Damon Lee Fowler

Back when I was still writing a column for the Savannah Morning News, I planned one on hearty winter soups made in a slow cooker and asked friends to share their favorites. Cherie Bailey offered this hearty, warming stew from her friend Amanda Hoven Havelin—who with good taste like this, quickly became a friend of mine.

It has been a winter comfort staple in our house ever since.

Below are two versions, the recipe as it was given to me (for 6 servings), and the way I make it now. The original Read More 

One of the things I love about living in Virginia is that we actually have winter here.

As much as I loved the Georgia Lowcountry, its version of winter was brief and left a lot to be desired for someone who actually enjoys cold weather. Yes, I realize that a mild, short cold season appeals to a lot of people. But the tradeoff is summers that are long and brutal, with air so humid and thick that one can almost chew it.

Here in Southern Virginia, winter is relatively mild, but consistently colder, and lingers until just before the spring equinox. We usually get at least one good snow, which always has the good grace to melt before we get tired of it. And while temperatures may dip into single digits, they don't get stuck there. It's just right for the kind of comfort cooking that I love best, lots of warming soups, stews, pastas, pot roasts, and casseroles.

One favorite of those comfortable dishes is bean soup,  Read More 

It's been one of those cold, wet Sunday afternoons in Savannah, the kind that's perfect for having a hearty, comforting stew simmering in the kitchen.

"Stew" for most of us brings to mind chunks of red meat or poultry simmering for hours in rich brown gravy. But there was no meat in the house nor time for an endless simmer. Happily, "stew" is a technique that isn't just for meat; it can be applied to just about anything. And the time it takes depends on what's in it. Read More 

22 January 2016 Lazy Day Beef Stew

Blustery winter days like this one, when so much of the eastern seaboard is blanketed with snow, just call for a hearty stew that can fill the house with wonderful smells and fill those in the house with warmth and contentment. I published this stew last fall in a Savannah Morning News story, but it’s ideal for a lazy winter day and really does live up to its name, since there’s no browning and everything is mixed together all at once in the pot in which it cooks; the extra-low simmer makes it possible to add all the vegetables at once. Best of all, it can be made in the slow cooker or the oven. Read More 

For those of us who are a certain age, one of the most fragrant memories of Christmas during our childhood was the fat orange that bulged the toe of our Christmas stocking. To this day, the bright, pungent aroma that’s released when an orange is peeled whispers of all the good things about my Christmases past.

Frozen juice and year-round imports have dulled our appreciation for the seasonality of citrus fruit, and today’s children would probably feel cheated to find an orange in their stockings.  Read More