V.B.R.O. Vacation rental by owner. We had never used this service before, but from now on, we won’t go anywhere without first checking into this by-owner web site. Our anniversary falls on March 3 and we always like to go  somewhere and get out of town, even just for a few days. For our 50th, we hopped aboard a Norwegian Cruise Liner and toured Hawaii, but that wasn’t in the cards … [Read more...]

I once had a bluebird feeder box. It was hand-crafted from pine wood and plexiglass. There were several small holes in the plexiglass where the bluebirds could enter and feed on meal worms, which they would be able to see through the clear glass. It worked like a charm until I made the mistake of putting a few sunflower hearts inside the feeder. When the squirrels discovered that there were … [Read more...]

  Spring’s a coming. Time to fire up the old charcoal or gas grill and toss some steaks on the grill. There was a time I considered the use of anything but a Webber Charcoal Grill as sacrilege, but you can’t deny the convenience of a gas grill. It fires up instantly and the flame is instantly adjustable. I must clarify the above statement. Sometimes it fires up instantly and … [Read more...]

  Emeril Lagasse was on TV on Super Bowl afternoon hawking his new Emeril Lagasse Power AirFryer. He cooked up a bunch of dishes that looked amazing. I have been interested in buying an air fryer. Sam’s Club and others have a number of them for sale. The thought of being able to fry foods (which I love) without all the grease and oil is most appealing. But do they really … [Read more...]

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...]