I had a hankering for ribs over Memorial Day weekend, but I didn’t want to use my typical  Carolina BBQ Sauce. I wanted something with a little kick, but I can’t abide the Kraft-type sweet sauces. No matter which one you pick, which brand, they all taste the same - sickeningly sweet and gooey. I had picked out  a beautiful rack of baby back ribs when I stumbled on an idea for a sauce. … [Read more...]

A few weeks ago I ordered Beef Tips at a restaurant that came with a mustard sauce. It was excellent. Not having the recipe and wanting to make it myself, I decided to wing it. Some of my “wing its” turn out well, and some don’t. This “wing it” really did. I went to the store thinking maybe I’d try a skirt steak with the mustard sauce but they didn’t have any. They did have some nice-looking … [Read more...]

So we’ve got our green veggie for dinner – broccoli, green beans, maybe asparagus – and we need a starch or extra vegetable, maybe something with a little color. How about Tomato Pie – tasty, healthy, easy to make and attractive? I made one last week and it was very good in spite of the fact that vine-ripe, fresh tomatoes aren’t yet available. For this recipe you want fresh tomatoes, not … [Read more...]

There are two things I most remember about evaporated milk. First, it was the creamer for my Mom’s and Dad’s morning coffee. There was always a little can of Carnation Evaporated Milk in the refrigerator with two small holes punched in the top, and my folks used that along with some sugar for their coffee. The second memory involves my Uncle Jim’s recipe for home made ice cream. Instead of milk … [Read more...]

If I ever wrote a cookbook, it would be called “The Lazy Cook” because I am a great fan of easy recipes. Pumpkin muffins can be complicated to put together, but not my recipe. It’s about as easy as it gets, and the muffins are both healthy and delicious. This recipe may appear to be too easy, and it is. I am, after all, a lazy cook. You need five things: a box of yellow cake mix, a can of … [Read more...]

Nancy Jackson of Saluda said that the recipe of Laura’s Carrots last week in Cville Buzz reminded her of a carrot dish she just prepared. Maple Glazed, Bacon-Wrapped Carrots. Sounds good already. “Use large, whole carrots and cut them in half,” says Nancy. Wrap each carrot slice with a slice of bacon, drizzle maple syrup on them and bake at 375-380 for 20 minutes. Turn them over and drizzle … [Read more...]

When my daughter Laura is home from California, I let her cook the vegetables. She has a magic touch and can change green beans to haricot vert. One of her secrets is roasting at a high temperature which she says helps caramelize the veggies, bringing out their natural sweetness. One of the veggie dishes I most enjoy from Laura is roasted carrots. Laura says never use those peeled and prepared … [Read more...]

Entrees are usually no problem for a Home Chef. There are hundreds of things you can do to a chicken and more than that with beef. It’s the sides to go with the entrees that often confound this chef. I tend to get in a rut and serve the same-old, same-old. Recently I saw a recipe for a BLT Pasta Salad. I like pasta and love BLTs, so how could I go wrong? I made a batch and ate enough to gain … [Read more...]

French Fries are deadly – in more ways than one. First, they are addictive. Smell a batch frying in hot oil and you’re toast. You have to have some. Then, stick one of those hot, salted spears from Satan in a dab of catsup and you’ll eat how many ever there are, as much as a 10-acre potato farm in Idaho. And they are also fatal to a diet. Go from Monday to a Friday, dutifully watching what you … [Read more...]

  About once a month I get a craving for hot dogs. Some of the best hot dogs in town come off of the grill in my back yard, assuming I have homemade chili on hand. There are a few decent canned and packaged chilis available in stores, but none really do a hot dog justice. Last week, the hot dog fever hit me again and I picked up a pack of all-meat Ball Parks and some Wonder Bread … [Read more...]