Ziplocs are like a purgatory for leftover food. Case in point. There are eight carrot slices left over after a meal. If there were only three or four, you’d toss them. But eight? You got to save eight.  So out comes a small Ziploc to house the eight slices which are then relegated to the lower shelf of the refrigerator and shoved to the back, only to be discovered 2 or 3 weeks later. … [Read more...]

I have always liked Evan Williams Bourbon. I think it is among the best of the bottom shelf bourbons. A couple months back, I was trying to decide whether to pick up one of the lower priced bourbons that I enjoy (Ancient Age, Virginia Gentleman, Evan Williams, etc.) or splurge and go for Makers Mark, Bulleit, Woodford or maybe Buffalo Trace. I saw that Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch was on … [Read more...]

I saw them at Food Lion while I was stocking up with some frozen vegetables. They were 8-oz. boxes of Green Giant: Simply Steam vegetables and they were just a dollar a box. They looked just about right size for the two of us and they had some really interesting choices. I picked up a couple boxes, we wolfed them down and I was sold. They were delicious, economical and the ideal size for just … [Read more...]

I frequently buy country ham, not whole hams, but biscuit slices and center-cut packs. Usually, the ham is good, but sometimes it can be tough and lack flavor.  There is one brand name of ham, however, that is always good. It is Hobe’s Ham. Simply the best. I first ran across Hobe’s hams. at a Food Lion in Mooresville, NC. It was so good, I made a mental note of the name, and whenever I … [Read more...]

Cuisinart 155 Food Slicer On a recent holiday occasion, we had a few friends drop by, I suppose we had 30 guests come and go. Along with a big bowl of jumbo shrimp and the usual spread of veggies, cheese, and fruits, we served an eye of round roast. Eye of round is one of the tastiest cuts of beef, and it’s also one of the most reasonably priced. But it can be tough and chewy and must be … [Read more...]

Nancy and I love our little 3-day getaways to various cottages, condos, and Air B & Bs. We have stayed at numerous places, and I have found one thing in a common. None of them have sharp knives or decent frying pans. So, I bring my own and it makes the stay much more enjoyable. The sharp knife problem is not because the knives aren’t of good quality. It’s that they get a lot of wear and … [Read more...]

It’s funny how tastes remain with you for long periods of time. It seems like just last week that I was on a church picnic at Beaver Creek Lake just outside Beckley, WV. I was 9 or 10.  Boy, what a spread those Beckley Presbyterian Church ladies set before us. Fried chicken, ham biscuits, yeast rolls, homemade pies and cakes, but the one thing I remember to this day were the pimento cheese … [Read more...]

I hard boil a lot of eggs – for egg salad, deviled eggs, for snacks, for chicken and tuna salad, and my go-to method has been to steam them for 15 minutes on the stove top. Steaming makes for easy peeling, even on fresher eggs. But there is an easier way. I saw in one of the recipes I was using, a way to hard boil eggs quickly and easily in an air fryer. I decided to try it, figuring the worst … [Read more...]

We were at the Crozet Arts and Crafts Show recently and ran across an interesting product – a Cast Iron Seasoning Compound made by BCW. Everybody knows you’re supposed to “season” cast iron cookware, but few know exactly how. This 100% natural product is made from grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, and natural beeswax, Simply apply a thin layer to the entire skillet, then wipe off the excess. Put … [Read more...]