We planted a row of cabbage and broccoli to see if it just might come in before it gets too cold. Down here you just never know. Dale asked to plant a row or two of collards and we told him to plant whatever he liked.

He’d told us earlier that he didn’t particularly care for mustards. I replied, “Really…that’s the main reason for planting them…cause you don’t like them!” He just laughed and said that sounded just like me!

A quick story on Dale. Deb and I had gone to a good friend of ours in Apopka last week. She’s my best friends Mom, and honestly she is just a doll! Deb and I both love her to no end and she is one fine, fine lady.

Well, what we had done was make lunch for her, and took it to her. Now this isn’t because of her being not able to fend for herself or anything, cause Mrs. C. is a go-getter. She gets along great, but we really enjoy visiting with her, so we asked if we could come and do lunch, and we did.

So, Deb and I cooked a couple prime rib roasts, a BIG ole pot of peas, and a pot of rice. We also brought her several quarts of different types of canned peas, some fresh cut okra, and some pickled okra. When we arrived she had a sqaush casserole (it was primp by the way) , and cornbread. My, oh my, did we eat good.

On our way over, we stopped by my Mom and Dad’s and dropped enough of all of it for their supper as well. Mom was like THANK-YOU!! We had to go right by, so we saved her from cooking that night too.
Anyway, by the time we had gotten everything cooked that morning, we were already a little late. So, we asked Dale when he came up for lunch, would he cleanup Deb’s kitchen some.

Dad-gum people, when Deb walked inside after Dale had gone home she hollered for me to come in and look at something. I thought Dale must have broken something of Deb’s and I was like, “Uh-oh!”
I went in and Deb says to check out her stove and even the microwave. People…it was unbelievable. Both were absolutely immaculate! They looked as if they were brand, spankin new! I told Deb, “Dern, the man is one heck of a maid, ain’t he?”

Now ole Deb will have em both lookin good when sure turns in a cleans them, but DALE?? I gotta tell ya…if there’s any of you “he” females out there, this guy would make you one heck of a housewife!!
So, the next morning Deb sits Dale down and talks with him while I was getting another cup of coffee. Actually I had gone to the bathroom, but Deb told me to tell you I was getting some more coffee. What’s up with that??

Anyway, I came back outside and deb was just a laughing. I look at her and dale, and Dale tells me Deb had a mean streak goin on. He told me when she came out that she told him they needed to talk.
She had told him that with winter coming on the grass was slowing down, the garden was slowing down, it looked like our paving business was slowing down, and this meant less income coming in. With this being the case it looked as if we probably weren’t going to need Dale’s services outside.

Well, ole Dale was like, “Man, I hate to hear that cause there’s not much of anything going on in our area workwise, and I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Deb said that she too was sorry, and hated there wasn’t anything going on outside either, BUT, don’t sweat it cause the dern kitchen looked so good, that she was taking it upon herself to move him INSIDE! He’d be furnished an apron and cleaning supplies, and his job description now was… “housekeeper!”

Ain’t she mean?? Had that guy all shook up…and thought it was funny! One thing about it though. Next time she asks him to clean her kitchen in a pinch…he better do it right, cause now she knows just how well he can do it.

I told Dale he put the noose around his own neck, and from here out…he better perform! Dub’s a heck of a lot easier to work for than Deb, and I believe Dale’s seein it already. I thought it was funny, cause Dale just took some pressure off me as well. Awwwww…life is good!

The recipes today come from the cookbook, “At My Grandmother’s Knee,” and was written by, Faye Porter. It was published by Thomas Nelson, Inc. of Nashville, Tennessee.

Well, let’s quit gabbing and fire off the cook stove…ya ready?

Creamed Chicken on Cornbread:

• ½ stick of butter
• 2 tablespoons minced celery
• 1 tablespoon minced onions
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups diced cooked chicken

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute’ the celery and onions for 3 minutes. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute. Add the broth, cream, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken. Simmer until heated. Remove from stove.

The Cornbread:

• 1 stick butter
• ½ cup self-rising flour
• ½ cup self-rising cornmeal
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• ½ cup of buttermilk

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place the butter in an 8 inch cast-iron skillet and place in the oven until melted. Remove from the oven (do not allow the butter to brown.)

In a medium bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, eggs and buttermilk. Add the melted butter and stir until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture into the hot, cast-iron skillet.

Bake for twenty minutes, or until lightly browned. To serve, slice the cornbread into 8 slices and cover with the hot, creamed chicken.

Kelly Simms

Franklin, Tennessee

Grannie’s Mac ‘N’ Cheese:

• 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
• ½ stick of butter
• 2-1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup of milk
• ½ teaspoon dry mustard
• ¼ cup minced onion
• 1 tablespoon paprika

Preheat your oven to 350.

Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain the macaroni well and return it to the pot you cooked it in. Add the butter and stir until completely melted. Add 2 cups of the cheese.

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs with the milk. Stir in the mustard and onion.

Pour the egg mixture over the macaroni and stir well. Pour the macaroni into a lightly greased 8 inch square baking pan. Top with the remaining half a cup of cheese and sprinkle the paprika on top.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and browned.

Lisa Glasner

Nashville, Tennessee

Mamaw’s Strawberry Pudding Cake:

• 1 box (18.25 ounces) yellow cake mix
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup water
• 1 box (1.5 ounces) instant vanilla or lemon pudding
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups mashed strawberries
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 12 maraschino cherries, halved

Preheat the oven to 350

Add the cake mix, eggs, oil, and water to a large bowl and miz well. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 13 x 9 inch glass baking pan.

In a small bowl combine the pudding mix with the milk and beat until all lumps are gone. Pour the prepared pudding over the top of the cake batter.

In a separate small bowl mix the mashed strawberries with the sugar. Spoon the strawberry mixture on top of the pudding mixture.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake is firm, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool the cake completely. Before serving, spread the whipped cream topping on top of the cake and decorate with the maraschino cherries. Refrigerate any leftover cake.

Alison Harris

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

So, I don’t know about the rest of you, but this time of the year means we’ll start eating more soups. Deb and I both enjoy most types of soups, stews and chili, and one of the best attributes of a good ole pot of soup is simply…the more you re-heat it, the better flavored they are!

Add to the mix a big ole slice of cornbread, or maybe a “cathead biscuit” or two, and well…it don’t get much better than that, wouldn’t you agree? Throw in a small garden salad to boot, and you won’t get much conversation at all from me while at the dinner table. Basically, you talk…I’ll eat!

We do like a small salad with our soup, but many soups have all you need already in the pot. This in itself means convenience to a working family. One pot, one small mess to cleanup, one time cooking besides just rewarming and shoot, you can do that in the microwave.

You could put them on to cook in a crock pot, and by the time you get home, there she is…a meal waiting to be et! Then, if you’d like, put the leftovers in a zip lock bag, or food saver bag, and freeze for a later time!

Before we get started with our recipes, we got a good joke from Bill and Sandy.
Yes, they’re the same two that had me eatin crow after the Florida-Bama game…anyway, here’s the joke!

Two good ol’ boys in a Tennessee trailer park were sitting around talking one afternoon over a cold beer after getting off of work at the local Nissan plant. After a while the 1st guy says to the 2nd, “If’n I was to sneak over to your trailer Saturday & make love to your wife while you was off huntin’ and she got pregnant and had a baby, would that make us kin?”

The 2nd guy crooked his head sideways for a minute, scratched his head, and squinted his eyes thinking real hard about the question. Finally, he says, “Well, I don’t know about kin, but it would make us even!”

The recipes today come from, “At My Grandmother’s Knee,” by Faye Porter, and published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee.

The book is well received by both Deb and I, and has little individual stories from the contributing families. To us, we feel it is a good read, with numerous, good recipes between the covers…

Stuffed Potato Soup:

• 4 cups water, divided
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes
• ¼ chopped onion
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cans (10.75 ounces each) cream of chicken soup
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon onion salt
• 6 cups cubed potatoes
• 1 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed
• Sliced green onion tops (optional, though not to me…the onion tops go in it! Dub)
• Crumbled bacon (optional…ditto, same as the green onion tops…put em in it! Dub)

In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine 1 cup of water, the bouillon cubes, and the onion and simmer for 30 minutes.

In a large saucepan combine the 3 remaining cups of water, the milk, the cream of chicken soup, garlic powder, and onion salt. Cook over low heat until the soup is creamy and any lumps have been stirred out.

Pour the soup mixture into the Dutch oven with the bouillon and onion mixture. Add the potatoes and cook over medium heat. When the potatoes are almost done, add the cheese. Remove from the heat so the cheese doesn’t stick. Once the cheese has substantially melted, return the pot to low heat and simmer until you are ready to serve. Top with sliced green onions tops or bacon, if desired.

Jenny Lewis…Nashville, Tennessee

Soup Beans and Skillet Cornbread:

The Soup…

• 1 one pound package of dried pinto beans
• 1 ham hock
• 5-1/2 cups of water
• 4 slices hickory-smoked bacon
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt, divided

Soak the beans overnight in water and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Drain the beans and rinse with cold water.

Place the beans and ham hock in a large pot and cover with 5-1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, stir, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Cook for about 2 hours, stirring frequently. Make sure the beans stay covered with water. Add the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt and pepper to season as you cook.

Fry the bacon until done and save the drippings. Crumble the bacon and add to the soup mixture, along with the drippings. Cook an additional 60 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently.

The Cornbread:

• 6 slices thick bacon (save the grease)
• 2 cups self-rising cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ½ cup of water

Preheat your oven to 450. Fry the bacon in a cast iron skillet. Keep the grease warm in the skillet after frying the bacon. Set the bacon aside for another use. Place the cornmeal, flour, eggs, buttermilk, water, and half of the bacon grease in a large bowl and stir until the mixture is the consistency of cake batter. Add more water, if needed. You want just enough grease left in the skillet to coat the bottom and the sides; if you have too much pour the extra out.

Pour the batter into the skillet. Place the skillet into the oven and bake for 30 minutes, checking often. Remove from the oven and slice immediately.

When ready to eat, ladle the soup into individual bowls. Crumble a slice of hot cornbread into each bowl, mix, and serve.

Michelle Fleming…Nashville, Tennessee

Chicken Soup With Homemade Noodles:

The Noodles…

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 large egg, beaten

To make the noodles, mix the flour and salt in a small bowl, making a well in the center. Add the water and egg. Using your fingers, form the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it sit for 60 minutes.

**To finish the noodles, go to the very bottom of the soup recipe…

The Soup…

• 1 chicken (3 pounds), cut-up
• ½ cup chopped onion, divided
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup celery
• 2 large carrots, thinly sliced

To make the soup, rinse the raw chicken well. In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine the chicken with ¼ cup of the onions, the bouillon cubes, bay leaf, pepper, and enough hot water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.

Remove the chicken and chop in into bite-size pieces, discarding the skin and bones. Skim any grease off the top of the broth and add enough water to measure 7 to 8 cups. Add the chicken pieces, celery, carrots, and remaining ¼ cup of onion. Bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the carrots are crisp-tender. Remove the bay leaf.

**Now finish your noodles. Roll out the dough as thin as possible on a floured work surface. Fold it loosely into thirds and then cut it into ½ inch slices. Unfold the dough and cut on the former fold lines. Drop the dough into the simmering soup. Simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes or, until the noodles are tender.

Debby White…White House, Tennessee