Even though it’s legal in more than half of the country (not to mention the world), marijuana, and those who partake, are still seen in a bad light. Refer Madness must be pretty potent propaganda, because to this day, folks will persist in denigrating those who like to smoke a […]
It’s Bananas [Foster]!
There’s no such thing as “too much of a good thing” when it comes to the endless iterations of this classic New Orleans recipe. You’ve placed your napkin on the table and declared yourself “full” when all at once you’re surrounded by the caramel-like aroma of melting butter, brown sugar […]
NOLA’s Memory Lane is Paved in Gold Brick Chocolates
There’s no hiding Louisiana’s nostalgic connection to Elmer’s confections, as many natives confess “it’s just not Easter without Elmer’s!” For kids all over the country, Easter morning will arrive with the sweet surprise of jelly bean-stuffed plastic eggs and hollow chocolate bunnies, but the baskets in Louisiana are just a […]
A Piece of Cake: Tres Leches
Creamy, light and just sweet enough, tres leches cake is a splendid, springtime dessert and finding a slice in the Crescent City is as easy as . . . cake! Made with an airy, eggy sponge and three kinds of milk, tres leches cake (a.k.a. pan tres leches) is a […]
Feast Like You’re Festin’
As much as we all love the music, art and food at the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, we can’t all go. Maybe you came here during those two magical weeks for work, not to play, perhaps you suffer from enochlophobia – an intense fear of crowds or, […]
The World is Your Oyster: Klara Cvitanovich
At the famous Drago’s Restaurant, family matriarch Klara Cvitanovich continues to honor the oyster empire launched by her husband over half a century ago. Several times a week, Klara Cvitanovich still spends her evenings greeting diners, welcoming them like long lost family to their flagship restaurant on N. Arnoult Road […]
A Different Kind of Dog
Delightfully novel ways of enjoying our favorite frankfurter in and around New Orleans. Regardless of their offal ingredients, it’s hard to deny the delicious nostalgia of a great hot dog. Just seeing an image of a frank slapped between it’s signature split bun decorated with zig-zags of mustard and (sorry […]
A Hamplitude of Dinners
We finally managed to finish one of the Smithfield hams we received a few months ago, but the second one has been glaring at me every time I opened the freezer! A few weeks ago, I defrosted the ham and had my own slew of recipes ready to go. Like […]
Pop-Up Appeal
Proof that paper plates and plastic cutlery can be counted as and integral part of a romantic night out! Thanks to aggressive marketing campaigns and endless propaganda, February is officially and commercially realized as the month of romance. Not only are we to single out the 14th as a day […]
Chocotorta, Chocotorta!
The last thing I should be thinking about is cake. Well, anything other than king cake, that is. But no matter how hard I try to stop thinking about it, chocotorta has been on my mind. It’s been two years since I first saw it (Emmy made one during the […]
When I Stroke the [James] Beards Thusly
Perhaps I am getting more curmudgeonly in my advanced years, but awards and award shows often elicit a big ol’ yawn. Like any popularity contest, it always comes down to who you know . . . and who knows you. That’s not to say the hard-working folks nominated for these […]
Cakewalk
It’s easy to blurt out a list of my favorite king cakes. They’re the ones that inevitably pop into my mind every year before twelfth night, and the ones I have to promptly dismiss in the name of what’s new and cool and hip (do people still use those words?). […]
Your Table is (Always) Ready: Moveable Feast
The second most important thing the pandemic taught us is if food is prepared, managed and packaged well, take-out can be pretty damn awesome (the first is how to properly wear a mask, but I’m not going to get on that particular soapbox). When push came to shove, restaurants and […]