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...]

  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...]