Alabama Gazette - The people's voice of reason

Every cook has a go-to cookbook for recipes but also as a resource for conversions, measure, and cooking guidelines. One of my resource books is The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. Since...

What to do this weekend. Having a hard time deciding what to have for your next meal? Don't cook! This is the season when it is sometimes too warm to cook and too cold not to cook. So when it is just...

September is the bridge between summer and the start of fall, which is September 22. I can remember some hot Septembers. This is the time when the gardens around Alabama are at their peak in producing...

“From the land of Poka-sheen where anything that isn't Bone is no fosh.” That line, in Portuguese, is the description of the Azores on the cover of the Cornerstone CookBook printed at Lajes...

Currently, Chef Spooner is tending to family matters, so we are happy to include some previous favorites he submitted to the Gazette. With summer heating up and the recent July Fourth celebrations,...

Finally! It seems that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is not an oncoming train. The mandatory restrictions concerning masks has faded. Restaurants are trying to re-open even with the...

April lived up to the adage, “April showers will bring May flowers,” at least the shower part. I have been trying to do more yard work and re-design my garden. When I have time from work to start...

There is a glimmer of hope on the horizon. With improved numbers pertaining to the pandemic, people are now feeling safer and are tired of the restrictions that were placed on restaurants and even...

I was reading about Southern cooking traditions, the standards that define a Southern kitchen and a Southern cook and realized that the knowledge on how to fix these staples, these meals, these time...

Here is February, the Canned Food Month, National Cook A Sweet Potato Day, the Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month, and the Hot Breakfast Month. With these month-long celebrations there is...

Hooray, the year 2020 is over! No one thought that 2020 would end up like it did. They are now looking forward to 2021. But we do not know how 2021 will turn out. No matter how 2021 progresses, we...

Last month I said that by the time you read the November article we may or may not know who is going to be the President of the United States. It is still a matter of discussion, but it looks like we...

A common topic for food websites, particularly during the heat of summer, is foods to avoid during a heat wave. I do not necessarily disagree with some of their reasoning, but to me the first thing I...

A common topic for food websites, particularly during the heat of summer, is foods to avoid during a heat wave. I do not necessarily disagree with some of their reasoning, but to me the first thing I...

Our economy depends on cash flow. Our farmers, ranchers and other small businesses need as much help as we can afford. Buy local and help your fellow Alabamians. Also, don’t forget to donate to...

Our economy depends on cash flow. Our farmers, ranchers and other small businesses need as much help as we can afford. Buy local and help your fellow Alabamians. Also, don’t forget to donate to...

Our economy depends on cash flow. Our farmers, ranchers and other small businesses need as much help as we can afford. Buy local and help your fellow Alabamians. Also, don’t forget to donate to...

Will the world ever get back to normal? Everyone is saying there will be a new normal. But then doesn’t that become the norm? How many new ‘normals’ are we going to have? Confusing isn’t it? E...

It is difficult not to comment on what is going on in the world today. First, the news is changing and updating so fast you cannot keep up. The vocabulary of everyday conversations includes phrases...

I attended a Beekeeping symposium last month after having mixed luck with my hives. There was an entire-day beginner’s class to review what you have been doing right with your bees and to keep from...

We ate our way through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day. It was like we were bears preparing for hibernation. The problem being we are about halfway through winter and we have yet...

In past articles of the Alabama Gazette I gave a preview of what to expect in future articles. I commented about recipes in old cookbooks. The use of real ingredients not hydrogenated this and...

Guests and Food We are at the time of year I call, Guests and Food. You have guests and family in and out of the house for a little over two months and both months are food months. A large meal on...

I was having a difficult time coming up with recipes and ideas for this month’s article, but not because of writers block. With drought conditions and record heat, one does not think about autumn...