I can’t imagine going grocery shopping only once or twice a week. How would you ever know what looked good on a particular day or what’s on special? I go at least five times a week and rarely buy more than one day ahead. Grocery shopping is something I really enjoy. Last week I stopped by the seafood counter at Kroger’s. I felt a little “fishy” that night. The salmon looked good but we had … [Read more...]

Meat loaf is a staple in our house. It cooks quickly, in about an hour and a half, so we can throw it in the oven after work and still eat by seven. The dish is economical and the leftovers make dynamite sandwiches. Only one problem with meat loaf – grease. No matter how lean the beef, you always have fat sitting in the bottom of your pan, which you must pour off at some point, but there is … [Read more...]

I confess. I am a Cooking Channel junkie. I find it fascinating to watch the chefs battle it out on Chopped and I love to see Robert Irvine hammering the amateurish chefs at failing restaurants on Restaurant Impossible. One thing I have noticed on all these cooking shows: A main complaint from the judges in their critiques is a lack of seasoning. These – many experienced chefs from top … [Read more...]

Sometimes what you use to cook with is as important as the recipe with which you use to cook the dish. Electric skillets, for example. I have owned a series of electric skillets and found them useful when a larger surface area was needed - as in pan-frying fish or a large batch of squash and onions. Until recently, my electric skillets were poor quality overall. The non-stick surfaces sometimes … [Read more...]

It’s bluegill time at a farm pond near you! You can’t buy bluegills in a grocery store or a seafood market, but they are such a culinary delight that all fish lovers should head out and catch a few. One word of advice. Fish very early in the day or late in the afternoon. Bluegills are sunfish and the sun hurts their eyes. Therefore they swim to deep water during the hat of the day and return … [Read more...]

I like chicken wings, but I think they are among the poorest values in the entire meat department. Because of America’s propensity to order chicken wings as appetizers at all the sports bars across country, the demand for wings is higher than the supply, thus the price is inflated. Sometimes – sometimes – you can buy wings at $1.99 a pound if you buy enough to serve Madison Square Garden at a … [Read more...]

I’ve done this article before, but it’s worth repeating. With backyard chefs bearing tongs and spatulas and heading for the grill, here’s my take on how to make the Perfect Burger. Be forewarned. This isn’t a recipe for the healthiest burger, just the tastiest. You really wouldn’t want to serve a steady diet of these burgers unless you had a death wish, but at least once this summer, indulge … [Read more...]

It’s summer – time for tuna fish salad piled high on a bed of lettuce or better yet, ladled thickly on some white bread as the centerpiece of a great sandwich. But instead of plain, old tuna salad, why not go first class and make white albacore salad? Albacore is known as white tuna while the other tunas, yellowfin, skipjack or big-eye are in the “light tuna” category. The albacore is found … [Read more...]

About a month ago, I saw a box of Blueberry Muffin Mix from Krusteaz, and knowing I had a bunch of extra blueberries, I bought the mix, added some fresh blueberries and the muffins were delicious. This week, I saw that Krusteaz made a Banana Nut Muffin Mix, and I put that in my grocery cart. My wife, Nancy, particularly enjoys muffins. Three days a week, she is up at 4:30 and off to the gym. … [Read more...]

I was a bachelor for three days last week as my wife Nancy abandoned me to spend time with her sisters-in-law in Jacksonville. She had a great time and I had some great meals. When Nancy goes out of town, it gives me the opportunity to cook some of my favorite dishes – things she finds objectionable. Things like veal. When Nancy was a little girl, her family lived on a cattle farm and she … [Read more...]