Thanksgiving is just around the corner; a time when we take stock of where we are and what we are grateful for. Family, friends – it's a time of celebration! It is also a time time to celebrate food – turkey, dressing, ham, cakes, pies, and a banquet of delectable dishes. It's a feast that results from hours and hours of preparation: stuffing the turkey, glazing the ham, preparing sides, baking the pies . . . this holiday can cause a lot of stress in the kitchen! Unless it doesn't. Ever consider having your Thanksgiving meal catered? Several local establishments stand ready to do the work for you.
The world might have survived The Great Fried Chicken Sandwich War of 2019, but we will carry the battle scars with us for the rest of our days. Bitter words were spoken, pitting brother against brother, cousin against cousin, that one friend from high school who won't stop selling essential oils on Facebook against that other friend from high school with a cosmetics side hustle.
The holiday season is a festive time but can present unique challenges for those with food allergies—whether you are a host or guest – as many of the top food allergens appear throughout the meal.
This month, we celebrate McNeese’s homecoming against Houston Baptist with a Cowpoke Chili. We think the sweet heat will match the Cowboys intensity come game day. And we’re pretty sure this is a recipe that new head coach, Sterlin Gilbert, would approve of! Our southern traditions run deep here in SWLA, as do our allegiances. Now as we scramble to find any evidence of fall, the one thing we can always count on to unite our community, football, is back in full swing. Whether its Barbe, St. Louis, McNeese, LSU, ULL, or the Saints, it feels good to root for our favorite local teams again.
When Should We Introduce Nuts?
Could early avoidance of high-risk foods be partially to blame for increased allergy rates? In 2008, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) rescinded its recommendation to hold off on introducing high allergy-risk foods to healthy infants. Based on a 2015 study in the New England Journal of Medicine, the AAAAI issued a statement of the importance of early introduction of developmentally appropriate peanut products in almost all children, regardless of their allergy risk. Discuss how to do this specifically with your pediatrician.
Things are popping down on Lake Street! Happy snackers are being spotted around the Lake Area with bags of brightly colored popcorn, and it’s all thanks to RhinoPOP.
If you love salads and a huge variety of ingredient options, Nelson Rd. is your new health food haven. Not to say there aren’t good salads at restaurants all over Southwest Louisiana, but several new salad-based eateries have recently popped up along this South Lake Charles thoroughfare.
Like any businesses that serve basically the same product, there are similarities and differences. Some create your salad for you with ingredients of your choice or pre-designed company concoctions, Subway-style. Others allow you to dish up your own meal, like a giant salad bar on growth hormones. Some serve primarily salads, while others offer other dishes for those who like something a bit heartier.
In 2013, Liz Fuselier and her start-up, Sassy Oil & Vinegar moved into the SEED Center Business Incubator. In 2017, she opened the Café on the SEED Center’s first floor. In addition to very reasonably priced coffee (75 cents a cup!) the Café also serves as home base for her oils and vinegars. She hosts "Tasting Socials” in the café or in homes and demonstrates how to use her exceptional products. She’s a mobile retailer and can take these events on the road, as well. She also offers on-line ordering, gift baskets, and free delivery in Southwest Louisiana.
September is National Rice Month and as any good Cajun knows, this small but mighty grain is an integral part of life in Louisiana. We eat it, we farm it, and we mill it. From flooded fields dotted with bobbing crawfish traps to bowls of étouffée and gumbo, rice is part of everyday existence in our state.
But how much do we really know about this versatile grain?
Rice may seem a bit straightforward, but there are actually over 40,000 varieties of rice grown worldwide, each with their own qualities and uses. Let’s consider just a few of them.
By popular demand, Rouge et Blanc returns to downtown Lake Charles on Saturday, October 12, 2019. Southwest Louisiana’s premier wine & food festival, a sell-out event for 13 years running, is also moving to a cooler 4:00-8:00 p.m., in the shade of the historic 1911 City Hall building at 1001 Ryan Street.
Everyone knows that Rouge et Blanc is one of the best and most prestigious annual events on the Southwest Louisiana social scene. But do they know WHY the Banners team works so hard to plan this amazing event year after year? The answer is simple – so that Banners, a financially self-sustaining organization within McNeese State University, can continue to provide the community with access to exceptional arts and humanities programming, and education through the arts that is unique to the area. Banners is committed to lifelong learning and an appreciation of cultural diversity, with a focus on enhancing quality of life in the communities of Southwest Louisiana.
July is National Grilling Month, and hamburgers are finding their way onto grills all over Southwest Louisiana! However, the simple acts of picking a meat, choosing a grilling method, and mixing ingredients can all contribute to radically different flavors. For best results, keep these tips in mind.
Summertime is peak season at area farmers’ markets. Fresh produce, meats, jams and jellies, locally-roasted coffee, fresh milk, kombucha, herbs, fresh-made prepared foods, local honey, baked goods, meats, fresh-pressed juices, tamales, homemade candles and soaps, and other crafts comprise a short list of all the fantastic items you might find on market day. There are a multitude of reasons why you might want to shop at these bastions of bounty.
Take a short drive down I-10 to Welsh, LA, and transport yourself back to your childhood in this cool retro confectionary.
Good food is easy to find in Lake Charles. Great food – now that’s a different story. Great food is not only tasty, but also leaves you healthier. It helps you work, play, and live better. Food is meant to be enjoyed but also to nourish.
Summer is here! Caregivers and students get a mental break from homework, uniform washing, and carpool lines. This is a perfect time to get the kids away from the TV and into the kitchen and garden with you! One of the best ways to encourage "picky eaters” is to involve them in the process of preparing the family’s meals. So, get out and grow something—even if it is just a small pot of herbs. Kids are more willing to try foods they have had ownership in growing, selecting, or cooking.
Eggs are a staple of our kitchens, yet few ingredients have faced such a rollercoaster of opinions. With their nutritional value and health benefits constantly in question, eggs are a controversial – and essential – element of almost all cuisines.
Here in Southwest Louisiana, we love the convenience of a mom-and-pop drive-thru, be it for crawfish, po-boys, snowballs, or daiquiris. Recently, several new shops have opened, each with their own unique flair.
Looking for a great cup of coffee? You’re in the right place. Louisianians love their morning cup, most having grown up on "coffee milk.”
Whether you like it black or loaded with cream, sugar, flavorings, and whipped cream on top, read on for places to satisfy your coffee cravings. Most of these establishments are open for breakfast and lunch and offer some combination of pastries and baked goods, homemade soups, salads, and sandwiches. So go there hungry!
There’s nothing we Louisianans have in common more than our food and drink. Regardless of age, gender, or race, most all of us all love our crawfish, our boudin, our jambalaya, our gumbo, a good Sazerac, or a cold Abita Strawberry. But there’s one staple we share more than any, and that’s a hot cup of Community Coffee in the morning.
Everyone knows someone who can’t make it without their daily coffee. Maybe it’s you, a loved one, a co-worker . . . or all of the above!
Tumeric has been trending lately, and it’s no surprise. This yellow-gold spice, used for over 4000 years in Asia and India, is a key ingredient in curry and purportedly boasts numerous health benefits. But first, let’s talk about taste and how to use this versatile spice.
May is National Barbeque Month and nothing says summer quite like outdoor grilling. For eons humans have cooked and smoked food over an open flame on beautiful warm evenings. It’s a summertime tradition and maybe one of the oldest human customs in history. Slow smoking meat is the purest version of the ancient tradition we call barbeque, and while it can take years to master, it’s much easier to get started than you think. You don’t need a fancy smoker, and you don’t need to do any complicated DIY project. All you need is the grill you’ve already been using!
According to pizza.com, 94% of Americans eat pizza "regularly.” While somewhat vague, it is nonetheless good news for Scott McClaskey, who opened Pizza Artista at Prien Lake Mall last October with his wife, Cynthia, and their partner, Kirk Miller. The success of this pizza parlor is evident from numerous online review sites. Both buzzfeed.com and onlyinyourstate.com rate Pizza Artista as the number one pizza restaurant in Louisiana. Social media sites collectively give Pizza Artista 4.9 out of five stars.
What makes a perfect, relaxing picnic? Location, good weather, lovely company, great food, and because this is Southwest Louisiana, lots of mosquito spray. Picnics are an excellent way to enjoy the company of someone you care about or someone you would like to get to know better, but there are a few elements required in the planning stage to ensure your picnic is flawless and fun.
Whether it’s juggling baseball practice and gymnastics, or just a long day at the office, nothing can put a damper on the evening like realizing its 8 o’clock and your cupboards only hold half a block of Velveeta cheese, a can of cream of mushroom soup, and a sleeve of saltine crackers. Before you throw your hands up in defeat, there is another mealtime option that doesn’t require multiple trips to the supermarket or tons of planning.
If you’ve driven along Highway 14 in Lake Charles, just north of E. McNeese St., you likely have seen a herd of cows idly grazing in a large pasture along the side of the road. What may surprise you is that the farm is owned by McNeese State University and the cows, as well as pigs and lambs, are all part of the education for the 400-some students in McNeese’s School of Agricultural Sciences program. This farm is the first step in the program’s Center for Advancement of Meat Production and Processing (CAMPP). From the McNeese Farm, the animals spend some time "beefing up” at Fuller Farm in Kinder, and from there they go to CAMPP’s meat processing and packaging facility in Lacassine for "harvesting.”
Fusion cuisineisa style of cookingthat combines elements of different culinary traditions into one innovative, creative, often daring dish. The variations of fusion food are basically limited only by a chef’s imagination. California cuisineis considered a fusion culture, taking inspiration particularly fromItaly,France,Mexico, along with the culinary ideas of the Europeandelicatessen, easternAsia, and creating traditional dishes from these cultures with non-traditional ingredients - such asCalifornia pizza. Tex-Mex, possibly one of the first recognized fusion foods, combinesSouthwesternUnited StatesandMexican cuisines. Asian fusion combines foods and flavors from various Asian countries.
"We are all mortal until the first kiss and the second glass of wine.” These words from Eduardo Galeano seem to reverberate like a fine mist creating a tangible atmosphere within the newest Lake Charles harbor for wine lovers. From the moment you step through the door of Bodega Wine Dive, the black-and-white-tiled walls and the Charlie Chaplin dance numbers floating across the television screen make you feel as if you have entered some magical world where Zelda Fitzgerald or Alice in Wonderland might suddenly appear and share a glass of Dom Perignon (which is sold by the glass) with you.
Southwest Louisiana has experienced a significant population increase over the past several years. The more people who come here, the more resources we need; new neighborhoods, new roads, new stores . . . and new restaurants! The lake area is following several new food and restaurant trends, especially when it comes to ethnic foods. Seventy-seven percent of Americans eat ethnic foods while dining out at least once a month, and more than 38% order ethnic food weekly, according to Chicago-based research firm, Technomic. Locally, diners have numerous ethnic choices – Asian, Italian, Middle Eastern, Mexican, even Irish.
Ordering a cocktail used to be so simple. "Vodka and tonic with lemon, please.” Those days are essentially gone. Over the past several years, craft cocktails have become complex, sophisticated, and oh so delightful. This year, look for several continuing trends, such as the popularity of classic cocktails from the Prohibition Era, as well as some newcomers to the bar scene.
