Perhaps it’s because I grew up on a farm or maybe due to so many of the home cooks in my family being connoisseurs of quality ingredients, but I feel most loved when someone gives me food. The saying…
A few weeks back, Cinco de Mayo and its joyous convergence with Taco Tuesday inspired most of us to mix up a batch of margaritas at home. It reminded me how much I love a good margarita and since…
Graison Gill really does live by bread alone — and fresh pasta, grits and stone-milled flour. A professional baker for over a decade who studied at the San Francisco Baking Institute, he opened Bellegarde Bakery in 2013. His bakery now…
If there is any group well-suited to creative solutions to problems big and small, it’s the design community. New Orleans design pros are no exception and have continued to hum along amid COVID-19 shutdowns and mandates, finding resourceful ways…
At this stage of the COVID-19 crisis, my husband Mark and I are devising as many plans as possible to safely increase our time outdoors. Our daily walks or bike rides and frequent porch sits are getting longer and…
It was in her native San Francisco that Sara Ekanger first fell in love with plants, which filled her childhood home and backyard. She knew at a very young age she wanted to do something creative with her life, and…
With lockdown going into week 2,345 and the spring weather beckoning, most of us have been doing a lot more porch and patio sitting and taking and long walks in the neighborhood. The latter also means blowing through that…
The entire internet has seemingly been baking homemade bread for weeks, with the exception of those of us who weren’t prescient enough to buy yeast before the COVID-19 hoarding began in earnest. My husband Mark and I bake bread…
Daniel Zangara attended Tulane University’s School of Architecture, and, in 2012, established his architectural firm of Zangara + Partners. Focusing on the culture and architectural beauty of New Orleans, the company aims to find a perfect blend of the old…
Last week, our friend’s Ann and Bill texted us to share a new cocktail they were enjoying. It was a delightful spin on a greyhound. Traditionally, a greyhound is simply grapefruit juice and either vodka or gin. You really…
My snake plant — named Daniel Plainview after the character in “There Will be Blood,” because he was devious and, well, it’s a snake plant — had a baby. One day I looked over and there was this little…
Kristin Malone has two retail shops in New Orleans and a robust e-commerce site featuring her own artwork, as well as that of more than 160 other artists from throughout the South. Perhaps best known for her iconic painted…
Whether you live in a small downtown apartment, a little cottage in the Marigny or a sprawling and expansive St. Charles Avenue manse, keeping it clean can seem like a full-time job. Add to that the fact that some…
For those fortunate to have remote-capable jobs during the COVID-19 crisis, working from home is, perhaps, long-held #LifeGoals brought to fruition. Unfortunately, it happened in the most surreal and frightening way. It’s of course a blessing to be employed right…
Owner of Herbivore Floral Designs, Herb Oldknow is a special event florist and floral designer with a background in management and merchandising. After working for several years for Pier 1 Imports as general manager of five stores, Oldknow moved to…
For years, my husband Mark has worked from home full time, with me bringing work home a day or two throughout the week. Our shared worktable in the living room has always been sufficient and, for the most part,…
Comfort food is high on my list these days. But, I’m also keen to eat economically, nutritiously and — to paraphrase food journalist Michael Pollan’s advice in the 2009 PBS documentary "In Defense of Food," which was based on…
On Sunday, the Eat Fit Alcohol Free for 40 Challenge (which is really 46 days) ends and I’m jogging across the finish line with a mixed bag of emotions. A lot has changed since those carefree days back in…
We’re all stuck at home right now, so there’s no time like the present to primp your place. We talked with New Orleans designers Regina Correa of Studio Riche Designs, Penny Francis of Eclectic Home and Herb Oldknow at…
(EDITOR’S NOTE): This article was updated on April 10 after a reader who is a former chemistry teacher alerted us to an error in the hand sanitizer recipe, cited as read on Healthline.Com. The formula we used is by Jagdish…
In 10 days, the Eat Fit Alcohol Free for 40 Challenge will end and I will toast with a crisp, fizzy French 75. Or perhaps a flavor-packed Bloody Mary with celery, pickled things, hot sauce and a little paprika…
If you are used to regular visits with your favorite New Orleans manicurist, at this stage of the COVID-19 closures, stay at home mandates and pro-level handwashing, your poor hands are beyond wrecked. While it is certainly a quick pick-me-up…
The abrupt transition to remote work since the COVID-19 outbreak has sent many of us into new territory, while others are wading back into the familiar waters of work-from-home jobs from the past. I fall into the latter category,…
This is soooo 2005 Well things have really gotten real lately. It seems like the news is coming in every minute with information and closings and schedule changes for pretty much everything. I have a close friend who is a…
The past couple of weeks – with social distancing and shelter in place becoming part of our daily lexicon – have been surreal at best and, for hyper-social New Orleanians, eerily quiet. We are used to visiting our favorite shops,…
Welcome to the mid-point of the Eat Fit Alcohol Free for 40 Challenge. We don’t know about you guys, but my co-challenger Ashley and I are in agreement that a global pandemic really adds an all new level of…
We are quickly approaching our halfway point, and I really can’t believe how fast the time has flown. I have found that having a plan in place, with plenty of refreshing sodas, tea and mocktail garnishes (think lime, fruit, herbs…
When you decide to give up alcohol for Lent, suddenly everyone wants to go to happy hour and boozy birthday parties abound. At least, that was my experience the first weekend of the Eat Fit Alcohol Free for 40…
It’s been three days since the kick-off of the Alcohol Free for 40 Challenge, and so far, so good. Yesterday, my co-challenger Melanie and I travelled to the kick-off event held by Ochsner Fitness Nutrition and Eat Fit NOLA…
Melanie: Welp, here we go, y’all. Or at least those of us who gave up alcohol for Lent or who, like Ashley and I are doing the Eat Fit Alcohol Free for 40 Challenge. After the past three weeks of…
For 20 years, Melanie Warner Spencer has covered news, lifestyle, design and entertainment at various publications, including as the design columnist at The Austin American-Statesman, a senior staff reporter at The Houston Chronicle and as the editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Houston Brides magazine. Her work also has appeared in The Chicago Tribune, The Huffington Post and Reuters in the United States and across the globe. Melanie is also an award-winning fine art and editorial photographer. She has been honored by the Texas Press Association for her editorial photography, by the Press Club of New Orleans for writing and editing and by the International and Regional Magazine Association for writing, editing and photography. Melanie is currently serving as the President of Press Club of New Orleans. When not making magazines, Melanie enjoys cooking, trying out new restaurants and best happy hours and taking road trips. Click here to like Spencer's Facebook page and follow her on Instagram @MelanieWarnerSpencer.
