Cream-filled Doughnuts

Jason asked me to make some banana cream filled doughnuts for a private party so I tried several different techniques.  I made a couple of batches of yeast risen doughnuts (recipe is in the back of my novel, Doughnuts for Amy) and also a cake doughnut recipe.  Cake doughnuts are leavened with baking powder and/or […]

Making the most of a Leg of Duck

Jason Scholz, Chef/Owner of Stella’s Southern Bistro loves a good fried green tomato, and we serve plenty of them.  It’s a year-round staple because it’s what the customers want.  Yet Stella’s also serves the finest charcuterie in the South.  You heard me, the South.  Charcuterie is the process and technique of grinding, curing, smoking and […]

Just what is para-normal?

“I’ve got to get you to the doctor.”  Amy was shaking her head as she read the thermometer.  “A hundred and three, damnit, come on John, can you get up?” I was drained, sweating and shaking from the chills and weak from two days without food.  My wife managed to stuff me into the front […]

The Ageless Appeal of Pinot Noir

Thomas Torrey, the web and video genius for Senior Living Communities, shot this video of me hosting a Pinto Noir tasting in the dining room of my former place of employment.  I loved getting out of the kitchen and doing fun events such as this.  My wine tastings always a big hit and a lot […]

Five Seconds

January 16th.  My birthday.  I turned 33 years old eight hours earlier and I’m going to celebrate by winning a NORBA sanctioned mountain bike race at Manchester State Forest near Sumter, SC.  Amy and I left the warm confines of our home at 6:00 am so she could watch me bang wheels with a bunch […]

Chicken Sausage Enchiladas

    Every day, every shift, we make a meal for the staff.  It’s usually made from scraps, leftovers and tidbits and it’s always delicious.  It better be because in a busy restaurant where teamwork is paramount, everyone needs to know that they are important to success.  One of the ways that’s done is through […]

The Inscrutable Mind of a 14 Year-Old Boy

We have a guest bathroom in our house. It’s on the first floor, just a small bathroom with a toilet, sink, a mirror and some decorative sconces filled with dried flowers on either side of the mirror. There’s no room in that bathroom for toiletries because it’s a guest bathroom, for guests, and you wouldn’t […]

Strawberry Mojito anyone?

Jason Scholz, the Chef/Owner of Stella’s Bistro is one of the hardest working chefs I have ever known.  Yet he has also surrounded himself with a creative and enthusiastic staff such as Jay Powell, one of our bartenders.  Now that it’s strawberry season, Jay decided to make a few infused spirits with the glut of […]

Pimento Cheese Yeast Rolls

Three or four times a week I make yeast rolls for the customers at Stella’s.  I usually look around for some sort of leftovers to throw into the rolls such as left over mashed potatoes, fresh herbs, tomato juice etc.  The other day we had two cups of chopped red peppers just sitting there calling […]