Here is a use for that zucchini that got away from you in the garden and grew too large for most zucchini dishes. Cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and continue. If you don't have a “biggie”, make something else with your smaller ones.

Must be my eastern European ancestry, but I like beets any way you fix them. This recipe is a bit different from what you may be used to. Try it on that cold winter day when you are feeling adventurous. It could be a keeper at your house, too.

When I was working as a caregiver, one of my clients ate ramen noodles almost every day for lunch. I was to make it with half the water, all the seasoning packet, then fish out the noodles and toss the rest. Not me. I rather gussy up the mixture and make a real meal out of it.

Have you noticed the canned luncheon meat on the grocery shelf, next to the Spam? It resides there because it really is the same as Spam, just in a plain wrapper and cheaper. Use whichever one you like. I personally think the Spam tastes better. This simple recipe is delicious. It doesn't look like much as you stir it together, but you are in for a surprise. It tastes great.

Do you like turnips? I know you like turnip greens, but the root can be a star as well. You will be amazed with the flavor when you saute turnip slices in brown sugar and butter.

There are so many ways to fix rice. Almost as many as there are for potatoes. Here is an opportunity to use some of those zucchini lounging in your fridge. It's a great dish to do in the wintertime as well. Buy one zucchini at Food City and get cooking.

I recently watched an old silent movie on Turner Classic Movies. It brought back memories. It reminded me of the photographs of my dad and mother when they were dating back in the 1920s. My, how styles have changed.

Commercials. That is often a dirty word when I am watching a program on television.
It seems that when the story becomes really interesting and has me “hooked,” there marches in a whole train of commercials. I have counted as many as a dozen, one right after another. It hasn't always been that way.

I grew up where black walnuts were the thing, not pecans. I didn't have to buy them. They grew all over the farm, especially down the lane to the pasture. Here, we had several black walnut trees on our 1 2/3 acres.
I remember the first time I gathered 'em, dried 'em and placed the precious nuts in grocery bags. They were placed to cure on a high shelf in our little barn. Later, the following winter, I reached up to retrieve a bag of walnuts to take to the house and crack.

Kids waving sparklers in the air,
Fireworks in the nighttime sky.
Exploding rockets and dancing stars
Remind us it's the Fourth of July!
We proudly say,
“It's Independence Day.”