I have an unruly privet hedge. I know it can look a little shaggy and overgrown. I know my neighbor doesn’t like it. Landscapers have tried to clean out my hedge, make it neat and groomed. But at the end of April every year, and again, briefly, in September, that privet is wildly overrun with honeysuckle. And I adore honeysuckle. I stand in the driveway in the … [Read more...] about Honeysuckle Cordial
Southern specialties
Pickled Asparagus
The spring brunch season starts with Easter, then moves onto graduation parties, wedding parties and long vacation weekends. That’s where this recipe comes from. It was a request for Easter brunch – pickled asparagus to garnish Bloody Marys. I of course complied. Because quick pickles like these are so easy, but add a very special touch. I happened to find the baby … [Read more...] about Pickled Asparagus
Southern Pecan Salad Dressing
The main attraction in these early days of the farmers markets here is the wide variety of lettuces and salad greens. But I skip right past those stalls, because this year I have a big beautiful, bed of lettuces in my own backyard, with a little help from Bennett-Burk Farm. I have eaten lettuce every day, and passed on large amounts to family and friends. With all this … [Read more...] about Southern Pecan Salad Dressing
Tomato Aspic
Nothing motivates one to get in the kitchen more than a funeral. We all seem to harbor that primordial need to comfort with food. And there are fixed ideas – recipes that we keep in mind, or maybe on a card at the front of the recipe box for easy access. A hearty, comforting dish that we know how to make and how to make well that we can whip up the instant the call comes. … [Read more...] about Tomato Aspic
Coconut Cloud Pie
I have a funny relationship with coconut. I don’t buy coconut candy bars, I leave the coconut balls behind in the assorted chocolate box, would order caramel over coconut cake and don’t do coconut rum drinks. But when I happen to be served a coconut sweet, I always love it, and wonder why I don’t eat, and bake with, coconut more often. Recently, my Dad requested a coconut … [Read more...] about Coconut Cloud Pie
