A while back I was in a mixed-age group of local cooks and we were talking about food. I know that’s difficult to imagine, but I swear it’s true. Anyway, the subject of party food came up. Every single one of us agreed that our favorite culinary genre was Southern...
Deviled Egg Salad
We had egg salad sandwiches frequently when I was growing up. We also had tuna salad and chicken salad. I liked them all. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I realized you couldn’t eat egg, tuna, or chicken salad from just anyplace. In fact, all of them were...
Ham and Swiss Party Sandwiches
Dorothy Parker famously observed, “Eternity is a ham and two people.” As much as I admire Dorothy Parker and her wit, that’s nonsense. I--and I know I’m not the only one--love having ham leftovers, and they’re certainly not a burden as long as you plan ahead just a...
Waldorf Chicken (or Turkey) Salad
Thanksgiving is upon us! And as exciting as that may be, I know some of you out there are bracing yourselves to deal with the leftovers. One option is to just serve the same thing over and over until no one will eat it anymore or it needs throwing out, whichever comes...
Caribbean Pulled Pork with Mango Slaw
Things are moving right along with my new food-shop-to-be, and my days are insane. There are a million moving parts, and keeping all the plates spinning is crucial. I’m ordering supplies, scheduling painters, plumbers, and electricians, plus organizing, planning,...
Really Good Pimiento Cheese
Unlike foie gras, veal tartare, and the still-beating hearts of cobras, as delicacies go, there is nothing controversial about pimiento cheese. The only question at all is whether it’s good or bad. Bad pimiento cheese is, of course, an abomination, but good piminto...
Party Shrimp and a Fantastic Shrimp Loaf
Looking around, you might think it’s impossible to have a party on the Gulf Coast without some sort of cocktail shrimp. And, heck, maybe it is. All I know is that I serve some sort of toothpick-able shrimp, with or without a dipping sauce, at parties all the time. And...
Overnight Pulled Pork, plus Maggie’s Favorite BBQ Sauce
As of May 17, 2021, approximately 1,304,684 U.S. service men and women have died defending freedom since 1775. That number is approximate (at least in part) because we only have round-number estimates for the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. This Memorial Day...
Balsamic Onion Burgers
Growing up we had a terrific restaurant in town called The Saratoga Trunk. They had pastas, salads, steaks, and some seafood, but in my mind the real standouts were the burgers. The menu itself wasn’t huge, and I don’t know how many burgers were on the menu, but it...
Drip Beef, Plus a Quick and Easy Ragù
Drip beef, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love the way I can fling a measly few ingredients into the slow cooker and then wander off, oblivious. I love the way you cook yourself--with absolutely no help from me--for hours and hours on end. I love the way...
Mini Muffuletta Party Sandwiches
For a while now the trendy word around the Web has been "obsessed", and the hyperbole of it all makes me roll my eyes. For Pete's sake, how often is someone actually obsessed with something, as opposed to just liking it or just wanting it, or just being very...