Author: Debbi Covington

It’s always a happy time when the pumpkin patch comes to Carteret Street United Methodist Church. Those beautiful pumpkins are the first sign of fall in Beaufort. Shortly after the pumpkins arrive, the leaves begin to change color, cooler weather starts coming in and we get to start nesting for the upcoming holidays.

Halloween is most certainly a fun time of year. Last week, Vince and I pulled Mama’s ceramic jack-o’-lantern out of the attic along with our other spooky décor. The orange dishes are behind the glass in the cupboard and the wreaths covered with fall leaves are on the doors.

Pull out your grandmother’s antique silver, your mother’s wedding china, purchase some inexpensive floral handkerchiefs and invite your girlfriends over for a beautiful luncheon. Serve the food buffet-style. Place plates, forks and napkins at the end of the table and arrange the Crispy Phyllo Wrapped Asparagus with Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce, Fruity Blackberry Salad and Shrimp Remoulade so that guests may serve themselves. I like to use cosmo glasses for the Shrimp Remoulade but everything can easily be served on a luncheon plate.

I keep a list of recipe ideas on my desk. Some are for my catering business, others are for my column. When Hurricane Florence cancelled or postponed all of my events last week, I did what I do best. I trashed my kitchen. I don’t get to do it often but when I do it, I do it well.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Audra and I met for lunch at a new restaurant. It was a typical girls’ lunch, a glass of wine, a salad, lots of chit-chat, a bit of catching up and some giggling. We had fun. The food was good. All the normal stuff.

Judy Payette is my sister from another mister. I’m the bratty little sister that she never wanted and somehow got stuck with. Judy’s mom, Marie Payette-Peatross-Andrews was my other mother. When I was the secretary at First Presbyterian Church, Marie helped me count the Sunday offering every Monday morning. For years. For years and years and years. Our working relationship developed into a loving friendship that lasted until Marie’s passing in 2013. In the meantime, Marie’s real daughter, Judy, was living and teaching school on an Air Force Base in England.

I’m not going to waste any space this week rambling on about why we should all eat more salads. We already know why, don’t we? Have a happy and healthy August! Grilled Steak Salad with Peachesand Blueberries I rarely peel peaches. The skin is perfectly safe to eat. Be sure to wash the peaches just like you would wash an apple or pear before consuming.

I always gain weight in the summer. I guess it’s because my event schedule is not as busy, and likely because I’m spending more time on the couch with my sweet kitty Belle, binge watching The Blacklist, and Poldark and Victoria. Yep. The couch is most certainly the culprit.

What fun it is to have friends from out of town come to our house for lunch! A big meal in the middle of the day is almost decadent. I recommend it highly. When California friends Holley and Cam Miller come to Beaufort to visit Holley’s parents, they always take me out to eat. This visit, I treated them to lunch, with notice that they’d be helping me test recipes for my LCW column.

It’s rare, and actually quite wonderful when it happens, for Vince and me to be home alone for a few days without a catering event on my calendar. I love to cook for us. When we were dating and I was living in Raleigh, I spent hours planning menus for Vince’s weekend visits. The sorry truth is, I have a tough time cooking for two people.