HOLIDAY COMFORT FOOD

It’s time to give thanks. This season, gather around the table for a Louisiana Thanksgiving feast full of flavor and seasonal offerings.

FOR HIS TEMPLE FAMILY FOODS

Organic sweet potatoes with a delicious praline topping. Available in family-style servings.

DOE’S EAT PLACE

Looking for the perfect Louisiana gumbo? This chicken and sausage gumbo from Doe’s is roux-licious.

photography by KELLY MOORE CLARK styling by TAYLOR BENNETT

COTTON RESTAURANT

Venison Schnitzel on a bed of sweet potato mash, topped with a tower of fried onion rings, with brussel sprouts and spiced pecans and. a bacon-bourbon drizzled on top.

THURMAN’S FOOD FACTORY

This brunch breakfast quiche is the perfect way to start your day. With a golden brown crust and fresh eggs, it will have you craving quiche all day.

MAGIC GRILL MONROE & WEST MONROE

Magical roast beef po-boy served with fresh cut fries, inhouse french bread and award winning gravy.

Blackened catfish fillet with a zest of lemon and topped with shrimp and Portico Sierra sauce, served with green beans and corn.

TRAPP’S RESTAURANT

A trinity of veggies, sautéed in a rich buttery cream sauce and thickened with a blonde roux topped with cajun boiled shrimp makes up this etoufee exceptional.

JAC’S Craft Smokehouse

Turkey on the menu? Let JAC’S Craft Smokehouse take care of the work for you. Their famous house smoked, 100% all natural turkey breast perfectly seasoned with expertly crafted house seasoning.

MIRO’S RESTAURANT

A generous seafood platter with fried catfish, seasoned fried shrimp, and crispy fried oyster, served with fries.

NEWK’S EATERY

Warm your soul with Newk’s Loaded Potato Soup. A creamy chowder of potatos, chives, bacon, sour cream and melted cheese. Garnished with onions and bacon bits.

THURMAN’S FOOD FACTORY

Need a beautiful and delicious dish for your next holiday gathering? This toasted pecan and cranberry cheseball will be the hit of the party.

Happy Holidays

From the City of Bastrop

ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH, MERCHANTS IN Bastrop will host their annual Holiday Open House from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Put on your shopping shoes and join local businesses in a fun-filled afternoon of shopping, dining and holiday spirit.

Whit’s Pharmacy will be displaying all of their Christmas merchandise, including ornaments and indoor and outdoor décor for this year’s Holiday Open House. They will have men’s gifts, baby gifts, Woodwick candles, garden flags and doorhangers, windchimes, and home decor. Whit’s is also an authorized dealer of Duke Cannon, Gingersnaps, Michel Design Works, and Snoozies for all ages. Don’t forget to come in and register for a free door prize!

Arnett Jewelry has everything you need to get you ready for the holiday season! Beautiful jewelry, Ronaldo bracelets and more make the best gifts and Arnett’s happily gift wraps! Fun Christmas earrings are perfect to complete your holiday outfits and we have a huge selection. Need the personal touch? Arnett’s monograms and engraves. Visit our gourmet section for yummy treats, dips, cheese straws and more. Let Arnett’s help you with everything Christmas. Come see us today!

Tucked away in Morehouse Parish, The Flower Tree has been delighting clients with their custom arrangements for homes and special occasions for over 40 years. In addition to fresh and silk designs, the shop features gift lines highlighting southern made décor. Stop by the day of the open house to get started on your Christmas shopping.

Christmas ornaments, home décor items, candles, party type foods, jellies, soup mixtures, Christmas pic frames, cheese platters, Christmas aprons for adults and children and Christmas tee shirts can all be found at Pearce Pharmacy. One of their biggest events of the year, The Holiday Open House is always loads of fun. Their friendly staff is always ready to help. Gift wrapping is also available!

The Market has a great variety of gift items including candles, new lines of designer jewelry, PJ Harlow sleepwear, and a variety of gourmet foods. The Market is fully-stocked with the ever-popular Niven Morgan Christmas candles and bath products. They have clothing by Ivy Jane, Uncle Frank, Kut, and Liverpool and Crown Linen. They also have furniture and a wide selection of unique home décor. Now carrying Consuela bags and Swig Life products. As always, The Market will have refreshments.

Steve’s Jewelry invites you to shop our HOLIDAY DIAMOND SALE, Nov 4th - Dec 24th, and save up to 50% off jewelry and gifts storewide. Be sure and register for our 7th Annual Diamond Giveaway to win a 1ct solitaire diamond ring or pendant (your choice) valued at $4,000 with any purchase of $200. Don’t miss their once a year Vahan Trunk Show, Nov 4th - Nov 13th, featuring over 100 bracelets to choose from at savings up to 40% OFF select styles. Serving The ArkLaMs for 44 years, let them make your shopping experience enjoyable with personal service, great savings, and free gift wrapping.

Opening in November, Vintage Willow Treasures Past & Present will be providing a unique shopping experience for those attending the Holiday Open House. Not only do they offer unique vintage pieces, they also have new gift items, and home and garden decor. Stop by and check out a variety of vendors offering clothing, jewelry, beautiful plants, dried arrangements, vintage furniture, and an assortment of items for home and garden. Visit us on Facebook for more details.

Tuhmara’s is a fun family-owned boutique. Stop by their Holiday open house to enjoy some tasty refreshments and to enter for door prize giveaways! Come by to shop for yourself or knock out some of your Christmas list. They carry women’s clothing, shoes, and accessories. Tuhmara’s also has a large selection of Bed Stu bags that will be the highlight of anyone’s Christmas! Check them out on social media or at tuhmaras.com for more information!

Stop by Roma’s Italian Bastrop located downtown, on the square at 124 S. Washington St., for a quick refresher while shopping. With their catch phrase, “Nothing fancy, just great Italian food” you know you are in for a treat. They serve fresh Italian cuisine and are a family owned and operated bistro that prepares each dish cooked to order. Pastas, pizzas, subs, soups and more can be found at the little bistro on the corner. For any questions call them at (318) 281-2382.

Meredith’s Musings

article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE

I. Love. You. The way the “I” rolls off the tongue and the “Y” rounds the lips into a kissing pose makes the words discernable across the room. We’ve all had an “I love you” that took us by surprise. The unexpected “I love you” floods the body with butterflies. Someone loves me and feels it enough to tell me so. It’s flattering and humbling and sometimes leaves us feeling obligated to say it in return. The “I love yous” can be tricky. We want them, but from the right people, at the right time. I’ve always wanted to be shown more than told. I’ve learned that’s not true for everyone. We say it casually to our friends, “Love you,” when saying goodbye. Taking the I off the opening makes it seem less personal, less intimate. Intimacy still makes people uncomfortable, even with those we’ve known for years. Saying it is important, but them knowing it is most important. It’s that balance of saying it enough, showing it always, and meaning it most.

My dad told me he loved me on a telephone call when I was a teenager. He may have told me before, but that’s the first time I remember. He had begun to work out of town, and hearing our voices was his only connection to home. Perhaps it made him more aware of his love, more certain that we knew. I remember smiling when I hung up, being a little stunned. I shouldn’t have been. I knew he loved me. He worked for us, took care of us; the words weren’t imperative for me. But they were for my sister. She told me she needed to hear it. That was one of my first realizations that my experience didn’t speak for everyone else.

My first husband never missed any opportunity to tell me, but he missed all the opportunities to show me. The routine made it less special. Some find comfort in consistency. I didn’t. The words allowed him to show me how unloved I was. He felt better for saying it, so I resented the words. “I love you” meant “I can hurt you” and still feel okay about it. The frequency of the words added insult to injury. He didn’t love me. He didn’t love himself. I doubt he ever even knew what love meant. He had to have seen it; perhaps he wasn’t paying attention. Perhaps I had to learn to love myself enough to get out of a relationship where I wasn’t loved.

I know who loves me now. I pay close attention. And rarely does it have anything to do with them telling me. The words mean they want me to know that they know. But I already do. Husband shows me daily. Works are his love language. We have this routine where he waits on me before bed. He’ll tuck me in, stroke my forehead, and kiss my lips, ever so softly. As he cuddles in beside me and nuzzles the side of my cheek, he sometimes says the words in a soft, whispery voice. He says them in an exhale, as if it’s his last effort of the day, the last thought of the day. Sometimes I don’t respond. Our breaths in cadence serve as my reply. I don’t need an “I love you” at the end of each phone call. I prefer the randomness of the sentiment, as if something I did reminded him how much. I like the butterflies of the unexpected even from the most expected source.

I tell myself I love me by taking care of myself. I’ve had a few, “I love yous” in the mirror. I cried once, sad that I needed to make eye contact with myself, that I needed to be reminded. It’s important to remind myself that I’m enough, even from my harshest critic. We pick ourselves and each other apart. We’re quicker to criticize than compliment. And better still, we resist compliments. We have a hard time giving and receiving love. It’s the most natural emotion, and yet it’s the one we complicate. We should give love more, without question or doubt or expectation. Love without looking for it in return. If the words need to be said, say them, but make sure the actions back up the sentiment. Show me you love me. Just telling me is too easy.

Max Porter Provisions

Northeast Louisiana’s Newest Men’s Mercantile

RECENTLY OPENED AT 206 TRENTON STREET ON historic Antique Alley is Max Porter Provisions, a men’s mercantile offering everything for apothecary to apparel, general store items to unique gift ideas. Parters Laurie Cochran and Cassie Livingston worked alongside Taylor Bennett to create a space in the old Mojoware store that would appeal to men looking to shop for themselves or women looking for unique gift items for the men in their lives. Décor gathered from estate sales, Lonesome Pine Home and vintage family memorabilia set the stage for Max Porter. When asked about the name of the store, Livingston said, “The store is named for my father-in-law, Max Livingston, who we lost to leukemia in 2011. It’s a tribute to our family roots – acknowledging the hard-working, veteran who devoted his life to family and country. Most of the items that we carry in the store are made in America – if they aren’t, they’re small batch, sociallyconscious brands.”

Among the brands that Max Porter Provisions carries is Paige jeans, a premium denim company that manufacturers all of their clothing in America. The Ampal Creative is another diverse line of socks, beanies and hats that are exclusively made in the USA. Shoppers can find a range of sauces and rubs from distributers like Hoff & Pepper and BBQ Rubdown, along with drink mixes from award-winning El Guapo Bitters. “The store definitely had ‘every man’ in mind when we were purchasing products,” says Cochran. “Whether you describe your style as western, modern, rustic, old-school, metro... our store has something for you.”

A favorite of the owners are the candles from Manready Mercantile. “Manready was really the inspiration behind the store. A friend put it on our radar, and the next time we visited Houston we really fell in love with the products. My husband loves the room sprays and candles – these were the first orders that we placed for Max Porter,” says Livingston. There are also candles and fragrances from Guy Fox, an under-the-radar company that offers affordable and unique colognes that are warm and full of zest.

Looking for a new razor? Supply offers an injector-style blade cartridge which allows you to reload the razor with ultra-sharp stubble-slicers, without ever touching a blade with your hands. Pair it along with Educated Beards delightful beard-grooming kit to keep your facial hair in place. Both of the companies, along with Duke Cannon are favorites of Livingston and Cochran’s husbands.

While Max Porter Provisions is carrying apparel, their clothing selection is well-curated and there are only a few brands that will be in the store, these include Paige, DL1961, Pendleton, Richer Poorer and Howler. “There are so many great apparel stores in North Louisiana, it was important to us to keep this section of our store limited. We have a waxed canvas jacket from Loyal Stricklin that we are in love with. There are also boxers from Richer Poorer, socks from Ampal Creative, and fun hats from Sendero Provisions. Our husbands definitely weighed in when we were ordering clothing, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the unique apparel that we have.”

Leather goods is among one of the largest selections of gift items in the store. There are some beautiful, hand-crafted leather goods like wallets, belts, dog collars and leashes, bags, coaster, trays and more. “The Atticus duffle from Will Leather Company is my favorite item in the store,” says Cochran. “With plenty of pockets for organization and a dedicated shoe compartment, its roomy interior will hold all your essentials and more. It’s the right size for an overhead compartment and leather strap make going through the airport a breeze.” Even though the leather bags are a must-have, Max Porter also has a vintage camo print bag line from another local manufacturer that is perfect for fall travels.

When you are making your Christmas lists this year, make sure to stop in and visit Max Porter Provisions. “We are so excited to be opening this store in our community. We genuinely found a need for a store like this, and feel that we will evolve to become a shopping destination for Northeast Louisiana.” says Livingston. “We are so happy that Bradley Castle will be running our store. He has a wealth of product knowledge and experience. Our shoppers will really love meeting and working with him.”

Max Porter Provisions is located at 206 Trenton Street in West Monroe. The phone number is 318.737.7742 and you can find them on Facebook and Instagram. Store hours are Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm.