When we went to Atlanta to spend Christmas with my son, Jimmie, and his family, I fell in love with his 14-inch cast iron skillet. It was made by Green Egg to go on his grill for baking or cooking. But Jimmie used it inside as well. He could put nearly a whole pound of bacon in the thing and have space between the strips. I have an 8-inch chicken fryer at home that I love, but it is limited … [Read more...]

My Nancy likes popcorn, often on a Sunday afternoon while she’s watching a Hallmark Movie or busy wrapping presents. She wraps a lot of presents. Somehow, I have earned the honor of being Chief Popcorn Popper. I figure if she’ll do all the laundry and keep the house in order, making a batch of popcorn is the least I can do. Usually, I retrieve the old Whirly-Pop Popcorn Popper from the basement … [Read more...]

We have lots of grocery shopping choices here in Charlottesville, but we don’t have a Publix, and I for one wish we did. My first shopping experience with a Publix store was in Myrtle Beach. It happened to be the closest store to my brother’s condo and, naturally, I made several trips. I was totally amazed in one visit when I saw the meat department manager out in the aisles chatting with … [Read more...]

I used it this morning and I’m still not sure exactly how the thing works. It’s a Pineapple Tool made by a company named Imusa. This stainless-steel product makes short work of a usually difficult-to-prepare pineapple. It peels, cores, and slices the pineapple in one step. It will also cut wedges if you’d like. It’s simply amazing. I really enjoy pineapples (apple pines, my children called … [Read more...]

  Sometimes you just want a barbeque: A whole hog chopped up into small bits of goodness and seasoned with pepper and vinegar. Maybe a little smokiness in the taste. When that happens to me – and I’m not anywhere Lexington or Greenville, NC – I go to Kroger’s, buy a package of Doughtie’s BBQ and I’m in business. Doughtie’s is easily the best packaged barbeque of all. Surprisingly, … [Read more...]

I wrote about these neat little storage bags a few months ago, but the more I use them, the more impressed I am. They are called Rezips, reusable storage bags. Before we left for 8 days on our Hawaiian Cruise, I had left some ham in one of the Rezip bags. When we returned, the ham was as fresh as before we left. That’s because the Rezips are airtight. They are also watertight and freezer safe. I … [Read more...]

I have been trying to eat a little fruit with each meal and my favorite fruits are melons – cantaloupes and honeydews. Problem is when you buy one, odds are that it won’t be good, then you’re stuck with a tasteless melon and have to eat it anyway. So, I have been looking for sure things like Dino Melons when in season and Golden Canary Melons – a winter melon available right now. I have been … [Read more...]

  Sometimes (actually often), I’ll buy gizmos for the kitchen, use them a time or two, then relegate them to the basement shelves to never again see the light of day. But my new chicken fryer has earned a permanent spot in my upstairs cabinets. I love it. The chicken fryer is a cast iron pot, but it has high sides.  Overall, it’s 10 ½ b 3 ½. The downside is that you can only get 4 … [Read more...]

  Sure, a stack of pancakes sounds nice. Maybe even a couple dozen for a brunch. But sometimes you don’t want half of IHOP’s inventory. Sometimes you might want just a couple of pancakes. Maybe even just one instead of toast. As best I know, there is no recipe on the back of a pancake box for one flap jack. But there is a way to make just 1 or 2 or 3 pancakes – or however many you feel like. … [Read more...]

Shopping in grocery stores these days is like playing dodgeball with bulldozers. In almost every aisle, there is a barge loaded with individual containers as store employees select items for on-line orders. It’s a pain getting around those things, as they take up much of the aisle space, but I really feel sorry for those who let others pick out their food. They miss the best deals of all. Like … [Read more...]