The following is an exerpt of an essay I wrote earlier this year. It was publised a few months ago on the blog of a dear friend, Paul Pastor. You can find the full post at The Rose Fire. “You are what you eat, from your head down to ..read more

There's a new literary journal in town: Joie de Vivre (the Joy of Living). It's a South Louisiana thing, and I'm excited that it's here. I am also grateful to have had a poem published in the journal in April. It's titled Blackened Redfish and you can read it here: Blackened Redfish — Joie de Vivre (jdvjournal.com) Check our Joie de Vivre and follow them on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter. Good things are happening and more is on the way. From their website... Joie de Vivre is a quarterly print journal of Catholic art, culture, history, and letters for South Louisiana. We provide a space for ..read more

? The article and recipe below first appeared in The Clarion Herald in March of 2013 under the title Priest knows secret to perfect crab cakes. Article by Beth Donze. Recipe by Fr. Daniel Brouillette. Reprinted with permission. Last year, while perusing the racks of a Metairie uniform store, Father Daniel Brouillette spotted a fellow shopper wearing the chef’s whites of the restaurant that made his favorite crab cakes. Ever the curious cook, the priest, known to his parishioners as “Father Bru,” approached the man with a burning question: What made the restaurant’s crab cakes so incredibly ..read more

Summer in south Louisiana is hot, but it's also delicious. The abundance of fresh produce provides everything you need to gather with friends and family for easy cooking and good eating. From collard and mustard greens, snap peas and summer squash and sweet potatoes, to okra and Creole tomatoes, our Louisiana soil yields vegetables that are versatile, succulent and healthy. And we can't forget the fruit! One of our summer favorites is blueberries! For the last several years, we have driven out to the country – to Bachman Farms –as a family to pick blueberries. It's always hot, but it's also a ..read more

There are so many healthier options than fried/sugar-laden sesame chicken, so the next time you’re craving some Chinese takeout, whip it up yourself! My Sesame Chicken is oven baked and sugar-free (and might I add- it is quite delicious). This is a family favorite already! INGREDIENTS For the Chicken: 1.5lb chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes 60g corn starch 60g oat flour Salt and pepper 100g egg white Cooking spray For the Sauce: 1 tsp light olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 2T monkfruit 1 tsp cornstarch 2T soy or tamari 2T rice vinegar 1T sesame oil 1 tsp sesame seeds Top with Green on ..read more

Thanks to Alton Brown I have an almost allergic reaction to kitchen gadgets of any sort. But a handful of years ago my parents gave me an Instantpot pressure cooker for Christmas. I had never heard of an Instantpot, so initially, I wasn't terribly excited. But, boy, was I in for a treat! We use our Instantpot at least twice a week. And I'm sure that there are other things we could use it for... I just haven't taken the time to research it. But one of the weekly uses goes to this carnitas recipe. Everyone, I think, knows about Taco Tuesday, right? Well, we joined in on Taco Tuesday night years ..read more

We are still in the early phase of Carnival season 2022 here in New Orleans. Mardi Gras season officially kicked off on January 6 (or January 2nd this year, thanks to our Catholic "moveable" feasts) and Ash Wednesday is not until March 2nd. This may be one of our lengthiest Mardi Gras seasons. You may have never been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. You may not even have pleasant thoughts when you think of Mardi Gras… Maybe the only thing you know about Mardi Gras is what you have seen on MTV and the news channels. For those folks, bad news is good news, so they like to portray the seedier side ..read more

There's a lot that is not right in our world. There's a lot that is messy, broken, ugly. None of us has to look far to see that this is true. And yet we have this promise... a promise that began in the Garden and was foretold by the prophets of Israel: the Holy One is coming, the Savior, the Redeemer, and he will make all things right. Sometimes it can be hard to believe that promise. It's easy to look at the world today, at the Church today, at my life today, and to see only the messy, the broken, and the ugly. And often what is held up for us as a solution, as a medicine, as a "fix" against ..read more

Christmastime gift-giving among friends is always a treat. Over the years, we've made and given cookies, brownies, spiced nuts, and even hummus! This hot chocolate mix is simple to make and can be stored in jars for up to two months. And if you're extra creative, you can decorate the jars too! The addition of nonfat dry milk powder and cornstarch yields a deeply chocolaty drink that isn't overly rich. This is a hot chocolate that you can sip on and enjoy without feeling like you maybe overdid it. INGREDIENTS 1 cup (7 ounces) sugar 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate , chopped fine 1 cup (3 ounces ..read more

I don't remember why or how we came across these delightful little cookies, but they have now become a family favorite. The fresh rosemary really makes these pop! Not only are they easy to make and delicious to eat, but they make a great gift to share at Christmas time. Note that you can scale the recipe up or down as long you maintain the butter to flour ratio (1 stick of butter per cup of flour). You can also add other ingredients... nuts, dried fruit, spices. Have fun and enjoy! INGREDIENTS 2 cups all-purpose flour ⅔ cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary 1 teaspo ..read more