Lan4Dawg

all day preaching, singing & dinner on the grounds! can not be missed! look also for camp meeting, home coming, or revival dinner. much of the food you will be eating was actually walking, in the ground, or on the vine the day before the dinner.

if you are in the Atlanta area.... the Tower over on Buford Highway (not the Buckhead store--that I know) has Hendrick's gin as a close out for $20/bottle--marked down fr/ the usual $29.

bananas. I will eat anything (w/in reason). I adore most foods & some that are not my favorites will be consumed w/ relish (literally ":^) ) if prepared properly but the very thought of a banana makes my stomach churn. I find them not appealing (pun intended) at all. They are anathema. They are nasty. They are the work of a very, very cruel demon as a wicked curse on mankind. I adore Jamaican food and there is a phenomenal little Jamaican restaurant not too far fr/ us. However, for some reason telling these people to leave plantains (bananas disguised & trying to be cool) off of a dish is like telling them that I detest their children. I get a liturgy about how they are prepared & I will not taste the absolute mushiness of their measly existence but, I can smell them. I know they are there. I detest the measly yellow things w/ all my heart & soul. It has become a joke when we go there that "here is the guy that wants no plantains". I drink extra Red Stripe to make up for any possible affront (as if that is a sacrifice) When I waited tables & was forced to make bananas foster I would stand there & hold my breath so as not to have to inhale the stench. Other waiters were amazed that I could make the dessert so quickly. They thought I was talented. Truth be told; I just could not hold my breath any longer so the bananas got made quickly. Even the color yellow makes my internal organs want to do flip-flops. I try to block out those little yellow guys on the left & beneath the posts just b/c of their color. Surprisingly lemons are okay. They seem to be a cheery yellow as opposed to that nasty, flat, hideous yellow color that bananas inflict on the human population. I have only one thing in common w/ a popular dessert. I too hope "bananas 'split'".

Herman's Rib House, what a dump, but the food is actually pretty good. Do not go there on the Fr/ Sat of a home Ark football game however as you will be waiting hours for a table.

there have been a few of these places in the Atl area in the past few years but none recently. You would not believe the number of people who told me what a wonderful idea it was. My response was that I would go to the market, buy a cut of not really good meat, light my grill, & charge them three times the cost of the meat & 6 times the cost of the beer for them to have the opportunity to grill their steaks. I had very few takers. The place closed after a few years. The draw was that a bunch of guys could stand together & drink beer, grill their steaks, watch sports on TV, & talk about their wives w/o worrying about the incidentals.

love that white sauce & the barbecued dill pickles. The counter folks can be a little surly when you are standing at the window as the place opens w/ an order for 20 however ":^)

We have been twice. The first time we enjoyed it immensely. The second time things were way down hill & I hesitate to recommend it to anyone. I understand that they had lost their chef or something just prior to our second visit so that might be the explanation (& both visits were a few years back now) It is a lovely place (Dinah Shore got her singing start at the bar there---& the men's restroom must be seen to be believed) & I hope they got "their act together" and are not just relying on reputation. I would seriously like to try them again & would love a report fr/ some one. We have enjoyed Cafe One, Two, Three the last couple of times visiting Nashville and look forward to dining there again.

they still sell them down there at several booths. MOF, I bought about 5 lbs of green peanuts that are boiling merrily away on the stove as I type. Tomato sauce on one burner, pickling vinegar for cucumbers on the other, peanuts on another, & peas on the last one.

just south of I-285 off of I-75. It is very well marked but the exit is a little tricky as it is one of those where cars are merging as you are trying to exit so be careful. I did not see Dan Moore represented but I did see some peaches--not a lot but a few--and more watermelons than you could imagine.

we made our occasional trek down to the Georgia Farmers' Market down near Hartsfield airport this afternoon. If you have never been to your state farmers' markets then I urge you to do so. We spent much less than $100, including a late lunch at Thomas'-the restaurant on the market property-& returned w/ a p/u truck bed full of tomatoes, okra, squash, eggplant, cucumbers, peppers, beans, peanuts, & fruit. Much of it was fr/ local growers & all of it was extremely fresh. Tomorrow we start the task of making tomato sauce & salsa, pickling cucumbers & okra, prepping squash, boiling peanuts, canning & freezing beans. I feel kind of like the ant getting ready for winter in the old fable. If you live in the Atlanta area (& note there are other markets around the state) or have a state farmers' market handy make use of it by all means. It beats anything you can get at the grocery in quality, quantity, & price. (I filled a bag w/ absolutely gorgeous red & green jalapeno peppers, a few habaneros, & some seranos. The guy looked in & said, "oh, fifty cents" ).

thx Holly, appreciate the info. We will be in Nashville in about a month & are looking forward to the trip, esp. w/ the info supplied. I have always heard about Prince's hot chicken. Is Mr. Boo's better? we were hoping to hit one or the other while there. The Loveless is a sight to behold. I am glad they are still keeping their quality after the sale. In the words of the late Lewis Grizzard, "these ain't no 'whomp' biscuits."

bloody mary made w/ tequila has traditionally been known as a "bloody Maria".

we do not even eat inside the ball parks. The food is usually abysmal (w/a few exceptions but those exceptions do not include Atl) & what is amazing is that now, for security purposes (yeah, right!) coolers & food fr/ outside the stadium is no longer allowed into games. What a joke! The best food is usually at minor league stadiums where they invite local places to set up & sell their wares. We host about two dozen people for the UGA games home & away and enjoy finding a menu to complement each team we play. People walk by our tailgate set up (w/ table cloths, fresh flowers, & a full bar) & we do not mind making them jealous at all. HDHD

beans, the Tabasco cook book has a receipt for pickled green beans that is phenomenal. E-mail me, lan4d@joimail.com, if interested & I will pass it along to you. I make them every couple of months & keep them in the fridge for bloody mary's, snacking purposes, relish trays, & the like.

I despise Publix. Perhaps it is the one near me in Gwinnett only but the prevailing attitude of that place is, "we are doing a favor for you by being open so you should just shop & accept whatever we do." I have had nothing but run-ins w/ management at that place since the day they opened to the point where I will not step foot in the place unless I absolutely have to do so. I have had too many bad experiences w/ Harry's to even bother to go there any more. Their bait & switch tactics were the last straw (Three items in one shopping trip were rung at a different price than marked). That & the manager who was standing & joking w/ a couple of employees while the lines at the check out were 6 deep who told me, "I am not a cashier" when I complained about how long it took. DeKalb Farmers' Market has Harry's beat hands down. Sometimes you can get some deals at Save-Rate (formerly Winn-Dixie) but their produce is awful. They also vary in everything fr/ quality to quantity fr/ store to store. I love Costco & will buy as much there as I can. I also found that Target is not bad. Their prices are not phenomenal but you can find some deals if you look & the stuff is always fresh. The insipid card at Kroger drives me nuts but I like to play their game (& their pricing is sometimes pretty good). I will buy a jar of baby food--although we do not have children--or something equally bizarre just to mess up their records. ":^)

I asked the Fuss this very question & she agreed w/ you Fifi w/o hesitation. She did put fresh corn a close second. I would say either bacon or ham first on the list w/ ice cream second, fresh tomatoes third, melon fourth, & a well made turkey sandwich fifth. Fresh oysters, crab, & shrimp would rank up there as well.

a double AMEN on both counts! but it is still "alcohol abuse". Anyone remember a few years back when the Heaven Hill warehouses burned & caused all of the environmental problems in the river? what a tragedy.

agree w/ Nick re: V-8 juice (I prefer the spicy if I can find it) & use celery salt on the rim. Other than that same receipt as jackal10 except for one major difference....I make Bloody Mary's w/ GIN! Oh & I forgot, I do like a squeeze of lemon.

there is a group of about six of us that go camping at least 2x a year (some of us go more often but this group is an annual event). I am usually in charge of food b/c these guys could not boil water w/o help. Bisquick, love it or hate it, is a campers' best friend--you can always make your own if you are so inclined and prefer your own blend. Give just about anything else, a box of bisquick, & a dutch oven to me & we will be fine. I will make chicken & dumplings, fruit cobbler, breakfast casserole-brown the sausage in the dutch oven over the fire, pour out the grease, top w/ whipped eggs, cheese & bisquick w/ milk, hot sauce, s&p, & you are set. I also like to hit the market and get a whole bunch of different sausages. They are wonderful grilled over an open fire. Throw whole potatoes in the coals (wrap in foil or not). Always take bacon, dill, & lemon just in case you catch a mess of fresh trout & I do the kabob thing often esp if I do not know what people will like. People can make their own kabobs w/ whatever they like. Serve over rice made in the, you guessed it, dutch oven. Vidalia onions, or any other sweet onion, cut the top off & spread a little butter & salt on it then just let it sit on the grill for a while. Corn works as well--leave the outer shuck but remove the silk, rub w/ butter & salt then set on the grill over an open fire

most of my stuff is Maker's Mark related. As an ambassador & visiting them often I get a whole bunch of fun stuff fr/ them. I also get a lot as gifts since everyone knows I drink the stuff. (Sometimes I think I keep the state of Kentucky in business). Glassware, shot glasses, mixers, cigars, caps, humidor, more glassware, ties, pens, &c. Working in the bar/restaurant business and for a while in the wine retail business I was always getting freebies. Most of it was junk but a few I do like. I gave all of my bar mirrors to a friend who collects beer memorabilia except for the huge Perrier-Jouet mirror that hangs in my dining room (truth be told it was the only one the Fuss would allow me to hang in the house ":^) ). I also have the greatest ashtray fr/ Smirnoff. It is relatively old--when was the last time some one gave away ash trays? It is not that great aesthetically but is large enough for a good stogie or two and that is why I appreciate it. Also, I was given an early edition of "Old Mr. Boston Bar Book" that I still pull out just to see what has changed--like a couple of hundred gin based drinks, about 50 apricot liqueur based drinks, 25 or so sloe gin based drinks and NO vodka based cocktails.

for you literature types..... "I could never have done it without Bacon." William Shakespeare discussing writing his plays.

I was about to suggest stir sticks. Another thought is personalized martini (or whatever they might drink) glassware. I agree about the shakers. I have a small one (courtesy of Maker's Mark) that I use all the time. I seldomly use the large one b/c it takes two men & a boy to remove the top & I have never been able to pour out of the thing w/o splashing liquid everywhere (& that would be alcohol abuse!). I bought a cheapie glass mixer several years ago that has measurements & drink receipts on the side & I use that and a strainer most of the time. another idea: I inherited a portable bar several years ago. It has small shaker cups, bar spoon, muddler, strainer, 2 jiggers & a deck of cards along w/ space for two regular size bottles. I never thought I would use the thing but now take it everywhere & do not know what I would do w/o it. Mine is leather but I have seen some newer ones in that canvas soft side stuff (I prefer the formed b/c of less chance of breakage).

damn straight & GO DAWGS! Brunswick stew is an art form for which there is no receipt. You start w/ a hogs head & two squirrels & go fr/ there! (although, truth be told, most of us skip that part now) back to the original question: you have to grow up w/ Southern food to understand, appreciate, & enjoy it. No one who lives o/s of the South would even consider collards as food. They would turn their nose up at it. Yet we think a plateful of collards is the equivalent of the second coming and revel in the joy of eating them. Add some pepper sauce, a bit of onion relish a side of cornbread to soak up the pot likker and we'll slap our mommas to get to it. The same applies for such simple items as boiled peanuts, sweet potatoes, grits, catfish, cracklin's, sorghum syrup, okra, buttermilk, and a host of other foods. that is why Southern restaurants fail elsewhere. Others just do not appreciate our food (same as we for years did not appreciate food fr/ other cultures). I have often told people who want real Southern food to make plans to drive many miles out in the country. Find a small frame or clapboard church w/ a cemetery adjacent, unpaved parking lot, & poured concrete picnic table to the side and ask when is "homecoming". Show up & enjoy!

what'll ya have, what'll ya have, what'll ya have! have ya money in your hand and your order in your mouth! check it out for yourself: http://www.thevarsity.com/

I will have to try some of that. It looks interesting enough. I wonder if Tower carries it. btw, sitting here w/ my Bombay & Noilly Prat, about 12:1, w/ a twist of lemon, stirred over ice & strained into an icy martini glass and enjoying myself immensely thank you very much. We were out to dinner a few weeks ago & the waiter returned w/ our cocktails including my martini. I looked up & said, "Look! here comes my best friend in the world.......and he has a waiter attached." The poor waiter had to put the tray down on another table to keep fr/ spilling the drinks.