Sometimes, on a cold winter night, a big bowl of hot potato soup just hits the spot. You know, nice and chunky, rich and creamy. On occasion, I’ll make a batch, Nancy loves it and it’s not terribly hard to put together, but it does involve peeling potatoes, chopping and sautéing onions, stirring in cream, etc. Last week, strolling through Food Lion, I saw a display of Idahoan Hearty Soups that … [Read more...]

  On numerous occasions I have bitched about the unripe cantaloupes the supermarkets pawn off on unsuspecting customers – like me. One of my readers, Steve Caylor, a lighting salesman extraordinaire, said if there’s a will, there’s a way to insure ripe cantaloupes every time. “Wrap the cantaloupe in a brown paper bag and put it in the closet for a week. When you take it out, it will be … [Read more...]

  Ever have a “Duh” moment? You know, when it finally dawns on you that you have been doing something really dumb for years and didn’t realize it? Yeah, me too. Happened just this week. I have been barbequing chicken to various states of doneness and burned-ness for 50 years. You’d figure I have it down pat – to a science, Nope. Just this week I figured it out. One of the keys of … [Read more...]

  I had bought a ten-pack of huge 10-inch tortillas and only used 4 in a Fajita bake. So now what do I do with the  6 leftover tortillas the size of an old LP? Naturally, I decided to experiment. I bought a tub of spreadable cream cheese and a couple deli packs of thin honey ham. After letting the cream cheese come to room temperature, I spread it evenly over the tortilla, then … [Read more...]

  I love the story about the two simpletons buying a Yeti. “Whas’zat?” asked one. “This here’s a Yeti,” replied the other. “Whas’ a Yeti? “Well, a Yeti is one of them things that keeps hot stuff hot and cold stuff cold.” Baffled, the second fellow thought for a while, then said, “But how do it know?”   I happened to get a “How Do It Know” for Christmas, one of my … [Read more...]

  We were out of town and I had cooking duties and needed some vegetable oil. But I didn’t need much, certainly not a gallon. In the cooking oil section at the top of the shelf, I saw a small 16-oz. bottle of LouAna Vegetable Oil. Mom used to use that oil in our house years ago, so I bought the small jar. As I poured a bit in the frying pan, I noticed and remembered that the oil is … [Read more...]

  Years ago, someone gave us a plant called a Christmas Cactus. It’s called Christmas Cactus because it’s supposed to bloom at Christmas. Our plant didn’t read the instructions. Like clockwork, it blooms at Thanksgiving and this year, the (I’m guessing) 20-year old house plant erupted in beautiful pink and white blooms at exactly the week of Thanksgiving. By December 25, it will return to … [Read more...]

During our Hawaiian Cruise, we stopped at the Mauna Loa Macadamia Plantation. They have about a million trees and produce more macadamia nuts than anyone. We sampled their wares, of course, and I was reminded just how good these nuts are and what tremendous Christmas gifts they make. A package or two of macadamia nuts is sure to please anyone - and I’ve never heard of a macadamia nut allergy. … [Read more...]

  Ceramic stove tops don’t like it when you tip over a glass bottle of olive oil on the edge of the stove top. They crack right down the middle and you have to buy a new stovetop. Happened to me a few weeks ago and now I keep a plastic bottle of olive oil handy – not glass. When Doug’s Maytag delivered my new ceramic stove top. I asked about cleaning, as this has been a genuine pain, … [Read more...]

  I had heard about the ability of underwater lights to attract fish at night, but I was skeptical. Nonetheless, I ordered one from Berkley last year before the Oyster Festival. We dropped the neon green light at the base of the dock and it drew lots of bait, but not any gamefish. They simply weren’t around. This year, I tried again, this time with much success. The first night drew … [Read more...]