Stand By Me

This Kid's Got Game

Zack Greinke on this week's SI cover

Here's a shot from last night's game against Toronto ~ Greinke got the win ... making him 5-0 to become the first five-game winner this season in the majors and extended his league-leading strikeout total to 44. His ERA jumped from 0.00 to 0.50 but remains the best in either league. I've seen him pitch several times this year ~ he's got WICKED good stuff.

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John Fogerty ~ Centerfield

One Love

Meat And Three

Pan fried chicken tenders dunked in Arthur Bryant's Original bbq sauce, savory corn stuffing topped with morel gravy, red beans & ham, cooked cabbage & carrots splashed wit a lil' hot pepper vinegar. Whooooboy, talk about some mighty fine grindin' ~ that's how us southern boys roll.

Fresh cabbage and carrots ... cooked tender & splashed with a lil' hot pepper vinegar, butter & some salt and cracked black pepper.

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Hazel Dickens ~ West Virginia, My Home

A Change Is Gonna Come <----click

Cheesy Beer Bread/Corn Stuffing

Mais ... I baked a loaf homemade cheesy beer bread a few days ago & ate on it fer 2 days ~ then crumbled up what was left of it & made a savory corn stuffing to side up some smothered pork steaks. Something from nothing ... gotta love it ~ few thangs make a frugal ol' cook like me any happier, than to spin nothing into something edible. Slide <---click

Pontiac ~ R.I.P.

Peter And Gordon ~ I Go To Pieces

Snooks Eaglin ~ Red Beans

Red Beans & Ricely Yours

Well ... it is Monday ... and on da bayou, dat means red & white ~ so I put some Satchmo on da jukebox and set some beans to soakin' wit a big ol' ham bone. Baked a loaf of cheesy olive beer bread while dem beans was simmerin', too ... ain't no fancy city vittles ~ but beans sure is good groceries. Few more pics <---click

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Clifton Chenier ~ You Used To Call Me

The Bible Tells Me So

Aaron Neville ~ Jesus Loves Me

The Girls

Lil' Missy and Seesta B ... gettin' chummy out at Perrydize Lodge.
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Jerry Jeff Walker - Hands On The Wheel

German Slaw

Just made this big bowl of German coleslaw to take to a party tomorrow ~ this is my all-time favorite slaw: fresh cabbage, sweet Texas 1015 onions, few scallions, celery leaves, carrots & green peppers and a sprinklin' of mustard seeds & celery seeds ... then bring the dressing to a boil, and pour hot dressing over the slaw ~ toss and chill overnight. The dressing consists of sugar, oil, vinegar, dry mustard, salt & pepper.

Olive Tapenade

OK, so I had some veggies in the fridge (leftover from making a pasta salad yesterday) ... and I had a bunch of good oil cured olives & some golden pepperoncinis ~ sounded like the makins for olive tapenade. Ground it all up, mixed in some herbs & olive oil ... kicked it up wit a splash or three of RT's Lemondrop Hot Sauce ~ badda boom, done deal. Time to make some muffaletta burgers....

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Jerry Jeff Walker ~ Backslider's Wine

Little Feat

Killer Pasta Salad

Made a great pasta salad today ~ big bold, in yer face flavors ... so many good things in this pasta salad, but my favorite ingredient are the oil cured green olives stuffed with bleu cheese. Killer.

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Jerry Jeff Walker ~ Standing At The Big Hotel

Dumplin' Valley BBQ Sauce

The recipe for this fantastic sauce been in Norm Spradlen's family for generations ~ see the whole story here <--- click

Monte Cristo Grilled Cheese

Well, the pantry is gettin' pretty damn bare ... quick scan 'bout suppertime last night turned up a few slices bread, a lil' dat good Tillamook cheddar, 1 egg, a few jalapenos and a half an onion ~ thought about making an omelette or mebbe some french toast, but ah din't have enough eggs to go dat route. And it hit me like a bolt from the blue ... Monte Cristo style grilled cheese, stuffed with thin slices of japs and them good sweet Texas 1015 onions. Ah cain't remember when I enjoyed a grilled cheese so much. BTW, that bbq sauce in the background is one of my all-time favorites ~ Dumplin' Valley ~ made and bottled by my good frien Norm Spradlen, down there in Florida. If you haven't tried this sauce, you need to dial up Norm (aka Captain Sauce) on that internet WWW thang, and gitcha a case ~ you'll be glad ya did.

Little Boy On A Bus

A little boy got on the bus, sat next to a man reading a book, and noticed he had his collar on backwards.

The little boy asked why he wore his collar backwards. The man, who was a priest, said, "I am a Father". The little boy replied, "My Daddy doesn't wear his collar like that".

The priest looked up from his book and answered, ''I am the Father of many". The boy said, ''My Dad has 4 boys, 4 girls and two grandchildren and he doesn't wear his collar that way!"

The priest, getting impatient, said "I am the Father of hundreds", and went back to reading his book. The little boy sat quietly thinking for a while, then leaned over and said, "Maybe you should wear a condom, and put your pants on backwards instead of your collar".

Lou Ann Barton

Not Your Father's Ham & Cheese Sand

Baked ham, sliced thick & seared in hot skillet ... on a toasted poboy bun, slathered with homemade pimento cheese and drizzled with a lil' brown mustard. Dayum! Few more pics <---click

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LouAnn Barton ~ Shake Your Hips

Fresh Cut Gaufrette Fries

Well, I had 2 lonely lil' Yukon Gold taters ... and my skillet was good & greasy ... whadda am I supposed to do, huhhh?? Cut some gaufrettes and fry'em up, dat's what ~ first blanch done, will fry'em again later nice and golden brown & crispy ... to side up a baked ham/pimento cheese poboy. Ain't no fancy city vittles....

Winner Winner, Shrimp Dinner

Mais, after spinnin' dat catfish nine ways to Sunday ... yestiddy ah hauled off and turned mah attention to some nice big 16/20 count schwimps ~ butterflyin' some for frying, and berlin' a few to make a schwimp dip fer cracker snackin'. Good grindin' as they were, the twice-baked 'tater stuffed with blackened catfish stole the show! More pics <---click

Rev Gary Davis

Electrolux Sweeper

Mais ... mah ol' vacuum cleaner (remember when they were just called *sweepers*) finally rolled craps the other day, and I had to haul off and go buy a new one. Jeez Louise, there must be 300-400 different kinds of them to choose from!! I finally bought one from a lil' mom & pop hardware/appliance store ~ coulda got it for about $20 cheaper at Walmart, but that's another story. Anyway, I digress ... got me to thinkin' about the ol' sweeper my mama had when I was a kid ... a big ol' heavy job, just like the one above. Us kids all had our weekly household cleaning chores, and my favorite one was runnin' this sweeper!! They don't make'em like they used to. Tru dat.

Glory, Hallelu

Rev. Gary Davis ~ Oh Glory, How Happy I Am

Oh, when I was out in the world of sin
I had no one to be my friend
Jesus came and he taken me in
Glory, hallelu
And he taken my feet out the miry clay
He placed them up on a rock to stay
I thank God that I can say
Glory, hallelu

CHORUS
Oh, Glory how happy I am
Oh, Glory how happy I am
My soul is washed in the blood of the lamb
Glory, hallelu

I was out in darkness and I could not see
Jesus came and he rescued me
He claimed me and gave me a victory
Glory, hallelu
And one day while Jesus was passing by
He set my sinful soul on fire
He made me laugh and he made me cry
Glory, hallelu

CHORUS

When I could not understand
Jesus, he give me a lending hand
Led me away to the promised land
Glory, hallelu
Oh, well he give me a horn and he told me to blow
Go in peace and sin no more
He led me away to the upright shore
Glory, hallelu

CHORUS

I know something that's mighty swell
A sweet little story I love to tell
Jesus saved my soul from Hell
Glory, hallelu
Oh, stand back Satan, get out of my way
I don't want to hear not a word you say
I'm on my way to the King's highway
Glory, hallelu
Well thank God I got over at last
Thank God I got over at last
My feet is planted in the narrow path
Glory, hallelu

CHORUS

When I had no home to claim
I begin to call on Jesus' name
He saved me from old Satan's chains
Glory, hallelu
Now I'm fire-baptized and holy ghost-filled
I'm out here to do my master's will
I must keep going, I must keep
Glory, hallelu

Mary Gauthier ~ Mercy Now

Mercy Now @ Yahoo! Video

Blackened Catfish

Made some fantastic blackened catfish today ~ blackened catfish poboys and also some blackened catfish dip fer cracker snackin' ~ here's a few more pics. <---click

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Mary Gauthier ~ Drag Queens In Limousines

Fried Catfish Poboy

Dayum, this here was some mighty fine grindin' ah garrontee! I marinated the catfish in a slurry of RT's Lemondrop Hot Sauce & some dat good Zatarain's Creole Mustard ... then rolled it in a cornmeal breading and deep fried ~ slapped dat catfish on a toasted poboy bun & dressed it to the max wit some kicked-up homemade remoulade sauce, lettuce and pickles ... and sided it up with some fresh cut fries. Here's a couple mo' pictures <---click

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Flying Burrito Brothers ~ Don't Let Yer Deal Go Down

Trisha Yearwood

First Blanch ~ Twice Fried

Fresh cut Idaho Russett fries ~ blanched in hot oil and dusted with a lil' cajun seasoning. Will fry them again this evening, to side up a fried catfish poboy ~ dressed with some kicked-up tartar sauce (remoulade fer you cajuns) made with some mah good buddy RT's homemade lemondrop hot sauce.

Cheeburger Cheeburger ... No COKE, Pepsi!!

OK Nico ... so I been on a cheeseburger kick lately ~ made these blackened bacon cheeseburgers last night & smothered them with lotsa grilled Texas 1015 onions. Burger jones satiated, today we move on to some fried catfish poboys and fresh cut homemade french fries. Pepsi, Pepsi!!

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Doc & Dawg ~ Bye Bye Blues & Watson's Blues

Born Free

Blackened Bacon/Pimento Cheese Burger

Fresh ground sirloin burgers, blackened in the ol' cast iron skillet using some of my homemade blackening seasoning ~ topped with homemade pimento cheese, crisp bacon and red onions, on a soft cornmeal kaiser bun. I was in hamburger heaven.

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Jon Rauhouse ~ Ballad Of The Black Chihuahua

American Citizen

John Smith (American Citizen) started the day early having set his digital alarm clock

(MADE IN JAPAN)

for 6am. While his coffeepot

(MADE IN CHINA)

was perking, he shaved with his electric razor

(MADE IN HONG KONG)

He put on a dress shirt

(MADE IN SRI LANKA)

designer jeans

(MADE IN SINGAPORE)

and tennis shoes.

(MADE IN KOREA)

After cooking his breakfast in his new electric skillet

(MADE IN INDIA)

he sat down with his calculator

(MADE IN MEXICO)

to see how much he could spend today.

After setting his watch

(MADE IN TAIWAN)

to the radio

(MADE IN CHINA)

he got in his car

(MADE IN GERMANY)

filled it with gas

(from SAUDI ARABIA)

and continued his search for a good paying AMERICAN JOB.

At the end of yet another discouraging

and fruitless day checking his computer

(MADE IN MALAYSIA)

John decided to relax for a while.

He put on his sandals

(MADE IN BRAZIL)

poured himself a glass of wine

(MADE IN FRANCE)

and turned on his TV

(MADE IN INDONESIA)

and then wondered why he can't find

a good paying job in AMERICA.

Pretty Sharp

Sonny Landreth & Cindy Cashdollar

Lunch...

An old nun who was living in a convent next to a Brooklyn construction site noticed the coarse language of the workers and decided to spend some time with them to correct their ways. She decided she would take her lunch, sit with the workers and talk with them. She put her sandwich in a brown bag and walked over to the spot where the men were eating. She walked up to the group and with a big smile said, "Do you men know Jesus Christ?"

They shook their heads and looked at each other.

One of the workers looked up into the steelwork and yelled, "Anybody up there know Jesus Christ?"

One of the steelworkers yelled down a "Yea ... why"?

The worker yelled back, "His wife's here with his lunch."

It's A Southern Thang

This is a traditional side dish on my family's Easter dinner table ~ creamed peas & new potatoes with pearl onions and good fresh shredded parmesan cheese.

Nothing traditional about this (at least not in my family) ... but I love the stuff and so I hauled off yesterday & made some ~ pimento cheese spread ~ it's a southern thang.

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Gordon Lightfoot ~ Farewell To Annabel

Easter Sunday

Vincent/Dailey Band ~ By The Mark

When I cross over
I will shout and sing
I will know my Savior
By the mark where the nails have been

CHORUS:
By the mark where the nails have been
By the sign upon His precious skin
I will know my Savior when I come to Him
By the mark where the nails have been

A man of riches
May claim a crown of jewels
But the King of Heaven
Can be told from the prince of fools

CHORUS

On Calvary Mountain
Where they made Him suffer so
All my sin was paid for
A long, long time ago

Happy Chef = Oxymoron

Well, as you can plainly see ... I'm not very happy about having to wear dat stupid red toque. I actually remember the circumstance of this picture ~ I had just finished preparing a huge Easter Buffet at the hotel where I was Chef at the time ... expecting about 400 people to go thru the buffet ... and at the last minute the person that usually works the carve station got sick and went home. So, I had to change into clean whites & put this stupid hat on ... and go out to the end of the buffet line and stand there carving hams & prime rib for the next 3 hours. I HATE working carve stations on buffets ... but it all ended well ~ nobody died. Happy Easter, Y'all.

Easter Ham

Workin' up to making a ham loaf w/raisin sauce for Easter ~ so first I had to bake a ham ... made a glaze with some mustard-based bbq sauce, honey, brown sugar & dry mustard. Will grind all the small pieces & scraps ~ mix the ground ham with some my homemade apple/maple breakfast sausage to make the ham loaf. Got a good ham bone now, too ... hafta make a pot of beans next week. Here's a lil' slide show <---click

John Dee Holeman ~ One Black Rat

Kaw-Cajun Grits & Grillades

Grillades made with tri-tip, braised tender in onion gravy with lotsa onions, garlic and mustard greens, etc. Served up on a pilaf of creamy, cheesy grits. $3 worth of groceries never tasted so good, ah garrontee. Slide show <---click

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John Dee Holeman ~ Big Boss Man

Dimming Of The Day

Tony Rice & Chris Hillman ~ Dimming Of The Day

This old house is falling down around my ears
I'm drowning in a river of my tears
When all my will is gone you hold me sway
I need you at the dimming of the day

You pulled me like the moon pulls on the tide
You know just where I keep my better side

What days have come to keep us far apart
A broken promise or a broken heart
Now all the bonny birds have wheeled away
I need you at the dimming of the day

Come the night you're only what I want
Come the night you could be my confidant

I see you on the street and in company
Why don't you come and ease your mind with me
I'm living for the night we steal away
I need you at the dimming of the day
I need you at the dimming of the day...

Out Of The Clear Blue Of The Western Sky

Talking Dog For Sale

A guy is driving around the back woods of Tennessee and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: 'Talking Dog For Sale .'

He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there.

'You talk?' he asks.

'Yep,' the Lab replies.

After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says 'So, what's your story?'

The Lab looks up and says, 'Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA. In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping.'

'I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport doing undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals. I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired.'

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.

'Ten dollars,' the guy says.

'Ten dollars? This talking dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?'

'Because he's a damn liar. He never did any of that shit.'

The Big Whooptidoo

Mais, buncha my friens & I hauled off last year and had us a big whooptidoo party ... where we commenced to carryin' on all kinda drinkin' and eatin' and pickin' & sangin' and I don't know whut all. Somebody had one them newfangled digital picture-takin' machines & they took this picture of me early on, before I got drunk and fell into the pond. As I recall, I was deep fryin' shrimps for to make a buncha shrimp poboys ... and also fried up a bunch of fresh catfish, chicken and homemade onion rings. I got me one them big 30 quart electric deep fryers that I bought at the Home Depot ~ made quick work of all dat fryin, ah garrontee! Everybody had a big time at the whooptidoo. Nobody died.

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Dave Alvin ~ Dark Eyes

Dave Alvin & The Guilty Men

Dave Alvin & The Guilty Men ~ East Virginia Blues

Well I was born in East Virginia
North Carolina I did go
Where I spied a fair young lady
And her name I do not know

But her hair was dark in color
And her cheeks were rosy red
'pon her breast she wore white lillies
Where I longed to lay my head

CHORUS

I don't want your greenback dollar
I don't want your silver chain
All I want is your love darlin'
Won't you take me back again

At my heart you are my darlin'
At my door you're welcome in
At my gate I'll always meet you
You're the girl I tried to win

CHORUS

I'd rather be in some dark holler
Where the sun refused to shine
Than to see you with another
When you promised to be mine