Go to almost any grocery store today, get down on your knees (it’s always on the lower shelves) and scan your eyes in all directions for a single can of tuna fish in oil. You may – just may - find one or two cans. Everything else is packed in water. Water is good for tuna fish when they swim, but it takes all the flavor away when the fish are packed in it. Vegetable oil, better yet, olive oil … [Read more...]

Looking for a fairly quick but appetizing dish for a company breakfast? Consider Eggs Goldenrod. We spent the night with our good friends, Nancy and Gene McCay in Winston Salem last weekend, and for breakfast, Nancy prepared Eggs Goldenrod. The dish was attractive, it looked a little like Eggs Benedict, and it was delicious. Nancy served the dish on a split and toasted English muffin with a … [Read more...]

We hosted a Dawg-A-Rama last week, inviting a few of our die-hard hot dog friends to a back yard cookout and we served Nathans, Hebrew Nationals and Oscar Meyer dogs with all the fix in’s - including homemade coleslaw, onions, pickles, relish, mustard, catsup, jalapenos, cheese and, of course, chili. I decided to make up a batch of home-made chili and experimented along the way, tasting as I … [Read more...]

We recently ate with our friends Bob and Trisha Branch. Bob grilled some wonderful chicken breasts while Trish brought out a basket of veggies, which Bob cooked directly on his gas grill. They were delicious. Nice and crunchy, not over done, the way veggies ought to be. Immediately, I went out and bought one of those baskets. It’s made of porcelain and manufactured by Char-Broil. They cost … [Read more...]

Summer evenings and homemade ice cream go together – as Forest Gump would say – like Ginny and Forest, like peas and carrots. Yummy, rich, ice-cold vanilla ice cream churned in a freezer is hard to beat. But it’s a bitch to make. But the ice, mix the ingredients, add rock salt to a hand crank or electric ice cream freezer, wait for the ice cream to churn and set and then comes the cleanup! Last … [Read more...]

There were going to be about 20 people for dinner on the first night of our Family Reunion gathering. Nancy and I signed up to prepare the meal and we chose BBQ, and no store-bought BBQ. It had to be the real thing. Most think of hickory smoking when it comes to making a batch of BBQ, but I think the method below is better. It brings out the pure, sweet, natural taste of a slow cooked shoulder, … [Read more...]

There is nothing on earth as good as a BLT and the Perfect BLT begins with a fresh tomato picked off the vine in your own garden. Last night, Nancy went to her little garden pots on the patio and hand selected the first plump, ripe, cherry-red tomatoes of the season. This is like Opening Day for a baseball fan, and pushing December 25 in rank of days of importance. I absolute love BLT’s and the … [Read more...]

When you go to the beach and eat fried seafood and French fries practically every night, you’ll gain weight. Trust me. I gained 5 ½ pounds in three days. Back to chicken and broiled fish, I suppose. But, you know, lean beef, like round steak or flank steak, isn’t that fattening. It’s the 12-ounce marbled rib-eyes that will hurt you. On my first trip to the grocery store since my near-death … [Read more...]

I do a lot of shopping at Kroger’s, For one thing, it’s right across the road. I can walk there, but I don’t, naturally. I have a car and I’m not a dummy. In the past few months I have seen more and more of Kroger’s premiere private label goods on the shelves, and everything I’ve tried has been top notch. They call their top brand Private Selection. Their Private Selection breads are delicious, … [Read more...]