Last Friday I cooked dinner for a large group of people who got together to throw a surprise birthday for a beloved cousin. Italian-themed, I baked a 10 pound lasagna, nursed dough for 6 focaccias, and made blackened shrimp alfredo and linguine with shrimp and clams. It was all a big hit, some of the recipes are below.

The birthday girl loves shrimp, plus it was Friday during Lent, so two of the dishes were seafood. First up, we blackened 2 pounds of shrimp and added them to a rich, creamy alfredo sauce loaded with good cheese and thickened with a couple of eggs. Next, a riff on linguini with clams--I went with canned clams, and sautéed shrimp in lots of garlic and butter, with a sauce of clam juice, onion, garlic, and tasty tomatoes. And the final recipe is from the archives; crawfish are in season, albeit scarce, and I bought the first artichokes of the season earlier this week, so the classic stuffed artichoke.

Enjoy the recipes, 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

Last week's recipes:

• Old Fashioned Shrimp Stew

• Mardi Gras King Cake

• Spicy Black Bean Soup

Blackened Shrimp Alfredo

Everyone who tasted this raved about the added zing the blackeneing seasoning gave to this decadently rich dish. We probably added a little extra seasoning to the cream sauce then stirred the cooked shrimp in. Delicious.

Linguini with Shrimp and Clams

Super garlicky and as spicy as you want; we used grape tomatoes that had been halved, then the sauce probably cooked for more that 30 minutes because we were getting ready to surprise the birthday girl. The extra time simmering didn't hurt it at all, so use your judgement.

Crawfish-Stuffed Artichokes

When both crawfish and artichokes are in season, you'll find versions of this for sale at grocery stores all over South Louisiana. Use this recipe to make it for yourself at home. Just make sure you buy crawfish caught and processed in Louisiana; the imports from China taste awful.