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Morgan City resident Mary Ann Adams has published her first book, "Chicken Scratch: In the Mind of a Parkinson’s Patient." The book is a memoir that gives readers a look into her life, and the ups and downs of living with Parkinson’s disease. She had recent book-signings at The Atchafalaya at Idlewild and at the St. Mary Parish Library's Bayou Vista branch. Adams hopes to form a support group.

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The 2016 Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival queen, Jeanne Marie Hidalgo, visited Holy Cross Elementary School, speaking to Maggie Bagwell’s third-grade class. Hidalgo, a former student of Holy Cross Elementary, told the children of her travels to other festivals around the state and her experiences as queen of the oldest harvest festival in the state. She played a slide show for the students of pictures taken during the festival weekend last year, when she was chosen queen. She also invited all of the students to come to the festival on Labor Day weekend.

St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert reports the following arrests:
Lorenzo Merritt, 29, of 108 Hurst St., Patterson, was arrested Tuesday at 4:42 p.m. on charges of improper display of license plate and possession of marijuana. Narcotics detectives patrolling Bayou Vista observed a vehicle traveling on Clarke Road without a license plate. A traffic stop was conducted and contact was made with the driver, Merritt. Detectives received consent to search Merritt’s person and the vehicle, and located marijuana cigarettes in the center console. Merritt was released on a summons.
Sydnie Wainwright, 21, of 302 Third St., Morgan City, was arrested Tuesday at 4:51 p.m. on charges of possession of methamphetamine, violation of uniform control dangerous subject law; drug-free zone church, resisting an officer, obstruction of justice, Morgan City Police Department warrant for charges of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, stop sign violation and resisting arrest and a warrant for failure to appear for the charge of possession of marijuana.
While investigating a report of illegal activity on Tournament Boulevard in Berwick, narcotics detectives observed who they knew to be Wainwright, run from within a crowd. After a short foot chase, detectives apprehended Wainwright. While speaking with her, Wainwright told detectives she ran because she held active warrants. Wainwright also told detectives that while running, she consumed narcotics and discarded a bag of methamphetamine on the ground. The incident occurred in an area less than 2,000 feet away from a church. Wainwright was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. No bail is set.
Franklin Police Chief Sabria McGuire reported the following arrests:
Michelle Brown, 45, of Eighth Street, Franklin, was arrested Tuesday at 8:09 a.m. on the charge of remaining where forbidden. Brown was booked, processed, and released on a $500 bond.
Loreal Druilhet, 22, of Gumpoint Lane, Franklin, turned herself in to the Franklin Police Department Tuesday at 2:03 p.m. on a warrant for the charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Druilhet was booked, processed, and released on a $2,500 bond.
Troy Washington, 50, of Bud Street, Franklin, was arrested Wednesday at 9:02 a.m. on a warrant for the charge of domestic abuse battery. Washington was booked, processed, and held with no bond set at the time of press release.

I have been thinking about steak recipes with pedigree and history, such Steak au Poivre, Steak with Sauce Bordelaise and Steak Florentine, and the words Steak Diane popped into my brain. I had no idea what it even was. So I looked it up, finding a bunch of versions in my ever-growing collection of classic old cookbooks.
There was nothing about the recipes that wouldn’t appeal today, even though Steak Diane has fallen off the popular-steak radar. The sauce contains one or more types of wine and/or booze (I saw everything from Madeira to Marsala to sherry to cognac and brandy to regular red wine) and some spices. Most Steak Diane recipes contained Worcestershire sauce as well, which I am rediscovering as one of my go-to ingredients as the weather gets cooler. Also, some member of the onion family (I picked shallots) and some herbs, usually simple greens like parsley or chives.
The origin of the name is unclear (it’s possibly linked to Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt). Traditionally, the cut of beef used for Steak Diane is very thin (often pounded to be so). I’ll try that some time, but I wanted to see how to pull these flavors onto a big, fat, juicy steak, and I picked a couple of nice, 1-inch-thick strip steaks as my canvas.
During the height of its popularity, Steak Diane was often flambéed tableside when served at fancy restaurants. I love to wow my family, but I think they all agree that having me flambe anything tableside is probably not a great idea.
Serve it with roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, or maybe potato gratin if you want to go all in, or all out as the case may be. Hey, if there is ever a moment to go all-somewhere it’s when you’re serving up some serious steak. Creamed spinach as another side? Or maybe just sautéed green beans with a bit of garlic — we can show a tiny bit of restraint.
Double this recipe as you wish.
STRIP STEAK DIANE
Start to finish:
20 minutes
2 6-ounce 1-inch-thick strip steaks
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
½ cup chopped shallots
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. red wine
2 Tbsp. brandy or cognac
1 or 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
Season steaks generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large, heavy skillet (such as cast iron) over medium-high heat and add oil. When oil is hot, add steaks, and sear for about 4 minutes on each side, until nicely browned on the outside and cooked to your liking, about 125 F internal temperature for rare, 135 F for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to cutting board and tent them with foil. Pour off any remaining fat from skillet, but do not clean skillet.
Melt butter in the same skillet over medium-low heat. Sauté shallots for 4 minutes, until golden brown and tender. Add mustard, Worcest-ershire sauce, red wine and cognac (be careful, liquor can ignite) and stir, scraping up any little browned bits from the bottom. Allow sauce to reduce a bit, just one minute, then taste and season as needed. Stir in parsley.
Slice steaks and transfer them to a serving plate, or serve each steak on an individual plate with the desired side dishes. Drizzle sauce over steak and serve.
Serves 2
—Nutrition information per serving: 504 calories; 243 calories from fat; 27 g fat (10 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 150 mg cholesterol; 447 mg sodium; 8 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 47 g protein.
—Katie Workman has written two cookbooks focused on easy, family-friendly cooking, “Dinner Solved!” and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.”