If you’re like me, you belong to all kinds of travel-related loyalty plans. Every frequent flier program, every major hotel chain, several credit cards who have conned you into getting a “free flight” or two. …
Note – This article was published in the Mon Valley Independent newspaper on November 24, 2017. Much thanks to the Sports Editor Jeremy Sellew Few men can be called “The Founder” of something. You have…
Somebody told me once that making good chili really separates the men from the boys. And that any chili worth its salt uses ancho chili powder. This year, I grew enough peppers to dry and…
In the rush of peppers at the end of the season, I ended up with a ton of shishito peppers, most of them from one prolific plant. These were a bit bigger than the finger-size…
Into the life of every pepper patch comes The Big Freeze. Sometimes it’s early, like a cruel early October frost. Sometimes it’s later. Sometimes you can forestall the inevitable by covering the plants. But it’s…
First, let me make something clear. My wife, Denise, is the cook in the family. Before I met her, if I wanted to eat, I cooked it myself. Since we’ve been together, I realize that…
Every big Italian family has an Aunt Marge, the matriarch who holds everything together. My mom is the ninth of ten kids. Aunt Marge was up around number 2 or 3. She was always old…
Enjoy the taste of fresh tomatoes all year round with my best canned salsa recipe. With tomatoes, it’s feast or famine. In the winter, they can only be grown indoors, or in places where it…
Easy Chili Rellenos, a Mexican favorite you can easily make at home. My mom’s Italian. They stuff things. They stuff cheese into manicotti, they stuff ground beef and spinach into ravioli. And they love to…
Rural people are self-sufficient. They keep to themselves. They don’t have block parties, because they don’t live on blocks. They are patriotic and fiercely respect everyone’s right to freedom and privacy. They don’t care what…