Mexico for Two

After four days of wonderful authentic cuisine and beverage in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, the most telling plate of food of our entire visit came after spending three hours in Cancun’s airport. We were hungry, we still had another hour and a half of waiting followed by a three-hour flight back to the states. So we […]

Helicopters in The Sand

The big, twin rotor helicopter thundered down our beach. My son, all of three, with his mop of curly brown, salt-crusted hair, was mesmerized. As it passed in front of us, the gentleman in the doorway in his olive drab uniform and glistening white helmet, waved a giant’s wave.   “Oooh Daddy!” was all my […]

Merry Christmas Amy

I spent half of 2013 on crutches as I recovered from reconstructive knee surgery that came with a lengthy period of rehab.  That May we celebrated our 26th anniversary with a long weekend at our favorite place, Fripp Island SC.  I could only walk very short distances but I could pedal a bike.  So on […]

I’ll have St. Pete with a Squeeze of Lime

The rain pelted against the house, sounding like rocks tossed by an angry neighbor, waking us well before our six am alarm went off. I trudged out of bed, turned up the heater then returned with two cups of strong coffee and crawled under the blankets. A strong gust lashed against the windows as my […]

Would You Like to See my Cleaver Collection?

We’re a peculiar lot.  Professional cooks often have quirks and idiosyncrasies that most rational people would find perhaps, circumspect.  Yet we earn those quirks sincerely.  It comes with our territory.  Long hours in a brutal environment, late night trips to the emergency room and looking at all those tattoos and piercings can make anyone a […]

My 2nd Liebster Award

This one comes courtesy of my good friend KJ Waters.  KJ is the author of the upcoming mystery Stealing Time.  The Liebster is an informal award given to a blogger/writer as a sign of admiration and it comes with a significant cash award.  KJ has promised me that my check is in the mail. 1 […]

A Review of Lowcountry Boil

Are you looking for a clever murder mystery?  One with a unique sense of place and enough quirky characters to make the cast of The Big Bang Theory take notice. Can you deal with a ghost as a central character? And I don’t mean a ghost in the traditional sense, one that fades in and […]

Shore Lines

Sands of Fortune swirl past my eyes As the bleached bones of the un-living Are once again cleansed by the tide Frothy water hushes our exchange While we walk in search of constancy on this ancient shore of change   Her many layers of faith, quietly challenged and bent The breeze stiffens, demands respect Vacationers, […]

Cabot Pimento Cheese & Chicken Soup

  I’m always taken aback when I cook at a friend’s house and I’m asked if I “mind cooking.”  I’ve actually known chefs that would answer “Yes.”  Seriously, if you don’t love it then why would you do it?  While spending a week at the beach with friends I’ve been doing a lot of cooking […]

Patience Please

In my lifetime I have been fortunate enough to save the lives of two little girls.  One of those little girls was my daughter Holly that my wife Amy and I adopted from Social Services when she was one month shy of her sixth birthday.  The other was a stranger, a charming little brunette maybe […]