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When McCormick, the spices and flavors company, sent ideas for dyeing eggs, it reminded me of how my mother-in-law would prepare Easter eggs with my children. She would use the old Cajun techniques she had learned from her mother and grandmother. She raised chickens so there were always plenty of both white … Continue reading →
Helana Brigman couldn’t quite contain her excitement when she called not long ago to say her first cookbook was off the press. LSU Press is the publisher of the book, “The Fresh Table: Cooking in Louisiana All Year Round.” The author is an LSU doctoral candidate who somehow finds time to blog … Continue reading →
A copy of a Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington always hung somewhere, usually over the teacher’s desk, in every one of my elementary school classrooms. In fact, most classrooms across the United States also displayed a portrait of the first president and sometimes one of Abraham Lincoln, too. My teachers would point … Continue reading →
Celebrate Chinese New Year on Sunday by firing up the wok and making your own Chinese takeout food, which cooking instructor and food blogger Diana Kuan, in her first cookbook, calls all-American comfort food. “American-style Chinese food predates the arrival of most regional Chinese cuisines that we now enjoy, including Sichuan, Hunan … Continue reading →
I was having one of those days, like Alexander did in the children’s book “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” by Judith Viorst. Then, Tommy Simmons, The Advocate’s former food editor, came to my rescue. She didn’t know she was. You see, she emailed me a recipe. Not just … Continue reading →
When a book with the word “unofficial” in its title hits my desk, it goes into the not-to-be-reviewed file. Making use of the popularity that someone else’s creation has achieved seems to me to be a form of plagiarism. However, I’ve made an exception for Emily Ansara Baines’ book, “The Unofficial Downton … Continue reading →
Learning of an acquaintance’s diagnosis of breast cancer reminded me of a cookbook I’d gotten a few months ago, “The Back in the Swing Cookbook: Recipes for Eating and Living Well Every Day After Breast Cancer” by Barbara C. Unell, founder of nonprofit Back in the Swing USA, and cookbook author Judith Fertig. Continue reading →
A couple of days after Christmas, we had friends stopping by on their way from Alabama back to Texas. What to serve them for dinner? My daughter, who loves shrimp, found a large bag of Gulf shrimp tucked into the back of the freezer and volunteered to defrost and peel them. We went looking for a … Continue reading →
I’m fortunate to have lovely neighbors. Among them is Mary Jane Howell, who’s a terrific cook. That talent apparently rubbed off on her daughter, Jean Button, who lives in Fayetteville, Ark. Button served on the committee that put together a wonderful 312-page cookbook for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of Fayetteville. Continue reading →
HHH Reviewer’s rating
Cookbook rating system:
HHHHOutstanding, HHHExcellent, HHGood, HFair “From a Southern Oven: The Savories, the Sweets” Wiley, $32.50 272-page hardcover. Now that we’ve survived the Mayan doomsday of Dec. 21 and the … Continue reading →
HH Reviewer’s rating
Cookbook rating system:
HHHHOutstanding, HHHExcellent, HHGood, HFair “SOUP’S ON! 100 SAVORY SOUPS, STEWS, AND CHILIS MADE EASY” Covenant Communications. $19.99. 173 pages. Hidden spiral hardcover. With last-minute shopping and … Continue reading →
Here’s a tip for those looking for a gift for the cooks on their gift lists: Bestselling author and Food Network star Ina Garten’s newest cookbook, her eighth, is now available. “Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust” is illustrated with plenty of beautiful full-color photographs by Quentin Bacon and … Continue reading →
Nathalie Dupree’s latest cookbook is monster size. Six pounds and 720 pages, to be exact. But since the award-winning author and television host from Charleston, S.C., and her co-author, Cynthia Stevens Graubert, are taking on the massive subject of Southern cooking techniques, I’m impressed they kept it to its current … Continue reading →
Members of the Baton Rouge Art League not only appreciate good art, but they also enjoy good food and all of them seem to be top-notch cooks. The members take turns providing snacks for the monthly morning meetings. There are no store-bought cookies and cakes to accompany coffee and punch for this group. The women offer a … Continue reading →
Family, friends, favorite Thanksgiving dishes and possibly football, too, are now forefront on most people’s minds. But, by next week, thoughts will turn to getting ready for the upcoming holidays, including Hanukkah, which begins at sundown on Dec. 8, Christmas and New Year’s Day. That means planning special meals and snacks and selecting … Continue reading →
If the number of cookbooks about Southern cooking stacked on my desk is any indication, publishers have decided one doesn’t have to be a Southerner to want to learn how to cook the region’s great food. One just needs inspiration and information. That’s the opinion, anyway, of the editors of “Southern Living … Continue reading →
No matter how carefully one plans the holiday meal, there always seems to be one item that requires a mad dash to the grocery store before it closes on Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve. And, probably it takes a visit to two or three stores to find whatever is needed. For me, it’s always … Continue reading →
If only history class had been so interesting. “Dining With the Washingtons: Historic Recipes, Entertainment, and Hospitality From Mount Vernon” offers an appealing and intimate glimpse into the lives of George and Martha Washington and of the foods and flavors of 18th century America. Readers learn that Martha Washington had a “more lively disposition” … Continue reading →
Nancy Baggett knows how to entice reviewers to look at her new cookbook, “Simply Sensational Cookies: Bright Fresh Flavors, Natural Colors & Easy, Streamlined Techniques.” Baggett, a member of the Association of Food Journalists, showed up at the group’s recent annual conference with bags of cookies for everyone. After tasting her … Continue reading →
Barbara S. Thibaut, the librarian at Ascension Catholic School in Donaldsonville, believes including some of Butch Ruggerio’s recipes in the school’s latest cookbook is helping sales. “He owned Ruggerio’s Restaurant in Donaldsonville for years and he sought me out to share his recipes” in “Bulldog Legacy The Tradition Continues …,” a … Continue reading →
The University of North Carolina Press has begun a delightful series of little cookbooks (each is 83/4 inches by 51/2 inches) that will look at the favorite foods and culinary traditions in the American South. Each cookbook in the “Savor the South” collection will offer about 50 recipes from the classics to more current … Continue reading →
LSU Hilltop Arboretum’s Hodge Podge Nursery volunteers are more than enthusiastic gardeners. They are pretty good cooks, too, and it’s that skill that shines in their new self-published, fundraiser cookbook, “Passalong Recipes From the Podge” ($20 including tax, paperback). On Wednesdays, the volunteers show up early to work at Hilltop’s on-site … Continue reading →
Happenstance played a major role in Cynthia LeJeune Nobles taking on the project of writing about the world’s last authentic overnight wooden steamboat in “The Delta Queen Cookbook: The History and Recipes of the Legendary Steamboat” (LSU Press, $29.95, hardcover, ebook available). About seven years ago Ray Berg with American Foodways … Continue reading →
When I saw the Hummingbird Coffee Cake photo, I just knew I had to get the recipe. The cake looks scrumptious. Hummingbird
Coffee Cake Serves 16. Recipe by Annie, Annie’s Eats, is provided by Go Bold With Butter. For cake: 1 stick unsalted butter, at room … Continue reading →
Tailgating season has gotten started, and Southeastern Conference football fanatics now have their own SEC cookbook in time for the 2012 season. Southern Living and the SEC teamed up to publish “The Official SEC Tailgating Cookbook” (Oxmoor House, $19.95, paperback). In addition to more than 150 recipes, … Continue reading →
Local cookbook author Holly Clegg tackles cooking basics with recipes she calls “the easiest of the easy” in the latest book in her trim&TERRIFC series. As usual, she makes sure the more than 150 recipes in “Holly Clegg’s trim&TERRIFIC Kitchen 101: Secrets to Cooking Confidence” (Favorite Recipe Press, $24.95, paperback) … Continue reading →
Two days of seminars and events at the 10th annual Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans in July left one aware of how many flavors and ingredients used in cooking also are popular in craft cocktail making. Refreshing fruit juices and puré es, fresh herbs and unusual spices are all being used by … Continue reading →
You probably know July is National Ice Cream Month. But are you aware the calendar for July is filled with lots of wonderful, quirky holidays celebrating food? National Canned Luncheon Meat Week in the first week of July maybe didn’t result in any major parties, but my mother-in-law, who enjoyed a small glass … Continue reading →
The news that cookbook author and culinary star Marion Cunningham died July 11 at age 90 brought back memories of the role she played in my learning to cook. My earliest cookbook library consisted of “Talk About Good!” by the Junior League of Lafayette, “River Road Recipes” by the Junior League of Baton … Continue reading →
Dr. Jorge E. Rodriguez, a practicing gastroenterologist in California, says he has the answer for those of us who suffer from acid reflux — and that’s about 50 million Americans. It isn’t antacids, but adjusting eating habits and regular exercise, he writes in the cookbook he co-authored with registered dietitian Susan Wyler. Continue reading →
Will it be honey-caramelized figs? Or, maybe peach crisp or chocolate pudding. But, then the easy-to-make blueberry tart also is appealing. It’s difficult to make a decision about what dessert to prepare when choosing from the simple, yet creative recipes in “Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts” by award-winning author Alice Medrich (Artisan … Continue reading →
Blueberries and cantaloupes are among my very favorite foods. That’s why I was at the Red Stick Farmers Market in downtown Baton Rouge much earlier Saturday than usual. I wanted to be certain I got a half-dozen pints of area-grown blueberries to put in the freezer for use later and to select a choice cantaloupe for breakfast. Continue reading →
Unlike my husband and so many other Louisiana fathers, my father wasn’t a great cook. I don’t think he even liked to barbecue. I seem to recall him setting up the grill only at the request of my mother, starting the coals, and then leaving it up to her to do the actual cooking. In … Continue reading →
I’ll bet someone in most families does what my children always did: Come home, head straight for the refrigerator and stand there with the door open, asking, “What’s for supper?” Their question wasn’t always easy to answer. Today I sometimes find myself doing what my kids did, … Continue reading →
Looking for will-use-over-and-over, guaranteed-to-work recipes? The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchens team shares 375 of its favorite recipes, the ones team members use in their own homes, in “The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen Cookbook: Essential Recipes for Every Home Cook” (Hearst Books, $29.95, ring binder). The hefty book — it’s 690 pages … Continue reading →
The school year is ending and summer fun beckons. What a perfect time for casual entertaining with barbecues, picnics and garden parties. Need a reason to host a get-together? Take your theme from Memorial Day on May 28, Flag Day on June 14, the first day of summer on June 20, … Continue reading →
My niece said she had a gift for me. I was intrigued; it was long past Christmas, and it wasn’t my birthday. She handed me a large package. Tears came to my eyes when I unwrapped it to reveal a simple wooden box. What Paula had given me was priceless: my mother’s recipe box with its recipes, many … Continue reading →
The Thursday Red Stick Farmers Market moves this week from its Perkins Road spot to a new location just off Kenilworth Parkway on the Pennington Biomedical Research Center campus. This should be a good fit — Pennington promotes public health by encouraging people to eat fresh produce and Big River Economic and Agricultural … Continue reading →
Every time I opened my top desk drawer I saw it, the brown paper bag holding the candy bar. It beckoned to me, but I held my resolve — no candy until after Lent. It was a special candy bar, one that was supposed to be similar to one I had loved as a child. Beth Colvin, … Continue reading →
April showers may bring May flowers, but April showers may mean May or June weddings. With the recent engagement announcements by my son and by family members of friends, I’m realizing just how much springtime entertaining revolves around weddings — and how many details there are to remember. It’s now that I truly … Continue reading →
Eggs have long been associated with spring and with Easter — a time of renewal, rebirth and new life. What better symbol for the holiday, which celebrates Jesus’ resurrection from a sealed tomb, than an egg in which life springs from a sealed shell? So, with that thought, it seems appropriate to take a look at “The Fresh Egg Cookbook: From Chicken to Kitchen” by Jennifer Trainer Thompson. Continue reading →
I can still see my mother-in-law standing, favoring her bad hip, at her kitchen sink patiently peeling a mound of little shrimp that she’d fry for our supper. Her older son occasionally went shrimping. He’d sell most of the catch, and he’d give his mom the small shrimp that most people wouldn’t want … Continue reading →
Today the Food section offers stories about Irish and Italian celebrations — so, I decided to review an attractive cookbook celebrating … Asian-inspired foods. Well, writing about a book which looks at Pan-Asian dishes does fit into a general ethnic theme. Award-winning author Nina Simonds is considered a leading American authority on Chinese cooking, but … Continue reading →
One of my favorite weekends each year is when the Friends of the LSU Libraries hold its Book Bazaar. I make at least one, sometimes two trips, to the LSU campus to look through the used books arranged by categories on long tables and on book shelves. I even peruse the books still in boxes under the tables, … Continue reading →
Probably more than any other request the Food staff gets from readers is to feature recipes appropriate for those with diabetes. Sometimes, the caller has just been diagnosed with diabetes and wants help with understanding how to adjust favorite recipes or with learning more about preparing flavorful meals. However, no one on our staff is qualified … Continue reading →