One of the few dishes where my mother and her 5 sisters actually used spices. They would go hog wild and use a 1/4 tsp of allspice, as much as 1/2 tsp cinnamon, a carefully-measured 1/4 tsp of ginger, maybe 1/8 tsp cloves (watch it now, cloves can be strong!) and they would mix this like it was a chemistry lab and…

Does not ferment. My mother used to make it and I remember it as being very sweet. Then they served it with hard sauce, so it was even sweeter.  They serve fairly small slices and then add the sauce.

Somehow these factory-made pies have a tender crust and good flavor. We are unable to leave anything alone, so we sprinkle it with a bit more nutmeg and warm it before serving. Compared to cooking potatoes, making a crust, etc. this just the way to go, especially when they are on sale. Her other baked goods tend to…

Those window shrink-wrap kits designed to prevent drafts also help to reduce noise transmission. They go on the frame with two-sided tape and then you use a hair dryer to tighten (and clarify) them. Around $8 per kit, last time I looked, and they don’t leave marks when you remove them.

We do a lot of our grocery shopping (Costco, Walmart, Aldi’s) around 4:30 in the afternoon. We’re able to get a handicap parking slot and walk around without too much crowding. Everyone else is way too busy doing really, really important stuff to be at the store.

That’s the “Brownie”. 

Smear the bird with a generous handful of mayonnaise (Yuck I hate mayo! Well, you won’t taste it, but you don’t have to open the oven and baste). Then season generously. I prefer to spatchcock, but if I have to roast the traditional way, I start with a relatively low oven and I have an old-fashioned covered roaster…

I had brilliant meal in a castle in Germany, but when I have a craving I remember being with friends and having a big, greasy Pink’s Chili Dog in Los Angeles (can it be that we each ate two?) at some ungodly hour in the morning 55 years ago, or deep-fried hot dogs at Rutt’s Hutt in Clifton, N.J. even further back in…

Technically interesting and suitably complex, but not particularly appetizing, especially the lead shot which instantly reminds me of Drake’s Cakes, which I loved, but even as a child, I knew they were trash.

Sounds like the couple downsized, but one of their guests probably “just had this little headache” or maybe “kept clearing her throat”. Uh huh. Once again, trying to negotiate or outrun a virus fails. It doesn’t matter how lofty the goal of the event is; once you start breaking those contact bubbles things start…

And it is scientifically impossible to make a better sweet potato pie than Patti Labelle’s which is usually just sold out at Walmart when I remember I want some. It’s inconceivable that this pie made in a  factory has a great crust and flavor.  Makes no sense at all.  In our house we can’t leave anything whatsoever…

How many non-white people are you aware of that have, “obscene wealth privilege”? It’s very rare to see the latter without the former.

Back in the 1960's we had convinced the L.A. police (and later Congress) that you could smoke banana peels and it had the same effect as marijuana which was heavily controlled because of us terrible hippies. We would go into the market with our beads, sandals and fringe and make a show of deciding which bananas were…

“But after a day or so of wide-eyed wandering, you start to figure out that it really is that good want to live in such a beautiful place.”

Helps to prevent warming the butter. In another life I had a big piece of marble I could put into the freezer. This side-by-side refrigerator is too small for that.

“The fact of the matter is....” “Believe me....” “I can assure you...” “I wouldn’t mislead you”  “Why would I lie...”

You can stir in a healthy slug of orange marmalade and cut back on the brown sugar a touch when making it from scratch. The orange flavor isn’t strong enough to overwhelm the cranberries.

Someone gave me a rolling pin that you fill with water and put into the freezer.  I’m surprised that this is the only one I’ve seen.  Works great.

Really mean elderly ladies used to give us candy apples for Hallowe’en. When you’re jones-ing for sugar, the apple’s tartness is like a puritanical punishment for having fun. Hard pass. Would eat those grapes with or without vodka.

They use to sell pimento cheese in a jar which could be used later as an orange juice glass. It was advertised that way, and many households had shelves filled with used jelly or pimento cheese glasses. The lid popped off and one had to make sure that you didn’t distort the lid so you could pop it back on. I cannot…