My good friend, Bill Hitt, recently shared a recipe passed down through the Hitt family out of Culpeper. It was Grandma Hitt’s world famous Buttermilk Pie. This is the kind of pie you’d get only at a Church picnic or family reunion. Grandma Hitt was born in 1910 and departed in 1986, but according to Bill, in her time on earth she created some monster meals. Give Grandma Hitt’s … [Read more...]

I made a fun dish yesterday – Pizza Sliders. The kids I cook for love pizza, and they enjoy sliders. Bingo! Pizza Sliders are easy to prepare, they cook in no time, and they are fun to eat. Some make these sliders as an appetizer, but I did mine as a main course and I made plenty. Here’s how. To make a dozen sliders (I made more), start with a package of Hawaiian Sweet Rolls. Slice the … [Read more...]

I dearly love Ritz Crackers. Give me a box of Ritz and a jar of Jif Peanut Butter and I’m good to go. I also have a weakness for Caramel anything. When my sweet tooth starts acting up, I’ll often get a big bowl of vanilla ice cream, drizzle it with caramel syrup and love life. So, when I saw this recipe for Caramel Ritz Icebox Dessert, it immediately found a way into my cookbook. This is one of … [Read more...]

Frittata. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it?  But it’s not hard to prepare. I did one last night and it was delicious. Frittata is an egg-based Italian dish. The word frittata roughly translates into “fried”. It’s like a crustless Quiche, which means it’s less fattening and easier to put together. The ingredients which can go into a Frittata are practically limitless. Use any vegetable or combination … [Read more...]

Today is Cinco de Mayo. So why not celebrate with some Mexican Muffins? Recently, I concocted a personal size Mexican Muffin, basically a Burrito baked in a muffin tin. What made all this possible was my discovery of a larger size muffin tin. The large size is about twice the size of a regular muffin tin. The cups were large enough that I was able to fold a small flour tortilla to fit inside … [Read more...]

    I enjoy planning meals – steak one night, maybe salmon the next, then fried chicken, pot roast, pulled pork, lasagna and the list goes on – of main dishes. Vegetables are an afterthought. If I could have Fordhook lima beans and mashed potatoes with every meal it would suit me, but in Cooking 101 it says you must have other vegetables from time to time. There is one fresh, … [Read more...]

  About once a month, most grocery stores will offer a huge sale on whole pork loins. Sometimes, less than two-bucks a pound. Dollar for dollar, you can’t beat the price as it is all meat and little waste. Trouble is that pork loins and pork loin chops can be dry and tasteless because there is little or no fat. I usually don’t buy loins because of that. But there is a way to take … [Read more...]

For 40 years, I was camp cook at our biannual gatherings. The main reason I volunteered is that if I had not, we would have had Cheetos and Little Debbie’s for every meal. So, I cooked, and for 40 years I always cooked a big pot of beans every trip. Beans are something most of us don’t often eat at home. That’s because they aren’t very exciting, and wives usually don’t bother with them. Yet, when … [Read more...]

    I ran across an interesting product this week at Wal-Mart. It was Farmland Spiral Ham Slices and Pieces. I had bought this before and  remembered it as good. It was – and what a value at $2.98 a pound. The pieces were mostly large, maybe 2 to make a nice sandwich and the ham was delicious. I suppose when they trim all those Spiral Hams to fit neatly in the cellophane packages, … [Read more...]