“The reason this is one of my favorite holiday recipes is that on top of being absolutely fantastic, it fills the entire house with such an amazing aroma that it just sings the holidays are here,” said general manager and culinary expert Jeff Congdon.

Fall — and of course, Halloween — bring us many pumpkins, many of which will end up on the front stoop with a jack-o-lantern grin. The best varieties of pumpkins for carving are the Ghost Rider, Magic Lantern, Merlin and Spirit — the names alone evoke pumpkin folklore, in which witches turned people into pumpkins. If you plan on entering a competition, Big Max and Big Moon grow the biggest, but if you are in the mood to make a pumpkin pie, Small Sugar or Amish Pie are best.

It’s no surprise that sweet potatoes are at the top of nearly everyone’s healthiest foods list. One baked, medium-sized sweet potato contains 438 percent of your daily value of vitamin A (a white potato contains 1 percent), 37 percent of your vitamin C, and some calcium, potassium, and iron too. All this at just 105 calories! What’s more, they also deliver 4 grams of dietary fiber — 16 percent of the daily value — and absolutely zip in terms of fat.

According to D. H. Lawrence, every fruit has its secret and the fig is no exception. This jewel of a fruit is one of the most delicious, yet overlooked fruits of summer. Alma, Brown Turkey, Celeste, Kadota and Mission are only a few of the varieties grown in South Carolina. The fig season is short and if you blink you might miss it!

By Kathleen Watson / Owner, 843

6 cans of tomato strips
10 sliced yellow onions
20 cloves garlic
2 bottles red wine
1/2 cup salad oil
2 quarts heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste
Sugar to taste
8 sprigs rosemary

Saute onions, rosemary and garlic in salad oil until translucent. Add wine and recede by half. Add six cans of tomatoes and simmer for two hours. Add cream then use immersion blender for 10 minutes, moving it around occasionally. Enjoy!

Is it a coincidence that “salsa” is both a dance and a fiery sauce? From pico de gallo to habanero, salsas can range from mild to "blow the roof off" levels. South Carolina has the hottest pepper on record. Measuring over 1.5 million on the Scoville heat scale, Smokin’ Ed’s Carolina Reaper set a Guinness World Record in 2013 for its spicy kick. Proceed with extreme, extreme, extreme caution!

This salsa recipe is great served with tortilla chips but also can be used in omelets or served over grilled seafood, chicken, steak and veggies — any recipe that needs a little zing and a burst of color. The secret is the activity in which the maker is engaging at the time of preparation; dancing the salsa, with its Latin American origins derived from the mambo, cha-cha-cha, Cumbia, and merengue will undoubtedly add some heat!

APPLE-WALNUT-STUFFED-PORKAPPLE WALNUT STUFFED PORK ROAST

8 servings, prep 25 min., cook 1 hr.

Ingredients
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 apple - peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 5 cups dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Shrimp & Grits “Gravy”
From Live Oak (Sea Pines Resort)

• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 4 ounces Tasso, ¼” dice
Heat vegetable oil in a large stock pot and add the tasso. Render for 5 minutes and remove tasso.
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
 Add butter and oil to rendering pot & melt. Add flour and cook over medium heat to create a dark brown roux, the color of a copper penny

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