“A Friend is Coming to Visit” Part 4 of Phil and Rannie’s Story
Phil has lost more weight, his pajama clad form looks as if he’s become one with the bed, and his body has sort of melded into the sheets and blankets. I sit down next to him and reach for his hand and he grimaces in pain so I release his hand. For weeks his daughters […]
Coffee Cans and Bacon Fat
Paul Fehribach isn’t interested in coffee that comes in a can but he certainly knows how to use a coffee can. At Big Jones, his bustling Chicago homage to traditional Southern cuisine, he is recreating the type of homestead cooking that his great-grandmother pioneered at her family farmstead along the Buffalo Trace. “She used to […]
A Tour of Benton’s Smoky Mountain Ham
We spent this past weekend in Chattanooga, TN visiting a very good friend of Amy’s and on the way back we stopped at Benton’s Country Ham in Madisonville, TN. Benton’s is perhaps the most famous, most sought after bacon and country ham producer in the United States. Their pork is featured at the finest and […]
Summer Pizza with Handmade Mozzarella
A dear friend of ours recently paid us a visit, just long enough to share some wine and pizza. Kelly loves good pizza but is careful about her diet so I made the pizza dough and made the mozzarella. A few local tomatoes, some basil from our garden, a shave of Parmesan and a splash […]
Salad on the Grill
Ever grilled Romaine lettuce? It’s quite delicious and gives me one more reason to light up the grill and cook outside. Plus I had some white truffle oil that I was dying to try. Like Truffle Oil? Try this one from Degredient. Now I know all about Gordon Ramsay fussing about crappy truffle oils being […]
Cinnamon Blueberry Sweet Rolls
I really love sweet rolls, buttery brioche dough filled with cinnamon, sugar and sometimes butter, rolled up and set atop a sweet glaze with nuts and or raisins. An early morning cup of coffee with my lovely wife and a couple of handmade sweet rolls, life could not get any better. This past weekend we had a guest […]
Hollywood and Whine
Why do we feel the need to turn authentic heroes into caricatures of themselves? My son and I recently watched the movie Red Tails. We wanted to see it on the big screen but had to settle for our own theatre. I really wanted to like this movie. If there ever was a chapter of […]
Give this app a Spin
My Mom was ready to go back to work. After raising five kids in a 2,000 square foot home she desperately missed the peace and serenity of being a surgical nurse in a busy downtown hospital. As soon as one of us could drive and one could cook, she bought a new stethoscope, starched her […]
It’s Just a Peach
It’s just a peach. I lift one up; allow my thumb to gently fondle its skin. I spin it in my hand and admire the warmth of its color, the soft creamy yellow that fades into sunny orange, dappled with crimson blotches. It’s His own summer fireworks show, right here in my hand. This delicate […]
Hand cut Fries for Amy
My wife loves French fries (OK we all do) but we rarely eat them. When we do, they’re usually homemade. Ever had soggy fries from a burger joint that makes their own? Yeah, they can be pretty worthless if done improperly. Making fries at home isn’t hard but it can be a bit time consuming […]