Food & Dining

Move over pumpkin spice lattes and apple crisp macchiatos, Louisiana collides with fall with my favorite bread pudding recipes that the whole family will love! Pumpkin Bread Pudding Ingredients 1 16 oz loaf French bread 1/2 cup milk 1 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 15 oz can pumpkin 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 5 eggs 2 tsp vanilla 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg Instructions Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9"x13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Cut bread into 1"-2" squares and add to large bowl. In another bowl whisk together your milk, cream, pumpkin, eggs, sugar, brown sugar vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and nutmeg until combined. Pour over bread and stir gently to coat, let soak for about 20 minutes. Spread into baking dish and bake in oven for about 50-60...

This week Louisiana woke up to “fall weather”. Mother Nature teasing us with nightly temperatures in the 60s and 70s this past week meant one thing in our house – comfort food for dinner! A family favorite is Creamy Tortellini and Spinach soup. This soup is easy to prepare, tasty, and comforting.  Below is my quick and easy recipe. Creamy Tortellini and Spinach Soup Ingredients: 1 TBLS vegetable oil 1 yellow onion – diced (fresh or frozen) 3 carrots – diced 4 cloves minced garlic 1 (15-ounce) can of petite diced tomatoes 1 carton of vegetable stock ½ tsp dried basil ½ tsp dried oregano ¼ tsp dried thyme Salt and pepper to taste 12-ounce bag of cheese tortellini ½ cup...

Over the years, my husband and I have enjoyed going to Juban’s for date nights, especially for special occasions like anniversaries and birthdays. We loved the old-school feel and the classic cajun go-to's: their gumbo is one of our favorites in town with a perfect dark roux! We also thought it was a great location for several business functions we attended for my husband’s work. Needless to say, I was really bummed when I saw Juban’s was closing last year then pleasantly surprised when it was because of renovations and a re-opening just a few weeks ago. When our friends from out of town were coming to visit, I knew we had to try out Juban’s for a double...

We are truly in the dog days of summer here in South Louisiana. Just coming back from San Diego, I long for the cooler days & nights again. To stay cool this summer, my family and I will be hitting the pool constantly. Moms always have snacks and bring them everywhere – even the pool! Here are some of my favorite poolside snacks, and the best part … some are easy! 1.  Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips INGREDIENTS Peaches, peeled and diced Mango, cored and diced Kiwis, peeled and diced Strawberries, diced 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 4 large whole wheat pita chips coconut oil...

Summertime and salad go hand and hand, you know? I crave cold foods during the summer, I want crisp and light and flavorful! Gone are the days of salad being lame. A quick scour of the internet reveals that salads are filling and delicious, and pending your toppings, super healthy. On my best meal planning weeks, I’ll even prep some dressings and veggies ahead of time so that when I come home from the pool, I can easily throw a snack tray lunch on the table for the kids and have something filling and healthy for myself. Most of these are absolutely filling enough to serve for dinner. I have one kiddo that loves salad, but for the other...