Well, today I’ve been back in that dern cookbook, “White Trash Gatherings,” and found a few more recipes I’d like to share with you. I get a kick readin through this cookbook, and it’s about my 4th or 5th pass in it.

It’s really entertaining to read, and if you guys were born in the South, around my time, much of it brings back memories. Good, old, down home memories. I think of my Granddaddy Troy, his wife and my Granny Margaret, and my Mom’s mother, my Nanny Murphy.

Boy, what a different age we live in today. Life was so much simpler then. Don’t get me wrong, life was hard, and you WORKED for what you got…there were no such thing as… “ENTITLEMENTS!!!!”

If there had of been, most would have been too ashamed to have taken them! Don’t get me wrong…people did help people, but it was neighbor helping neighbor. They didn’t need, nor wanted “Uncle Sam” minglin in their business! They took care of one another.

They did love their Country deeply, very deeply as a matter of fact, and didn’t hesitate to respond if duty called, yet their business was just that…THEIR BUSINESS! Once more, Uncle Sam had his place, and it wasn’t tellin them how to live…they wouldn’t tolerate such.

Yet today, we have created an environment of…gimme, gimme, gimme, OR, what’s yours is MINE TOO! It’s expected that we give part of our hard-earned money to people who mainly…just don’t want to work. Get this…it’s expected, and even worse, the ones we’re givin it to, no longer appreciate the fact that we’re doin just that…givin it to em.

Plus, many of the ones expectin, and takin…aren’t even citizens of our Country! What have we come to? What used to be a Nation of achievers, the very best on the planet, is fast becoming a Nation of…YOU OWE ME’S! My thoughts on this…##%**!!…**??!!

Let me get back to these recipes before I DO get angry, and mess around and burn down Miz Judi’s Kitchen by not payin attention to this dad-burned cook stove! 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10. Okay, okay, I feel much better now.

Take a look at pickin up this cookbook. Again, it was written by, Kendra Bailey Morris, and published by ten Speed Press. Revisit your past, and take a stroll down “memory lane!” It’ll do us all some good!

Pinto Bean Pie

• 1-1/2 cups dried pinto beans
• 3 medium, or 2 extra -large eggs, beaten
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 (13 oz.) can evaporated milk
• ½ stick butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Whipped cream for serving

Cook up your beans in a plain ole pot of water until real tender, about 3 hours at a low simmer. Strain, and reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid.

Turn your oven on 450.

Get out your blender and puree your beans with the ½ cup liquid. Your mixture should look like thin mashed potatoes. Add the rest of your ingredients and mix real good. Pour your bean filling into a 9 inch pie shell and bake for about 15 minutes. Turn your oven down to 350 and cook your pie for another 45 to 55 minutes, or until it sets up. Serve warm with whipped cream.

Miss Oma’s Grape Jelly Meatballs

• 1-1/2 cups Burney Papper’s Chili Sauce (recipe below)
• ½ medium-sized jar grape jelly (more if you like it sweet)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• ½ teaspoon prepared horseradish
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper, as much as you’d like

Put your chili sauce and grape jelly in a crockpot set on medium-low heat.

For your meatballs, mix together the ground beef with the rest of your ingredients. Carefully shape the mixture into small balls, taking care not to roll the meatballs too tightly.

Fry the meatballs in a shallow pan of hot oil until they’re brown on all sides. Add them to the grape jelly mixture and simmer until nice and tender. Serve straight from the pot with toothpicks.

Burney Papper’s Chili Sauce

• 1-1/2 cups white vinegar
• 1-1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt, plus more as needed
• 9 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1-1/2 cups chopped onions
• 2 whole jalapenos, sliced in half
• 1 whole cinnamon stick and 1 teaspoon whole cloves, tied up in a cheesecloth

Get your vinegar, brown sugar, and salt to boiling in a good sized pot. Add your tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Add the tied up spices. Cook, uncovered, on low heat until thickened (about 1-1/2 hours), stirrin every now and then. Skim off your foam from time to time. For a thinner sauce, cool and puree in a blender. Store in pint jars.

Ollie V.’s Gingerbread

• 1 cup molasses
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ½ cup very hot water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon allspice

Turn your oven on 350. Grease up an 8 inch square baking pan.

Stir up your molasses, butter, and hot water and add your egg. In another bowl, mix up your dry ingredients. Add your molasses mixture to your dry ingredients and mix everything up real good with a wooden spoon. Scrape the batter into the pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out nice and clean. Serve warm with a dollop of fresh cream.

We hope you guys enjoyed today’s recipes, and we’d like to thank Kendra Bailey Morris once more for her cookbook, “White Trash Gatherings.” Deb and I have enjoyed it immensely!

Before closing this morning we’d like to share with you guys…”Praying Hands.” It was sent to us by our friend Gary, and we felt you guys would enjoy reading about this well-known painting and the story behind it…

The Praying Hands

Many of you would have seen the picture of “The Praying Hands”, which is present in many Christian homes, but would almost certainly not have heard the moving story behind this popular picture. Here is the story.

THE STORY BEHIND THE PICTURE OF THE PRAYING HANDS

Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with
eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood.

Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of the elder children, Albrecht and Albert, had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.

After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines.

They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg . Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht’s etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils
were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.

When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht’s triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, “And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you.”

All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, “No. ..no…no. ..no.” Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, “No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg . It is too late for me. Look …look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother …for me it is too late.”

More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durer’s hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer’s works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.

One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother’s abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply “Hands,” but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love “The Praying Hands.”

The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second look. Let it be your reminder, if you still need one, that no one, no one, ever makes it alone!

“In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”

Proverbs 3:6

The Praying Hands

Thanks Gary, and sendin our regards, buddy!

You guys have a great day, and God bless you and yours. Deb says to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb

It had gotten SO dry down here…the trees were bribing the dogs!

It had been SO hot and dry, the birds were pullin worms outta the ground…usin potholders!

I was tellin Deb that it had been SO dry, I saw our neighbor Skeet feedin his chickens crushed ice to keep em from layin hard-boiled eggs.

Her response, “If Skeet’s brains were made of gasoline, he wouldn’t have enough to ride a motor scooter around the inside of a doughnut.” I left fore she could start on me!

Anyway, tonight we’re supposed to have another couple good batches, and we’re sure needing all we can get.

Well, the grow area is planted, and irrigated! YES! We like 1-1/2 rows, but that for the black tomatoes. They’ll be out there too, before long. The start off is just about behind us, and I gotta tell you guys again…I’m havin a ball watchin this stuff grow. It’s a little different, but we’re getting the hang of it.

Changing gears, we sure hope all ya’ll are doing fine. We’d seen where there were some areas that had been having some really nasty weather, and we hope you, and all your loved ones, are all in good shape.

Today’s recipes come from a book very similar to our last post’s recipes. They were from “White Trash Cooking,” while these come from… “White Trash Gatherings!” I think I recognized some of ole Deb’s people in this one…. “GATHERIN!” LOL!

It was written by, Kendra Bailey Morris, and published by Ten Speed Press. We’ve used some of her recipes before, and have gotten a kick out of her book, plus some pretty dern good recipes. Get ya one!

Miss Motley’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken With Torpedo Gravy

• 1 frying chicken, cut into pieces
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Flour
• Salt and pepper, as much as you’d like
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup shortening
• Paprika
• ¼ cup water
• 1-1/2 cups evaporated milk, more1-1/2 cups whole milk
• Reba May’s Creamy Mashed Potatoes (below)
• Angel Biscuits (below)

Make sure your chicken pieces are all the same size, and are all on the small side. If the breasts are too large, cut em into halves. Two to three hours before you plan to fry, rinse the chicken and put it into a large sealable plastic bag with the buttermilk. Store in the fridge until ready to cook.

Take a brown paper bag and put enough flour to easily coat the chicken in it. Add salt and pepper, as much as you’d like. Remove your chicken from the buttermilk and put it in the paper bag. Shake your chicken up good and get ready to fry it. Save your flour mixture foe making gravy later on.

Melt equal parts butter and shortening in a cast iron skillet. Have your heat at medium to medium-high, but be careful not to burn the butter. When the pan is hot, drop your chicken in the pan and brown on each side. Sprinkle paprika on each side along with salt and pepper the way you like it. Cook for about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium –low, add the water, put a lid on the pan, and steam the chicken for 15 to 20 minutes. Take off the lid and continue to cook the chicken on each side to crisp it up again. Place the chicken on a rack to drain.

Scrape up the little crispy pieces from the bottom of the pan. Add 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of the flour mixture from the paper bag. Stir, scrape, and cook for about 3 minutes. Add equal parts of the evaporated milk and the whole milk to the mixture and stir real good. You should have about 3 cups of liquid. Bring up to a low simmer. Continue stirring until your gravy thickens (the secret to a first-rate gravy is good drippings and fast stirring). If you find your gravy is getting too thick, add a little evaporated milk. Add salt and pepper the way you like it. Serve up your gravy with a mound of mashed potatoes and hot biscuits.

Reba May’s Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Peel and cut enough potatoes into chunks for your group. (I always make a little extra, so there will be leftovers for next-day tater cakes). Cover your potatoes with water and cook until tender. Save your potato water to use when mashing.

Heat your mashing liquid, which should be half evaporated milk, half potato water, and a big chunk of butter. Using your potato masher (NO electric mixers!), smash the potatoes and add enough hot liquid to make them fluffy. Add salt and pepper the way you like it. Pile the potatoes in a big bowl and make a well in the top of your potato mound. Add a generous spoonful of butter into your potato well while your potatoes are good and hot. Let it run down the sides like a tasty, buttery volcano.

I gotta tell you guys, while I’m posting this…I’m slobbering at the mouth!

Angel Biscuits

• 1 package active yeast
• 2 tablespoons very warm water
• 5 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shortening
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 egg white, whisked

Turn your oven to 400. Grease up a baking sheet.

Dissolve your yeast in a bowl with warm water. Let it stand for about 5 minutes, or until foamy. If it doesn’t foam too much, use it anyway. Your biscuits will still be delicious. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a big bowl.

Cut in your shortening using 2 knives. Make sure you have small grains of shortening. Now, add your buttermilk and yeast mixture. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead gently for a minute or so. Don’t worry if your dough is a little sticky. And be sure to go easy on the flour.

Roll out your dough to about an inch thick and cut your biscuits with the open end of a clean tin can or with a biscuit cutter. (My Granny once told me; avoid twisting off your, can or biscuit cutter when you’re cutting up biscuits as it can keep your biscuit from getting a good rise). Brush the tops of each biscuit with a little egg white. Put your biscuits on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Heavenly!

Reba May’s Next-Day Fried Tater Cakes

Take your cold leftover mashed potatoes and shape em into ½ inch thick cakes about the size of a Ball canning jar lid. Dip both sides of the cakes lightly in flour. Fry over medium-heat in shortening in a cast iron fry pan till both sides are browned and crispy. (Cast iron fries up the best cakes). Season them with salt and pepper the way you like!

We’d gone up to my Mom and Dad’s, and good gracious, what a feed my Momma put on! I’d told you guys earlier that we now have a Christmas breakfast, and boy it’s a “goodun!” I ‘ve got to say that one of her breakfast staples is exactly what today’s post is all about…grits!

First off, I just can’t believe the people we’ve met that have never tasted them. I swear, for those that haven’t, you honestly don’t realize what you’re missing!

I understand there are some things that some people just won’t eat, and I’m a good example of this statement. One thing I don’t like that you guys will find amazing I believe is…I won’t eat a dern sweet potato! Believe that? Ole Dub won’t get one of those around my mouth, uh, uh!

I wasn’t always that way, because when I was just a kid I loved them. A good, hot, right out of the oven sweet tater, split open and buttered up, it just didn’t get any better than that. But, as we all know, there are some things that get just…TOO good, and that’s what happened between me and them sweet potatoes.

I ate those things at Granddaddy’s and Granny’s one time, and got plumb sick on em, I’d eaten so many of them. Since that day, I’ve never put another one in my mouth, NOT one!

But when it comes to grits, shoot, I just don’t see how anyone won’t eat a big ole helpin of grits! As a matter of fact, it’s actually incomprehensible to me??

I know we’ve shared before some different recipes using grits, and seriously, if you’ve never tried them, you may be in for a very, very pleasant surprise…we all love em.

Anyway, I was opening up some e-mails this morning, and lo and behold, one of them contained a pretty neat story of grits.

It comes from Bill and Sandy, two friends of ours who hail from the Mobile area, and I thought shoot, I’m going to share this with you guys today, and, that’s exactly what we’re fixing to do. We hope you enjoy it, because in reality, here in the South we take our grits pretty dern seriously…it is a food staple to us.

So, kick back, prop your feet up, let’s fire off the cook stove, and let’s talk…grits!

WHAT ARE GRITS?

FINALLY, SOMEONE WHO KNOWS ABOUT GRITS HAS DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH!! READ CAREFULLY SO YOU WILL NOT BETRAY THIS KNOWLEDGE TO THE WRONG PEOPLE! AS YOU CAN SEE THIS KNOWLEDGE MUST BE RECORDED AND LOCKED IN A TOP SECRET VAULT WELL GUARDED!! BE CAREFUL OF THE DOGS USED FOR GUARDING AS SOME PEOPLE WILL KNOCK DOWN WALLS TO GET TO GOOD GRITS OR THE RECIPE FOR MAKING THEM!! BE CAUTIOUS…

Some folks believe grits are grown on bushes and are harvested by midgets by shaking the bushes after spreading sheets around them. Many people think grits are made from ground up bits of white corn. These are lies spread by Yankees. Nothing as good as a Grits can be made from corn. Research suggests that the mysterious Manna that God rained down upon the Israelites during their time in the Sinai Desert was most likely Grits. Critics disagree, stating that there is no record of biscuits, butter, salt, and red eye gravy raining down from the sky, and that God would not punish his people by forcing them to eat Grits without these key ingredients.

How Grits are Formed:

Grits are formed deep underground under intense heat and pressure. It takes over 1000 years to form a single Grit. Most of the world’s grit mines are in Georgia, and are guarded day and night by armed guards and attack dogs. Harvesting the Grit is a dangerous occupation, and many Grit miners lose their lives each year so that Grits can continue to be served morning after morning for breakfast–not that having Grits for lunch and dinner is out of the question.

Yankees have attempted to create synthetic Grits. They call them Cream of Wheat. As far as we can tell, the key ingredients of Cream of Wheat are Elmer’s Glue and shredded Styrofoam. These synthetic grits have also been shown to cause nausea, and can leave you unable to have children.

Historical Grits:

As mentioned earlier, the first known mention of the Grits was by the Ancient Israelites in the Sinai Desert. After that, Grits were not heard from for another 1000 years. Grits were used during this time only during secret religious ceremonies, and were kept from the public. The next mention of Grits was found amidst the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii (I believe this to have probably been in… “SOUTHERN POMPEII,” LOL! Dub’s two-cents worth!), in a woman’s personal diary. The woman’s name was Herculania Jemimana, who was known as Aunt Jemima to her friends.

The Ten Commandments of Grits:

I. Thou shalt not put syrup on thy Grits

II. Thou shalt not eat thy Grits with a spoon or knife

III. Thou shalt not eat Cream of Wheat and call it Grits, for this is blasphemy

IV. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s Grits

V. Thou shalt use only Salt, Butter, and red eye gravy as toppings for thy Grits

VI. Thou shalt not eat Instant Grits

VII. Thou shalt not put ketchup on thy Grits

VIII. Thou shalt not put margarine on thy Grits.

IX. Thou shalt not eat toast with thy Grits, only biscuits made from scratch…

X. Thou shalt eat grits on the Sabbath for this is manna from heaven.

How to Cook Grits:

For one serving of Grits: Boil 1.5 cups of water with salt and a little butter. Add 5 Tablespoons of Grits. Reduce to a simmer and allow the Grits to soak up all the water. When a pencil stuck into the grits stands alone, they are done.

How to make red eye gravy: Fry salt cured country ham in cast-iron pan. Remove the ham when done and add coffee to the gravy and simmer for several minutes.

How to Eat Grits:

Immediately after removing your grits from the stove top, add a generous portion of butter or red eye gravy. Do NOT use low-fat butter. The butter should cause the Grits to turn a wondrous shade of yellow. Hold a banana or a yellow rain slicker next to your Grits; if the colors match, you have the correct amount of butter. In lieu of butter, pour a generous helping of red eye gravy on your grits. Be sure to pour enough to have some left for sopping up with your biscuits. Next, add salt. The correct ratio of Grit to Salt is 10:1. Therefore, for every 10 grits, you should have 1 grain of salt. Now begin eating your grits. Always use a fork, never a spoon, to eat Grits. Your grits should be thick enough so they do not run through the tines of the fork. The correct beverage to serve with Grits is black coffee. DO NOT use cream or, heaven forbid, Skim Milk. Your grits should rarely be eaten in a bowl because Yankees will think it’s Cream of Wheat.

Ways to Eat Leftover Grits:

Leftover grits are extremely rare and may only be a rumor. Spread them in the bottom of a casserole dish, cover and place them in the refrigerator overnight. The Grits will congeal into a gelatinous mass. Next morning, slice the Grits into squares and fry them in 1/2″ of cooking oil and butter until they turn a golden brown. Many people are tempted to pour syrup onto Grits served this way. This is, of course, unacceptable, but delicious.

Well, what else could you possibly want to know on the subject? I believe that just about covers it!

Well, we sure hope today’s post will have put the ole “try em, you just might like em,” bug in your britches, and if so, once more we feel you might be in for a pleasant surprise. If not, well, that just means…more for us!!

Before we close, we had another friend from Virginia, Roger sent us this video. We just had to share this! Deb and I both got the biggest kick watching these dogs…saying grace before their meals! We loved this, and hope you guys get a kick outta it too!

Thanks Roger…this was a…goodun!

You guys have a great day and God Bless you all. As Deb loves to say, “Keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb

Well, I guess you all know who’s fixin to be makin his rounds, huh? I was gonna advise one and all you better be good, but shoot, if you haven’t been up till now, I don’t guess there’s any need of changing anything around this late in the game.

Man, we’ve got an excited herd of grandkids runnin around. Bless their hearts, they’re tryin their best to be good, but I don’t know…they might just have too much of their Nana in them to help it! We’ll have to just play it by ear, I guess!

Anyway, if you guys are anything like our clan, and I have to bet ya’ll are, we’ll be putting on a feed bag up at my Mom and Dad’s. Good night at the food that woman puts on a dern table…but I ain’t complainin one bit!

With that being said, ole Deb and I been tryin our best to curb our eating some, and salads are a pretty good place to start. So today, this is what we’ll be sharin with you guys…rabbit food! At least 3 outta 4 have some type of meat in them, so in regards to salads, we’re probably cheatin some…

All three salads come from a cook book of a man I used to love to hear talk, he’d always be tryin to “jerk your chain,” which was entertaining, but the man could do wonders with a cook stove!

His name…Justin Wilson, and this cook book is, “Justin Wilson’s…Homegrown Louisiana Cookin.” It was published by MacMillan Publishing Company.

Take a look, we’ll believe you’ll like these…I guarroantee it!

Pork Salad:

This can be served as a salad, or served on a lettuce leaf as a side dish…

• 1 pound raw pork, or leftover cooked pork, torn into pieces
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt to taste
• Louisiana hot sauce or ground cayenne pepper to taste
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• ¼ cup chopped celery
• ½ cup chopped bell pepper
• ½ cup chopped onion

If you’re using raw pork, place it in a 4 quart saucepan, cover with water, and stir in the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and hot sauce. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the pork is tender, about 1 hour. Remove the pork from the broth and let it cool. After the pork has cooled enough to handle, pull it apart into small pieces.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the mayonnaise, and olive oil until creamy and smooth. Beat in the vinegar until well blended and smooth, then stir in salt and hot sauce. Add the celery, bell pepper, and onion, and stir to mix well. Add the pork and mix again. Serve on a bed of lettuce, as a sandwich filling, or stuffed into a tomato.

Peach and Pepper Salad:

• 5 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
• 2 medium-sized bell peppers, sliced
• 2 Hungarian wax peppers, sliced
• 2 medium-sized sweet onions, sliced
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• Salt to taste
• Ground cayenne pepper or Louisiana hot sauce to taste

In a large salad bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix together. Refrigerate for 2 hours and serve cold.

Fish Salad:

• 1 pound boned cooked fish
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup finely chopped dill pickle or drained dill relish
• 1 cup finely chopped bell pepper
• 2 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Louisiana hot sauce or ground cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise

Crumble your fish into a medium-sized bowl, making SURE that all the bones have been removed. Mix the onions, pickle, bell pepper, and eggs. In a small bowl combine the olive oil, salt, hot sauce, wine vinegar, and mayonnaise.

Pour over fish and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Wilted Bacon Salad:

• 4 slices of bacon
• 6-8 cups torn greens, such as romaine, parsley, spinach, or any leaf lettuce
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• ½ cup vinegar
• ½ cup water
• Salt to taste
• Louisiana hot sauce or ground cayenne pepper to taste
• Croutons (optional)

In a medium-sized skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove and crumble; reserve the bacon drippings. Combine the greens and onions in a large salad bowl and toss lightly, then top with the bacon. Slightly heat bacon drippings in the skillet (be very careful not to heat the drippins too much or the grease may splatter when the water is added), add the vinegar, water, salt, and hot sauce; stir and mix well until heated through. Pour over the greens, toss, sprinkle with croutons, and serve immediately.

We can’t close out today without a Justin Wilson tale…

One day I was in Johhny Guitreau’s barroom saloon cocktail lounge restaurant general store with some of my friend’. A fallow walked in holdin a jug on his han’ and strode up to dis frien’ with me. He said, “Hey my frien’ won’t you take a drink from my jug?”

The stranger brightened considerably, then announced, “GOOD, now hold the gun on me and make me taste it too!”

Well, in the spirit of Christmas, we have to put up this video. It was sent to us by our friends from Mobile, Bill and Sandy. Deb thought it was just too cute, and if you have small children or grandchildren, I guarroantee they’ll love it.

I can’t wait to send it to Shelby Lynn! I don’t know how many times Red will have to sit there and replay it for her! This being the case…I LOVE IT!

Deb asked me later, “Did you think the video was cute?” I replied that no, actually, in the true spirit of our post’s title today, I was thinkin more along the lines of a…lamb salad!! Jus kiddin Mississippi!

You guys have a great day…and God Bless! Deb says to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb

Here at our gathering at Mom and Dad’s, we put on a pretty good feed bag as well. Over the last few years, Mom made the switch from Christmas lunch, to Christmas breakfast, and I’m here to tell ya, this has been one, big hit! The whole family has bought into this, whole-hog!

The main dish is a breakfast casserole, but she supplements the casserole with another dish or two as well. You know, so you don’t go home hungry. In regards to our Mama’s, we all know they don’t want you leavin the table and your belly ain’t full yet.

So as I said, my Mama might just throw a couple other things on the table to prevent such as that. Normally this is scrambled eggs, country ham, biscuits, red-eyed gravy, grits, sausage balls, mounds of bacon, sausage gravy too, sliced tomatoes, and a heaping bowl of fruit salad.

We get enough…but just barely. If we keep it down to 3-4 plates per person, it kinda stretches it out some. LOL!

You know, isn’t this a wonderful time of the year? I mean, the entire rest of the year is great, and since Deb’s ordeal, we’ve come to realize that EVERY day is a blessing, no doubt, but this time of the year is special.

By our string of holidays being fairly close together, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, this allows our families time off from work at the same time, and our children are “school free” for a little while. This in itself helps all that much more in bringing families together.

Enjoy this time.

As you get older, and your family begins to “leave the nest” the closeness, or maybe the better description is simply having the opportunity to spend good quality time together, fades. Time, distance, work, even having the resources to see your loved ones all come into play.

So guys, enjoy your family and friends. We’re only here for what time the good Lord allows us, so make the very best of each day. Get up…give thanks. Go to bed…give thanks. Make life count, cause you only go around once.

Take the time and the effort to hug your family. Let them hear the words come from your mouth, by telling them that you love them. Sometimes we forget the importance of saying those few words…I love you, but they sure are comforting, and even more, they’re so encouraging to hear if you’re on the receiving end!

Deb and I would like to wish the very best for each and every one of you! You guys have all been just great to us, and we appreciate everything you guys do for us. It is appreciated. Better yet, doing a little of “practicing what I’m preachin…” We love you guys!

“Awright Deb, you can turn it off now…I told em!” LOL!!!

All three recipes today, come once again from the cook book, White Trash Gatherings,” by Kendra Bailey Morris. It was published by the Ten Speed Press.

If you like a little Southern “down home humor, and maybe picking up a tip or two, with some good home-cookin thrown in boot, then you might want to consider picking ya one up! We’ve enjoyed our copy.
First off, we’ll be cookin up a breakfast casserole today.

During the Christmas season or not, these are a good way to start off the day. As the author states, these are “self-contained” breakfasts, and can be prepped the day before.

Just stick it in the fridge overnight. Then, the next morning, slap it in the cook stove, have a sit, pour you a cup of coffee, and visit with your guests. When the timer goes off, get up and scratch (for us older ones), head off to the kitchen, and chow down!

Down at the Milk House Breakfast Casserole:

• 1 pound ground breakfast sausage
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 6 slices white bread
• 12 eggs
• ¾ cup of milk
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• Salt and Pepper, as much as you like (hee, hee, hee…that’s for you Sandy)
• 3 to 4 green onions, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, or 1 teaspoon dried
• Dash of hot sauce, **more if your guests like it spicy
• 1-1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar Cheese

Brown up your sausage in a medium skillet. Spread the butter over the bottom and sides of a casserole dish. Put your bread pieces on the bottom of it.

Get yourself another bowl and beat up your eggs, milk, and soup, and add salt and pepper the way you like it. Add in the onions, parsley and hot sauce. Pour the mixture over your bread. Top with the cooked sausage and then cover the whole mess with a bunch of cheese.

Now, cover the dish and stick it in your fridge overnight.

Next morning, turn your oven on to 350. Bring your casserole close to room temperature before putting it in a hot oven (or you just might crack your casserole dish). Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, or until eggs are done. Serve up hot.

**(Just a word of caution here, per Dub…don’t get it too spicy though! Grannie Margret put too much hot sauce in Granddaddy Troy’s pork and rice once. They didn’t have indoor plumbing at the time, so you may see where this is headed. Anyway, it was so hot it tore his stomach up. Grannie said he ate a plateful, got up and TOOK OFF outside. She said he couldn’t make it to the outhouse, so he just runned off into the scrub. In just a matter of a few seconds, Granddaddy…had set the dern woods on fire! Use caution with the hot sauce!)

Poochie’s Biscuit Bean Bake:

• 1 pound ground beef
• ¼ chopped onion
• 1 envelope Sloppy Joe seasoning mix (set aside 1 tablespoon of mix)
• 1 (31 oz.) can or 2 (15 oz.) cans pork and beans
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ cup ketchup
• 1 (12 oz.) can refrigerated biscuits
• 1 cup cubed Cheddar Cheese

Turn your oven on to 350. Grease up a casserole pan.

Saute your ground beef in a little oil until fully cooked. Drain off the fat, unless you like it there. Add the onions and sauté a little longer. Add your Sloppy Joe mix (except for the 1 tablespoon you’re setting aside), your pork and beans, brown sugar and ketchup. Simmer it for a couple minutes until bubbly. Pour into your casserole pan.

Unroll the pack of biscuits. Open each biscuit and place a cube of Cheddar cheese inside. Do this for each biscuit. Place biscuits on top off the bean mixture. Sprinkle the rest of your Sloppy Joe seasoning mix over the biscuits and bake for about 30 minutes, or until biscuits are done. Serve hot.

Judy Mac’s Dee-Licious Easy Piled-On Porkchops:

Turn on your oven to 350.

Put a little shortening in your cast iron skillet and brown the pork chops real good on both sides. Then put your chops in a deep baking dish. Now, pile on the good stuff! Top each chop with a slice of lemon, a slice of onion, and a big tablespoon of brown sugar followed by a heaping tablespoon of ketchup.

Drizzle some molasses over the entire dish and add a little salt and pepper. Then pour the water evenly over the whole dish. Bake in a hot oven until the sauce starts to thicken, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.