Often, the right sauce is the perfect compliment to the meat entrée. Such is the case with filet mignon, or beef tenderloin. Since a beef tenderloin is the leanest of the prime steak cuts, and lacks fat, which gives beef its flavor, a good sauce can make this tender cut of beef come alive. Recently we enjoyed cooking a tenderloin for guests and I came up with a simple sauce that was, I believe, … [Read more...]

When I am at a fair or outdoor expo, one of the things I most enjoy is the food – especially Philly Cheese Steaks. Since they are not encouraged on my current diet, they are a special treat. The tastes blend perfectly – steak, cheese, onions, peppers and fresh bread. I made the mistake of thinking about Philly Cheese Steaks the other day and I was doomed. It’s like thinking about eating Chinese … [Read more...]

It’s asparagus season, an early spring vegetable. I saw some beautiful asparagus in Kroger’s recently for 99-cents a pound. It is often 2.99 and sometimes even 3.99 a pound, so I bought a bundle. Asparagus is fairly easy to cook, you can even eat it raw, like celery. I often put mine in the oven at 400, sprinkle on a little salt and pepper and olive oil, cook for 10 minutes and eat it that way. … [Read more...]

Salmon has become something of a staple at Chez Brewer. It is healthy, though wild caught salmon is healthier than farm raised, and it is fairly economical, at about $9 a pound. We have it every couple weeks or so, but you can quickly get in a rut with the same-old, same-old recipes. I saw a recipe recently that I followed – sort of – and it was as good as it gets when it comes to salmon. It’s … [Read more...]

  For many chefs, two dishes/ingredients are often overlooked - catfish filets and Remoulade sauce. Fresh catfish is a staple in most seafood cases. These farm-raised fish are grown locally, not overseas. They have a nice flavor, they are not overly fishy and they usually go for $6 or $7 a pound. You can get four filets for less than $10. And Remoulade sauce. Remoulade Sauce is a … [Read more...]

  Sometimes it takes a child or two in the house to remind us old fogies that food doesn’t have to be fancy to be enjoyed. And sometimes it’s nice to have fun things to eat. Like Pigs In A Blanket. Pigs in a Blanket are – perhaps next to pizzas – among kids’ all time favorite meals. And they taste pretty good to adults, as well. PIBs are nothing more than a hot dog and a slice of … [Read more...]

Tossed salad, cole slaw, tossed salad, cole slaw. I’ve been in a rut when it comes to fresh, green salads to serve along with a meal. Just recently, I ran across a recipe for a Broccoli/Apple salad that sounded good, so I tried it. It was especially good, not that difficult to put together and figures to become a new member in the salad rotation. Here’s how. For starters, I used a bag of … [Read more...]

By James Friend Dickerson On a visit to see some North Carolina cousins, two of us slipped away from the family visit, heading to a small coastal river. The Hickory Shad were beginning their annual spawning run so we planned to catch a few. I’d never fished for Hickory Shad and was excited to be included in the adventure. We found a great spot in Windsor, NC and fished along side several … [Read more...]

By James Friend Dickerson Since my wife, Karen, gets migraine headaches from dark chocolate, I’m always looking for white chocolate recipes. Recently I found a white chocolate bread pudding recipe on Chef John Folse’s web site, which I’ve modified, My family claims that I always make changes, but they seem to keep coming back to the table when I cook. If you like bread pudding, give this a … [Read more...]