click to order ^^ May 1, 2026 My forecast says abundant sunshine, low, humidity, and afternoon highs of 70F. We'll be grilling this weekend, and watching the Congressional Cup this weekend. Chores, as per usual, but not too onerous. Perfect.   For the recipes this week, first up, fiery grilled chicken. Do invest the time in making the Abercrombie Sauce; it's good, and it will keep in the fridge for adding a little sweet heat to your grilling this summer. Second, a delicious recipe for Italian Barbecue Shri ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ April 24, 2026 I got good artichokes earlier this week, one of our favorites when they're in season. I generally cook them like Jim's mom taught me-- trim the stems (peel and cook them if they're not tough), trim the leaves, and stuff a good bit of Asiago cheese slivers between the leaves. I steam them, sprinkled with a little salt and pepper and drizzled with olive oil, for about an hour. We eat them just like that, but some melted clarified butter with some added lemon juice would be a great sa ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ April 17, 2026 It's a girl! We have a great-niece on the way this fall. It's the first baby in this side of the family in 11 years, and the first girl in more years than my niece Cara would want me to publish here. She's also going to be the first grandchild for the mother's parents—as you can imagine, they're over the moon. Let the shopping commence! For the recipes this week, first up, catfish puffs from Chef John Folse. They're addictive; serve with tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, or rém ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ April 10, 2026 Jim's family has exciting news: Our nephew and his new wife are expecting their first child this fall! We got the news over Easter weekend, and are looking forward to a gender reveal party on Sunday. We haven't had a baby in the family in more than 10 years. I'm going to take my gingery spicy slaw and a batch of deviled eggs, and today I'm making a big batch of rich chicken stock that I'll freeze for them to take home-- an easy, nutritious meal isn't far away when you hav ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ April 3, 2026 Easter weekend is upon us, and we're celebrating in an unorthodox way. Jim's family is coming over for a pizza party. I started pizza dough earlier this week, and will put out just about any possible pizza topping you can imagine, so that everyone can build the pizza of their dreams. My oven will accommodate 2 pizzas at a time, so it'll take about half an hour to get nine baked, but it's doable, and it's a lot of fun. The weather is going to be nice, and we should have a nice breeze ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ March 27, 2026 I'm looking forward to spring produce hitting the market. We haven't seen artichokes yet, but I've been getting great asparagus. One of my favorite preparations for it is to toss it with a little salt, black pepper, Aleppo and Urfa peppers, and roast it at high heat until browned. Then I shave good Parm/Reg over it, and drizzle with some good balsamic vinegar. Delicious. For the recipes this week, first up, a favorite from the venerable Commander's Palace in New Orleans: coconut shrimp ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ March 20, 2026 It's officially spring this weekend; I'm ready to put an end to Jim's winter-long hiatus from grill duty. I also need to get my herb garden started this weekend. The weather is beautiful, and the spring produce is coming in. For the recipes this week, first up is grilled chicken; it includes an all-purpose wet brine that works well on both pork and chicken. The brine has some sugar in it, guaranteeing a beautifully burnished final product. Next, my absolute favorite method f ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ March 13, 2026 *How apropos *that we're having a Friday the 13th for the second time already this year. I'm going to lay low. And a reminder, for those of you who celebrate, Saturday is Pi Day. A few years ago I hosted a Pi Day potluck-- we had chicken pot pie, shepherd's pie, salad in a pie pan, coconut cream pie, and deep dish apple pie. It was a lot of fun. For the recipes this week, easy is the key. First up is a recipe for flaky white fish with a lemon caper butter sauce; fancy enough for a ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ March 7, 2026 *Our niece's birthday was this week *so Jim's family got together for brunch on Sunday to celebrate. In both my family and Jim's, I think all the birthdays but his fall between October and early March, so we've been eating a lot of cake for 6 months. Not that that's a bad thing... For the recipes this week, first up is a chopped salad topped with crispy bites of fried fish. We're going to have a hot weekend; this sounds really good, and refreshing. Next, a sumptuous pasta dish wit ...Continue Reading

click to order ^^ February 28, 2026 *This winter has been *"If you don't like the weather, wait an hour and it'll change" kind of winter. This time last week it was cold and rainy the beach; this week, I had to run some errands a few miles inland and it was 97F! 81 here at the beach. Back to regular seasonal weather for the weekend. I picked Breakfast for Dinner recipe this week; I'm overdue for one. First up, one of my favorites, a seafood quiche. I love quiche but almost never make it, because Jim doe ...Continue Reading