Pretzels are good, but Garlic/Ranch Pretzels are better. In fact, they are addictive. We received a gift box of theses scrumptious snacks for Christmas, and they were so good I decided to try my hand at a batch. I knocked it out of the park. As a snack, pretzels are a far better choice than chips with fewer calories and far less saturated fat. Homemade pretzels are a real treat, but I decided … [Read more...]

Fish is good and it’s good for you. My Daddy used to say that fish was “brain food” and if you ate it, you got smarter. But smarter or not, I have always loved eating fish. Unfortunately, I like eating fried fish. When we go to the beach it’s always a “Fried Seafood Platter”, maybe good for the brain, but not so much for the arteries. I had seen a recipe recently for Broiled Heavenly Halibut, … [Read more...]

Nancy was under the weather and when she’s not up to snuff, she wants soup. I decided to make her some vegetable beef soup, but with a little variation. Instead of stew beef or chuck, I used ribeye steaks as the beef part. I’m not sure why stew beef is the universal choice for meat in vegetable beef soup. Maybe because it’s cheap. But it is always tough and chewy and has very little … [Read more...]

When I think of the Civil War, I think of Chancellorsville, Bull Run and the Jackson’s Valley Campaign. Only until I sailed the Mississippi did I grasp the importance of this mighty river in the War Between the States. Vicksburg was settled on the highest banks along the entire Mississippi. Whoever controlled Vicksburg, controlled the Mississippi and as important as the great river is to … [Read more...]

I have printed this recipe several times, but it’s so good, who’s counting? My wife and a group of her early morning exercise friends meet periodically for breakfast. Sometimes they go to a local restaurant and sometimes they meet at someone’s home. A couple years back, they came over to our house and I volunteered to cook for them. One of the dishes I served was a … [Read more...]

I saw the package of portabella mushrooms at Sam’s Club from two aisles away. There were four, large portabellas in the pack, nearly perfect in size for stuffing something, so I bought them. But what to stuff? Sam’s Club also had a sweet deal on their fresh crabmeat. It looked fresh, so I bought a pound, perfect for stuffing the portabellas. To create a delicious entrée with portabella … [Read more...]

Everybody loves tacos. Everybody loves sliders and everybody loves Hawaiian Rolls. Why not throw them all together for a fun and delicious dish – Taco Sliders. When I saw the recipe, it sounded so good I had to try it and it’s a winner as either an appetizer or an entree. And easy, as well. Start by browning a pound of lean ground beef, then add a packet of taco seasoning. You could also add … [Read more...]

Cole slaw happens to be one of my favorite sides. It pairs perfectly with dishes like Fish, BBQ, Fried Chicken and Hot Dogs. Unfortunately, many stores and restaurants consider cole slaw to be an afterthought and it turns out like blah-shredded cabbage. But not at Kentucky Fried Chicken. Their cole slaw is amazing. It is so tasty that I often make a special trip to the restaurant and order a … [Read more...]

Like the cows say in the Chick-fil-A commercials, “Eat more chicken!” Trouble is, eating chicken can get boring, so I am always scrounging around for new and better ways to cook it. Recently I tried the recipe below for Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Sauce and it’s a keeper. Nothing boring about it. It’s yummy. Here’s how I put mine together. Start with chicken, naturally. I like the sliced … [Read more...]

They are called whiting if you catch one in the Bay. In the ocean, many call them sea mullet. No matter the name, they are spectacular eating, and they are biting like it’s their last meal at Nags Head. Some big ‘uns, too. TW’s Tackle weighed in lots of oversized sea mullet this week, as anglers were catching them in the surf and from the piers. They typically bite well into chilly … [Read more...]