Forgive me, Great Chefs of the Past, for I have sinned. I made a meatloaf out of ground chicken. And the worst part - I enjoyed it. In the eternal battle between an increasingly fat body and scales that refuse to lie – even a few lousy ounces – I have tried to eat more chicken and less beef. I love my Mother’s Meatloaf recipe, and in it there was no mention of chicken, but I made a chicken meat … [Read more...]
Neat Stuff: An Electric Canner
For the past ten years or so my wife, Nancy, has done a little canning – mostly pickles, but she has also put up jellies, jams, tomatoes, peppers, and such. A couple years ago, I was struggling with Christmas ideas and decided to splurge and give her an electric canner. They were about $190, so I hoped she would like it. If nothing else, she wouldn’t have to heat up the entire kitchen trying to … [Read more...]
“Drumming” Up Business
It continues to be a spectacular season for catching drum in Virginia’s saltwater. The big fellows (to 50 pounds and more) are actively feeding throughout the bay. Large red drum travel in sizable schools and are often found near structured environments such as wrecks and reefs. They can also be observed moving along the surface in significant numbers. Anglers should keep a rod rigged with a … [Read more...]
We Ran the Errands
Today, you’ll see dozens of big carts in the aisles of most any grocery store as the store employees select products that the customers ordered on line. Sometimes, customers pick up their orders at the curb of the store and sometimes they are delivered. In the 1950’s, we picked up the orders and delivered. We ran the errands. Kids on our bikes. At least twice a week, Mom would hail me in … [Read more...]
Coneflowers Add a Bed of Beauty
My wife Nancy spends a lot of time working in our yard and it really shows. She has watered and weeded regularly and keeps things trim with her edging and weed eaters. Throughout the yard, ourflowers and shrubs are lovely. But the ones I believe both of us are proudest of are the wildflowers she planted around our birdbath. They were perennials and are flowers like you would typically find in a … [Read more...]
The Strawberry Packer
I’d like to meet him someday – the Strawberry Packer, a man of immense skills. The Strawberry Packer is the one in charge of distribution, to make sure that the strawberries are properly sorted in each 16-ounce container. If every strawberry in the carton was perfectly ripe and juicy, then customers would come to expect that and would surely end up disappointed. But the Strawberry Packer … [Read more...]
Horny Game Hens
They are really Cornish Game Hens, but some years ago, my wife Nancy and her evil sidekick, Nancy McKay, dubbed them Horny Game Hens and the name stuck. Cornish game hens or Rock Cornish game hens is a variety of a broiler chicken crossed between the Cornish and White Plymouth Rock. The name is also a misnomer in that the birds can be either male of female, so not all are hens. They are raised … [Read more...]
Queen Anne’s Lace
There is a stretch of sheer beauty along Route 29 just south of Ruckersville. For several hundred yards, tens of thousands of Queen Anne’s Lace plants adorn the roadside. It’s as white as a January snowfall. I have written about Queen Anne’s Lace previously and received many responses from others who admire this delicate plant. Some advised that the lace-like flowers could be … [Read more...]
A KFC Disappointment
Nancy said she wanted Fried Chicken for dinner after a long ride back from Lake Norman, and she likes KFC. I used to, but now, I think it’s overpriced, it’s lower quality and the chicken is poorly cooked. I remember when you could get a bucket (8 pieces) for $3.99, then it crept higher. To me, it was hard to believe someone would pay more than 50c for a piece of chicken and that included 2 … [Read more...]
Fishing on the Fourth
If you’re headed to the Outer Banks for the 4th of July, you’re in luck. The fish – lots of fish – are biting. At Nags Head, pier jockeys are hauling in blues, Spanish, sheepshead, spadefish and a few cobia. Surf fishermen are finding spot, sea mullet, blues, and sharks – like the dusky shark above. Swimming anyone? Soundside fishing has been good for trout, drum, sheepshead and bluefish. … [Read more...]
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