The Founder of Ringgold High School Ice Hockey
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…
In the Kitchen – Man’s Chili
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 Kitchen – Greenock Shishito and Sausage Breakfast Hash
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…
Fun with Peppers – The Last Pick
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…
In the Kitchen – Rick’s Chicken Cacciatore
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…
In the Kitchen – Pickled Peppers Stuffed with Sauerkraut or Channeling Aunt Marge
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…
In the Kitchen – My Best Canned Salsa
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…
In the Kitchen – Easy Chili Rellenos
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…
Farm Stories – Love, Hate, The KKK and Perogies
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…
On the Farm – Wayward Pigs
Pigs are nature’s atomic weapons. They eat everything in sight, and can turn a lush green lawn into a post-apocalyptic wasteland in a matter of hours. You will never hear the call for “free-range” pigs. …