I happen to enjoy shopping at the grocery store. I love to poke around in the produce department and look for good buys from the butcher. I like to save money when I can and still eat well. I am a Frugal Chef if there ever was one. All Frugal Chefs love their crockpots. A crockpot can take a relatively inexpensive cut of meat, like a chuck roast, and turn it into a company worthy entrée. It … [Read more...]

I’m a southern boy and I like okra. Yankees look at this amazing vegetable as a slippery, slimy, oozy pod monster. That’s because, one, they don’t know how to cook it, and, two, they don’t know good food when it’s in their mouths. My favorite way to eat okra, and I’ve taught all my kids and grandkids to enjoy this dish, is fried okra. Cut young pods into 1-inch sections, roll in cornmeal and … [Read more...]

As a cook, it’s easy to get into a rut. You find a few staples you enjoy and then it’s steak, pork chops, chicken and fish; steak, pork chops, chicken and fish. At the market, I was looking for a change of pace and thought about ham. But when there are only two to cook for, ham is not a meal, it’s a commitment. It’s almost like “till death do us part.” Even if you eat ham for a main course and … [Read more...]

Kale has attained the status of a super vegetable in recent months. According to renowned dieticians, a couple servings a week can cure male patterned baldness, restore receding gum lines, prevent crow’s feet on middle-aged women, eradicate toenail fungus and make teenagers obey their parents. Well, maybe I exaggerate, I do that often, but it is true that kale has been elevated to a super healthy … [Read more...]

My wife thinks I eat too many fried foods. That’s nonsense, of course, but have you ever tried a fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich? They are fantastic. Well, maybe I do like fried foods a little too much – which is why I developed this recipe for oven-baked striped bass. I like whole, baked stripers, but when pressed for time, I fillet the fish. I find that the best eating stripers (or … [Read more...]

There are seemingly as many diets as stars in the Milky Way, and a new one pops up every week. “Don’t eat carbs. Eat more protein. Eat grapefruit. Don’t eat grapefruit. Drink 8 glasses of water. No, maybe not. Avoid sugars. Foods have points - eat 22 points a day. Eat lean meat. Eat fish. Take Fish Oil Pills. Don’t eat bread, etc., etc., etc.” Wouldn’t it be nice to have a diet where you make … [Read more...]

I’ve been hearing a lot about Denver Steaks recently. A cousin of a chuck eye steak, I had heard you could get the same great steak flavor with a Denver Steak as with a more expensive cut like a New York Strip or a Sirloin, but without the high cost. A week ago I saw Denver Steaks in the local market. They looked good; they were reasonable priced (4 small steaks for about $7) so I picked them up. … [Read more...]

James Brewer, III went with his son, James, on a Topsail Sound excursion with Capt. Jim Crisco and had good results with red drum. They put four in the boat up to 29-inches; two were keepers. They also broke off a big black drum. Topsail Sound, a fairly shallow-water estuary, offers hot action for drum, flounder and specks. Just offshore, there is good fishing for blues, Spanish and sea bass. … [Read more...]

If you like beautiful, rolling hills at the foot of the Blue Ridge, you’ll love The Greene Hills Club in Stanardsville. One of central Virginia’s best kept secrets, Greene Hills is unmatched in the beauty of the surroundings and the friendliness of its members. Last week, my three golf amigos and I had a chance to tee it up at Greene Hills and use our VSGA cards. I think we paid about $30 each. … [Read more...]