Food & Dining

  The old fashioned has been around for a very long time. Long enough to have a name like old-fashioned which is derived from bar patrons requesting the drink to be made the 'old fashioned' way. Although the drink has its roots in Kentucky, you can find many versions of it throughout the U.S. Chances are if you are a southerner you have been in the company of many whose go-to before-dinner drink is an old fashioned. Recently it seems the old fashioned is becoming increasingly popular. I have noticed it appearing on menus in a new form, the smoked old fashion. This led me to wonder, is the old-fashioned new again?I first became aware of the old-fashioned when I...

My husband is a carnivore, he wants meat with every meal. I, on the other hand, can be completely happy with a week of meatless meals. I don’t particularly like red meat and one can only eat so much chicken before you’ve just had enough. Over the years, we’ve worked in some meatless meals that we can both agree are tasty and filling.  Here are three meatless meals that are on the menu in our house and a couple of bonus soups. I think soups are great meals, but my husband says we have to agree to disagree on soup as a meal. These meals are also toddler approved, despite or maybe because of, ingredients like quinoa, couscous and lentils.  This...

When the humidity drops below 80% and the temps don’t go above 80 degrees, we all know what that means...it’s Fall in the South. Despite corporations selling pumpkin-flavored everything starting in August, I like to wait until at least that first cool day to indulge in the warm fall beverages. Here are a few of my favorites.  For the Family Hot Chocolate & Peanut Butter: I love a good hot chocolate, but my recent favorite is a dark or double chocolate mix made with vanilla almond milk then I stir in a spoonful of peanut butter. The hot milk melts the peanut butter for a wonderfully decadent drink. I like the Good & Gather double chocolate-flavored hot cocoa mix. For a...

Soup season is upon us! The time has come to pull out our heavy pots and stock up on chicken broth. While the fall may tease us with back and forth weather, just cool down the A.C. on those warmer days and embrace soup. Being a Texas native, I’d never dream of sharing a Gumbo recipe, but I have plenty of delicious soup, stew, and chili recipes to last all fall and winter. I’ve decided that Wednesday will be the day I make soup so that we can easily warm up leftovers after soccer practice on Thursday nights. For me, soup is a full meal. Sometimes I’ll throw in my favorite autumn salad (or this one!), but honestly, it’s...

Remember when we didn’t want to grow up because if we did, we couldn’t be a ToysRus® kid? Well, Total Wine is the TOTAL fix for that. If you know anything about Louisiana, you know we love our libations. The only thing better than finding your favorite spirits in the local grocery store is a SPIRIT MALL! Yes, I said it. Total Wine is the Grown Up ToysRus®, the Happy Hour Mall. And wait, you don’t even have to schedule your trip around your kids because Total Wine totally has curbside pickup. Don’t let the name fool you, Total Wine totally has everything. Think cheese, hard liquor, snacks, mixers, you name it! I will also admit that upon entry of...