Once upon a time, there was a guy named Jim who decided one day to put magic seeds in a Jiffy Pot and start his own squash and cucumbers. The magic seeds just sat there for about a week and moped. But then one day, they peeked out of the soil in the pots, decided that they should sprout and sprout they did… and sprout, and sprout and sprout some more. With a few days they were six inches tall … [Read more...]
Five Tips for Skillet Fried Chicken
There are probably as many ways to fry chicken as there are cooks. Most methods were passed from generation to generation from traditional family recipes and instructions. It’s pretty hard to mess up skillet fried chicken unless you serve it medium rare or burned, but here are a few tips to assure perfectly fried chicken. Tip 1. Cook chicken until the juices run clear when you pierce … [Read more...]
Buttercups
Another beautiful “weed” now growing in my back yard is the common buttercup. This variety, sometimes called the creeping buttercup, has stubborn roots and can be the devil to get rid of, but the flowers are certainly delicate and lovely. Buttercups are generally perennials, but unlike many wildflowers, they are poisonous. Livestock that grazes in a field overrun with buttercups can … [Read more...]
Poison Ivy Soap
Late at Night while you’re sleeping, poison ivy comes a creeping all around-ound-ound-ound. Poison ivy, Lawd, will make you itch. Thanks, Coasters, for that classic song reminding us of the evils of poison ivy, a plant so vile as to send shivers up the spines of those who are extremely allergic – like half of my family. Fortunately, when I accidently bump into the noxious plant, … [Read more...]
The “Snows” Know
Yep. The “Snows” know all right. Snowbirds, that is, and they know when it’s time to pack their little bags and fly away for the summer. But so far, they haven’t felt the urge. My little flock of 9 snowbirds, Dark-eyed Juncos to be exact, are still picking up the millet seeds that I scatter especially for them. My snowbirds generally arrive in November, chased down from the north by cold … [Read more...]
All Aboard
We were at the Chankanaab National Park in Cozumel on the last stop of our Mexico Cruise. The ship’s bus had delivered us and would pick us up later. The guide told us that if we left early and took our own taxi back to the ship – and we were late – that we better learn Spanish because we would be stuck in Mexico. When you are on a cruise ship, you need to be back when they say to be … [Read more...]
The Blacks are Back
One of the first signs of spring – fishing-wise – is the arrival of the big black drum, and they have arrived. Anglers are starting to find black drum along the Eastern Shore. Long Bay Pointe Bait & Tackle registered their first black drum citation on March 30th. The 52-inch citation (shown above) was caught and released near Fisherman’s Island by Jonathan Hughes. Look for them to show up … [Read more...]
Counting Meal Worms
Having too much time on your hands is not a good thing. For example. I had ordered 5,000 meal worms for my bluebirds and they came in a vented box with a bunch of cardboard to separate the layers. I inspected the contents, and all looked well, except…. How do you know if they really sent you 5,000 mealworms? If they only packed 4,900 that would be a 2 percent shortage and if some fiendish worm … [Read more...]
Sour Cream Cubed Steaks
It just so happened that on the same day I bought a package of cubed steaks, I saw a recipe for Sour Cream Cubed Steaks. I gave it a bit of a whirl even though I came up with my own version. But the Sour Cream Gravy is what caught my eye. Cubed steaks are always asty. How can they miss being round steak pounded into oblivion and round steaks are always flavorful? But they can get dry and tough. … [Read more...]
Signs of Our Times
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