We had just returned from a long drive home. It was Monday night and we needed something to eat, but not much. UVA was playing and we didn’t want to go out. Since I had to run to the grocery store anyway, I decided to just pick up a frozen pizza. How bad could it be? It turned out to be delicious. It was a DiGiorno. I can’t tell you the last time I bought a frozen pizza. Probably 30 years ago … [Read more...]

I have always known Sara Lee for the delicious frozen desserts. They make the best pound cake ever, as good as your grandmother’s recipe, though I have had a hard time finding it recently. Sara Lee also makes dynamite cheesecakes, pies and other sweets. It was only recently that I noticed they were also in the fresh bread business - big time. And in my humble opinion, they make the best tasting … [Read more...]

  I enjoy cooking on the grill. Like the post office guy, neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet or hail can prevent me from making my rounds to the back patio to cook a steak, some dogs or a number of other charred delights. But what I don’t enjoy is a gas grill that gives up the ghost after 1 or 2 seasons. I have owned 2 or 3 high-dollar, stainless steel grills with all the bells and … [Read more...]

A few weeks back, my son, Jimmie, emailed and said he had a guaranteed way to easily remove the shells from a hard-boiled egg, and the eggs didn’t necessarily have to be a week old. He said he had steamed the eggs, not boiled them. I said he was just lucky. He did it again and sent me pictures. I still didn’t believe him, but then last week, I needed some hard-boiled eggs for eggs salad. They … [Read more...]

  I was going to make some ham and cheese sliders. Certainly I didn’t need a whole ham and I’m not crazy about the sliced, preserved ham in packages. I saw a pack of ham from Kentucky Legend, neatly sliced, but it was about ten bucks, more than I wanted or needed. Then, I came across a package of Spiral Ham Pieces and Slices from Farmland. It was just $2.67 a pound, so I bought a small … [Read more...]

One of my least favorite thing to do in the kitchen is to boil and peel eggs. It’s no big deal if you’re going to chop up the eggs for egg salad, though those chiseled yellow and white blobs are a little grotesque. But if you’re trying to do deviled eggs that need to appear presentable, that can be tough. I have heard dozens of secret tricks to make sure hard-boiled eggs come out more or less … [Read more...]

For Christmas this year, Nancy gave me a new billfold. It’s supposed to fit in your front pocket. It’s thinner than a cell phone, nice and compact, and it indeed fits in a front pocket. But how in the world was I supposed to put all my stuff in that tiny wallet? My current wallet is much like that of George Costanza on Seinfeld. It has more stuff inside than a sixth grader’s school backpack. … [Read more...]

Capt. Steve Chaconas of National Bass Guide Service says that if you want to increase your odds of catching fish in cold water, give ‘em a little juice. Juice as in Jack’s Juice. Jack’s Juice has been around for quite a while. Virginian Woo Daves helped put them on the map by winning the 2004 New York Citgo Bassmaster Northern Open. Woo was a strong believer in using scents and believes they can … [Read more...]

Looking for a great Christmas gift for that person who has everything, or for someone you’re not quite sure what to give? May I suggest some goodies from Mauna Loa? Last spring when Nancy and I went on a cruise to Hawaii, we stopped at a macadamia plantation, Mauna Loa, where we were able to tour a massive macadamia operation, one of Hawaii’s key exports, and we also stopped by the company … [Read more...]