Next week is my birthday week and I asked Jim yesterday what kind of birthday cake he wants me to get (he's got the sweet tooth in the family) He's still pondering; he needs to let me know soon if it's to be yellow cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, because I don't have any cocoa!

Birthday cake and king cake aside, we've decided to get our dient a little healthier for a few weeks; the COVID pounds are creeping up on us both. Weekly pizza plus a weekly loaf of Italian bread has a way of doing that. As I write this Thursday afternoon I have a free range chicken seasoned and drying in the fridge that I'll roast later today. Substantial salads with lean proteins for several nights a week--perfect for Louisiana seafood lovers like me--and my favorite white beans with tomatoes, mustard greens, and a little smoked sausage over the weekend. I don't mind cutting calories as long as I don't have to sacrifice flavor. If you've got a favorite, lower-calorie Louisiana recipe, susan@kitchenandculture.com send it my way!

Enjoy the recipes below, stay safe and healthy, and, as always, let me know what's on your mind. 

Best regards,

Susan Ford, Publisher and Editorial Director

Louisiana Kitchen & Culture

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Out Now:

Smoky Seafood Étouffée

From Virginia Willis' excellent cookbook Lighten up, y'all, this dish is refreshingly flavored with a little smoked paprika, one spice I consider essential. It comes together in less than 30 minutes, so it's fancy enough for dinner guests, fast enough for weeknight.

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Braised Chicken Thighs with White Beans

This recipe is from Multicooker Perfection by America's Test Kitchen; the cookbook provides instruction for cooking each of the recipes using the slow cooker, and using a pressure cooker. This one features chicken thighs braised over a bed of garlicky, rosemary-infused white beans--one of my favorite flavor combinations (I'd add a little lemon).

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Caramelized Onion Smothered Pork Chops

Take the time to slowly caramelize your onions to really bring out the sweetness, then crank up the heat to brown them a bit. Brown the chops and slow-braise them smothered in the delicious onions; the recipe calls out for a pan of slow-roasted sweet potatoes to serve on the side.

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