Here where I live in the mountains of western North Carolina, our home is located just about 30 or so minutes away from the border of upstate South Carolina. And right now, SC peaches are in full swing. Freshly plucked from the tree, these peaches are sweet, juicy and abundant, and I’ve been making sure…
Summer
Slow Cooker Pulled BBQ Chicken
Now I know that there are BBQ purists out there who might be a bit offended by me calling this BBQ. I know this, because I happen to live in the Carolinas, one of the meccas for everything BBQ (seriously, BBQ is everywhere here and folks here are serious about it). But sometimes, ya just…
Watermelon and Cucumber Salad
It’s hotter than blue blazes, as folks around here often say this time of year. I’m talking clothes-sticking, hair-drooping, crank-up-the-air-conditioning kind of heat. And when the worst of the sweltering summer heat comes along right about mid-July, just about the last thing I’m interested in doing is a lot of cooking. I mean, I really…
PA Dutch Pepper Slaw
Back in my ancestral home of PA (pronounced P-A, better know to non-natives as Pennsylvania), this is a favorite coleslaw recipe. Instead of a mayo-based dressing, it has a deliciously refreshing sweet and sour vinegar dressing and lots of bell pepper flavor. I do love a good creamy coleslaw, but this slaw is just right…
Skillet Blueberry Cobbler
Blueberry season is a time I look forward to every year. Here in the mountains of western North Carolina, they are some of the earliest berries to arrive, showing up in early summer, right after the juicy, red strawberries of spring. Then, come the end of summer, we have the wild blueberries to look forward…
Blueberry Lemon Jam
Every summer, I eagerly await the first ripe berries of the season to appear. Frozen berries are fine for the rest of the year, but when they are juicy and fresh, straight from the bush, they are simply heavenly. We always eat some of the berries fresh, and then use the rest for pies and…