Half pieces of vegetables in the refrigerator and partial packages of frozen meat are an inevitable part of living by yourself. Things just don’t come in single person sizes. You may very good at planning out menus and using everything up or you may be like me and save the unneeded portions until it is a question of toss it or use it. Today is a use-it day. I really didn’t feel like going to the store so I went to my fridge instead. And I found half a butternut squash, half an onion, some apples, and some frozen bratwurst. And carrots. (I always have carrots). This calls for a ...
Meat & Fish
LEARNING FROM THE BEST: BBQ COUNTRY STYLE RIBS
I am obsessed with the American BBQ Showdown on Netflix. It’s weird, I know. I don’t do a lot of bbq, mostly leaving that to my skilled and capable son-in-law. I love BBQ but it’s always seemed a little one note to me. However, there’s not a lot that’s new on TV these days and this show caught my eye. I’m so glad it did. I have learned a lot about meat and Southern sides and the vast array of people who love to make it. Kevin Bludso and Melissa Cookston are the judges and they are good. Melissa in particular knows how to cook the meat and sides. She can spot a mistake from a ...
AUTUMN FIGS AND PORK TENDERLOIN
Summer's end is approaching and the arrival of fresh figs in the market is the inspiration for this dish of Roasted Figs and Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary. Have you ever noticed how the light changes two or three hours before sunset? The shadows have not yet begun to length but the sun has passed the meridian and its position lower in the sky alters the way the light hits objects in the distance. A golden glow, softer than the harsh rays of midday, is imparted to the world around us. It is my favorite time of day. A brief hour of peace before the activity of the evening. I often ...
WATERMELON CHICKEN AND SPICED GRILLED WATERMELON
A visit to Glen Falls in Highlands, NC is the inspiration for this Watermelon Glazed Chicken with Spiced Grilled Watermelon Slices I went to Highlands in the mountains of North Carolina this weekend where, due a fortunate accident (a tree fell across the road about a mile from the parking area), we were able to see Glen Falls in relative seclusion. It’s a spectacular three-tiered waterfall which drops about 700 feet in total and is, understandably, very popular. The tree had fallen the night before after a torrential rainfall. We were there early, before it was cleared, and few people ...
ROCK CORNISH GAME HENS WITH GRILLED PEACHES
IT'S GRILLING SEASON! ROCK CORNISH GAME HENS PAIRED WITH GRILLED FRESH PEACHES MAKE AN EASY AND LIGHT DINNER. PAIR THEM WITH A GARDEN SALAD AND FINISH WITH ICE CREAM OR S'MORES FOR A DELICIOUS BACKYARD BARBECUE ON A HOT SUMMER DAY! Rock Cornish Game Hens—you know what they are. They are small chickens which are almost always found in the freezer section. As a matter of fact, I have never seen a fresh Rock Cornish Game Hen. We used to make jokes that they were “Rock” game hens because that’s how they came, frozen like a rock. The breed is a cross between the Cornish Chicken and the ...
SORRY KUGELHOPF, I’M MAKING GREEN CHICKEN CHILI
This is the sad tale of three Kugelhopfs and knowing when to stop and make Green Chicken Chili instead. The story starts 39 years ago when I traveled to the French city of Strasbourg in the Alsace-Lorraine region near the German border. Students of history will know that this area of France has been hotly fought over and traded back and forth between Germany and France giving it a unique culture and cuisine. We visited the cathedral, walked along the river and explored the narrow cobblestone streets and, of course we stopped in a bakery. I had heard of the traditional cake of the ...
CHINESE STYLE POACHED CHICKEN
A whole chicken is poached in sherry, soy sauce and Dr. Pepper along with Chinese spices for a dish that is reminiscent of the food courts of Singapore. When I lived in Singapore, I would often go to the local “Wet Market” to purchase fruits and vegetables and other Asian products. Located underneath one of the large public housing apartment towers near me, it was important to go early in the morning before it got too hot. These markets are called wet markets because they clean the floors with buckets of water after they wash the fresh produce, and butcher and clean fish, chicken and pork. ...
January reset, reset. Crab Cakes with Mango Salsa
I don't know that I would like someone who went all the way through December without really overindulging, ending up in January as trim and fit as that person went in! I have tried but is it worth it? I don't know. Most of us look to January as a month of beginnings. A new diet, exercise, resolutions, they all surface in some form or other in January. I have never really looked at it as a month of beginning so much as a month of returning to the good habits I willingly and happily threw aside in the past year's end. So here I am, one day into eating better, with ...
BRAISING MEAT: LAMB SHANKS TO DIE FOR
Did you ever make a meal that was pick-up-your-plate-and-lick-it good? One that was a slam-dunk to serve for dinner? Would you like to? Come with me to my kitchen…We are slowing cooking Lamb Shanks for a tender and savory meat with a rich red wine infused gravy. A little known fact about Asheville is that we have a good sized Greek population. The first Greek arrived here in 1900 and opened a restaurant. He was swiftly joined by others and in 1920 the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church was established to serve the Greek Orthodox population of Asheville. Every year the church holds a ...
FROM PIG TO PLATE: PORK LOIN WITH HORSERADISH CREME FRAICHE, SAUTEED APPLES AND A RICH DEMI-GLACE SAUCE
Pork Loin is slow cooked then served with a fresh horseradish cream, butter-sauteed apples and a rich demi-glace sauce in this blog post which takes us from the butchering of the pig to the final dish on a plate. Did you ever learn something that changed the way you saw the world? It's that moment when something you knew intellectually becomes something you fully understand and can use. One of those moments came for me last week when I went to a whole hog butchery demonstration at Hickory Nut Gap Farm. (Quick disclaimer: this post relates the life the animal lived to the way the meat we eat ...
