The Blennerhassett is my favorite place to stay in Parkersburg. It's grand. It's historic. And, they have a pretty incredible restaurant. 



But they also have a tiny little cafe that, on my last visit, we stopped at before leaving town. 



The cafe really only offers some coffees, hot chocolate and pastries from the local McHappy's. I ordered a hot chocolate, which I think is always better when someone else makes it. And a blueberry muffin.



This made a cold, rainy drive home much better. Both were really simple, but both were still really tasty. Sometimes that's all you really for breakfast. 

Grade: B

The Club Inn Between Bar & Grill in Huntington is your standard bar & grill. 



"The bar and grill was opened in 1978 by two brothers who were attending Marshall University. Tired of standing in line to enter bars, the brothers decided to open their own. In 2006 the brothers moved to a larger location, and today they continue to work seven days a week! They have become one of the oldest bar & grills in West Virginia! Lunch served Monday-Friday 11am-2pm." (Visit Huntington)



I went here for lunch to check it out. It's definitely a local watering hole where most folks are regulars, but I was welcomed all the same. The menu has some sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers and a few specials. I went for a cheeseburger with tomato, onion and mayo.



The burger was decent - it was a bit cold so my cheese didn't really melt. But the veggies were fresh, and it tasted fine. Nothing too notable - either positive or negative. Really, my favorite part of the visit was the history of the place with the memorabilia on the walls and the local vibe. What's your favorite dish here?



Grade: B

Let's see what this month's J.Q. Dickinson Appalachian Mercantile subscription box brings us! 



Landcrafted Food - Beef Sticks - Landcrafted Food is committed to sustainable agriculture in all they do. They raise their cattle in open pastures in the mountains near Lexington, VA, where they are grass fed. These beef sticks are naturally made. Three varieties: Original Smoked, Sweet Smoked, and Spicy Cajun. A delicious, high protein snack!

J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works - Spice Blends - Our Salt-Works Spice Blends are the ideal kitchen helper and dish perfecter, created from our deep love of cooking. Available in 5 flavors Ramped Up Ranch, Appalachian Za'atar, Allegheny Herb & Citrus, Smoky Mountain Rub, Blue Ridge Bagel.

Woodberry Pantry - Snake Oil Hot Sauce - Once you taste this hot sauce, made by Woodberry Pantry in Baltimore, it will become the only hot sauce you will use. Made from heirloom fish peppers, cider vinegar and JQD salt, it has the perfect heat level and rich flavor to compliment and enhance almost any dish.

The High Fiber - Dish Towel - Absorbent, soft, and lint free, these flour sack towels will quickly become your favorites in the kitchen. Handprinted on natural cotton, each is a hard working, super soft, and ultra thirsty kitchen companion. Each towel is printed by hand with my Succulent illustration using solvent free, environmentally kind inks.

Southern Spooning - Dark Chocolate Sauce - Our favorite way to eat our chocolate sauce is to take the lid off and put the jar directly into the microwave for 30 seconds then pour it over our favorite ice cream. YUM! Some other ideas… include a jar of chocolate sauce on a charcuterie board with strawberries, mini breadsticks, almonds, meat, cheeses, and more. Use it as dip for your favorite cookies. Spread it on a freshly toasted piece of sourdough bread. Or just straight up SPOON the stuff!

Allegheny Treenware - Dough Scraper - Allegheny Treenware is an American company focused on the production of wooden kitchen utensils. It has been proudly owned and operated by Stanley and Sue Jennings for over 25 years. All products are MADE IN THE USA, with quality West Virginia hardwoods that, if taken care of, will serve your cooking needs for years to come.

Here's my latest column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail

Cool fall temperatures bring about pickling, preserving and putting up for winter in Appalachia.

The last of the summer bounty – like beautiful tomatoes and fresh greens – has been harvested, and much of it could now be in the form of pickled vegetables, canned goods and preserved fruits.

Produce isn’t the only sustenance needed during the cold winter months, though. It’s not uncommon for folks to have a deep freezer full of local beef or chicken that has been butchered to help feed families all season long. And, then there’s deer season.

Held around Thanksgiving time, deer season creates a hunting tradition each holiday for many families, and the subsequent processing of the meat can help sustain them for months. My family has hunted for deer so that we could have food on our table, but I’ve never been a huge fan of the flavor. It has a slightly game-y taste that brings a bit of funk to the meal.

My grandma, though, was always able to prepare it in a way that I enjoyed: by making venison jerky. Not unlike preserving vegetables, making deer jerky is a way to preserve the meat by drying it out, which makes it easy to transport and taste great, too.

The practice of dry preserving meats dates back thousands of years to our hunting and gathering ancestors. Archaeologists have discovered dried meats that are more than 5,000 years old. Cultures around the world have used this technique with the meats available in their region to preserve food.

In Ethiopia, “quant'a” is made from dried beef seasoned with salt and cardamom. In Nigeria, “kilishi” is made of dried beef, sheep or goat with a paste made of peanuts, spices, salt, ground onion and honey. In southern African countries, “biltong” is a form of dried, cured meat. In Norway, there’s “fenalar.” In Switzerland, there’s “bundnerfleisch.” In Spain, there’s “tasajo.”

In South America, Incas used the Quechuan word “ch’arki” for dried meat, which was made of alpaca and llama meat. The word evolved from “ch’arki” to “jerky” through colonization and ultimately became part of our ordinary vocabulary.

In the Appalachian region, Native Americans made jerky from buffalo and berries called “pemmican.” And now, we make jerky from deer, because they are plentiful in the mountains. According to research from onX Hunt, a hunting GPS map website, West Virginia has about a half of a million deer population and about 21 deer per square mile.

West Virginians, like my grandmother, are so enterprising and resourceful when it comes to providing for their families and making the most of what they have available to them. The consumption of venison, and venison jerky, are no different. Because deer are so abundant in the region, Appalachians processed and preserved them in a way that could keep for a season or longer. Now, if someone could work on making the rest of venison taste as good as the jerky, I’ll be one happy Appalachian. 

RECPIPE: Grandma Craft’s Venison Jerky

My grandma is an amazing woman for a number of reasons – not the least of which is because much of what I know about Appalachian food, I learned from her. She took me morel hunting, and she introduced me to venison jerky. This is her personal recipe that she uses to make the venison jerky I enjoy – and I hope you enjoy it, too.

Ingredients:
• 1 pkg. instant meat marinade
• 1 3/4 c. cold water
• 1/2 tsp. liquid smoke
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. tabasco sauce

Directions:
• Cut 1 1/2-2 lbs. venison in strips (with the grain) 6" long, 1 1/2" wide and 1/2" thick. Set aside.
• Mix together the remaining ingredients to make the marinade: instant meat marinade, cold water, liquid smoke, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and tabasco sauce.
• Place meat in container and cover with marinade, piercing meat slices deeply with fork.
• Marinate overnight in a covered container in refrigerator.
• Remove meat strips, drain slightly and place on rack, making sure strips do not overlap.
• Place rack over a cookie sheet in a 150-175 degree oven and bake for 3-3 1/2 hrs.
• Remove from oven, cool and store in a covered container in refrigerator.
• NOTE: Since this jerky does not have a preservative like the commercial product of its kind, it is necessary to keep it under refrigeration.

Two longtime chili cookoffs came together today - and I was lucky enough to be able to help judge once again.



Wagging Tails and Nitro Ales is an official ICS chili cookoff for Dog Bless, a dog rescue group in WV. And Smoke on the Water is usually held in the summer during FestivALL and raises money for HospiceCare.



Today was the first really chilly day that I've spent outside this season, but that's perfect for chili.



The event had both hot chili and cold beer, as well as a nod to Cassie Johnson, the Charleston Police Officer who was killed in the line of duty last December.



I was tasked with helping to judge the homestyle category. So while waiting for that round to start, I purchased some sample tickets to try some of the other versions.



For example, I checked out some of the verde chilis. Usually these are not my favorite, but the ones I had today were delish! They had great balanced flavors but didn't feel super heavy.



I also didn't get judge the traditional red this year, which is much more standard in terms of ingredients and flavors.



So, my favorite is always homestyle. I think it gives the cooks more leeway to explore their creativity. 



I love getting a chili that has some heat, but also some sweetness and a perfect medium consistency with a variety of ingredients like meat, beans, etc. 



How do you take your chili?