Have you ever been someplace your soul immediately responded to? That’s Chicago for me. Not everyone understands it and I genuinely like it that way. Chicago isn’t for everyone. It’s where my roots are, where my grandparents rest peacefully. The food in Chicago is the best in the world to me, and I will argue you down about it. It always seemed like my start and end would be there. Until I arrived in New Orleans.

Continue reading New Orleans By Way of Chicago at Joy the Baker.

My Cajun French friend Sydney has given me a hard time for YEARS for making jambalaya the wrong way.  I mean… give a girl from California a few years to explore her own jambalaya journey. Since moving to New Orleans I’ve made my jambalaya recipe the Creole way, with tomatoes.  The result is a delicious rice dish with hints of paella and a firm reflection of the many different cultural influences in New Orleans.

Continue reading Chicken and Sausage Cajun Jambalaya at Joy the Baker.

If you got your hot hands on the Joy the Baker 2021 Holiday Magazine you might have flipped to the back pages and noticed  page after page of sparkle jackets, andouille sausage, crawfish, and the unsung hero of all late winter street parades: THE MOON PIE. It’s Mardi Gras, baby! It’s that time of year we hit the streets hoping to catch beads, plastic cups, handmade glittered shoes, and a packaged Moon Pie cookie.

Continue reading Mardi Gras Moon Pie Bars at Joy the Baker.

It feels like New Orleans is coming out enough of a global pandemic and I hope that means you’re on your way there to help us eat all this food! Here is my list of the best restaurants in New Orleans updated for spring 2022.  This is by no means an exhaustive list but these are some of my favorite places to belly up and chow down in the city. New Orleans is the kind of city that carries you away, and you should let it. 

Continue reading My New Orleans Favorites, Spring 2022 at Joy the Baker.

Each week this fall we’ll revisit a recipe from last year’s Joy the Baker Magazine with new tips, tricks and insights.  The latest issue of my holiday magazine is  currently available most places magazines are sold across the US and Canada and available online here!  This week, let’s make Smothered Chicken Dinner.  This smothered chicken recipe is an homage to the the great Cajun chef Justin Wilson.  

Continue reading Smothered Chicken Dinner at Joy the Baker.

Each week this fall we’ll revisit a recipe from last year’s Joy the Baker Magazine with new tips, tricks and insights.  The latest issue of my holiday magazine will hit grocery store shelves nationwide (and in Canada!) November 1st!  This week, let’s make Chicken and Andouille Gumbo.   So many hours and so much pure love goes into a pot of gumbo – mastering your own pot is a life skill that cannot be underestimated.  

Continue reading Chicken and Andouille Gumbo at Joy the Baker.

Each week this fall we’ll revisit a recipe from last year’s Joy the Baker Magazine with new tips, tricks and insights.  The latest issue of my holiday magazine will hit grocery store shelves nationwide (and in Canada!) November 1st!  This week, let’s make Louisiana Crawfish Pie which, since moving to the south, has become the meal that I make and take to friends who need a little extra love and comfort.

Continue reading Louisiana Crawfish Pie at Joy the Baker.

Each week this fall we’ll revisit a recipe from last year’s Joy the Baker Magazine with new tips, tricks and insights.  The latest issue of my holiday magazine will hit grocery store shelves nationwide (and in Canada!) November 1st!  This week, let’s make New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp, which since moving to the south, has become one of my dinner table secret weapons.

To be fair, New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp isn’t really barbecued at all.  

Continue reading New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp at Joy the Baker.

I’ve written several little guides for what to do in New Orleans over the past few years.  The cutest things to do in spring in the city. My favorite things to enjoy during fall after the crush of summer heat has passed. But here we are in the year of our Lord 2021 having just barely limped through a global panini and well… New Orleans isn’t exactly the same city it was before the panorama.

Continue reading Wha To Do In New Orleans, Spring 2021 at Joy the Baker.

Dough-whatnow? Doberge. Doberge Cake.

It’s common knowledge that Doberge (much like many other things New Orleanians take pride in) is confidently pronounced the way your grandmother said it. Since my California (through Alabama and New Mexico) grandmother likely never uttered the word Doberge, I tend to say Doh-berj. Doh-bashj is more common down south and likely more authentic. Really… anything close to Doberge is accepted with grace and met with a slice of cake.

Continue reading Dede’s Strawberry Pistachio Doberge Cake at Joy the Baker.