Yet another use for the plentiful basil and tomatoes from the garden. If you have never grown basil at home, try it this summer, as it’s such a wonderful herb to have on hand in those summer months. This recipe is a play on pesto, which conventionally involves basil,...

There is no telling how many times I’ve treated myself to okra stew. This one is a favorite of my Dad, especially when Mom is out of town, perhaps because it is so easy to prepare! It is thick and hearty and goes great with any meal. We especially enjoy this one with...

No, not the movie. Although I’m certain Kathy Bates and crew would approve of this recipe. You can bet that we will be cooking this one up from mid-summer all the way through fall. There are at least fifteen tomato plant varieties in the ground at our house in the...

True story: we served mashed cauliflower at our wedding reception. We didn’t care if other people wanted mashed potatoes—this was our wedding! I gave our caterers my recipe for the mashed cauliflower, and they served it in these great pewter serving dishes. It was...

Down on the Bayou, étouffée is pretty synonymous with comfort food. You’ll have a hard time waiting to eat this one. Your kitchen will smell so very delicious. Two things to consider are how to get your crawfish tails and what stock you will use. The good news is that...

Shortly before Charles popped the big question, he brought me down to Mobile, Alabama for a few days with his family. There are two things about that trip that stood out to me: me catching a really big speck trout (and Charles saying that’s why he asked me to marry...

Beef stew was a staple in our house growing up, with the primary ingredients being the meat, carrots, peas, and potatoes. I think if my mom had told me there were anchovies in her beef stew (there were not) I would have refused to eat it. However, now that I’m an...

Yes, there are a lot of ingredients here. I promise you . . . they are worth it! This is a rich, velvety soup that people will swear is thickened with flour and must have heavy cream in it. The thing that really stands out to me in this recipe: tomato paste. Tomato...

You can start a pretty heated argument with certain people about whether chili should or shouldn’t have beans in it. Our vote is pretty obvious. Sitting down to a bowl of this on a cold winter day just seems right. Double or triple the batch for big parties. Perhaps...