Crazy ice cream flavors have their place, just not in my kitchen. I can’t say I don’t enjoy a scoop of Ben & Jerry’s Fossil Fuel now and then but when I started making ice cream last year, I wanted to take pure, natural flavors and let them shine in new and interesting combinations. Buttermilk, [...]

I’ve been working all week with talented (and hungry) writers in Seaside, FL at the Floating Island Writers’ Workshop. Aside from my editing duties and acting as Camp Director, I’ve been making sure all are well fed. We’ve been able to appreciate fresh local Gulf seafood from Goatfeathers; thankfully, this part of the Gulf [...]

I’m into the final testing of recipes for Tupelo Honey Cafe and their upcoming cookbook. Today, I had a kitchen full of grits–McEwen and Sons stone ground grits, quick-cooking, yellow, blue…Here are some shots from today’s testing: fried green tomatoes and basil goat cheese grits. A dash of Tabasco green pepper sauce is always [...]

Many of you have emailed me about Catie’s King Cake Recipe. It’s here (below). To cheer on the Saints in the Superbowl, we had a big gathering. Among many delicious bites, we had Essington’s “I Guess I’ll Go On and Be Tender Now” Ribs, Muffalettas w/Central Grocery Olive Salad, Martha’s Bourbon Pralines, [...]

More recipe testing for the upcoming Tupelo Honey Cafe Cookbook. And Brian’s Tomato Pie (think almost Pimento cheese in a shell) was the hit among taste testers…Cookbook coming soon.
Thanks to Beau for the photo.

Earl Grey-Cranberry Relish, Roast Turkey with Prunes and Kumquats, Grammy’s Cauliflower Gratiné, Straight-Up Cornbread Dressing, Sweet Potato Yeast Rolls, and more…
photo Dan Schumacher.
FOR THOSE who have asked for some of the recipes for this meal, the Sweet Potato Yeast Rolls came from Epicurious.com. We found the honey butter recipe could be cut in half [...]

I don’t know how books help but sometimes they do make us feel a little less alone…
I’ve been very fortunate to participate in many Book Club meetings where readers have gathered to discuss Trail of Crumbs. The book lends itself to lots of good food and drink and some soul searching. It’s amazing [...]

NEGLECTED BANANAS BREAD
I’ve been testing recipes for a cookbook in North Carolina and have basically been tasting and not really eating much else other than what I need to test (gravies, BBQ sauces, and lots of fried birds). I had bought some bananas a few weeks ago—the perfectly freckled ones I love–but never got [...]

“INDIAN FOOD IS NOT ABOUT DRAMA OR HIDDEN RECIPES WITHIN RECIPES. IT’S ALL ABOUT SPICES, ADDED AT DIFFERENT TIMES DURING THE COOKING PROCESS, WHICH ADD LAYERS OF COMPLEX FLAVORS.” -Chef Suvir Saran
When Foodbuzz asked Featured Publishers for submissions for the August 24, 24, 24 [...]

This beautiful sticky onion treat always brings me back to my student days at the University of Nice. I rented an apartment with a Swede, a Dane, and a German–all guys with big appetites who took turns cooking…mashed potatoes, jars of pickled herring, and more potatoes with mustard or other condiments. I grew [...]

I started out this morning craving the flavors of India. Maybe I was still dreaming of a recent meal at Rasika in Washington, DC. From the house-candied ginger Champagne Cocktails to the English Peas and Cabbage with mustard seeds to the last fragrant bite of saffron panna cotta, my palate was alive and [...]