Here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hopping' down the bunny trail,
Hippity, hoppity,
… Read full post »

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, do you know the muffin man,
The muffin man, the muffin man,
Do you know the muffin man,
Who lives in Drury Lane?

Oh, yes, I know the muffin man,
The muffin man, the muffin man,
Yes,/… Read full post »

 

Here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hopping' down the bunny trail,
Hippity, hoppity,
… Read full post »

I'm taking stock after Salon Kitchen Challenge cancellation and thought this might be a good time to revisit some early work. This is a reposting of my first piece on Open Salon, an honorable mention for the SKC Corn. 

  

 Grits are a lot more than groceries. Grits… Read full post »

 

 

 “Special day! Oh, what have I forgotten now? Now, don’t panic. Is it Bacon Day? No, that’s crazy talk!” ~Homer, The Simpsons

 

Mmm . . . Bacon Day. It sounds like Homer Simpson nirvana, doesn't it?  Now imagine thick cut bacon, packed with… Read full post »

     

  The honeysuckle waits
For Summer and for heat
But violets in the chilly Spring
Make the turf so/… Read full post »

 

 

Dip a ladle deep into the great gumbo melting pot that is Louisiana and you will pull out a taste of Ireland.

America has been the goal of those fleeing persecution since its earliest days and the port of New Orleans has received many of the dispossessed. The heartbr… Read full post »

 

    Colorful Saint Joseph’s Day fills the bill with a flourish. On… Read full post »

If you're born and raised in New Orleans, you don't fit anywhere else. Nothing against any other city, but it's just a way of life, a culture, that's so unique. It's just the idea of having Mardi Gras, the idea in the face of everything that's happened, taking the time to… Read full post »

 

 Spring is playing peekaboo with me here in North Georgia. It was 72 degrees today at the tail end of February. Yes I said SEVENTY-TWO DEGRE… Read full post »

 

 

 

 Kumquats bring me back to when I was little and neighborhood bounty was fair game to any kid, anywhere, anytime. One neighbor’s pomegranate tree hung over the sidewalk, alluring but only occasionally productive since they were hard to reach. Sometimes we were/… Read full post »

Other countries may claim similar honors, but yogurt, that mainstay of twenty-first century dieters and dairy lovers everywhere, is regarded by Turkey as one of its most famous and ancient culinary contributions to the world.

Whether it was in the area of Turkey or elsewhere, food h… Read full post »

"If You Know Beans about Chili You Know Chili's Got No Beans"

 ~  Song by Ken Finlay, singer, songwriter, 1976, fervently sung at chili competitions in Texas and elsewhere

 

 

One strong personal argument I have in favor of reincarnation is… Read full post »

 

 

from the Britcom Blackadder

 

Men in packs are prone to testosterone poisoning when football and beer are at hand. Humor can quickly devolve to rude body noises and crude barnyard below-the-belt waggery. Victims… Read full post »

 

 

Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss.

~ Alexandre Dumas from The Count of Monte Cristo

 

What do one of the most romantic literary heroes of all time and a glorified grilled cheese… Read full post »

I walk alone in this world... Alone I walk... Except for the grilled cheese sandwich in my pocket.

~ Frankie from Boy Meets World

Life doesn't have to be all that complicated. To make  this denizen of dorm rooms and rooming houses you need:

• 2 pieces white bread
… Read full post »

 

 

 A first-rate soup is more creative than a second-rate painting. ~Abraham Maslow

 

  Cookies for Abby

 … Read full post »

 

  . . .  or Mastering the Art of Packet Cooking

 

 The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a 'What the hell?' attitude. ~ Julia Child

 

I prefer my emergencies run of the mill, non… Read full post »

 

 

A Southern-style New Year's Homage

  

 

Southerners have always taken a proprietary view of black-eyed peas and collard greens, especially to start a new year. To fulfill tradition collards must be cooked long and slow with a hambone, salt pork or hog jowls… Read full post »

 

 

Partying is such sweet sorrow.

~ Robert Byrne

 

It's true, a party brings sweetness and sorrow, sometimes in equal measure, especially when you're the host.  Your heart is conflicted. You want to treat your friends and family to a wonderful occasion. You just…

Read full post »

Brew me a cup for a winter's night.
For the wind howls loud and the furies fight;
Spice it with love and stir it with care,
And I'll toast our bright eyes,
my sweetheart fair.

~Minna Thomas Antrim

 

It's a perfect day to be inside by the… Read full post »

 

 

"I am still convinced that a good, simple, homemade cookie is preferable to all the store-bought cookies one can find."

 

 

Ihate to argue with the legendary James Beard, but he never met M… Read full post »

 

 

A Wish for Louisiana

I've watched from afar as Louisiana has been struck again and again these past few years, the unspeakable devastation of Katrina, followed too rapidly by Rita, Ivan and Gustav. And this year's tragedy--just when… Read full post »