When I arrived home from Nashville yesterday, my house had a mean little surprise for me. No heat! Temperatures were hovering in the 20s and it was colder inside than out. I jiggled, and stewed, and put on more layers of clothing. No luck.

My trusty AC man came right over. He’s a genius and has been known to rig up old units in my rental properties by ripping a hair out of his head and placing it strategically so that the unit miraculously starts up again. (more…)

“There has to be a better way to spend Thanksgiving,” wrote my witty pal, Tom, in an e-mail he shot off to me as Thanksgiving, 2008, was drawing to a close.

“Three hours of preparation, four hours of cooking, thirty minutes of eating, two hours of cleanup and five hours of heartburn. It just doesn’t compute,” he declared.

“Next year, if I can’t wrangle a dinner invitation, I’m going to the Salvation Army and eat!” (more…)

Blunders are what make events memorable so don’t worry, You’ll be laughing about it next year and for decades to come. I know. I’m the queen of blunder.

My gravy is full of lumps. Now what?

Don’t lose your mind whisking out every single lump. Instead, pour the gravy through a strainer. Smooth gravy flows through a medium weave strainer, leaving lumps behind.

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Yesterday at the tailgate party before the Mississippi State-Arkansas football game, I was chatting with “Judge Larry.” I’ve known him for a couple of months and assumed he was - like  a reality television personality or something, but it turns out he is a real judge down on the Gulf Coast.

He and his wife Cynthia are wonderful cooks and I’ve shared one of their recipes in an earlier post (marinated shrimp). But yesterday, he brought a fabulous Bailey’s Irish Cream Cake to the tailgate that was beyond exceptional. He liked my “white nacho dip,” so we searched for business cards so we could swap the recipes.

OoopsI I don’t have a business card for my current occupation (since I don’t have a currant occupation), and he was wearing his hunting pants. (more…)

It was so cold this morning I let Lucky Dawg out all by herself to visit her great outdoor master bathroom. I rushed to the thermostat to turn up the heat and discovered it was 52 degrees in my house!

I was determined not to use the gas central heat until it was absolutely necessary. Today it was necessary.

Anyway, when I got back to the door, Lucky Dawg was no where to be seen. She has never, ever, left our yard and I panicked. I went running (more…)