December 15, 2016 | Louisiana Kitchen & Culture

December 15, 2016

You still have time - give a gift subscription to Louisiana Kitchen & Culture magazine! All gifts and bundles ordered by Monday will arrive before Christmas. If you gave gift subscriptions last year your gift renewal list was mailed earlier this month; if you didn't get it, give us a call: 504.208.9959 or email Jim. Click below to order online or call 504.208.9959

Living vicariously! My husband announced earlier this week that he wants to go out to eat Christmas day, which is FINE with me! I'm cooking frog legs with a friend, lots of crawfish, and Easter dinner entrées for our March/April issue, so not having to pull together a Christmas meal is not a hardship! We've not yet decided where we want to go eat, but I'd better get on that and get a reservation in place.

So- tell me what you're planning to make over the holiday season. I'll be over here quietly planning my New Year's Day menu.

Here's my PSA for the week- make sure your pets are microchipped, and that the chip is registered to you with current contact information. Earlier this week a neighbor flagged me down; while walking her dog she'd heard a cat in distress underneath a car. We finally coaxed it out; a young cat, healthy, sweet, terrified. I took it to a local vet only to discover that, while chipped, the chip wasn't registered. Through pure luck, I put up fliers and the panicked owner saw one so all is well that ends well. The owners had done the right thing in having the cat chipped, but didn't know the vet did not handle the registration process. They also didn't realize that cats can slip through astounding tiny cracks; they'd left a window open just a bit and the beast pushed the screen out. So put that on your end-of-year checklist! Take care of your fur-babies.

There are plenty of holiday festivities happening around the state this weekend, with the weather slated for sunny and warm on Saturday. Put off your last-minute shopping for a couple more days and get out and be a tourist. See our events calendar below for planning purposes.

Enjoy this week's recipes, share them with family and friends, and, as always, let me know what's on your mind. Also, keep in mind that food banks struggle this time of year; consider making a donation if at all possible.

Best regards,

Susan Ford

Susan Ford, Publisher

Louisiana Kitchen & Culture

Miss last week's recipes?

• Most viewed last week: Corn and Shrimp Chowder

•Three-Cheese Mac and Crispy Prosciutto

• Pimiento Cheese Biscuits

Looking for a specific recipe? We have over 1,500 on our site. Click here to browse.

Order TODAY arrives before Christmas:

(70+ exclusive recipes inside)

Subscribe Today.

Resources:

Louisiana Farmers Markets

Louisiana Visitors' Centers

Tip of the Week:

Susan's Turkey Tips

Click here to order,

or call 504-208-9959.


	Shoepeg Cornbread Dressing From Chef John Folse's impressive tome on cooking vegetables, "Can You Dig It?", this is the ultimate cornbred dressing recipe. By all means include the optional oysters. Bake it as a stand-alone side dish, or use it to stuff roasts, birds, pork chops, chicken breasts, etc. Click to forward this email and recipes.

	Deviled Eggs Ten Ways This time of year, with friends and family dropping in, invitations to pot lucks abounding, and general festivities, having a platter of deviled eggs tucked away in the refrigerator is not a bad idea! We offer a basic method, plus nine variations; this should spark your culinary imagination for perfect combinations for any occasion. Click to forward email and recipes.

	Tory McPhail's Shrimp and Tasso Hennican I had lunch at Commander's Palace earlier this month and ordered this; perfection, as usual. You can certainly substitute store-bought pepper jelly, but it really isn't difficult to make; I'd suggest doubling it, and use leftovers to glaze pork chops, a pork tenderloin, or chicken wings. Click to forward email and recipes.