I don’t do briskets very well. I have tried smoking them, grilling them and have used various and sundry oven tactics and they usually turn out tough, dry or both. But I am a determined chef - hard-headed, my wife might say. So I bought another one last week for French Dip Sandwiches. I went with a small brisket because my confidence was lacking. I decided to put the brisket in a slow … [Read more...]

Monday morning is a great time to patrol the aisles of a grocery store. It’s the time many meat managers reduce prices to clear out old stock. This is especially true at Sam’s Club and Costco. I usually don’t grocery shop on Monday mornings, but this week I had to make a quick run to Kroger’s and as I passed by the meat department, I heard a package call out my name. “Buy me”, said the 32-ounce … [Read more...]

I have made Vegetable Beef Soup countless times and I feel confident I have never made it the same way twice. When it comes to Vegetable Beef Soup or Beef Stew, it’s not a matter of what recipe you have, it’s what you have on hand. Whatcha got. Last week we had a night that was supposed to get down on the 30’s, a perfect night for soup, and I figured Vegetable Beef would hit the spot. I needed … [Read more...]

I’ve been doing a little Tex/Mex stuff in the kitchen. I’m slowly coming around to South of the Border dishes, and I actually prefer my own recipes to those of the restaurants. Refried beans, for example, is not my idea of human food. Dogs, maybe, but not humans. Anyway, I whipped up a Mexican dish called Beef Enchiladas that actually passed the “Nancy Test.” If my wife, Nancy, eats one of my … [Read more...]

  There are probably as many recipes for Chicken and Rice Casserole as there are cookbooks in America. Every cook, every house has its own version. I did one this week that turned out well. Nothing fancy at all, just basic comfort food. But it was easy and tasty. Here’s how. I started with chicken tenderloins, not whole chicken breast loins. I did this for several reasons – they were on … [Read more...]

As a cook, preparing vegetables is not my forte, especially green vegetables. I typically go to the basics – green beans, sweet peas, lima beans, kale, collards and the like. Not that there is anything wrong with those green vegetables, they’re just not very exciting. Tired of the same-old, same-old, I looked for a different green vegetable to cook with creamy garlic chicken, and I saw some … [Read more...]

  A regular Father’s Day or birthday present to me from my children is a gift box from Omaha Steaks. Afterall, there is no need to worry about sizes or colors or will I use it. Who won’t use stuff from Omaha Steaks? I have found, though, that the boxes often contain maybe only two steaks. and lots of. other foods - like gourmet hot dogs and burgers,  fancy stuffed potatoes, deluxe … [Read more...]

  My son Jimmie ran across a recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen that he thought well worth sharing. “I fixed this the other night and it was damned good,” he said. “The only thing I did differently was to brine the chicken for 4 hours (should have been longer) but it turned out GREAT -  crispy skin, juicy meat perfectly done and the veggies were just as good.  Cutting large carrots into 1 … [Read more...]

  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...]