Some of the best recipes are simple, not only simple to prepare but simple in ingredients. Lemon Roasted Chicken is such a dish. The prep time is about five minutes, and the cooking time is about an hour, so how simple can it be? And it’s delicious. There are several variations to this recipe, but the best results come when the bird is cooked quickly in a relatively hot oven. Keep the … [Read more...]

I had to try it. My son Jimmie had told me that Chef Alton Brown’s secret to hard boiling and peeling fresh eggs was to leave the eggs on the counter for 24 hours before cooking. So I went to Wal-Mart, where the eggs would be the freshest, bought a dozen and left them out on the counter overnight. The next day, I put 10 fresh eggs in a pot and steamed them for 15 minutes, then dumped them in ice … [Read more...]

It’s October. The nights are getting chillier. After a long, hot summer, it’s time for some chili. Here is a recipe for a Chili Cheese Casserole that is perhaps the ultimate in comfort food. It comes together in about a half hour and will fill the hungriest belly. Kids, especially, love it. Here's how. Begin by putting 2 pounds of Tater Tots in the oven and cook according to instructions … [Read more...]

This is a repeat, but well worth it. Several years ago, I did a piece on shredded cabbage and loyal reader and Nancy Jackson, premiere Realtor in Saluda and Master Chef in her kitchen, sent this recipe for cabbage steaks. Cabbage is one of those veggies we often forget about, but it’s nutritious, tasty, inexpensive, and always available. Plus, sometimes you have a half of a cabbage leftover, … [Read more...]

Here is another super-easy dish - Buttermilk Ranch Chicken Tenderloins. If you follow my recipes, they all are easy, otherwise why bother? It doesn’t have to be fancy to be good. I saw some really pretty chicken tenderloins at Aldi’s. They were about half the size of a regular chicken breast loin, and I saw this recipe calling for buttermilk and ranch dressing. You first marinate the loins (4 … [Read more...]

2 C milk 3/4 C Chicken Broth 1 C Quick Cooking Grits 1/4 T salt 1/2 C Shredded Parmesan 2 T butter 1 3-oz. pkg. cream cheese 3 T fresh chopped parsley 1 T lemon juice 2 large egg whites 1 lb. peeled and deveined medium shrimp, coarsely chopped Cooking spray Hot pepper sauce (optional) Preheat the oven to 375. Combine the milk and broth in a saucepan and bring … [Read more...]

Fried Okra has been a staple in my family for over a hundred years. It’s a North Carolina tradition. When I was a young boy, my grandmother, Mama Ida, made Fried Okra for me every time I visited. She chopped whole okra pod into ½-inch slices, rolled them in corn meal and fried them in a hot skillet. We still enjoy okra that way, but recently I have been frying whole okra rather than the chopped … [Read more...]

The temps have dropped, the fish can sense it and the fall bite is on in Virginia’s saltwater. Bluefish continue to be a prime target. Nice 5- to 8-pound fish have been caught well up into the bay and along Virginia’s coast. Mixed in with the blues are Spanish Macs, though a slower troll speed is recommended for the Spaniards. … [Read more...]

I often suggest recipes. This time I am suggesting a recipe that you should not – under any circumstance – try. It’s Blackened Bluefish in the kitchen. Years ago, we belonged to a group called the Broccoli Bridge Club – so named because one night, at a potluck dinner, everyone brought a broccoli dish. We may have even had a Broccoli Pie, I don’t remember, but the name stuck. One evening … [Read more...]