How you doin’? This is our 1,000th recipe blog. We started publishing at the beginning of the Covid scare when people were locked away in their homes with their families. We started getting phone calls from friends and family who asked us for recipes. For many they never had to cook 3 meals a day for their families.
 
Joan said, “It will only be 14 days, we can certainly write recipes for our friends after all we have over 30,000 recipes in our recipe archive, we’ve written for our clients over the years.” Well, 14 days came and went and still we were stuck in our homes. We had nothing but time and we continued to go to the office—we added some recipe history and Happy Hour on Fridays—what’s life without a great Happy Hour cocktail?
 
Every time we have missed an issue or when we went from 5 to 3 issues per week, we had our friends demand (sometimes in not such a friendly way) that we continue. I thought once we hit #1000 it would be a good time to stop, but after talking to quite a few people they told us they love the contact, so we are now starting on the next thousand.  
 
I am so excited for our 1,000th that falls close to Mardi Gras. It’s time to celebrate and this festive time is all about music, parades, picnics, floats, excitement and, of course, our 1,000th. It’s one big holiday in New Orleans, but you don’t have to live in the Big Easy to partake in the celebration!
 
Throw your own Mardi Gras party and celebrate our 1,000th with your friends and family with this delicious Mardi Gras Punch Bowl!   You can blow this recipe out depending on how many people are celebrating.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Yield: 16 to 20 servings
 
Ingredients 
2 sliced blood oranges
2 sliced limes
2 sliced lemons
16 maraschino cherries
16 ounces of red fruit punch (I prefer Hawaiian Punch)
16 ounces blood orange juice
6 ounces frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
6 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1-2/3 cups light rum
1-2/3 cups dark rum
4 to 6 large ice spheres (molds available on Amazon)
 
Directions

1. Slice the blood oranges, limes and lemons set aside with the maraschino cherries as a punch bowl garnish. 
2. Combine all of punch ingredients in the punch bowl.
3. No matter how you celebrate, do so responsibly!

ChefSecret:  If you want to be totally fancy, create a really neat special effect with dry ice placed in your hurricane punch bowl!

Quip of the Day:  Q.  What do you call a hamburger covered in beads? A. A French Quarter pounder.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Cocktail #MardiGrasPunch #MardiGras #Rum #BloodOrange #FebruaryCocktails #HappyHour2025 #PerspectivesOnFood #Cheers #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  

                                                                                   ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? This recipe was actually created during the 7th month of Covid lockdowns back in 2020… you remember all that fun, right? We were contemplating a change in the recipe format on our website back then… just as we are now.
 
From 2020: “To be honest with you, we only thought we would be on lockdown for a couple of weeks. We never dreamed we would still be writing daily recipes for 7 months. We’ve spent as much time on this blog as I did writing one of my cookbooks. We still must write the copy and test the recipes to make sure they work before we send them out to you. The changes are simple, so don’t get all frustrated and fired up.”
 
Friday’s Cocktail will be our 1000th recipe on this blog. For those who receive this blog via email, you may have already noticed a change in the masthead. For those who follow an online link from social media, starting with Monday’s recipe, #1001, you’ll be directed to a new blog section on our website called “Perspectives on Food”… which was the name of a printed newsletter we used to send out about a hundred years ago. Rest assured, if you need to look up an older recipe (pre-1000), you can still find them in the Covid-19 Survival Guide Section.
 
All of this change makes me crave a cookie. And this very special cookie is made with yummy cinnamon and graham cracker crumbs. If you want a little variation, throw in a bag of butterscotch or chocolate chips.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Bake time:  9 to 11 minutes
Cool time:  10 minutes
Yield:  4 dozen cookies (note: large yield)
 
Ingredients 
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 -1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups butterscotch or chocolate chips (optional)
 
Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350⁰F and line a couple of sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl; set aside.
3. Beat the butter and both sugars with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth; about 4 minutes.
4. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next.
5. Add the vanilla.
6. Carefully, add the flour mixture a little at a time… don’t over mix.
7. Add the optional chips, if using.
8. Scoop the dough out onto lined baking sheets by rounded tablespoons; you can use a #20 scoop, if you have one.
9. Bake in the preheated oven until slightly browned at the edges, about 9 to 11 minutes.
10. Let the cookies cool on a tray before transferring them over to a wire rack.

ChefSecret:  I like to add a little crunch to the cookie by sprinkling the tops with a little raw sugar. It’s easy to freeze the dough in logs, then slice and bake them fresh as you want them.

Quip of the Day:  “The early spring gardening season in our neck of the woods is off to a great start. I planted myself in front of the TV and I’m already starting to grow.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Baking #Dessert #Cookies #ChewyCinnamonCookies #CinnamonCookies #GrahamCrackerCrumbs #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  
                                                       ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? What is New Orleans all about? New Orleans is world-renowned for its distinct music, Creole and Cajun cuisines, unique dialect, and its annual celebrations and festivals—most notably Mardi Gras… this year starting with Fat Tuesday on March 4th.

The historic heart of the city is the French Quarter, known for its French and Spanish Creole architecture and vibrant nightlife along Bourbon Street. The city has been described as the most unique in the United States, owing in large part to its cross-cultural and multilingual heritage. New Orleans is a bustling port city on the Gulf where the mighty Mississippi river greets the commerce of the world.

Founded in 1718 by French colonists, New Orleans was once the territorial capital of French Louisiana before being sold to the United States by Napoleon in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. New Orleans in 1840 was the third-most populous city in the United States, and it was the largest city in the American South from the Antebellum era until after World War II.

So, what is it about New Orleans that makes it so special? It’s the excitement, the people and the great food. The food has a wonderful mix of harmonious cultures—Cajun, Creole, African, French, Native Americans (Chitimacha), British, Italian, Irish, Polish and American.

Gumbo is a spicy, thick stew made with chicken, sausage, seafood, and vegetables, including okra; it is traditionally served over rice. The origins of gumbo go back to the West Africans who were brought to the colony of French Louisiana. West Africans used okra to thicken stews made with meat and shrimp. As a matter of fact, the word for ‘okra’ in West Africa is ‘ki ngombo’ and in French, it’s ‘gombo’. Over time French, Native American, Caribbean, Creole, and Cajun influences created the different varieties of gumbo: thick and thin, with or without tomatoes, with seafood, chicken, or sausage, and with or without okra.

Thanks to kitchen technology—the Instant Pot—it doesn’t take long to make it. My Instant Pot Gumbo is a quintessential New Orleans dish that is hearty, satisfying, flavorful and perfect for a crowd. This all-time favorite can be made with a variety of meats and seafood. The one pictured was a light seafood gumbo made with sausage, shrimp, lobster and crawfish (more on crawfish in the ChefSecret below). It truly tastes amazing when served over rice.
 
Prep time:  10 to 15 minutes
Cook time:  20 to 25 minutes
Instant Pot cook time:  4 minutes (allow 10 minutes to get up to pressure and another 10 minutes to cook the shrimp)
 
Ingredients 
1/2 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning or Cajun seasoning
1/2 cup olive oil + 2 Tbsp extra for sautéing
1/2 pound Andouille sausage or smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup diced red onions
1 cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup diced celery
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 cups chicken broth (for seafood gumbo, I used 3 cups broth, 1 cup clam juice and 1 cup Champagne)
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or, to your taste)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 bay leaves (small) or 1 large
2 cups frozen okra, sliced in thirds
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes or 2 cups freshly chopped tomatoes
1 pound uncooked whole crawfish (optional)
1/4 pound chopped lobster meat (optional)
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions (green parts only) 
Chopped parsley to garnish
 
Directions

1. Rub the shrimp with Creole or Cajun seasoning and set aside.
2. Select SAUTE mode and when Instant Pot has heated, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the inner pot.
3. Add the andouille sausage and chicken, and cook until browned, about 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Press CANCEL and transfer the chicken and sausage to a plate using a slotted spoon and set aside.
5. To make the roux use a medium saucepan and add remaining 1/2 cup olive oil and all-purpose flour.
6. Cook the oil and flour until the mixture resembles dark peanut butter, stirring frequently, and being careful not to burn. This can take about 10 to 15 minutes. For my seafood gumbo I didn’t get the roux very dark as I wanted to taste the shellfish. Be patient… this is important. If you don’t have the time to cook it right “today” save it for another day.
7. Add the onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic to the roux. Stir until vegetables are slightly soft, about 5 minutes.
8. Using a wooden spatula, scrape the bottom of the inner pot to make sure there are no burnt bits stuck to the bottom. Deglaze with a couple of tablespoons of broth as needed.
9. Moving back to the Instant Pot, select SAUTE mode
10. Stir in the broth (can include clam juice and wine), white, black and cayenne peppers, thyme, salt, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, bay leaves, frozen okra and then transfer the roux mixture to the Instant Pot.
11. Stir in the reserved chicken and sausage.
12. Add tomatoes on top and gently push down with a spatula to submerge. Do not stir.
13. Close Instant Pot lid and set the PRESSURE mode on HIGH FOR 4 MINUTES.
14. After cooking, do a QUICK RELEASE of the pressure and open the Instant Pot.
15. Immediately stir in the shrimp and close the Instant Pot for another 10 minutes.  The shrimp will cook in the residual heat (if using precooked lobster or crawfish let the shrimp cook for 5 minutes then open the lid again and add the rest of the pre-cooked seafood).
16. Open the Instant Pot, stir and ladle the gumbo over Jasmine Rice or rice of your choice.
17. Garnish the gumbo with a sprinkle of parsley and green onions.

ChefSecret: Some recipes suggest cooking the roux in the Instant Pot, I don’t. My Instant Pot is prone to getting a HOT or BURN message. I recommend cooking the roux on the stovetop and adding it to the inner pot after the broth. The darker the roux, the more intense the flavor of the gumbo.  Be sure not to burn the roux, so keep stirring constantly especially as it gets darker.
One of the things I really love about gumbo is anything goes. For the pictured recipe I deleted the chicken and added lobster meat and crawfish as noted in the ingredient listing. The precooked crawfish were a mistake. I got all the flavor, but the meat was barely noticeable. Next time I’ll just get a half dozen or so crawfish and use them as a garnish on the top. You can also add fresh clams and crab meat for more seafood flavor.

Quip of the Day:  “Being trapped in a car with a talkative child is like having an insane parrot glued to your shoulder.”
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  Send your thoughts to [email protected].  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.
#Entrees #Dinner #NewOrleans #BigEasy #Gumbo #InstantPotGumbo #InstantPot #FatTuesday #MardiGras2025 #MardiGras #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                                                            ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How are you doin’?  February is my favorite month… groundhogs, SuperBowls and my birthday!  For those wanting to wish me well, you can send your best wishes, cash, checks and credit cards to the email address below. I, for one, am going to party hearty at Peter Lugers Steak House and order my Birthday Hurricane made with passion fruit juice—a little different from the New Orleans’ traditional Hurricane.  While I am not available to celebrate Mardi Gras in the Big Easy this year, tipping back a Hurricane will help get me in the mood.
 
Mardi Gras, which actually falls on March 4th this year, has origins that date back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility celebrations, such as the Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia. When Christianity spread, these traditions were incorporated into the pre-Lenten festivities.
 
Mardi Gras is the final day of Carnival; it thus falls on the day before the beginning  of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday", reflecting the practice of the last night of consuming rich, fatty and sinful foods in preparation for the Christian fasting season of Lent, during which the consumption of such foods is usually avoided. 
 
So, give this formulation a try, but only in moderation—no more than three at a time, but only after you give up your car keys!
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Yield:  6 cocktails
 
Ingredients 
2 cups passion fruit juice
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup lime juice
3/4 cup light rum
3/4 cup dark rum
3 tablespoons grenadine syrup
6 to 8 cups ice cubes
6 orange slices and maraschino cherries
 
Directions 

1. In a pitcher, combine the fruit juice, sugar, lime juice, rums and grenadine.
2. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
3. Pour into hurricane or highball glasses filled with ice.
4. Garnish with orange slices and cherries.

 
ChefSecret:  I used to like to top this cocktail off with a spoonful 151 proof rum, but I can’t seem to find it in liquor stores any more, so instead, just top it off with a tablespoon of straight dark rum.
 
Quip of the Day:  Q.  Why did the Bayou Bubba bring a ladder to the bar? A. He heard the drinks were on the house.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Cocktail #HurricaneCocktail #MardiGras #Rum #Grenadine #Birthday #February #HappyHour2025  #Cheers #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
                                                                      ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? While pecan nuts used to be just a Southern thing, they have grown in popularity and become a favorite across our nation.
 
Pecan Tartlet Cookies come in many forms. Among the most common are drop cookies, thumbprint cookies, and (my personal favorite) Pecan Tartlet Cookies. While the first two are cookies with a pecan pie flavor, Pecan Tartlet Cookies are the closest to the classic pecan pie—with a decided crust and filling.
 
The real magic is in my crust. Whereas most cookie recipes have you beat softened butter and cream cheese with flour, I take a pie crust approach, pulsing cold, cubed butter and cream cheese with a blend of flour, sugar and salt to form the dough. This means the crust is light and flaky.
 
The filling should be simple to make, sweet but not cloying, and packed with pecans. Finally, and maybe most importantly, the ratio of filling and dough needs to be spot on. They need to be baked until golden brown, fragrant, and toasty good. These Pecan Tartlet Cookies will have everyone running to the kitchen to  grab one right out of the oven. They’re yummy any time of year, but keep the recipe handy for the year-end holidays, too!
 
Prep time:  30 minutes
Bake time 25 minutes
Yield:  24 cookies
 
Ingredients 
For the dough
Nonstick cooking spray, for greasing the pan
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
10 tablespoons cold and cubed unsalted butter
5 ounces cold and cubed cream cheese
 
For the filling
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
Confectioners’ sugar, as needed for dusting
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F.
2. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven.
3. Lightly spray the cavities of a 24-cavity (or two 12-cavity) mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

To make the dough:

1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the cutting blade attachment, pulse the flour, sugar and salt.
2. Add the cold cubed butter and cream cheese and pulse until the dough comes together in one mass, about 30 to 50 one-second pulses.
3. The mixture will look dry at first and then turn pebbly. Do not add any water or liquid. Keep pulsing until it comes together.
4. Divide the dough into 24 one-tablespoon portions (about 2/3 ounce each).
5. Use your hands to roll each portion into a ball and place a ball into each cavity of the prepared mini muffin tin.
6. Chill the dough in the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up slightly.
7. Use a small measuring spoon, skinny shot glass, or your knuckle to push the dough into the cup and all the way and up the side, creating a well in the center. Take care to press the dough and create wells that are deep and wide because the dough and filling will puff as they bake.
8. Return the muffin tin to the freezer while you make the filling.

To make the filling

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the maple syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, granulated sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, salt and cinnamon until combined and there are no lumps of sugar. Add the pecans and stir to coat the nuts in the maple syrup mixture.
2. Equally divide the pecan filling into each dough well, about a heaping 1/2 tablespoon each.
3. Bake the Pecan Tartlet Cookies until puffed, the dough is golden to golden brown around the edges, and the filling is set; about 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Cool the Pecan Tartlet Cookies slightly in their pan set over a wire rack, about 2 minutes. Transfer the cookies directly to the rack to cool completely. If desired, dust very lightly with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
5. Leftover Pecan Tartlet Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

ChefSecrets:

• Take care to press the dough in the tin and create a deep well. The dough filling will rise a good amount which can lead to the syrup from the filling spilling over if the well isn’t deep enough.
• If the dough chills too long—it’ll crack along the top edge and will look jagged after baking. If it cracks, you can press the dough back together and the heat of your fingers will smooth it out.
• When you divide the filling into the wells, give it a stir every few portions. This helps evenly distribute the pecans and syrup.
• Sliding a small offset spatula or tip of a paring knife along the side helps to pop the Pecan Tartlet Cookies out of the pan.
• Don’t let the cookies cool completely in the pan. If any sugar bubbles over, which is totally normal, it can make them stick to the pan, making it a bit more difficult to remove.

Quip of the Day:  Why just dream it when you can go nuts and do it? Forget about nutting up or shutting up, always opt for the nut-up option.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. We have added a new search feature to make it easier to navigate through our blogs.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Baking #Dessert #Cookies #PecanTartletCookies #Pecans #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  

                                                                        ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025