One of my favorite things about my friend and colleague Michelle is her perpetual hot cocoa jar (I’m kidding, Michelle – I would love you just the same with or without the cocoa jar). In November, when the days are beginning to turn grey and dreary, Michelle brings a gallon-size glass jar of homemade cocoa mix…
You’ve probably gathered that I’m a cookbook addict. Really, I have a problem. Whereas some women collect shoes, I collect cookbooks. I have a baker’s rack that houses two full shelves of cookbooks. There is a stack on my counter that reaches up to the bottom of the cabinets. I have thousands of untried recipes…
I want to ask gumbo where it’s been all my life. There is nothing that can warm your belly better than this thick, spicy stew punctuated by curls of gulf shrimp and bits of smoked sausage. And okra – why have I been missing out on the okra? I guess if okra freaks you out…
There are two things that automatically conjure up my sister Carla for me: chocolate chip ice cream and banana pancakes.Carla’s mom (my stepmom) always made banana pancakes for breakfast on weekend mornings when we were growing up. Now, Carla makes them – in fact, I’m not sure she even makes plain pancakes anymore, ever! Banana…
I’ve decided that I don’t show French toast enough love. I think it’s an unfortunate effect of my fondness for making things from a big pile of “raw” ingredients. I mean, let’s face it – there’s not a whole lot involved in making French toast. The variances mostly happen in the variety of bread (I’m…
This is Eli’s brother, Josh. He’s currently serving with the Army in Afghanistan. He was born just 16 months before Eli, and they have that perfect sort of love-hate brother relationship. They are both adversaries and best friends. Together, they hunt and fish and ride dirt bikes and take their four-wheel-drive trucks off-road and get…