Author: Debbi Covington

Our annual bourbon tasting was cancelled following the sudden death of dear friend and Beaufort wine and spirits aficionado, Larry Bernard. Larry had been planning the event since last summer and had already purchased some small batch bourbons for an upscale tasting.

As it turns out, Popovers and Yorkshire Puddings are pretty much the same thing. Popovers are usually made with butter and Yorkshire Puddings are traditionally made with beef or lamb drippings. No real skill is required to make popovers. The success depends on proper baking.

Christmas may be over, but the New Year’s bashes are just beginning. Pop open a bottle of champagne, invite some friends over and enjoy these easy and delicious party nibbles. Happy New Year!

I was just telling my brother, “my life is one party after the other all year long.” It’s so true. I plan and prepare food for weddings, cocktail buffets, luncheon and dinners from January through December.

We’re all so busy with Christmas shopping, holiday parties, and trying to enjoy every single joyous minute of the season, that at suppertime we’re often too tired to come up with a dinner menu. Some nights, a delicious casserole can be a complete meal.

I was determined to start out the Thanksgiving season on the right foot. For the first time in years, I decorated our home with pumpkins, fall leaves and orange pillows. I pulled out our fall dishware and put an autumn tablecloth on the dining room table.

Some days you just want comfort food. True comfort food for me usually consists of some form of chicken and a bunch of carbs. In eastern North Carolina, I grew up eating a lot of chicken and dumplings. My husband, Vince, who grew up in the Lowcountry, ate a lot of chicken and rice.

When Vince and I were dating, he used to love to tell me all about Beaufort. One of Beaufort’s claims to fame (that he repeated way more than once) was that The Great Santini had been filmed here. “You know, from Pat Conroy’s book. He’s Conrack. He’s the guy who wrote The Lords of Discipline.”

What should I cook for supper? Believe it or not, that’s an almost daily question at our house. When it’s just Vince and me at the dinner table, I’m inclined to try some new ideas. That’s what I did on Tuesday. My broccoli salad recipe had originally consisted of broccoli, strawberries, salted cashews and toasted coconut, but when I couldn’t find any pretty fresh strawberries, I had to resort to Plan B.

Whether you’re heading to your alma mater for a fall football game and tailgate meal, or to the river for a picnic, this menu of make-ahead dishes is sure to be hit!