mikey

Although beside the point, I can't let this pass. "Tin" cans are made of steel, no tin involved for most of my lifetime. They are coated internally. I rather suspect you would have to pierce the can to damage the lining.

In the past, I've had several nice meals at the Cafe DeVille (in the Hotel DeVille). The hotel's web site has changed, and there is no longer a menu. Haven't been there in a couple of years. If you decide you just want something easy, have a Greek salad and pizza at Arris Pizza downtown(almost right across High Street from the Capitol. They've been around for about 45 years, so whether or not up to east coast standards, they make people happy. If you are interested in country ham, bacon, etc., you might want to take a side trip to Burger's Smokehouse in California (about 20 miles east of Jeff). They've been around longer than I can remember, have had numerous grand champion hams at the MO State Fair. Check their web site at www.smokehouse.com. They aren't open weekends, but do offer tours on weekdays.

Cape Cod reduced fat- you can eat them and read the newspaper at the same time.

Well, I went home and asked my wife, and the "boiled can" of Eagle Brand does indeed take longer than an hour-three hours, in fact.

I don't know if this is actually a southern desert, but it qualifies as a southern-style(tooth-hurting sweet), and I had never run across it until I visited my wife's family in Arkansas. It consists of "boiling a can" - cooking a can of Eagle Brand sweetened concensed milk under boiling water for about an hour- until it caramelizes. Remove from the can and slice. It then turns a little white-trash-cookbook- top with a slice of canned pineapple with a cherry in the center. Personally, I always liked mine covered with whipped cream. I guess I've always been fascinated by the part about boiling the can.

I grew up in Jefferson City, 20 miles from Burger's. Their hams are available in supermarkets there, as well as vacuum packed slices, trimmings, etc. The ham trimmings and bacon ends are great for green beans(dull-olive variety, not bright green), and I always use ham trimmings in red beans and rice. They are also considerably cheaper in the supermarkets there, if you happen to be near. I took the tour many years ago, and recommend it if you are passing near. A word of warning-I have found hams in our local (Little Rock, AR) Kroger's labelled "Burger's", complete with the corny graphics on the label, that are labelled as being produced in Tennessee. While they are "country" hams, I have found them to be lower quality and higher moisture content, leading me to suspect they are "counterfeit", and not from the same company. There used to be a restaurant in Jefferson City called Nick's Homestead that served pan-fried chicken and country ham family style, with green beans, mashed potatoes, etc. Sadly, I don't know if they're still in business.

This would never make it past any risk manager, but I do it anyway. I turn the jar/bottle upside down and whack it a couple of times with the heel of my hand. It usually breaks the seal.

Efforts to list bad tippers here pales in comparison to This.

Sorry, but Sunday is a problem in Little Rock. Doe's is closed, and so are all the local barbeque joints. The local branch of Corky's is open, but so is the original in Memphis. I can't speak for Memphis. You might want to try Craig's, in Devall's Bluff, a short detour off I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis on Hwy 70, apparently open on Sundays. I haven't been there in years, but it maintains a good reputation. Also Murray's Catfish also on Hwy 70, toward Hazen. What else might you be interested in?

Sorry, but Raji died over a year ago.

My favorite Campbell's soup for years has been cream of potato(made with milk, of course).

Prudhomme's (Enola's) has been closed for at least our last three December visits to Lafayette. I always thought Blue Dog was kind of up-scale Cajun, not touristy. We had a terrible visit to Randol's a year or so ago- must have been at least an hour after we were seated before we were served. Finally got around to Mulate's this past December, and found it VERY touristy.

-raw celery -cucumbers -canned peas -Miracle Whip

OK, sorry, it's a couple of nights.. Here's one list to peruse Arkansas Dining; it won't set any standards for food journalism, but it's a starting point. I don't have a great deal of experience with Hot Springs restaurants, but I do recommend McClard's Barbecue-but I can only speak for the "Ribs & Fries"(the only thing I ever order). Think oval diner plate with a base of about 1/2 rack of ribs, completely covered with a mound of fresh french fries. It comes with an empty plate to off-load the fries to get to the ribs. If you get this, order the ribs without sauce; they tend to be a little heavy-handed. For barbecue in Little Rock, I'm a fan of the (Yes, I know there's something counter-intuitive about baarbecue joints with web sites, but it's a brave new world) Whole Hog Cafe. There is a Corky's here, but I usually have a burger or catfish when we eat there. Doe's in Little Rock offers big-buck steaks in surroundings that make most 'cue shacks look upscale. Star of India is the only Indian restaurant, but respectable, in my limited experience. For relatively upscale dining: 1620, Vermillion Bistro, Ristorante Capeo(Italian), Brave New Restaurante, Acadia. There are lots of Mexican restuarants-in a mainstream sort of way-but my favorites are Casa Manana and La Palapa (same ownership) Vietnamese- Vanlang. Again, good food; I just don't have a frame of reference for what quality of Vietnamese food. Steakhouses- Riverfront Steakhouse, Sonny Williams Steak Room Lots of catfish houses, everyone has a different favorite. Seafood on the river, Cajun's Wharf If you have a chance, stop by Boulevard Bread Company, for artisinal bread and panini-esque sandwiches I'm sure I've overlooked any number of restaurants.(and by the way, I only mentioned one chain-Corky's) If you have any questions, or are looking for anything specific, ask away.

What weekend is your birthday? I don't have time to post anything detailed now, but will get back this evening.

We got our annual fix a week ago. A the family of a friend who lives in Lafayette has a citrus orchard. We make an annual visit to Lafayette the first weekend of December, and have been bringing back a box of satsumas and a box of navels for the last several years. I'm not a big orange eater, but my wife wife distributes them as Christmas gifts to friends and co-workers. They all think they're great.

All of the above, plus the double batch of red beans I make for our office potluck every year(or anything else you make in that stockpot that's too tall for your kitchen refrigerator).

I'm a day late and about 3 pages behind, but I caught the ad yesterday(I think), and at the very end was the tag "not a low sodium food". Has anyone paid enough attention to know if this is an evolution of the ad?

I think the practice of putting coins on top of bills arose with cash registers that computed change. Before technology, the normal way to count change was to start with the amount of the bill and dispense change from smallest to largest, counting up to the amount tendered. Since computing cash registers, the custom is to count out the amount of change, largest to smallest until the amount of change is reached. The real problem comes at a drive-through window, where you have to balance the coins on the bills across the inaccessable area between the window and the car-like carrying an egg on a spoon. Hardly anyone knows how to count change any more. And yeah, they probably are trained to count it that way.

Actually, Craig's is in DeValls Bluff, west of Brinkley. The last I heard, the pie shop had burned, but I think Craig's may still sell their pies. They made a sweet potato pie that was more like pecan pie filling than pumpkin pie-good. Anyway, Craigs is on US 70 which parallels I40 on the south. It's on the west side of DeValls Bluff, on the south side of the road.

Or how about pumpkin pumpkin cheesecake

Jonesin- welcome to eGullet. It's been lonely here in Little Rock.

Fresser, were you in Little Rock? There's been "The Butcher Shop" here for about 20 years or more. They started out with 'grill your own' as the main gimmick, with an option for them to cook it for a buck or two. Now they have evolved into a conventional steak house with 'grill your own' as a no-credit option. Ahead of their time??? (If I want to mis-cook a steak, I can do it a lot cheaper at home)

Take-out pizza in Pine Bluff. AR

People seem to either love them or hate them; I love them. They are positively a pain in the ass to process. When I was a child, my father would sit in the basement with a flat iron and hammer cracking them(they always seem to have been available hulled-I think I remember that the farm co-op had a huller). We then spent a great deal of time picking them. They're the only nuts I think absolutely require a nut pick. There was always a cottage industry (in central Missouri) selling picked nuts, but we must have thought that was an unecessary luxury. Recently I saw picked nuts by the bag in Sam's Club, so they are comercially available. I think they go great with chocolate(but then what nut doesn't). I think it's about time to bake a pan of brownies. edit- They have absolutely no decorative value(the nuts, that is-the shells have been used for all kinds of carvings): in 56 years I have never seen a whole kernal.