Ground turkey is an exceptionally healthy meat, and quite economical. A 4-ounce patty has less that 170 calories and a 20-ounce package of ground turkey is less than $5. But we hardly ever have turkey patties. They are not exciting entrees, to say the least. However! By accident, I have discovered a way to make turkey patties that are fit for kings. A few weeks back, I bought a … [Read more...]

When it’s cold outside and spitting snow, there is nothing like Comfort Food to chase away those winter demons. Comfort Food is a loose term meaning carb-loaded food that’s easy to make, guaranteed to fill your belly and make you fat. But it tastes so good! Stuff like meat loaf, mac and cheese, a pot roast and chicken stew easily qualify as charter members of the Comfort Food category. I cooked … [Read more...]

  When the thermometer gets stuck under 10 degrees as it did a couple times last weekend, it’s soup time. Course, soup is always good, but especially so when it’s so cold that iguanas are falling out of trees in Florida. Plus, soups and stews are among the easiest meals of all to prepare. If you have a crockpot and stuff in the refrigerator, you’ve got the makings of stew. I am … [Read more...]

If I could eat chicken every meal, I would be a string bean. Chicken, you see (unless it’s fried) has no calories. In fact, chicken has the unique ability to suck existing calories right out of your body. If all you ate was chicken, you would eventually disappear into thin air. Knowing that, one would assume that people who are trying to lose weight would eat chicken every meal. The problem … [Read more...]

  So you have a gift card to burn and maybe you’d like a new addition to your cooking arsenal? May I suggest an oil-less turkey fryer. A deep fried turkey in peanut oil is delicious, but cleaning up all the oil and grease is no fun. But with a Big Easy Oil-less Turkey Fryer from Char Broil, there is no oil and greasy mess clean up required. The turkey comes out juicy inside and crispy … [Read more...]

  If the warden asked me what I wanted for my “last meal”, I suppose it would be a Standing Rib Roast. Few cuts of beef have more flavor and it’s a special cut, since you rarely serve a rib roast for just two. There is usually company involved, which adds to the enjoyment. It just so happened we were having company last weekend and Nancy suggested a standing rib. She didn’t have to ask … [Read more...]

  A number of years ago, Nancy and I served as Senior High Advisors in our church and often had the responsibility of feeding 15 or 16 hungry kids. I have found over the years that there are two things teenagers will always eat: pizza and spaghetti. In fact, who won’t eat those delightful dishes? Sometimes we made pizza, sometimes we ordered it, but we discovered that an easy way to serve … [Read more...]

  The eye of the round in roast form is one of the best values of all cuts in the meat department. The eye of round has a wonderful flavor, but it’s tough, plain and simple. There is an answer, however, for tough cuts like the eye or round. Cook it at a high temperature to seal in the juices and slice it razor thin. Unfortunately for me – being one of the world’s worst knife sharpeners … [Read more...]

I saw the package of portabella mushrooms at Sam’s Club from two aisles away. There were four, large portabellas in the pack, nearly perfect in size for stuffing something, so I bought them. But what to stuff? Sam’s Club also had a sweet deal on their fresh crabmeat. It looked fresh, so I bought a pound, perfect for stuffing the portabellas. To create a delicious entrée with portabella … [Read more...]

One of the fun things about cooking is just using what you may have on hand in the fridge or cupboard and having it come out well. Sometimes, as my wife Nancy will attest, my experiments are not successful, but I pulled one off last week. I had two packs of Smithfield Diced Ham that I had purchased in order to make omelets for our gang at Urbanna. But my omelets got bumped, so I still had the … [Read more...]