Category: Southern Living

  • Perfect Pie from Lord of the Pies

    Perfect Pie from Lord of the Pies

    I have known Chris Robbins for as long as I can remember. We go way back to when we lived on the same block as pre-schoolers. We grew up in the same little city of Ada, Oklahoma. We have both left our little home town but, I enjoy keeping up with what is going on…

  • Taking a Leap

    Taking a Leap

    On the last leap year, I wrote a post telling you about taking a leap of faith and moving to New Orleans. I showed you a few of my favorite things about New Orleans. Those things haven’t changed, but I have added so much to them. This is a fascinating city that makes it hard…

  • Lovely Lagniappe

    Lovely Lagniappe

    Who doesn’t love a little lagniappe? It is always nice to get (and give) a little something extra, which is the definition of lagniappe (pronounced lan-yap). Recently, I received a lagniappe from the lovely evening out at Le Petit Salon. If you read that story, you may remember, the oysters that were shucked and served…

  • Historic Plantation on the Market

    Historic Plantation on the Market

    This morning, I ran across this story in the New Orleans Advocate about the historic, Woodland plantation in LaPlace, Louisiana going on the market. What an interesting story it is! This plantation home, built in 1793 has fallen into disrepair in recent years and is looking for a new owner, who can restore it to…

  • A Secret Salon in New Orleans

    A Secret Salon in New Orleans

    The French Quarter in New Orleans has so many secret little courtyards and hidden jewels. One such jewel, that I am showing you today, is Le Petit Salon. If you have visited in New Orleans, you probably have walked right past and never knew it existed. Le Petit Salon is a ladies organization that was…

  • Chargrilled Oysters For Your Valentine

    Chargrilled Oysters For Your Valentine

    Looking for a delicious and easy treat for Valentine’s Day? What could fit the bill better than some buttery, garlicky chargrilled oysters. Oysters are supposed to be an aphrodisiac, are they not? Okay, the garlic may cancel a bit of that quality out. But, these are delicious to share with your sweetie or even to…

  • Happy Carnival

    Happy Carnival

    Mark Twain observed, “… I think that I may say that an American has not seen the United States until he has seen Mardi Gras in New Orleans.” It’s Monday morning in New Orleans and this Monday that means Lundi Gras! In the blink of an eye, Carnival will be over. In most places, tomorrow…

  • Let the Parades Roll!

    We are in the full swing of Carnival here in New Orleans. The beads are flying, the bands are marching, the floats are rolling, and it is truly something incredible to behold. As I mentioned in a past post, I was lucky to get to be a part of the  fabulous Mystic Krewe of Nyx…

  • Beautiful City Park of New Orleans

    One of my favorite things about living in New Orleans is taking the opportunity to be a tourist in my own town. There are so many things to see and do. I also love watching visitors enjoying this unique city. One of the places that locals enjoy is City Park. It is also visited by…

  • Carnival King Cake Is Here

    Don’t miss a thing. Subscribe to A Southern Life Enter your email address: Delivered by FeedBurner Just in case you haven’t had enough king cake yet, here is another helping. I saw an article on NOLA Eater the other day, discussing some of the incredible variations on king cake. There are king cake donuts, king…

  • Mardi Gras FAQ

    Well, Mardi Gras is right around the corner, and the parades will be starting soon. I’m certainly no expert, but I am happy to answer some of the questions that I have gotten about Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

  • Incredible Blue Cheese Puffs

    Looking for a nice little bite to add to your cheese plate? I love making these tasty little cheese puffs – filled with blue cheese and herbs from my garden. Of course, you can switch out the cheese and herbs and make this into anything you like, but you really need to try this. A…

  • Bird of Paradise – It Finally Bloomed!

    I wrote some time ago (before I moved to New Orleans) about my bird of paradise plant. When I got the plant, it was with the knowledge that it may not bloom for up to 7 years. Sooo, I have nurtured this plant and moved with this plant (and broke the pot it was planted…

  • Mardi Gras Decorations

    January decor in New Orleans means Mardi Gras (or Carnival – but that is another post). With the Mardi Gras colors of purple green and gold – which we got from Rex – we paint the town. It is sparkly, it is bright, it is colorful and it is fun. In a lot of places,…

  • Mardi Gras Jambalaya

    I call this Mardi Gras Jambalaya for a couple of reasons. One, it is Carnival time and the other is it colorful and bold – kinda like Mardi Gras. This recipe is based on a recipe by the great Chef John Folse. I first learned of the trinity (onion, celery, bell pepper) from Chef Folse…