I discovered Butter Lettuce at Kroger’s several months back. It’s not sold loose, like head lettuce, romaine, bibb and other lettuces. It usually comes pre-packaged, but I saw a pack not much more than a regular head of lettuce, so I bought it. It is sweet, rich, and delicious and, yes, buttery. This spring as I was buying some young collard plants for my garden, I saw a six pack of small … [Read more...]

It’s hard to beat a platter of fried chicken wings dredged in your favorite sauce, but you can have crispy chicken wings without all the oil and frying. And it’s easy. Start with 2 or 3 pounds of wings, remove the tips and split each wing. Pat the wings dry with paper towels and set aside. Put a couple wire racks on a sheet pan lined with parchment or foil (for easy cleaning). Melt a half … [Read more...]

When you get in the mood for a hot dog, you gotta have a hot dog. The vision of a fat frank nestled in a fresh bun and surrounded by chili, mustard, onions and cole slaw will haunt you till you eat one. I got stung by the hot dog bug early this week and promptly bought a pack of Ball Parks. But I didn’t have any chili. A hot dog is just not a hot dog without a good hot dog chili. Often, I make my … [Read more...]

Shrimp and Grits is a Southern staple. Every seafood restaurant from Charleston, SC to Virginia Beach has this dish on the menu, and they go to elaborate extremes in preparing their sauces. This week, I decided to make Shrimp and Grits, but without all the to-do in making the sauce. I bought a small bag of frozen shrimp – the small size, peeled and deveined –and instead of stone ground grits, … [Read more...]

I have a Tramontina Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven that I call my Big Red Pot. It’s big, for sure, and it’s heavy. It weighs about as much as a pallet of cinder blocks, which is the main reason I don’t use it as often as I should. But when I do pull it out from the bottom cabinet, it always delivers great meals. Dutch Ovens are a lot like Slow Cookers, except they are faster. You can quickly … [Read more...]

Asparagus lovers are now in their element. Fresh, tender asparagus is now sprouting and hitting the grocery shelves. It’s the best of the year. It’s hard to screw up asparagus. Boiled, roasted, grilled, fried. It’s all good. But if you want to get fancy, here’s a simple but elegant recipe for Cheesy Roasted Asparagus. It’s fast, easy and yummy-good. Preheat your oven to 425ºF, then line a … [Read more...]

I had boiled a pound of super jumbo shrimp, and we ate a few along with a huge seafood dinner, but 8 were leftover. We could have had them as an appetizer the next night, but I had other plans. I went for Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms, and they were terrific. I stopped by Sam’s, hoping for some of those giant portobellos they often carry, but they were out. I saw a carton of fairly large, white … [Read more...]

I often go to the store with an incomplete grocery list. If I see something than catches my fancy, I’ll buy it and figure out the details later. Last week I was in Aldi’s and saw packages of Petite Sirloins on display. I had seen them before and was curious. They come three small steaks in a pack. I had no idea how I would fix them, but I tossed them in my grocery cart. When I got home, I did a … [Read more...]

Picnic hams were a Sunday dinner staple when I was a boy. How well I remember coming home from church to a home filled with the aroma of  picnic ham in the oven. I loved picnic hams, and I dearly loved the leftovers as sandwiches. Picnichams, however, have lost favor with American cooks and shoppers.  Rather than picnics, it’s Boston butts, whole pork tenderloins or … [Read more...]

My son Jimmie sent me this recipe – he said it was now one of his family’s favorites and I had to try it. I did and it was good. It’s Turkey Meatloaf for Skeptics. It is packed full of flavor, quite healthy and worthy of a trial. I mostly followed the recipe with a few changes for the better (in my opinion). Okay skeptics, here’s how. Begin the process by sautéing 1 medium onion (roughly … [Read more...]