Author: Wade Kingston

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Toby

Toby
Toby

Grandpa’s mule was sick.

Sam watched as the pitiful old animal walked around in a never-ending circle. “Toby” had been walking for days, plodding steadily through the hot sun and humid nights.

When Grandpa first discovered Toby making his circle, he called to the animal. But Toby’s ears did not turn toward Grandpa as they always had, nor did he falter in his gait. The big animal did not alter his steadfast plodding, even when Grandpa laid a strap across his broad back. Grandpa had not the heart to continue beating the faithful animal, so he let him be after that. The veterinarian told Grandpa to just shoot Toby. Grandpa told him thanks, that he would do that. But when it got right down to it he couldn’t. Grandpa told Sam, “Toby will come to his senses. You just wait and see.” Continue reading “Toby”

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Why I am a Proud Kentuckian

The reasons I am a proud Kentuckian are many and varied. They have nothing to do with the ridiculous stereotypes outsiders often assign the Bluegrass State.

I have been fortunate enough to travel far and wide in these United States. I’ve visited all of the “lower 48” states, some of them many times. All of those states had many things to commend them beyond their stereotypes. Continue reading “Why I am a Proud Kentuckian”

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Butter Pecan Cookie is the Bomb

butter pecan cookie insides

My new favorite cookie has to be this Butter Pecan version. This “egg-less” cookie is light, crunchy, and oh-so-tasty. But a warning: Incredibly addictive!

butter pecan cookie
butter pecan cookie

Here’s a safe bet: These won’t lie around your kitchen for long. I suspect that because of their light and dry crunchiness they would probably keep well for several days or even weeks if properly sealed. Problem is, these didn’t make it past the first 24 hours around here. Continue reading “Butter Pecan Cookie is the Bomb”

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Navy Bean Soup

navy bean soup
navy bean soup

Delicious navy bean soup is both nourishing and healthy. Though some people add a bit of carrot, I find that makes navy bean soup too sweet-tasting. Each to his own, but here’s my simple recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups navy beans
  • 1 meaty ham bone (or 1/2 to 1 cup of ham bits)
  • 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes (instant will also work)
  • 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 3 yellow onions, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Directions:

  1. Soak beans overnight in three quarts of water. (Alternately, cook beans for one hour, then proceed with the following).
  2. Add ham bone to beans and cook on medium for one hour.
  3. Add remaining ingredients and cook for one hour, or until beans are tender. Remove bone, serve warm.

Delicious as a side dish or a light lunch. Goes well with corn bread.

Note: Don’t leave out the ham bone. It imparts a great deal of flavor, and the small amount of added fat will have a minimum impact on calories.

Also, do NOT salt this soup until it has cooked completely and you have removed the ham bone. There is often enough salt in the ham bone to season it sufficiently.

© Wade Kingston

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A Valentine for Poodle

A Valentine for Poodle, my sister.

I was almost six when Wilma Jean was born. She was the first baby I can remember. She didn’t cry much at first–just lay quietly between two pillows in the middle of the bed. Despite warnings from relatives not to bother her, I couldn’t stop sneaking into the bedroom. She was pink and pudgy, with a full head of red hair.  She stared upwards out of blue eyes and gurgled.  It was still very warm that September, so her legs and arms were bare. She waved her limbs about as a warm breeze rustled plastic patterned curtains. I was mesmerized. Continue reading “A Valentine for Poodle”

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Seven Temporary Garden Hedges You Can Plan for Now

Teddy Bear sunflowers make a superb small border

There are at least seven temporary garden hedges that are fairly easy to grow. Even though it’s cold and snowy now, in just a few weeks it will be time to begin gardening in earnest. A little planning now will make things go much more smoothly come warm weather.

Temporary garden hedges perform a variety of functions:

  • Define a property line
  • Separate different portions of a garden
  • Accentuate a driveway or walkway
  • Provide shade where there is none
  • Provide height in a sea of low grass
  • Provide a display of vivid color where there was none
  • Hide an unsightly heating/cooling unit or gas tank
  • Attract a flock of butterflies or hummingbirds

There are seven annuals that I have used effectively to create these types of borders. With a little bit of pre-planning this year you can easily get results just like these photos. Sit down anytime (now is good) and create a rough sketch of your property. Where might one of these seven temporary garden hedges fit in perfectly?

seven temporary garden hedges - hollyhocks make a superb border
seven temporary garden hedges – hollyhocks make a superb border

1–Hollyhocks have a number of reasons to commend them as borders. They are tall, so they create an effective screen along a driveway or against an old weathered wall. They grow thickly and crowd out other weeds. But one of their best attributes is that they self-sow. Hollyhocks are biennials, meaning they usually grow in one year and bloom in the next. But it is oh-so-easy to get them started, let them self-sow, and enjoy them each year for as long as you want. The colorful blooms on tall stalks can bloom for several months during spring and summer.

Continue reading “Seven Temporary Garden Hedges You Can Plan for Now”

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Chili Mac When Freezes Attack

chili mac when freezes attack

Chili mac when freezes attack, and it looks like frozen days will be with us for a while. I must have tried about a dozen recipes for chili mac, and I have even made it with whatever ingredients I had on hand.

chili mac when freezes attack 1
chili mac when freezes attack 1

I have substituted fresh tomatoes for the tomato sauce. It gives it an entirely different, but not unwelcome flavor. I have substituted spaghetti noodles when I didn’t have macaroni and the same thing. Still good but a different taste. However you have chili mac, it’s hot, easy, and nourishing.

You can’t ask for much more than a bowl of hot chili mac during these nights of single digits. Continue reading “Chili Mac When Freezes Attack”

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My Own Little Garden of Eden

a dream garden - why mow when you can have this

My own little Garden of Eden would not look like the painting of the same name by Breughel and Rubens. My garden would be a relatively small affair, easily weeded and maintained. I want a compact garden where every inch is utilized and nothing is overgrown.

When I was a very small child, and could not yet read, I would sit with my Grandma Hammons. Together we leafed through her huge old family Bible. I was particularly fascinated with Grandma’s Bible because, in addition to all the wonderful stories, it was filled with full-color illustrations. Some of the illustrations depicting famous Bible events were painted by old masters. One in particular, “The Garden of Eden” by Jan Brueghel and Peter Paul Rubens, both fascinated and perplexed me. Continue reading “My Own Little Garden of Eden”

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Kentucky Ice Storm Part 2, with 26 New Photos plus 2 Videos

Ky. Ice Storm Part 2, with 26 New Photos plus 2 Videos.

For those of you who enjoyed Part 1, more joy! I found more photos and even some video. This winter has not been without its challenges. The polar vortex has caused widespread suffering, and utility bills are rivaling mortgages in some places. When I finished writing this post it was a whopping 9° with a wind chill below zero. But I’ll still take it over January and February of 2009. If you are reading this from someplace other than the Ohio Valley, you’ll just have to take my word for it. All of you who experienced it firsthand, you know what I’m talking about.

The first thing I remember about that week was the ominous forecast from WPSD-TV–Newschannel 6 from Paducah–on Sunday, January 25, 2009. The weather people actually had grave looks on their faces as they gave a rather scary forecast for Monday through Wednesday. I remember thinking, “How can they know we will get that much ice?” Continue reading “Kentucky Ice Storm Part 2, with 26 New Photos plus 2 Videos”

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Cherry Delight with Three Twists

Cherry Delight with ThreeTwists. Most cooks know how to make this cold, creamy, rich dessert. But of course I have to tinker around with recipes until I make them a bit better.  (In my humble opinion, that is).

cherry delight with two twists
cherry delight with three twists

Let me say right off the bat that I’m posting the easy version. But by all means, if you have the time and energy, please make the pie crust yourself. The difference between bought and homemade is night and day. (I’m including the recipe, just in case).

This no-bake pie is a breeze to make. There are three things I do differently from most recipes. Continue reading “Cherry Delight with Three Twists”

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Homemade Hot Chocolate

Homemade Hot Chocolate. Mmm, is there anything better during a polar vortex?

homemade hot chocolate mix
homemade hot chocolate mix

Easy to make homemade hot chocolate hits the spot on cold winter’s nights like we are having. Curl up with this delicious and easy hot drink. Blow the steam away, melt a marshmallow or two. Heck, spring will be here soon and it will be time for iced tea.

homemade hot chocolate mix - oh yeah
homemade hot chocolate mix – oh yeah

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups of sugar
  • 1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
  • 1 cup powdered milk
  • 1 cup cocoa powder

Directions:

  1. In a food processor (or blender) combine all ingredients.
  2. Mix well (just takes seconds).
  3. Seal and store at room temperature in an airtight container.

To make (one mug):

Add 3 tablespoons of mix and one mug of hot water, stir. Microwave if it needs to be hotter. Marshmallows optional.

Try adding a dash of cinnamon to your hot chocolate for an extra kick. Cinnamon is good for you!

© Wade Kingston

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Feed the Birds in Winter

Feed the Birds in Winter. Remember the song from “Mary Poppins?” Feed the birds, tuppence a bag…

I always liked that song. And I’ve always enjoyed watching birds gather on a cold day and get their craws fulls of nutritious seeds. Please feed the birds in winter.

No self-respecting gardener worth his manure would neglect the birds in winter. After all, they chase down and rid you of all those leaf-eating bugs all summer long. Time to reward them, huh?

You don’t have to be a birdwatcher to enjoy feeding the birds. Heck, just provide the food and go about your way. Replenish it often. Let’s keep our flying friends happy and healthy.

feed the birds in winter - make your own
feed the birds in winter – make your own

Birds are remarkable creatures. In winter, when bugs aren’t available, those that need them switch to nuts and berries. But with energy-rich nuts, birds can get the nutrition they need to stave off these arctic vortex things. Continue reading “Feed the Birds in Winter”

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Long Gone Lyon County Lives on in Photos

Long Gone Lyon County. The places in this posting no longer exist. Oh, the soil is still there. Sometimes it’s under water, though.  Maybe hidden by overgrown trees now, somewhere in Land Between the Lakes. Or rebuilt, in the case of the Eddyville Court House.

Perhaps you recognize one or two of these old buildings. Maybe you stayed at Benberry Motel between the rivers. Maybe you attended Cross Roads Baptist church? Rode Hillman Ferry? Did you ever go to the Dogwood Lodge? I’ve never even heard of it. Does anyone have a story about these places they would like to share?

Some of you may even be old enough to have splashed about in the Kuttawa Mineral Springs Swimming Pool. Certainly not me. I have no recollection at all of it.

Long Gone Lyon County - Between the rivers - Calhoun Grocery
Long Gone Lyon County – Between the rivers – Calhoun Grocery

Continue reading “Long Gone Lyon County Lives on in Photos”

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Wade’s Wild Turkey Pecan Pie

Wade's Wild Turkey Pecan Pie with homemade crust

Wade’s Wild Turkey Pecan Pie is (of course) one of my favorite pies. It’s a variation on an old southern favorite–the Bourbon Pecan Pie. It’s just that I prefer baking with Wild Turkey bourbon. It’s all-Kentucky, all the time. (Don’t worry–the alcohol burns off in the cooking. You won’t get tipsy if you eat a piece. It does retain the amazing Wild Turkey flavor, though). Continue reading “Wade’s Wild Turkey Pecan Pie”

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Western Kentucky 1937 Flood

Western Kentucky 1937 Flood. More photos from towns in Western Kentucky. The devastating floods of the 1930’s.  Town photos include: Kuttawa and Eddyville. Paducah and Calvert City. Gilbertsville and Smithland, Kentucky. The floods prompted radical changes by TVA in the years that followed. New dams were constructed. Some towns were moved. Continue reading “Western Kentucky 1937 Flood”

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Chicken Piccata is Smooth, Rich, Tender, and Terrific

chicken piccata

Chicken Piccata is smooth, rich, tender, and terrific. It’s also a little bit tart, a little bit salty, and completely satisfying. Chicken Piccata takes comfort food to a whole new level of deliciousness. I got this recipe from a chef I know. After tasting this chicken I just had to know how to make it. I think you’ll agree. See my warning, though.* Continue reading “Chicken Piccata is Smooth, Rich, Tender, and Terrific”