Chow-Chow & Soul™

Our family has had a couple of pitmasters that know what to do with a slab of ribs—my brother Tony and Uncle Ellie.  Uncle Ellie is now throwing down and grilling with friends and family in heaven, but we do have finger-lickin’ memories of ‘cue from Ellie’s grill. The family specialties include pork and lamb […]

It’s National Soul Food Month and folks must look toward eating and being healthier. There is greater awareness of the many health challenges faced by African Americans—diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity.  We need to increase consumption of many traditional soul foods. The foods are not unhealthy, it’s how we adorn the food […]

I’ve heard a lot of chatter about soul food and health. Some folks have even banished it from their diets. As a soul food enthusiast and one who celebrates the heritage and history of these foods and their contribution to the American menu, I reached out to a health pro for the 411 to set […]

June is National Soul Food Month. This is the 15th annual celebration of the heritage and foodways of African Americans and peoples from the African diaspora. The yearly recognition grew out of the 2001 Chicago area conference hosted by the Culinary Historians of Chicago. In working on the conference, I realized we needed to celebrate […]

You know I come from a family of really good cooks and bakers. My interest and affection for creating good things to eat is in my genes. Today is National Apple Pie Day but in our family apple pie can show up almost any day. This pie is good stand alone, add  ice cream and […]

I get a lot of questions about food –how to cook, what to cook, what’s for dinner and what’s on my family menu for the holiday of the month. One of the most consistent threads in these chats is the cook’s time. Keeping an eye on the cook’s time management I often look for dishes, […]

It’s all about hearts, the symbol of love. I ♥ you, you’re my sweetheart, my heart beats for you, you’re my heartthrob, and without you I’m heartbroken. Celebrate loving and being loved with this mouthwatering heart-healthy dessert. I know it looks indulgent, but it isn’t. Lemon Pound Cake 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking […]

Whether it is the Big Game, the book club or poker, good food will flavor your gathering for success. This weekend my menu includes Jerk Appetizer Bites with Mango. The recipe is inspired by one that I developed for a Black History Month recipe brochure for the National Pork Board. This made-from-scratch jerk marinade is […]

I’ve written a few posts about my grandmothers and some of the wonderful dishes they would make. From weekday dinners to holiday meals with all the fixins’ they were talented cooks. As far as we were concerned my maternal grandmother Gonga, was the maven of candied sweets. This was one of the dishes she made […]

The countdown to Thanksgiving is swift and can lead to menu mayhem or turkey trauma. No worries, take a deep breath and use the following tips to help avoid holiday cooking drama. 1. Turkey Still Frozen?  “Yes, they do take longer than we think to thaw.” As a turkey expert on the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line, […]