Varmint

Both. And 'fess up! The problem with the peaches is that when you buy them, they might be a day or two short of being perfectly ripe.

It would be a good idea if someone brought "Dueling Banjos". Dean loves that tune! PM me if you need me to send an MP3. Regards, Al "Pissed He Can't Make It" Dente ← Yet another reason why I need to control the music as well! Al, you CAN make it. Just because doing so would ruin your marriage is no excuse.

Yes. I have edited the menu appropriately. Marlene, I'm just focusing on the Sunday menu right now. I've got everything else under control!!!

Let's update the menu, with who's in charge of sourcing the ingredients and preparation: Eastern NC-style, whole hog barbecue, with sauce (Varmint) Western NC-style barbecue, with sauce (Varmint) Smoked Chicken (Varmint) Goat (probably) (Varmint) Smoked portabellos (in =Mark's honor, who will be unable to join us this year) (Varmint) Slaw (Varmint) Greens (Varmint) Green beans or field peas (Varmint) Fried okra (Brooks) Okra & Tomatoes (Brooks, Brooks, Brooks) Potato salad (Marlene? -- Varmint to source potatoes, Marlene in charge of the rest) Hush puppies (Malawry) Deviled eggs (Debbie Moose) Brunswick Stew -- Varmint-Dave Variety (Dave the Cook -- Dave, let me know what you need in advance) Pickled Okra (Brooks, of course) Desserts: Homemade, hand-cranked ice cream (foodiehall- yum!) Viennese style desserts (Carrot Top) Butter Tart Squares (Marlene) Bread Pudding (Weka) Banana Pudding (VaNC) Rainbow Jello Mold (Rachel) Lots of others (my in-laws!) Beverage: Red Hook Beer (complements of Harris Wholesale) Homebrew Red & White Wine (complements of Carolina Wine Company) Cocktails (Katie and Janet in charge) Limoncello (Katie - although don't count on there being any left!) Iced Tea (Sweet and unsweet) (Varmint) Citrus Ade (Varmint) What have I missed?

Cool!!!! More deviled eggs in the house!!! Debbie, I'll clean out my beer fridge so we'll have lots of space when it's all said and done. I want deviled eggs now!!!! So pick up your copy of Debbie's book, y'hear? The local independent bookstore 2 minutes from my house will have plenty of copies if Debbie doesn't bring her own stack.

It never hurts to ask if they'd deliver, the worst that could happen is they say no. ← They don't deliver. Today I had a Very Berry and a Pineapple-Chile. Both very good. Phlawless had a Creamy Pecan (not sweet enough) and Peanut Butter-Chocolate.

Hopefully both will be available. Not everyone from the South falls for this sweet tea stereotype. I like it plain. ← That's why I asked people to bring 5 gallon coolers. One for sweet tea, one for unsweet, and one for some citrus ade (lemon+lime+orange?).

I have over 30 of these CDs, which represents over 50 hours of music. There's something for everyone. So don't worry about specific artists, as he/she/they are likely to come up.

Speaking of the music for the crew, I will have a broad assortment of tunes. We learned last time that it's impossible to please everyone, so what will be on my CD player is actually a collection of about 30 CDs that I made for the L'il Varmints. We call these tunes "Kids' Mixes", and they were made to teach the kids about all different types of music. Thus, we have pop, country, R&B, punk, surf, zydeco, new wave, alternative, folk, and more. In a crowd, they work very, very well. I'm pretty sure that you'll sing along with at least every third song. Here's a typical list of artists on a given CD: Beck Neville Brothers Don McLean Little Richard The Cars Starlight Vocal Band Foo Fighters Van Morrison Uncle Tupelo Queen Stevie Wonder Coldplay Johnny Cash Bo Donaldson & the Haywoods Depeche Mode The Surfaris They Might Be Giants Cher Ramones Percy Sledge Gary Numan Twisted Sister Audioslave Rosie Ledet You'll find yourself singing along to a lot of the songs, and you (and the people around you) might be embarrassed to admit that you're singing along to them. I think you'll like this set up, as it really is a fun trip down memory lane, covering a lot of genres.

At your command, Capt. Varmint! So, you prefer more traditional deviled eggs, or something different? And what time Sat 9/3? Here are the ones I'm considering: basic recipe (mayo-mustard-vinegar), Cousin Judy's (Old Bay, Worchestershire), Pimento Cheese (Cheddar, Vidalia, garlic, pimentos), Bloody Marys (sundried tomatoes, horseradish, etc.), Blue Devils (blue cheese, bacon) or Devil Made me Do It (habanero hot sauce, curry). I can do two kinds, probably not more with the volume. Others can - and knowing you, will - weigh in but the decision of El Jefe Varmint is final! ← Damn, I have to choose only two? This is what I suggest: first, is there any way we can make more? I know 6 dozen sounds like a lot, but deviled eggs are incredibly special and highly coveted. What I suggest is that we make at least 10 dozen (yeah, I know!). We can cover the costs. We boil the eggs on Saturday, let the crew peel and cut them, and make the filling. We fill them on Sunday as we're getting ready to serve. With 3 or 4 people on egg duty, we could put out a lot of deviled eggs in a hurry. Debbie, don't underestimate how much help you'll have here. That is why this event is so much fun. And the music will be very, very good! With that in mind, and with the hope that we can do 10 dozen eggs (wow!), I think that we need to make half of those the traditional variety. Then I suggest making two other types, preferably pimento cheese and bloody mary's. I can be influenced toward any of the choices, because they all sound great. Regardless, these will be incredible. Is this do-able? Who's willing to help Ms. Moose????

I have a favor to ask of the local folks. Does anyone have a kids swimming pool that's on its last legs? I really don't want to brine the pig in the bathtub again, and a pool would be a viable alternative. I will clean it out with lots of bleach when we're done if you want it back. Otherwise, I'm off to WalMart!

Twelve days. And I have yet to buy a single thing to prepare for this yet. Looks like a trip to Sam's Club is in the cards for this weekend.

Pickles would be great, but I haven't a clue of how you would pack them. Rats.

If this is the kind of thing that I can expect, I may be busy that weekend. ← Oh, I assure you that you'll be very busy.

I do want to give anyone who plans on helping out with the cooking a heads up on some logistics. The primary purpose of doing a pig pickin' is to break bread together in an old North Carolina tradition. It's a celebration of the harvest, and of friendship, and of the hard work that went into it. With this goal in mind, I also strive to maintain some semblance of authenticity with the meal. So if I reject an offer to make a particular dish, it's not because I think it's a disgusting idea (except maybe for the ground beef, hot dogs and beans idea -- ), it's because it doesn't fit in MY concept of a pig pickin'. When we get together to cook, I'll take a similar approach. I will in effect be the executive chef, asking people to put together dishes the way I want them. Is it selfish? Yup, but it's also to give most of you something you've never experienced. And I'm committed to making it better than what long-time pig pickers have experienced. Regardless, this will be a hoot, and there will be so much food and drink, we'll need wheelbarrows to cart many of us out of here. And I'll have plenty of aspirin, too. And finally, I'll try my best not to act like Gordon Ramsay and cuss Brooks out every 5 minutes. Bring on the pig. Thirteen days. Whoo hoooo!

True, selections are poor for the liquor lover. I can contribute some basic Smirnoff vodka, plus cooler and ice. Also, homemade hot pepper vinegar! And, if you're lucky, I can persuade my husband to part with a jar or two of my infamous veggie relish (AKA Crack Cocaine Relish for its addictive qualities), which I'll be canning this weekend. ← All of that sounds great, but the vinegar is highly desired to go with the greens. Thanks so much!!!

Just a reminder: if you're planning on coming to NC and buying any liquor here, don't count on finding anything other than the ordinary. We have a state-owned liquor store system, and their selections are awful.

Just a reminder: if you're planning on coming to NC and buying any liquor here, don't count on finding anything other than the ordinary. We have a state-owned liquor store system, and their selections are awful.

Phlawless had some hare-brained idea (haw!) that simply because it was someone's birthday weekend that she couldn't come to the pig pickin'. Thus, she'll be missing out on what could be the single best example of Brunswick Stew ever created. Ever. I might be able to convince her to come. It'll take a bribe of many loco pops, however.

Yes, there's room. Check the beginning of this discussion for info about how to get tickets. Hope to see you here.

It's true that Brooks needs the practice. And the bribery. ← I'll be needing your parent's address. ← Do you need the address of the nearest Popeye's, too? ← Ouch. Good counter, Dave.

Heh heh. Let the battle begin! Oh, current count is 115 attendees. We're about to be sold out, y'all.

Asking is different from telling. ← Agreed. It's one thing to be ignorant and unsure. Even in detlefchef's restaurant I've asked the waitstaff how to eat a particular dish. But to fake like you know what you're doing to the point of insulting the staff is another issue altogether.

That's pretty damn funny. It'll take a while to educate your customers, and even then, you'll get these types!

We're heading down the homestretch, y'all -- 13 days! Pray that the hurricanes stay far away from North Carolina. Dave and Brooks are perfecting their chicken frying techniques. My father and my wife's father will likely be added as judges, and maybe one more to give us a 5 judge panel. We'll have the kids judge, too, as they might be even more susceptible to bribery. It's been blazingly hot here, but who knows what it'll be like in two weeks. Depending on what citrus fruit is on sale, I'm thinking of making a cooler full of lemonade/limeade, too. One can not live on tea and beer alone! Any more questions about the pig pickin'?