Columns

Wed
03
Jun

Along the Way

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My two miniature schnauzers, Kaiser and Charli, were going bananas in the back yard one afternoon last week.

I could tell by the intensity of their yapping and the way that they were darting around, that something was amiss.

I walked warily toward the action, stopping a few feet from where Kaiser and Charli were still flipping a lid near some landscaping behind the hot tub.

 

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Wed
03
Jun

Hey, Let’s Talk!

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New Orleans Crab Cakes

Earlier this week I was reading Christine Rudalevige’s (try rolling that around on your tongue a few times!) recipe on “Classic Crab Cakes” on the MyRecipes website. Her version sounded like a really good sounding take on one of my favorite seafood dishes. I often try them on a first visit to a restaurant and am usually disappointed because they are often too bready (more stuffing than crab) or over seasoned. I’m usually saddened when I order crab cakes as an appetizer and instead of the sweet tangy taste of crab all you can taste is doughy bread crumbs with Worchester Sauce and yellow mustard or overpowered by red pepper. For that reason and for fun I did two of the patties like Christine’s recipe but adjusted her seasonings a little on the two remaining patties and sorta re-named that part of the dish.

Wed
27
May

Did You Know?

Did You Know?

History is much more than dates like 1492 or 1776 or 1843. As important as these and other dates are to us they do not represent history in its entirety. Several years ago a lady asked me to write an article on Hopscotch since as a young girl she enjoyed many hours playing that game with her girlfriends and she had forgotten some of the rules and details. A game that young boys played in the 1930’s which has apparently disappeared today is marbles. Youngsters played two games with marbles and after giving some thought an attempt will be made to reconstruct the rules as I spent many hours enjoying playing these while in grades 3 to 6.

Wed
27
May

Hey, Let’s Talk!

Hey, Let’s Talk!

My New Favorite Herb

I tried a new version of Chicken Enchiladas last weekend and was introduced to an Herb I’d not tried before – Coriander. I assumed it was like Anise whose flavor reminded me of a black jellybean and I always omitted it from any recipes I cooked. Well, when I read up on this mysterious (to me) Herb I found out it was an Old World spice sometimes called Chinese Parsley and probably one of the first spices. The ground seeds of the plant are called Coriander Powder and the leaves and stems are called Cilantro …. AND I just love Cilantro in salsa and other Tex-Mex dishes. When I found out I could buy a bottle of powder at the Super Market for a little over a dollar I was in!

Wed
20
May

The Farm Wife

The Farm Wife

Rosemary has long been considered the Herb of Love. It is the perfect seasoning for a pork loin, as well as for other culinary uses. But it is for so much more than just cooking. Try a few of these and see if they work for you!

1) Drop a whole sprig of Rosemary in your stew. As it cooks, the leaves will separate from the stem. Just remove the stem before serving!

2) Crumble up some dried rosemary and mix it with about ? cup of borax and baking soda. This makes a wonderful scouring powder.

 

 

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Wed
20
May

Did You Know?

Did You Know?

Louisiana is a good state in which to live and raise a family. Our motto “Union, Justice and Confidence” is sometimes forgotten and appears elusive like our state bird the Brown Pelican. We forget sometimes that our state flower is the Magnolia just as we forget that the Bald Cypress is our state tree.

Louisiana was discovered only 27 years after Columbus discovered America. Robert de LaSalle, an early French explorer, named Louisiana for Louis XVI, King of France. Probably more flags have flown over La. than any other in the nation. Ten different flags have flown over the area. The original La. Territory comprises of or part of 17 different states.

Wed
20
May

Hey, Let’s Talk!

Hey, Let’s Talk!

What?! Noooo, it’s not a European title fight but a competition of two simple yet elegant French dishes. I’ve told about the famous (to me and my Daughter) New Orleans trip with my Mom in search of the perfect Trout Almandine dish from the great 4-star restaurants there. It took two columns to tell it all and I will gladly send you a copy if you’re interested but basically Sal Saia, the owner of Sal & Sam’s in Metairie, La., said that it was one of the simplest but easiest recipes to mess up. He insisted it should be the measuring stick of all really great restaurants. Soooo, we decided to try that at every one we visited. Of course 10-year-old Ashley was more interested in the different deserts but we all had a great and fun week.

Wed
13
May

Did You Know?

Did You Know?

Today’s article probably should be headlines “Did You Ever Wonder?” Probably most of us from a time to time have wondered about certain things and we just couldn’t seem to find the answer or reason. Natchitoches, the oldest town in the Louisiana Purchase by three years, boasts of Cane River. Was it once the Red River and did it actually flow through the middle of town or is that just a lake? The Red River did once flow through town until the Spring of 1837 when a flood caused the river to cut a new course at Grand Encore leaving Natchitoches with only an old “Chute” or remnant of the river’s channel. St. Denis founded the town three years before New Orleans was formed and continued to live there until he died July 11, 1744. His niece along with a large group came up to Bayou Pierre and made the first settlement in what is now DeSoto Parish, Louisiana.

Wed
13
May

Hey, Let’s Talk!

Hey, Let’s Talk!

A Scratch Cherry Pie

Most of you who read my columns know that, although I love to cook, I am “Pastry Challenged”. In fact I am “Gravy/Sauce Challenged”, too, but that doesn’t pertain to this column. That’s why you may be curious about the title. Most people think of a “scratch done” dish as one done completely by a recipe with your own ingredients in your own kitchen. AND because I couldn’t do a real scratch cherry pie if my life depended on it I bought a Sara Lee frozen cherry pie at Brookshires. Now I DID scratch the side flap of the box it came in to open it and I DID scratch the cellophane wrapping to remove it before baking so that’s my take on a Scratch Cherry Pie. It sure does taste good, too, especially with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top while it’s piping hot!

Thu
07
May

Did You Know?

Did You Know?

December 7, 1941 is the declared a “Day of Infamy” when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. The American navy fleet was at anchor there on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. On this Sunday morning at 7:55 am while many of the servicemen were at breakfast and some still in bed Japanese dive bombers bearing the symbol of the rising sun burst through the clouds. Within seconds the sky was full of their war planes dropping bombs on our ships. The bombers were followed by fighters called Zeros with their machine guns strafing the brave U.S. sailors who rushed to their guns. Senator Jackson B. Davis was stationed there and tells of the fighter planes flying so low you could see the smiles of the Japanese pilots. The attack left 2400 dead, 1200 wounded, 18 ships sunk and 300 American planes destroyed.

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