I have a friend named Mrs. Crocker. She is my mentor when it comes to  cooking. In fact, she frequently sends me tips and recipes. We have become close friends and I often call her by her first name – Betty. Betty sent me a recipe last week that she said was delicious. It sounded really good  and I knew Betty wouldn’t lie. It was called Blueberry Crumble, I fixed a batch and I’m sure … [Read more...]

  When yellow squash comes in, it really comes in. Four squash plants can supply all the IGA stores in Virginia. That is, until the squash borers arrive. Then it’s over, No more squash. The borers were late finding my squash plants this summer, and our lower vegetable drawer in our refrigerator has remained stacked with squash. We have eaten it fried sautéed, grilled, steamed and broiled. … [Read more...]

  Baby back ribs are one of our go-to meals and I have cooked them a hundred ways – wrapped in foil and slow cooked as well as tossed on the grill and basted with a sweet sauce. A week or so again, Nancy said she was I the mood for ribs on a day I was playing golf. I decided to put them in the slow cooker, but for a change, I didn’t use any barbeque sauce. I seasoned them only with salt … [Read more...]

On that fateful day in March when I thought Governor Ralphie might close all the grocery stores, I closed up shop early, headed for the closest grocery store and bought nearly every non-perishable in sight. Since then, I have been chipping away at my “emergency” stash in the basement and have slightly reduced my inventory, though I have no idea what I will do with those 8 cans of fruit cocktail, … [Read more...]

Everybody loves a Waldorf Salad, but it’s usually a dish reserved for company.  Since “having company over”  was seemingly abolished by the Chinese Virus, I decided to make a Waldorf Salad for just Nancy and me. It was company-worthy, a real summertime treat. The salad is duly named for the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.  In 1896,  the hotel hosted a charity ball to benefit St. Mary’s … [Read more...]

  Lexington barbeque. Maybe the best there is. Made in the Carolina barbeque capital, Lexington, NC, barbecue from the world famous Lexington Barbeque Restaurant is simply unequalled. Ditto, their coleslaw. Lexington- Style slaw differs from all its other rivals in that it’s red, not white. Some call it red slaw. I call it damned good and I made some recently. If you like barbeque, this is … [Read more...]

  What, exactly, do Mexicans eat as a side with their Tacos or Burritos besides corn chips and salsa? Refried Beans? That’s not a side, that’s dog food. But since I have been doing more and more Mexican cooking – I actually like these spicy dishes – I have been searching for a decent and consistent “side” for a Mexican entree. I think I found a good one recently. I tried my hand at a … [Read more...]

  We now have two vegetables in our garden that are threatening to take over our canning shelves and our refrigerator. Tomatoes and yellow squash. We have put up several quarts of stewed tomatoes, but Nancy’s vines continue to produce and mine are just getting started. We also have three healthy squash plants and when conditions are right, three squash plants can feed most of the people in … [Read more...]

I saw an interesting recipe this week for Mexican Stuffed Shells. I haven’t stuffed any jumbo shells recently and they are always fun and look good on a plate, so why not? They were delicious. Anytime there is cream cheese involved, it’s usually good and these Mexican Stuffed Shells were no different. As usual, I strayed from the original recipe, but straying is half the fun. Here’s how I did … [Read more...]

Every year for the past ten years or so when we go to Urbanna for the Oyster Festival, the first thing I do is head for the Beach Bully food truck and order a roast beef sandwich – or two. There are probably a hundred food vendors at the festival, but Beach Bully, out of Virginia Beach, is best. I once asked what kind of beef they used and the cook said it was a bottom round roast, not a brisket … [Read more...]