Sorry for the hiatus, folks, but we're back with a bang and something very exciting. For the past week or so, we've been offering a cookie recipe a day newsletter for holiday recipes. The cookie recipes are collected in a database after publication and readers have been encouraged to contribute their own recipes as well.

I've never been a big pumpkin pie fan. It's just not my thing. Others in my family enjoy it and my mom would make a pumpkin pie every year for Thanksgiving dessert. But knowing that all of us were not fans of the pumpkin, she would always make another type of pie -- pecan, mincemeat and a wonderful concoction called "Mystery Pie." It gets it's name because you really can't identify what the...

Let the air cool off a few degrees, and I am a changed woman. Suddenly, I want to cook and therefore heat up the house. When October tumbles over into November, I feel like putting the k-rab (fake crab) salads aside and digging into something substantial and savory and aromatic. I turn into a meat eater. And what meat evokes fall more than sausage?

Remember Diane Keaton in 'Baby Boom?' The go-getter turned instant mom finds herself making "designer baby food" in her country kitchen. Well, my friend Myra was conjuring up Keaton's J.C. Wyatt last week in her kitchen as she peeled orchard-picked apples for applesauce that was wonderfully tasty and surprisingly easy to make. First of all, Myra doesn't sweat having the applesauce smooth.

This just might be the perfect entree. Half a century ago, this easily could have been the recipe the wife of an ambitious guy would keep handy in anticipation of that fateful call: "Honey, the boss and his wife are coming to our house for dinner tonight." Even better, this is a lightened-up recipe, so our housewife heroine, in her floaty shirtwaist dress paired with heels and pearls,...

That title should say it all, and we've all probably been there. You drag home sometime around twilight wondering what your tired, poor body can put together for dinner. It's not a date night, so you can't slap on a fresh layer of makeup, poof up the hair and head off to dinner with your guy. Besides, you're just not in the mood to sparkle.

When my nephew got married a few weeks back, we went to the reception hall to add some wedding touches to the decor. The bride's colors were bright yellow and silver, so we gathered some great apothicary jars and filled them with lemons and silver Christmas ornaments to add a dash of color to the buffet. Of course, after the wedding, I found myself wondering what to do with about 4 dozen lemons.

I have finally tried Greek yogurt. My opinion? As many a relative back home would say, "You need to go get you some, sugar." I had heard about it for a few months. I had seen it in a handful of stores, but I didn't know what the fuss was all about. I occasionally drink bottled water, but I don't worry whether it says Switzerland or Kentwood, La., on the label.

I planted okra this year. I had no idea how to grow okra, but apparently it's pretty easy. The three plants I put in have taken over my garden and are now bigger than I am. I can usually harvest two or three a day, and by the end of the week I've got enough to do something with. This weekend I decided that the something would be gumbo. I've never made gumbo before.

So, it turns out I got a jump on my culinary to-do list much earlier than I thought I would. Last week I somehow ended up with a pound or so of fresh cherries in my fridge, so I figured it was time to take that first stab at a cherry clafouti.  I'm still waiting on my copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking to arrive in the mail, so I did a little googling and found 

Rouse's has joined the 10 items for $10 deal that Winn Dixie has touted for months now. In this week's grocery ads, Rouse's is offering four pages of selected specials to let shoppers know they have the mix 'n' match 10 for $10 deal, too. Rouse's includes items like artichoke hearts, juices, spaghetti sauce, toothpaste, paper towels, fresh vegetables and fruits and some dairy products.

So, Julie & Julia came out this weekend and I'm sure there's not a food blogger out there who isn't going to mention it. It simultaneously tells the story of Julia Child's discovery of French cooking and Julie Powell's discovery of French cooking and food blogging 40 years later. Honestly, I would have liked the movie better if it were just a Julia Child biopic.

The stars have been aligning for this subject. First, I began reading "Rosalie and Radishes: A History of Long Beach, Mississippi" by Mary Ellen Alexander. Then I learned the Second Annual Long Beach Fest is Saturday, and I plan to attend.

Lots of good looking veggies and fruits in the sales ads this week. Rouse's features fresh salads, cumburs, pears, tomatoes, peaches, squash and eggplant on sale this week, which conjures up all sorts of dishes, not the least of which is ratatouille. Winn Dixie also has cherries, strawberries, cantaloupes, peaches and grapes, which sounds like the beginning of a wonderful fruit salad.

I haven't been doing anything exciting in the kitchen lately. I've been relying on my old stand-by recipes. But I have recently discovered a couple of recipes that became stand-bys rather quickly, so I figured I could share those.  This first one is a  blueberry muffin  recipe that's become my staple for breakfast for a few weeks now.

My friend and former co-worker Jean Prescott mentioned a cake that sounded too good to be true: Key Lime Coconut Cake. Since my husband is a true devotee of key lime pie, I requested the recipe.

Is your cookware looking a little worse for wear? Well, Nanny Goats in Panties is giving away a set of Rachel Ray cookware! Yummo! Visit their site http://www.nannygoatsinpanties.com/ to enter. You can get four entries by just entering, tweeting, blogging and subscribing to their site.

I grew up Presbyterian, but a couple decades ago my father made my Baptist-reared mother happy by swapping over to her church. My mother died 14 years ago, but he's still going to the same little Baptist church in the country. This past weekend, I went to visit him, taking a dress along in case church was on the agenda. "They're starting revival Sunday, with dinner on the grounds," he said.

It's that time of year when it's just too hot to cook. Add to that the fact that the air conditioning in my house has been having issues this summer, and I'm doing well to spend more than 10 minutes a day in the kitchen. So lately, I've been eating a lot of sandwiches and wraps. There's only so many days in a row though, that I can eat turkey, lettuce and tomato...

One of the most valuable things I learned when I first lost a lot of weight a few years ago is that you can't maintain that loss if you deprive yourself. Of course, the most important facets of weight loss are mindful eating and activity, but life is not an endless conveyor belt of salads with fat-free dressing, raw veggies and fruit and boiled shrimp (although that does sound like a...

Rouse's is touting a sale on Boston butt pork roast on the front of this week's grocery ad, while Food Giant has whole pork butts for $.89. While there is a limit of 2, the roasts are on sale for $.89 a pound. My husband slow cooks the roast and it makes the BEST pulled pork barbecue! If you smell mean on the grill around our house this weekend, you'll know why!

My parents have been out of town for a few weeks, so I've been driving out to their house to check on their garden. Luckily, it's started raining again so I haven't had to do much besides fighting back the weeds and harvesting all the vegetables I can eat. It's nice work if you can get it. On one of my most recent trips though, I came across something I'm not sure how to handle.

Ah, golden baked chicken, sitting in your plastic dome under the warmer lights, your clock-shaped sticker telling me you came out of the rotisserie spa only a half-hour ago. Your succulent aromas caress my post-work food-deprived senses. Your selection is difficult: traditional, lemon pepper or barbecue? I choose the traditional, 'cause I'm feeling a little Betty Draper that day.

Cleaning items and salad deals are in the grocery ads in today's Sun Herald. Winn Dixie and Rouse's both have Dole salad kits on sale; Winn Dixie has buy one get one (a sale of up to $3.99 with your WD card) and Rouse's has the kits on sale 2 for $6.

I didn't realize how much cooking I do with eggplant until I checked the archives to see if I'd ever written about it before. Turns out I have . Twice even . Well, I'm about to write about it again. Eggplant is in season until October and my parents' garden is producing a bumper crop.

Have I had my fill of cherries yet, ya think? For weeks I've been happily filling my (reusable) grocery bag with cherries, first the Bing and lately Ranier. A friend enjoys putting them in smoothies, but I don't want to dilute mine. I love 'em straight up, raw, unadorned. A big bowl of washed cherries, with a paper towel for the pits, have been my TV-watching snack of choice.

After a weekend of burgers, ribs and barbecue, a little something different may be in order this week (after leftovers, of course.) Looking over the grocery ads in today's Sun Herald give me a some great ideas to get away from the usual fare.

My family was enjoying breakfast at Harbor View Cafe on Sunday (where the omlettes are good, but so are the pancakes, French toast and other goodies on the menu!). When my husband went to the counter to pay the bill, he came back with a cookbook called "Horsing Around In the Kitchen" with recipes from Coast cooks assembled to benefit Gaits to Success, a therapeutic horse riding therapy program.

The Chimneys, a popular Gulfport restaurant (that first opened in the Long Beach harbor) was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The Nord family -- Peter, Dix and their children -- are planning for a fall opening of the restaurant. Check out this video interview with the Nords, who are rebuilding on the Gulfport site between Salute' and Courtyard Marriott.

Anytime someon has ice cream on sale, I'm game -- especially when the mercury is busting 100. So kudos to Food Giant (locations on Porter Avenue in Biloxi and Orange Grove) for putting Blue Bunny on sale 2 for $5. Your choice of flavors in stock. Yum! Speaking of keeping cool, soft drinks are always a good way to quench a thirst and everyone has sodas on sale this week.

This week's grocery ads features a new addition -- Neco's Family market at 12342 Cable Bridge Road in Pass Christian with some really good-looking grilling meats on sale. The Associated Food Stores member store has T-bone steaks for $5.99 a pound, center-cut pork chops for $1.99 a pound and split chicken breasts for $.99 a pound!

If there is one wine rule I abide by, it's don't assume. Don't judge until you taste. Don't be swayed because a friend who is more versed in wine likes a particular one, and you think simply because they think it's good, you should, too. Don't apologize for your choices, either. Oaked or unoaked Chardonnay? There's no "right" answer, only what's right for you.

My husband and I spent a wonderful day in Poplarville on Saturday at the Blueberry Jubilee festival. Lots of arts and crafts booths, but the blueberry vendors had some beautiful fruit for sale, as well as blueberry bushes. And, of course, there was food and tasty treats made with blueberries.

Congratulations to our friends at The Shed , who won the pulled pork division of the Ultimate Grill Off competition! Brad Orrison and Brooke Lewis fly to New York Tuesday morning to tape a segment for "Live with Regis and Kelly" to show off their famous sandwich. We've been promised a copy of The Shed's recipe that will be featured on the TV show, so stay tuned!

Looking through the grocery store ads in today's Sun Herald, there are some terrific deals out there this week. One of my favorites is the "Pick 5" meat sale for $19.99 at Rouses, where you can pick up some great deals. A couple weeks ago, we bought a lamb of leg that not only was a Sunday dinner, but the leftovers made a tasty Shepherd's pie.

I am in no way a radio personality, but I will play one for about 10 minutes Thursday morning on Martha Stewart Radio during a weekly segment called "The Dish." Martha's people (I like the way that sounds) called the newsroom last week looking for somebody to talk about local cuisine. A co-worker switched the call to me. There you have it, foodies.

Our food blog, Smorgasbord, took a bit of a hiatus long about November while reporters and editors got used to a new computer system, got through the holidays and got used to (at least in my case) new duties. But here we are, ready to post again, offering a little but of everything in the way of food.

I've got a few little bits of mint left in my garden and it's time to use it up before the cold weather shuts everything down. It's a perfect time for one of my favorite recipes. I can use up those last surviving mint leaves and have the kind of warm, savory dinner I crave once fall creeps in. This one comes from Kitchen Pantry . Feta &

Even though there might be T-shirt temperatures in the late afternoons, the nights now are chilly. Time to break out the hot cocoa. I know the best hot cocoa is made from milk heated in a boiler on the stove with shaved chocolate and sugar slowly stirred in until melted. But my reality is the box with individual packets of mix.

I've been eating a lot of candy lately. It kinda happens around this time of year. At this point I've just kind of given up and started eating chocolate for dinner. But it works out pretty well, because I've been too busy working on my costume to cook. But, I've still collected some interesting Halloween treat links. Pass out the SweeTarts, but keep these for yourself.

Hello everyone, we are back after one week of vacation and two weeks of illness. Most people take vacations to relax, rest, party and forget all the "at home" or "at work" issues, but NOOOO! We relaxed, rested, partied and got very sick. We are half well now and ready to think about holiday baking and of course those luscious cookie recipes.

It's 8 p.m. There's nothing that great on TV. Dinner was a couple of hours ago. You're not really hungry, but your mouth is bored. Hmm. There's that pecan pie in the fridge. Or chips. No, wait. How about a piece of the pecan pie with a couple scoops of ice cream on top? Stop! Come back to reality. You don't need that. That's a special occasion treat, not something to satisfy a cranky tastebud.

I started a diet on Monday. And, as usual, temptation is around every corner. That's natural when you're trying to lose weight, of course. Food is at the front of your mind, so you tend to subconsciously seek out all those things you're trying to cut back on. But this week was ridiculous.

It's October, so it's officially soup season. There are several canned varieties that I truly like. I also bump up some - for a delicious variation, add chunks of avocado and a dash or two of garlic powder, and chiffonade fresh basil into canned tomato soup. It's delicious warm or cold. When temperatures get the least bit temperate, though, I also can stand the thought of making my own soup.

All the photos of anguished traders on Wall Street are starting to get to me. I've started pinching a few pennies, just in case. The first thing that got trimmed was my grocery bill. It's actually led to a lot more cooking. It's cheaper to use up my pantry stores than it is to pop a frozen dinner in the microwave. One of my favorite cheap meals is red beans.

When there's a nip in the air — even the slightest cooling — my tastebuds start looking for slightly richer flavors. I want to smear apple butter on my toast. The jazzy bottle of Sauvignon Blanc usually in the fridge steps back for a more full-bodied Syrah. Butternut squash soup is more appealing.

I just finished watching the last episode of Feasting on Waves this week. It's the latest in Alton Brown's Feasting on Asphalt series, where A.B. and crew travel the U.S. in search of, well, Good Eats. I love this series because it focuses on what I like best about Alton Brown: his passion for local, traditional, and often disappearing foodways.

When I was growing up, we spent a few years in Minnesota when my dad was stationed in Minneapolis for recruiting duty. My dad was a native Minnesotan and my grandparents still lived in the town of Tyler, down in the southwest corner of the state. So when we moved there, we had the opportunity of spending time with my grandparents.

"The chicken stuff is good. I’m OK with that." I had gone home for one recent weekend to visit my father. We were standing in the Piggly Wiggly (aka The Pig) near the produce after our traditional Cracker Barrel vegetable plate lunch. We were trying to decide what to fix for Sunday lunch. Well, we were just reading the script. We already knew what Sunday lunch would be.

When I was growing up, Sunday dinner was always at my paternal grandparents' house. My Papa, Mr. Woodrow Ladner, is one of the best cooks I know and is probably the reason that I've always missed out on the last ten minutes of any Sunday sermon.

Having trouble sleeping? Try reading a good cookbook. I'm serious. I've done this for years. My cookbook of choice is "Cooks from Ole Brook," the cookbook that for decades was the go-to source for many of my hometown’s homemakers. A fundraising product of the Junior Auxiliary of Brookhaven, it went through several editions over the years; the first was in 1958.

On Sundays we have have dinner at our house after church with Bruce's mom, Joyce. It is our big meal of the day so Bruce or I make a substantial meal that will provide leftovers for all three of us for a night or two during the week. We decided Saturday that it was time for a Pork Shoulder Roast with Bruce’s special rub.

I've got to admit, it's been a while since I did any serious cooking. I've been content to curl up on the couch with a bowl of shrimp-flavored ramen and watch Alton Brown do all the real work. It happens occasionally. I just need to find something to inspire my creativity and my palate, and then I'm back in the kitchen. Luckily, I've found a couple of Web sites that provide instant inspiration.

I admit I am not a native Southerner. I was born in Massachusetts and lived in the north until I was 12. My parents are both from northern climes, so when I get a taste for something from those regions, I point to my upbringing and my parents' background as the source.

I have an unexpected addiction. It's coconut gel. I first noticed this stuff less than a month ago. I've been an infrequent customer of Asian markets across the Coast for a while, but for some reason, my eyes rested on the jars of coconut gel that Saturday morning as if they were a dazzling pair of size-6 Jimmy Choos at a fire sale. Coconut gel? Hmm, I thought. It's pretty.

Sorry we haven't been around for a few weeks, due to Gustav and then the return of Jan's vertigo last week. But like bad ol' pennies we turn up again. Last week, when I was virtually bedridden, Bruce made wonderful dinners each night and took excellent care of me! Yes ladies, he is a "catch"! My favorite dinner of the week was lamb chops and this awesome risotto.

Spring and Fall, the transitional seasons, have always been my favorites. I suppose it's because I've never really been a fan of extremes. Fall is quickly approaching, and while actual cool weather is still a long way off, I'm already anticipating that pleasant bite in the air. I'm also anticipating my fall planting.

On Gustav Monday, just before the power went out, I curled up with my copy of "The Storm Gourmet" and wished I had stocked up on a few other things before the storm arrived. I had my tuna, my packets of condiments, my crackers, bottled water and flavor packets to add pizazz to said bottled water. I had my fresh fruit and tomatoes.

It's hard to think of something to write for a food blog on days like this. Some of us are preparing for Gustav, all of us are remembering Katrina. All that comes to mind on the subject of food are MREs and potted meat sandwiches. It's hardly the stuff of culinary inspiration. But, I think right now it's important to remember that the most enjoyable thing about food isn't preparing or eating it.

One of my dearest friends who is nicknamed "Cajun" for her heritage and her hometown of Carencro, La., invited my husband and me to dinner last weekend. Cajun is a wonderful cook who grew up learning Cajun and Creole cuisine from the Dupuis side of the family. The southeastern Louisiana cuisine is flavorful and has wonderful spices in it, but should not be equated with spicy.

"I just thought it was a good recipe.” Now what kind of newspaper debut comment was that? Mine. That was my stellar quote when I learned I had won first place in the appetizer division of my hometown newspaper's recipe contest. The Wooden Spoon contest was in its second year in 1979, I was in high school, and my mother smelled victory in the Spinach Ball recipe I had recently discovered.

The weekend was so wet and nasty that it cried out for Chicken Andouille Sausage Gumbo for Sunday dinner after Church. We served it with homemade potato salad and hot crusty French bread! Of course no one could move for an hour and an afternoon nap rounded out a perfect rainy afternoon!

My love affair with coffee began in college. I never had a taste for the stuff until then, and ultimately developed one out of necessity. You see, I'm a terrible procrastinator and most of my school work was done in one panicked all-nighter after another. Luckily, a few of my friends had gotten jobs at the campus coffee shop and were more than generous with the free drinks.

A few nights ago, I was leafing through the 1937 edition of "My Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook." This Art Deco-influenced silver and black ring binder cookbook belonged to my Great-aunt Inez, the one who loved to entertain and cook. I turned to the vegetables section, hoping to get some classic suggestions on what to do with some of the bounty now in season, when I was pulled up short.

Yes, it is still 97 degrees outside, but very soon it will be SHRIMP STEW time, so I wanted to share my real easy stew that is delicious and rib sticking as my Dad use to say! Jan's Shrimp Stew 1 Stick butter 1/2 large bell pepper, diced 1 small bunch green onions- chopped 1 medium onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, chopped fine 3 ribs celery, diced 3-4 Tablespoons flour 1- 32oz box chicken stock 1 can...

I love appetizers and finger foods. When I'm feeling fancy, I like hors d'oeuvres . And I love having them for dinner. It feels slightly scandalous to eat a plate of party food all by myself. I think it's one of those "I'm a grown up and can do what I want" moments that I'm still hanging on to. Over at Joyful Abode , I found a recipe for Eggplant Dipping Sticks .

The very name makes my mouth water. West Indies Salad. So simple, yet so brilliant. It’s the perfect summer luncheon meal. West Indies Salad on a bed of spring mix centered on delicate china plate makes me sit up straighter. It’s best eaten while wearing a sweet sundress or ladylike A-line shift with heels. This dish is mostly associated with Mobile.

Are you looking for a fast, hearty, and simple dish that will take 15 minutes to put together? This is the dish! Even an ex-chef needs some extra time in their day; look for Bruce’s “secret sauce” in this recipe. One of the best tasting chicken pot pie recipes I’ve ever tasted is also the easiest.

I love au gratin potatoes. Granted, you'd be hard pressed to find a potato dish that I didn't like, but this one is at the top of the list. It's a dish I've never actually made myself, though. I imagine it's probably because there's a sauce and sauce-making kind of scares me. But ...

Well, our Your Life stories today can fix that in the kitchen with some thrifty meals that can serve a bunch. There are recipes for Brunswick Stew, Turkey Spaghetti, Salmon Patties, Three-Way Chicken Salad, something called Taco Mountain and more . In Cooks Exchange, we mourn the loss of a treasured contributor and share recipes for marinara and meatloaf. Posted by Don Hammack

If you’re like me, shopping for organic produce can be hit or miss. It’s like remembering to take my reusable shopping bag into the grocery store. I’ve often wondered what I really should focus on buying organic. Grapes are an easy choice because that sulfuric scent on my fingers after washing regular grapes really disturbs me. But is it necessary to buy, say, organic oranges?

Bruce and I had a very "hot" weekend! We had air conditioning and electrical problems, so no one was cooking in our house! I had great plans to make a wonderful cookie, because Kate has me thinking about "great cookie" recipes, and I was even going to bring in samples, along with the blog recipe, but no way were we going to turn on an oven!

Blondies are my new favorite dessert and baking obsession. They lack the chocolatey-ness of brownies, but they more than make up for it by being an incredibly efficient delivery mechanism for massive amounts of brown sugar and butter. They're rich and chewy with this wonderful crisp top. They're good with chocolate syrup, caramel, ice cream ...

My sister, Peggy, is a really good cook who often comes up with great new recipes she's either seen on the Food Network or has concocted herself. One of those recipes is a pasta and Italian sausage dish that is really good and easy to put together. She's even made some substitutions to make it more healthy and cut some of the fat.

Today's Food Page looks at field peas with some extra recipes . And, do you love the crab-stuffed potatoes you can find at our local festivals? Find out how to make 'em in Cooks Exchange . There's also a meatloaf recipe. Now, back to field peas ... Posted by Don Hammack

A few years ago, co-workers Sharon and John Fitzhugh gave me a photo John took at the Hal and Mal's St. Patrick's parade in Jackson. It was of one of the Sweet Potato Queens' floats. A banner displays "Vegetable Woman" with a portrait of a ubiquitous Sweet Potato Queen, whose nom de plume is always Tammy (and she has red hair). This picture is permanently taped to one wall of my work cubicle.

Béchamel sauce, sometimes known as cream gravy, is one of the 5 mother sauces, which means that you can use this sauce as a basis to make many other sauces. First you make a roux. You may recall how to make a roux from our last post . Do that, then ... Add 1 cup of whole milk. Whisk constantly until the milk is incorporated, NO LUMPS. Bring to a boil. Add 1/8 tsp. white pepper and 1/4 tsp.

There's a little gardening proverb that goes something like, "One for the birds, one for the weather, and one for yourself." With that in mind, I planted six tomato plants in the one tiny patch of full sun that reaches my little Long Beach backyard.

One of my favorite treats I look forward to is my monthly issue of Gourmet magazine, which is a gift from a co-worker that he generously continues to renew for me. This month, there is an essay from Edna Lewis on "What is Southern?" In part, she says:   "I grew up noticing the food feasts, picnics, church revival dinners with long white tablecloths.

First, a music video to get you in the mood ... Today, it's all -- or mostly -- about the peaches on the Sun Herald food page: -- What's the outlook on peach season ? -- How about a killer peach pie recipe ? -- Cooks Exchange has Robert St. John's meatloaf recipe . Also, Mississippi Mud Cake. Enjoy. Posted by Don Hammack

Who doesn't love okra? Umm, a lot of people. During a recent visit in Mobile, a friend asked me if I knew of a kid-friendly way to cook okra that takes out the "slime." A college classmate’s son had officially given the thumbs-down to anything involving okra, citing the ick factor. She had passed along her quandary to my friend, who asked my advice.

Are you a home cook who sometimes has trouble with certain kitchen techniques? Does this make you no t want cook or think you can’t cook and give up? If so, we are here to help! We will walk you through simple kitchen tips that will encourage you to cook and make your food taste better.

Hey readers! More comments and compliments have come in regarding my column on Bobby Anne's Bakery, including a request from Pete Chapman for Bobby Anne's Napoleons. Anybody got Bobby Anne's recipe or something similar?

I wrote a column last week about Bobby Anne's Bakery in Bay St. Louis and how much my fiance', Tom, loved their anise cookies. While the column was more about learning the likes and dislikes of my husband-to-be and learning more about his personal history, readers were clamoring for the recipe. This is the one I found on Cooks.com that I made for Tom.

Soft white wheat berries "in the rough." Photo from Miller's Grain House Well, new at least to me -- new as a grain from which to make casseroles and salads and other such experimental goodies from the kitchen. Understand at the top, I'm a sucker for any food, any ingredient that enlivens the daily menu.

No disrespect intended, for we take America's birthday very seriously, and by whatever means available to us -- live viewing or DVR -- we will visit the "Pops Goes the Fourth" telecast (CBS) later tonight for a little bit of "1812 Overture." God, we love that cannonfire!

Not exactly the Two Hot Tamales melon salad. Photo by Paul Gonzalez Videla/Detroit Free Press/MCT Susan over at Food Blogga has a great watermelon salsa to try for the holiday weekend, and just the sight of it got me thinking about how much I love melon -- cantaloupe, honeydew, even watermelon -- and how seldom I eat it because you never can be sure what you're getting when you buy a melon at the...

Just a quick visit and reminder, what with the Fourth of July looming, to keep everyone safe from food related distress over the holiday weekend. We're reminding you early so you can pick up a few extra coolers, foam will do, and they're cheap. Ice is cheap. Both together multiplied a half dozen times over are cheaper than a visit to the emergency room. Here's the rule.

According to an article in today's New York Times, a new shape of milk jug will be stocked on Wal-Mart shelves, in an effort to reduce the costs of shipping and the environmental impact. Go to the link for the full story and an infographic explaining the differences between the two shapes. While the new shape may be good for stores, the article reports it's the consumer who may experience the bad.

Typical supermarket green beans. Image from freefoto.com The green beans in local supermarkets are somewhere between haricot verts and English runner beans, a whopping huge green bean thick enough to be sliced lengthwise, which is what Jamie Oliver did with them Saturday morning on the tube.

My all-mac-n-cheese cookbook As if the weather on Thursday weren't enough to send you into a major-league funk, we had to find out that the Mississippi Coast once again has been overlooked for "American Idol" auditions . Eight sites and none closer than -- well -- many, many miles away. As if...

Howdy, it's Don Hammack, the online editor at SunHerald.com . My lovely wife Carla and I take turns cooking at our luxurious Broadmoor estate. Last night was my turn. As I've done in the past eight months, I pulled out a handy wedding gift, a cookbook from a local church's women's group, which I won't name for reasons that will become obvious.

To get crispy fritters like these, be sure your oil is hot enough (365 degrees). Team Sugar photo It occurred to me after Tuesday’s post that I first encountered black-eyed peas dolled up with allspice and hot pepper on an episode of “The Two Fat Ladies,” a staple in the early days of the Food Network.

In today's Your Life section, Jean has tested and reviewed a few interesting recipes from "Screen Doors and Sweet Tea" by Martha Hall Foose, known in these parts for her association with the Viking Cooking School in Greenwood. Decide for yourself, but the two recipes that got the most raised eyebrows and rumbling stomachs in the newsroom were Buttermilk Bacon Pralines and Sweet Tea Pie .

Attention fans of Phoenicia Gourmet Cuisine in Ocean Springs: In a few weeks you’ll be able to order your hummus and chicken shawarma in Gulfport. Owner Essam Sabagh says customers asked for it so in about three weeks he will open his Tiffin Inn Pancake House in the Holiday Inn at 9415 U.S. 49. Phoenicia’s seafood, Mediterranean and salad specialties will be on the menu.

The recipe calls for fresh but I always use dried or maybe frozen. Photo by Teak Phillips/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT It probably wouldn't matter if my mother had written down things like recipes, because she tended to forget some key ingredient. But the fact is, she didn't, so her way with black-eyed peas is gone forever.

Use whatever mushrooms you like to stuff your burger. Photo by Marice Cohn Band/Miami Herald/MCT The Aussie Burger was a huge disappointment, and were we to make it again, which is unlikely, we would not -- under any circumstances save a threat of violence -- put grilled pineapple on it.

A burger topped with a fried egg is not as screwy as it might seem. Photo by Bill Hogan/Chicago Tribune/MCT Holy cow, and we do mean "cow." People are passionate about their burgers, aren't they? No less than 10 recommendations surfaced from Thursday's best-burger-in-the-world request.

Welcome summer. We'd have bet you rolled into town weeks ago. Whatever the season, we do a lot of cooking over the weekend, as a rule, but this two-day time off may send us in search of a burger "fix" closer than Bay St. Louis (you always and ever will remain my favorite, dear Swamp Burger). Might even spend some gas on a trip to Hattiesburg for fried green tomatoes at one of Robert St.

This burger is big but nowhere near as juicy/drippy as a Swamp Burger. Photo by Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/MCT Understand at the top of this, we don't get to eat burgers much anymore, one of the sad consequences -- and they are myriad -- of aging. We're told the arteries won't take it, and we play along most of the time.