

What could be better on a damp and chilly day than a bowl of steaming soup. I grew up on Cambell’s soups, and loved them, especially the bean and bacon, but nothing beats a homemade soup.

When I first started seriously cooking, I thought that for something to be really good, it had to be complicated, using expensive ingredients, and probably be French as well. But now I know better. In fact, it is often the opposite. Simple is almost always better.

January brings with it excitement and anticipation for the new year….and for a lot of people the desire to set a New Year’s Resolution.

When the weather finally gets that late fall feel, and the holidays approach, my thoughts turn to serious comfort food. There is nothing wrong with a traditional ham or roast turkey, but there are a world of side options to choose from too.

Everyone has that go-to holiday drink, but it’s always nice to broaden your horizon and try something new this Christmas…

What a blessing that we live on the Gulf Coast and have such a wonderful abundance of seafood to choose from. I love boiled and fried shrimp, fish of all makes and models, raw oysters, fried and grilled, but my all-time favorite is crab cakes. 

The most joyful time of year, the holidays, can also be the most stressful. Especially for those hosting a dinner party or lodging out-of-town guest. With the array of food sensitivities and restrictive diets, home cooks can become overwhelmed when planning a menu.  You want guests’ time at your table too be memorable and not filled with anxiety about navigating their food intolerances or allergies. 

Classic Italian marinara sauce, alla marinara, is made with fresh summer tomatoes or homemade canned tomatoes (pureed tomatoes) and is considered a light sauce.