Kenny Mae, my grandmother, was quite an intrepid country-woman with many skills that had to do with putting food on the table with not a lot of money. She kept chickens so there were always fresh eggs for breakfast and for making desserts. If she planned to serve chicken for dinner, then early in the morning she would thoughtfully choose one of her chickens. She swiftly and silently grabbed the unsuspecting bird, wrung its neck, plopped the stunned chicken down on a stump in the back yard and with the other hand holding an axe, she would chopped off its head. Plan and simple, practicle and str ..read more

“A loaf of bread, the Walrus said, is what we chiefly need…..” Author Lewis Carroll Do you remember the bread baking craze at the onset of the Pandemic? The obsessive approach to bread baking became somewhat cultish during that time. Hey…everything was so scary and unknown, the confines of our kitchens became our safe places…our creative outlets. Images of homemade baked bread filled the world of social media. It was a collective game of “find the flour”…. and if that part was successful… then it was time to move on to the next level and play “find the yeast”, both often scarce. It took a lot ..read more

Chowders, soups, stews and all of their variations with out without meat or seafood make lots of appearances in our kitchen in mid-January when the weather in Nashville finally decides to turn cold. The heartier the better. Thick broths, full of vegetables and lots of seasonings are our favorites. We are quite lucky in many ways to have part of our extended family next door. Gary has a farm down in West Tennessee and regularly brings us vegetables from the garden and honey from the hives. I use everything gifted to us. In the summer there are cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, squash and now, turn ..read more

My friend and neighbor Harriet is a very generous gardener. As well as fresh kale and cucumbers, she recently shared some of her very interesting radishes. Not the round or oval red, pink and white variety, but a bag full of Dragon’s Tail Radishes. I am totally enchanted by their unusual beauty…colors from almost black, to a dark purple and a hint of lime green and their very peppery flavor with long curly “dragon’s tails”. They are a crisp, tender edible roots, with an intense peppery bite. The larger the stem the spicier. Have you ever grown these? I have not, but Harriet says they are easy ..read more

This is a re-post from November 2019….deep in the land-of-covid…not so long in the past. This is just so good and simple I wanted to re-share. Have a grateful, thankful and really good day. I must confess I have a weakness for that (kinda gross) jellied cranberry sauce in the can. I am sure it has to do with childhood Holiday memories nested deep in my brain.  On the other hand, I really love this cranberry relish that is quick, easy and fresh. It is a little bit sweet, a little bit tart and very special with a baked ham or a roasted chicken or turkey, not to mention roasted vegetables ..read more

If I keep at it, I will find the absolute easiest way to do everything. It is not that I am lazy, but that I do not like to fuss. I want to start a task and take it through to the end as effortlessly as possible while ending up with something special…whether it be food, or art, or gardening. I am pretty sure my personality leads me in my approach…c’est la vie. Whipping up a batch of homemade jam and the time needed to do so can be at odds with one another…full of desire to do the first without the time usually needed, my recipe for oven roasted fresh peach jam makes the process of jam making d ..read more

Hot or cold depending on our tempestuous Spring weather…served in a bowl or sipped from a cup…easy and quick. I realize that food always seems to taste better when you are sitting at a table on a rather idyllic beach as the sun sets, surrounded by tropical flora, the waves crashing and having great company alongside. Nothing to do, no pressing work, a hammock nearby. Really, that is a no brainer I think. No matter how many times I have been to the Yucatan Peninsula, I still discover new dishes that are delicious in any setting. A roasted poblano pepper soup served chilled, a little creamy wi ..read more

A re-post from the past for current days. An easy bread to empower the most hesitant. Deliciously simple. “So, her hands scuffled over the backboard, the reddening stove sent its plaque of heat against her where she stood in a floury apron by the window.” By Seamus Heaney, from “North”, 1975 March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day and the return of Daylight Savings Time…all in the same week. A couple of days to celebrate in spite of all the turmoil in the world. Make some time for yourself, perhaps in your kitchen? Let it be a haven of appreciation and thankfulness. Bread baking is a personal restorativ ..read more

Everyday healthy. A Grab-and-Go snack. Simple is good. Make it cheaper, make it better. Homemade granola is so much tastier and healthier than anything available store-bought….and more definitely more affordable. At times when I am really busy I will buy my favorite brand from the supermarket, but earlier this week while grocery shopping I had a few “arresting inflation shopping moments” that did not have anything to do with filling my car up before entering the grocery! Limes, which I had to have for a photo shoot recipe, were 89 cents each! Two large crisp apples cost $2.64, etc, etc. The g ..read more

Colder than damn-it winter days…stay-inside-with-a-book grey winter days….days that could be dusk or dawn…cozy foods such as a large pot of Black Bean Chili with lots of spicy Rancho Gordo Chile Powder and dark, dark cocoa powder and brewed coffee in the mix…. simmering on the stove, an iron-skillet Gruyere-Black Pepper Cornbread just out of the oven….grabbing a bit of bliss whenever I can. Today is such as day. What are you eating today? What are you reading or watching….listening to? Be safe, be well, be kind, share and find some things to laugh about…take a nap…wear your mask…get vacci ..read more