During the life of most every church in America, at some point the ladies of the church gather and print their special recipes in a spiral bound cookbook. I have a number of these and they are among my most treasured books - the old recipe collections from churches of my past. I have a recipe book from the Centenary United Methodist Church in Clemmons, NC. This church was founded in … [Read more...]

  If you notice in my humble attempts at “Now We’re Cooking” articles, each one has the word “easy” in there someplace. I happen to believe that good food doesn’t have to be difficult to prepare. If it does, I let somebody else do it. I‘m all about easy when it comes to cooking. A dish I fixed the other night satisfies the “easy” requirement. It’s also a good way to squeeze another … [Read more...]

Fresh picnic hams were a staple in our house when I was a boy. Daddy would often put a big ham in the oven before church and by the time we came home, the house was filled with that wonderful aroma of fresh pork. Rarely, today, does anyone cook a fresh picnic. It’s hard to even find one in the meat departments. It seems we're in a same-old, same-old “pork rut”. It’s either a Boston Butt … [Read more...]

  My daughter Laura gave me The Big Red Pot several years ago, but I don’t use it often enough, primarily because it weighs a ton and digging it out from beneath the cabinet is a chore. But I was in the mood for beef stew and nothing cooks stew like my Big Red Pot. The pot is a Tramontina Enameled Cast Iron 6.5 Quart Round Dutch Oven. I have found that cast iron cookware ensures even … [Read more...]

  There are probably as many recipes for meat loaf as there are kitchens in America. Every family has their favorite. I was particularly fond of my Mom’s meat loaf. She used – among other things – tomato paste and lots of onions in her meatloaf. When we married, Nancy used her Mother’s recipe with lots of catsup. It took a while, but now I’m used to that recipe and enjoy it. Last week, … [Read more...]

  I gained 5 pounds during our weeklong cruise to Hawaii. It could have been worse, but I managed to avoid desserts, otherwise it would have been 10 pounds. On a cruise ship, every time you turn around they’re trying to feed you something and they are usually successful. And now Thanksgiving and the holidays are here. I’ll soon look like “Fat Bastard” in the Austin Powers movie if I don’t … [Read more...]

  I don’t know why I bought a turkey tenderloin. I had no earthly idea how I would fix it, but it looked good, I knew it was healthy and it was under ten bucks, so I bought it. Maybe I should say “them” because there are always two turkey loins to a pack. You don’t often see turkey tenderloins in the grocery stores -  those cuts from the bottom of a turkey breast – the tender part of … [Read more...]

  A tradition our group celebrates each Oyster Festival while staying in an Urbanna cottage is the partaking of what we call Oyster Cups. Each year, we order 10 or 12 quarts of fresh oysters from a local Urbanna waterman and we eat them fried, raw, and baked as Oyster Cups. They are amazingly good and amazingly easy. Here’s how. In a small aluminum cupcake tin, put 1 or 2 oysters … [Read more...]

  Chicken makes a diet-friendly entrée – except when you deep fry it with skin on and serve with mashed potatoes, rolls and gravy. That’s my favorite way to eat chicken, but a sure-fire weight gain. Therefore, I am always on the lookout for a chicken dish that’s not as dull as a doorknob, but a little healthier and one that tastes good. I recently saw a recipe for chicken and avocado … [Read more...]