http://pittcountynow.com Thu, 9 Sep 2010 21:25:01 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/401/23/ebullient-emmys-inspire-gay-gazpacho-recipe.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/401/23/ebullient-emmys-inspire-gay-gazpacho-recipe.html Heidi KlumChristina HendricksIn honor of the ebullient Emmys, my best friend (and future celebrity gossip columnist), Meghan Hylton, and I got together to make Gay Gazpacho, complete with Sexy Shrimp and Pita Points. The confidence boost provided by this light meal and our Firefly Tea cocktails gave us some swagger as we critiqued the celebrities on the red carpet. I think we learned, during the Oscar pre-show, that it's hard to sound like an authority on couture while licking grease from your ... Read More]]> Wed, 8 Sep 2010 13:14:00 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/382/23/don-t-let-backyard-veggies-spoil-make-garden-couscous.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/382/23/don-t-let-backyard-veggies-spoil-make-garden-couscous.html This summer I was surprised by the number of people who had taken to gardening. I suppose that one positive effect of the recession is that it’s teaching us to consume less and produce more. My parents have grown vegetables before, but this year they planted produce in nearly every natural area in their yard. It seemed like every other day that they were sending me home with squash, zucchini, okra and peppers. And just when I thought I might actually need to visit the grocery store for tom... Read More]]> Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:27:06 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/370/23/getting-comfortable-with-spice-shrimp-lo-mein-oriental-spinach.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/370/23/getting-comfortable-with-spice-shrimp-lo-mein-oriental-spinach.html Even though I grew up in an ‘all-American’ family, ethnic cuisine reminds me more of Home than of any foreign land. Everything my parents cooked was infused with enough red pepper, garlic and other spices to satisfy the entire Rajya Sabha of the Indian Parliament. I think my dad would even add chili peppers to our omelets; garlic was cooked whole, almost as a separate vegetable. My mom could make any dish fun by adding freshly grated ginger to it. At the Deatherage dinner table, my ... Read More]]> Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:48:52 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/336/23/creamed-corn-hold-the-cream.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/336/23/creamed-corn-hold-the-cream.html During the month of July, there’s typically enough sweet corn in Beaufort County to adorn every dinner table, every night. If you’re lucky, you either know somebody, or know somebody who knows somebody who grows it in their garden, and you’re handed off a boxful to store in your crisper. If not, you can buy three cobs from Walmart for under $1, since local crops are thriving. This summer’s perfect formula of direct sunlight and heavy rain yielded cornfields of a rich, vib... Read More]]> Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:11:44 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/233/23/nitrite-free-bacon-cures-health-nut.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/233/23/nitrite-free-bacon-cures-health-nut.html It can be exhausting to attempt to avoid the dangerous substances now present in our drinking water, our food, radiating from our microwaves or emanating from our food containers. For example, I started buying bottled water to avoid the chlorine and sediment in our tap water; only to later discover that the bottles, made from plastic #1 (polyethylene terephthalate, also known as PET or PETE), could leach DEHP—a probable human carcinogen.

Rather than let Fate’s mockery of my food paranoia e... Read More]]> Mon, 3 May 2010 11:55:45 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/194/23/mardis-gras-shmardis-gras.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/194/23/mardis-gras-shmardis-gras.html Last night, while thousands lived out the Easy Rider fantasy on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, I was perfectly sober in the fluorescence of my small-town grocery, hunting for fresh-caught salmon.

Like I promised in yesterday's blog, I was using Mardis Gras to prep for my date with righteousness, rather than to have one last Hoorah, and be hungover for it.

(If you are truly ready to be married, Brandia, there will be no desire to have a bachelorette party.)

So, I'm at Food Lion and all I can ... Read More]]> Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:30:11 EDT