The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Hooray, the year 2020 is over! No one thought that 2020 would end up like it did. They are now looking forward to 2021. But we do not know how 2021 will turn out. No matter how 2021 progresses, we have learned a lot about making do with a different set of circumstances, different rules, and different ways that we interact with each other. The food industry has gone through tough times. How we obtain food, either in the grocery stores or at restaurants, has changed a great deal. We have lost the...
Last month I said that by the time you read the November article we may or may not know who is going to be the President of the United States. It is still a matter of discussion, but it looks like we will know who it is by the time you read this article. The topic of discussion I hear mostly is that will this year never end! I think that we are ready to start a new year that is less stressful, less unknowing, and less chaotic. If you noticed the Christmas decorations and gifts were for sell in...
Carnitas (Pulled Pork) Ingredients For the carnitas 2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder (also known as 'pork butt') 1 tablespoon lime juice 1 orange quartered 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 12 ounces dark beer (recommend Negra Modelo) or 12 ounces of chicken broth) Method Slow Cooker Instructions 1. Cut the pork shoulder into 2-3-inch chunks. 2. Place...
A common topic for food websites, particularly during the heat of summer, is foods to avoid during a heat wave. I do not necessarily disagree with some of their reasoning, but to me the first thing I want to eat during the summer months is something cold. You can guess I want just the opposite during winter. This is not a hard and fast rule but that is usually my first choice. A common food types to avoid during hot weather according to these websites are spicy foods. I would have to quit...
A common topic for food websites, particularly during the heat of summer, is foods to avoid during a heat wave. I do not necessarily disagree with some of their reasoning, but to me the first thing I want to eat during the summer months is something cold. You can guess I want just the opposite during winter. This is not a hard and fast rule but that is usually my first choice. A common food types to avoid during hot weather according to these websites are spicy foods. I would have to quit...
Our economy depends on cash flow. Our farmers, ranchers and other small businesses need as much help as we can afford. Buy local and help your fellow Alabamians. Also, don’t forget to donate to your local food bank whenever possible! It was 95 degrees with the heat index of 106. If the virus doesn’t get you, the heat will. I finished my outdoor chores before 11:00, and I started on my indoor chores. Those chores could be anything: fixing a leak in the bathroom and/or kitchen, fixing the doo...
Our economy depends on cash flow. Our farmers, ranchers and other small businesses need as much help as we can afford. Buy local and help your fellow Alabamians. Also, don’t forget to donate to your local food bank whenever possible! This was my opening for last month’s article, “Here we are, still not knowing what is going to happen next. As I said in my last article, let’s look positively; let’s look at the bright side. Hopefully by the time you read this, people will be out and about, ev...
Our economy depends on cash flow. Our farmers, ranchers and other small businesses need as much help as we can afford. Buy local and help your fellow Alabamians. Also, don’t forget to donate to your local food bank whenever possible! Here we are, still not knowing what is going to happen next. As I said in my last article, let’s look positively; let’s look at the bright side. Hopefully by the time you read this, people will be out and about, even if they are leery of what lurks ahead. We may s...
Will the world ever get back to normal? Everyone is saying there will be a new normal. But then doesn’t that become the norm? How many new ‘normals’ are we going to have? Confusing isn’t it? Even though there is much sadness in the world, we must look for what good may come from this. Look for and on the bright side. We are spending more time with our families or at least communicating with them. My family is having group video-conferences. We at least get to look at some familiar faces and ever...
It is difficult not to comment on what is going on in the world today. First, the news is changing and updating so fast you cannot keep up. The vocabulary of everyday conversations includes phrases such as "self-quarantine" and "social distancing." What happened to the times when the only social distancing was to keep away from Aunt Eunice? She would coral you in a corner at Thanksgiving and ask why you are not married and why are you not going to become a doctor. She knows someone at the bank...
I attended a Beekeeping symposium last month after having mixed luck with my hives. There was an entire-day beginner’s class to review what you have been doing right with your bees and to keep from doing things wrong. I have been able to collect 3 gallons of honey from my first hive but the next two hives collapsed. Besides the classes I went around talking and asking questions to the vendors showcasing the latest technology and hardware. Learn a few things that will help me, but I only bought a...
We ate our way through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day. It was like we were bears preparing for hibernation. The problem being we are about halfway through winter and we have yet to hibernate. I suggest we slow down with preparing large family meals for the rest of winter. It should be an easy task since there are no major “feast” days until March. Except if you have a large family to start with, and for Valentine's Day and a stray family birthday, try to refrain from hon...
In past articles of the Alabama Gazette I gave a preview of what to expect in future articles. I commented about recipes in old cookbooks. The use of real ingredients not hydrogenated this and artificial sweetened that, but ingredients that were simple, fresh and raised or grown as close to home as possible. The recipes from these cookbooks used fresh sweet milk and heavy cream, real butter, bacon drippings, lots of eggs and lard. Also, the recipes called for ingredients that you can make at...
Guests and Food We are at the time of year I call, Guests and Food. You have guests and family in and out of the house for a little over two months and both months are food months. A large meal on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas parties at home or work means busy times in the kitchen. Now is a good time to look in your refrigerator, pantry, and your freezer for leftovers and extra items you didn't use for the Thanksgiving feast. Most of the leftovers can be re-heated and served again. Remember...
I was having a difficult time coming up with recipes and ideas for this month’s article, but not because of writers block. With drought conditions and record heat, one does not think about autumn stews, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and hearty soups. Nor do you think about the reason there is the month of November, Thanksgiving Day! Thanks to Mother Nature, the rains came, the temperatures dropped and my mind cleared. Now my problem is I have so many ideas, tips, recipes and s...
Fall has not arrived so any mention of warm soups and stews, fruit pies just out of the oven and canning the fruits and vegetables I have in the freezer would be premature. I'm staying with the theme of preparing meals and dishes that are served cold or at least room temperature. And meals that do not require heating up the kitchen. The air conditioner for my kitchen is overwhelmed with heat from the dishwasher. I stand in front of the opened refrigerator not to get ideas for meals but to get...
I was looking through past issues of the Alabama Gazette to check on topics that I wrote about in past Septembers. It seems that I complained about the hot weather. The topic never changes. It is late summer, I live in central Alabama, and so what else is the topic of conversations? You do not have to mow your lawn in the heat, because the grass is dead. You do not have to work in the garden, because it is also dead. My garden looks like I stuck Charlie Brown’s leafless Christmas trees in a row...
According to my WSFA weather app, the heat index that day was up to 109 degrees. It was almost hard to breath. I was outside picking figs, tomatoes, jalapenos, and pears. Not being a complete fool, I would pick figs and go inside to cool off. Then pick tomatoes and go cool off. Repeating the picking and cooling until I could not stand the heat anymore. I had not finished the picking, but with that heat, I was thinking about waiting until autumn before I went out there again. I waited until...
When I want to introduce a recipe, I tell a story about how I found or why I use the recipe. It is a roundabout way to the topic I want to discuss. However, there are times when the story has a very thin line that leads to a recipe or a topic. This is one of them. There are many ways to make your experiences in a kitchen enjoyable, rewarding, and shareable. Start by using simple recipes and healthy ingredients. Here are two ways to include your friends and family, especially your children, in...
As I sit in what my wife and I call the Parlor, I am eating my favorite breakfast. Leftovers from the icebox. Here is a word that has lost its meaning over the years. No longer does a person deliver ice to your house to put in your icebox to keep your food cold. I am not old enough to live when we had ice delivered, but my parents were and they called a refrigerator an icebox. But as usual, I digress. The leftovers today were from a dinner we had last night with two other couples. It was an...
I made good use of some lovely Alabama spring weather to plant my garden. My wife planted her flowers; I planted my cherry tomatoes, mint, rosemary, and basil. My gardening philosophy is, “If you cannot eat it, do not plant it”. The sub-set to that philosophy is, “If you want beautiful, delicious, and non-labor intensive fruits and vegetables, go to the farmers market!” I planted cherry tomatoes because I have had luck with cherry tomatoes in my big planter pots. I can plant three tomato...
Even I have a “senior moment” when I have no idea why I am standing in the kitchen. Then it finally dawns on me. I came here to rummage through the kitchen cabinets, the freezer, the refrigerator, and the pantry to get some inspiration for what I am going to cook for dinner. Sometimes I can match the items together and make a meal. Sometimes nothing seems to match. I could eliminate that problem, if had planned a menu. A weekly menu would give me a grocery list. My trips to the grocery sto...
Have you ever watched a carpenter preparing to make a piece of furniture, or a artist starting to put their vision on a canvas? Or watched a professional chef prep for a meal? Have you noticed what anyone preparing to paint, assemble, repair, or prepare a meal have in common? They have all of the materials, be it paint, wood, tools, and if need be, instructions, on hand and easily accessible before they started. I have lightly covered this before. The term mise en place means "everything in its...
If you are a visual learner and would like to watch some of the best shows on the television for learning or to fine hone cooking skills, I found shows that fit the bill. America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country are both very good shows. They both have their own magazines, cookbooks, and streaming services. They both can get expensive the more you get involved with the programs. Good Eats with Alton Brown has been a long running show even to the point that Alton has updated his early shows wit...
Occasionally, there are programs on the television that are well worth viewing. The series CHEF TABLE on NETFLIX is one of them. I randomly watch some of the shows on RECIPE TV. They feature restaurants and foods from around the world. I was surfing through the channels and found the series by John Edge called TRUE SOUTH. According to Garden & Gun website, “the show is about the intertwining of food and culture in the South.” It is on the SEC Network. “Food and football”, that is the story o...
