We are putting the finishing touches on our recipe list for our holiday issue and my mouth is watering. I've got nieces and nephews bringing great nieces and nephews over to help decorate gingerbread men this weekend. There was so much fudge in my kitchen a couple of weeks ago we couldn't give it all away -- so much, in fact, we finally gave up eating it. There are still a few bites left.

Free series “Healing Traditions in Acadiana” discusses traiteurs, medicinal plants and much more

The Lafayette Parish Master Gardeners Association in partnership with the Vermilionville Living History Museum and Folklife Park invites the community to join their free series, Healing Traditions is Acadiana, continuing on Saturday, August 30 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. in Vermilionville’s Performance Center.

The Healing Traditions in Acadiana series aims to broaden local historical knowledge of healing practices in Acadiana by making the public aware of the need to preserve medicinal plants as well as the knowledge of their uses. This lecture series also serves as an introduction to the general public about the healing traditions of the Cajun and Creole peoples of the area as well as the need to preserve medicinal plants, as well as the knowledge of their uses.

The Jefferson Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc. and the Louisiana Tourism Recovery Program present the Jefferson Parish Louisiana Oyster Trail. An  experience focusing on Jefferson Parish restaurants serving Louisiana Oysters!  Visitors and locals alike will experience the local flavor, as well as the flare of local artists' hand-painted sculptures depicting Jefferson Parish. 

The 14^th annual Satchmo SummerFest presented by Chevron will take place August 1 – 3 at the Louisiana State Museum's Old U.S. Mint. The premier American jazz festival dedicated to the life, legacy, and music of New Orleans' native son, Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong is free and open to the public. This event, produced by French Quarter Festivals, Inc. (FQFI), brings musical performances with a focus on traditional and contemporary jazz and brass bands. Naturally, the will be festival dining at "Red Bean Alley" along with three full days of fascinating Satchmo Seminars about New Orleans music and Louis Armstrong inside the air-conditioned Louisiana State Museum's Old U.S. Mint.

Hello Cocktail Lovers! Do you all have plans for Monday evening? I didn’t think so; I have an idea. If you love a yummy cocktail with bit of history back as much as I, this event can satiate many of your needs. On Monday July 14, 2014, the Museum of the American Cocktail (MOTAC) will hold its fabulous annual fundraiser at the internationally famed Windsor Court Hotel.

I do not know how things are in your whiskey world, but in my friendly neighborhood liquor store times are tough. Trying to find a bottle of Buffalo Trace or Weller’s, for example, has been akin to finding a non-inebriated soul Saturday night on Bourbon Street. Fortunately, into this suffering world comes a hero on angel’s wings.

Angel’s Envy is a new bourbon in the Louisiana market inspired by an inaugural member of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame. Legendary Master Distiller Lincoln Henderson spent a lifetime crafting fine spirits and this is his masterpiece. The 5% of spirit lost each year during barrel aging is called the “Angel’s Share.” After tasting this finished bourbon, Lincoln joked that we had finally gotten a better deal than the angels. And so Angel’s Envy was born.

Today, Thursday June 12, The City That Sobriety Forgot – New Orleans – will join restaurants and bars across Americas commemorating Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins. It was on this day in 1973 that he passed on to the great tattoo parlor in the sky. Three venues in New Orleans – Spitfire (627 St. Peter Street / 225.384.0655), Tracey’s (2604 Magazine Street / 504.897.5413), and Mimi’s in the Marigny (2601 Royal Street/ 504.872.9868) – will be celebrating his legacy with $4 “Old Ironsides” cocktails, a signature drink with Sailor Jerry, pineapple juice and a splash of soda.

NOWFE 2014 and The Big Gateaux Show –

Burlesque & Babycakes on Bourbon!

New Orleans, LA – Thursday, May 8, 2014 – WYES recently closed out the 2013-2014 WYES SEASON OF GOOD TASTES coffee and wine pairing dinners with a total of 14 participating restaurants. Throughout the season, from August 2013 through April 2014, participating chefs are asked to participate in the Cooking with Community® Coffee Contest. Chefs were asked to use Community coffee as an ingredient in one or more of their courses. Each dinner guest is then asked to judge on presentation, taste, originality and creativity of coffee usage.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!  No Andy Williams, not Christmas, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the unchallenged greatest music and culture event on the planet.  I hope you have had a spectacular 2 weeks and paced your partying; one more great day ahead at the Fairgrounds.  For the record, I want Bruce Springteen’s passion and energy.