Cusp of Summer On a Carolina Day

Cusp of Summer On a Carolina Day

There is nothing more apt to illustrate life than a stilt house hovering over water set to the rhythm of a spring tide. A friend of my granddad’s used to sit on our porch in a wicker rocking chair and watch the creek go by. That creek is part of the Elizabeth...
Berry Crisp

Berry Crisp

BERRY CRISP I’ve always had a sweet tooth, and few things in the dessert world tickle my fancy more than those featuring berries. You can use about any kind of berries with this recipe. 1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup packed...
Berry Crisp

Squirrel Pot Pie

SQUIRREL POT PIE 1 onion, chopped coarsely 1 stalk celery, chopped coarsely 1 large garlic clove, minced 4 cups beef broth Freshly ground black pepper 1 squirrel, cleaned Pastry for two-crust pie 1 (12-ounce) can Mexican-style mixed vegetables 1 tablespoon cornstarch...
Places to Be Sensed and Senses to Be Placed

Places to Be Sensed and Senses to Be Placed

Here’s the portfolio; look what’s inside. People are known for doing the one thing at which they are best. That’s what we were telling the artist one afternoon in his studio with the window as big as The Ritz. There are well-known western artists and...
Berry Crisp

Venison Chili

VENISON CHILI It’s hard to beat a steaming bowl of chili, especially if flanked with a fine chunk of cornbread or a plate of corn dodgers, when you have a mighty craving for hearty fare. Here’s a recipe to use some of that ground venison you hopefully put in the...
Berry Crisp

Baked Squirrel

BAKED SQUIRREL Mom often fixed fried squirrel, and when served with side dishes of biscuits, milk gravy made with the drippings from the squirrel, sweet potatoes and turnip greens, it was among my favorite meals. However, I liked her baked squirrel even better, and...
Beyond the Boundaries

Beyond the Boundaries

“But there was something there — a different kind of contemporary realism.” Imagine for a moment that you and I are with artist Adriano Manocchia, relaxing on Adirondack chairs under the eave of the porch at his house in Cambridge, New York, a double haul...
Berry Crisp

STREAKED MEAT DUTCH OVEN POTATOES

STREAKED MEAT DUTCH OVEN POTATOES Pork was the staple meat of my boyhood, and that was true not just in my family but for country folks across much of the Southeast  in general. While a pig offered plenty of variety in terms of “meat on the table,” with dishes...
Berry Crisp

Streaked Meat Milk Gravy

Some Culinary Musings on Pork Pork was the staple meat of my boyhood, and that was true not just in my family but for country folks across much of the Southeast  in general. While a pig offered plenty of variety in terms of “meat on the table,” with dishes including...