Among the many biographers who have reported on the foods most liked by George Washington, there's agreement. The Father of our Nation favored hoecakes "swimming in butter and honey" for breakfast (along with three cups of tea, without cream) and meals comprised of fish, which was his favorite food. By all accounts, Washington also loved ice cream and nuts and had a genuine affection for Madeira wine. Of course, there are countless other foods he enjoyed, especially in the years he lived in Mount Vernon, Va.

The first day of spring is still more than a month away, but I've already begun cleaning out some of the disappointing gadgets cluttering up the kitchen cabinets.

Asking Brooklyn-born Chef Joseph Sullivan, the owner of Bluffton's Mulberry Street Trattoria and the newly opened The Marketplace at Mulberry Street, for some menu suggestions for Sunday's super bowl was a no brainer. As New York Giants fans, I knew he, and his lovely wife, Elissa, would be making preparations for their own family's Super Bowl celebration, and I was all ears.

When we heard that our ever-smiling Southern maven of cooking  was diagnosed  with type-2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, some of us were sad, some of us were not surprised, and others of us were just plain mad. Fortunately, I do not have diabetes, but of the many folks who do, some found they were experiencing feelings of indignation and betrayal.