Author: Debbi Covington

Easter Brunch after the Sunrise Service Awaken this spring to all things new, to gardens revived and friendships revisited. Easter, also called Pascha, is the most important religious feast in the Christian liturgical year. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which Christians believe occurred on the third day after his crucifixion some time in the period AD 27 to 33.

I always wanted my nephew Ray to see me like Auntie Mame from the movies. She was flamboyant and fun and kind of exotic. It was not meant to be. When Ray thinks of me, I imagine he’s thinking about food. The recipes and photos in this issue are revamped from almost six years ago when my nephew and his dad had come to Beaufort for a visit.

Strawberries are the first fruit to come into season in the Lowcountry. When the strawberry farms open, we flock out to the fields to get our first taste of spring.

What do you do when life gives you lemons? Easy. You make lemonade. What do you do when you end up with a bunch of leftover pulled pork barbeque? That was my dilemma earlier this week.

Saturday, March 4, 2017 was a tough day. Our kitty, Giz, had undergone surgery the Friday before. She’d had a bad night and I’d spent most of it awake trying to comfort her. Vince and I knew in our hearts that we needed to prepare to lose our beloved pet. I was despondent and exhausted. Saturday, March 4, 2017 was also the first anniversary of Pat Conroy’s death and the occasion of the first annual commemorative event, March Forth, to celebrate Pat’s life at Penn Center on St. Helena Island.

Celebrating BIFF,  Italian Style   Guess what I just received in today’s mail? My very own copy of Dee Dee and Paul Sorvino’s cookbook, Pinot, Pasta and Parties. What a great cookbook! The recipes are simple and easy, and totally Italian. I recommend their book with great enthusiasm. You absolutely must purchase a copy!

Roll out the red carpet! The 13thAnnual Beaufort International Film Festival cranks up on Tuesday, February 19thwith film makers, directors, screen writers, movie stars and lots of film-loving fans. Our local film festival is a heatwave of fun and excitement during what is typically a chilly February. According to MovieMaker magazine, the Beaufort International Film Festival has been rated as “one of the 25 coolest general film festivals in the world.” 

If these yummy-looking sandwich photos have caught your fancy and you’re thinking that you might be feeling kind of cheesy, before you even start to read this column, take a stick of salted butter out of the refrigerator so it can come to room temperature. Go ahead and do it. If you don’t, when your stomach starts growling and you have to wait, you’ll wish you had. I’ll explain why later.

I was thirty-something years old when I got the idea in my head, “What would I do if someone kidnapped me and I could get their gun away from them? I don’t know how to shoot.” I’m almost certain my concern was from watching way too many episodes of Criminal Minds, but that didn’t matter. I immediately went to my Daddy for advice. He was like, “Sugar, I’ll give you one of my pistols. It needs some work, so you get it repaired and you’ll have a gun.” Well, that gun was a .32 caliber Smith and Wesson revolver that was in 4 pieces, wrapped in a waxed paper-like thing and looked like it had spent 10 years soaking in Dr. Pepper. It was sticky and nasty. Determined, I asked another grown up, “How do I get this thing fixed?” The adult was Neil Trask, who sent me to Ricky’s Gun Shop/Shooting Range in Burton.

The big day is finally here! It’s time to open gifts. It’s time to celebrate with family and friends. It’s also time to eat. Isn’t it interesting how everyone is extra hungry on Christmas morning? These make ahead recipes will feed your crowd and you won’t have to miss a moment of the joy and merriment of the day.