Remy...I'm shaping up the tomatoes? lol Well I was gonna try to help you with a prize, but nothings hit me yet, lol. I thought I may find 'that perfect thang' at the festival today, but nothing hit me and i'm not sure what you're looking for anyway. If you have any ideas, email me, I'll try to help. Girl, you can have the brussel sprouts and those dang pickled pig feet, I refuse to eat anythings feet! lol And yes, I'm a southern gal, but can't do it. I grew up with my grandma cooking those and chitlins (sp) those chitlins was the nastiest smell I ever remember, lol No Way!!!! Enjoy! CarolB-1 I'm so excited for you g-grandma! Wishing her and that little baby such good health this time. Hugs! CarolB-2, what wonderful news! I have a new g-daughter just turned 5 months on the 26th, but girl, 2 wow! Congratulations, I just couldn't imagine having more love! Wishing good health to all!:) Welcome back dirt! Come see us when you're rested:) Theresa it was returned to me. LOL, porn? no I wouldn't do that to ya, (at least not at work, lol) I don't do porn, but do have a really good one (no not porn but amazing) lol started to send it to everyone, some may not take to jokes very well so I decided against it. Annie such a sweet offer, but so sorry you have to get rid of your plants, I'll let the new girls that don't have alot of plants take you up on it. I understand though, dh just had to make a lady move plants, SHE had big shrubs surrounding the fire hydrant and you couldn't see it at all. She was really upset about it, but in this case, he built the house and also informed her when she purchased it that she could not plant things that would block them being able to see it. Anyways, hate you're losing your plants! But I'm sure they'll be received in good homes. All of you have such great ideas on the picnic! How to choose? Well I went to the arts & crafts festival, it was awesome! And I picked up quite a few goodies, hoping my partners enjoy them, sure had fun checking everything out! I forgot its 'no sales tax' weekend in SC, jeezzzzzzzzzz it was like the most fierce angry fireant bed you ever bumped against! We went to walmart after and were in there a few minutes and I told my SIL, you gotta get the he!! outta here, good god! I have never seen it like that! I knew it was tax free, but forgot, heck, let me pay the taxes! Its ok, I'm safe at home now, lol. Remy so sorry to hear about the fire! Lol, yes I guess nothing else to do but laugh. Gary has some new 'Sat' projects, huh? lol

This is sort of a cross between soup and gumbo. I hope it's the last cold weather dish I have to make for awhile, but it's definitely going into my keeper file for next winter because everybody liked it a lot. We added hot sauce at the table, and I made a note to increase the creole seasoning a good bit next time. But we all like things really spicy. As written, it's very mild for a Cajun dish, but also very flavorful. CHICKEN GUMBO SOUP 1-1/3 c. raw white rice 1 (3-4 lb.) chicken (I used a whole one, but cut up is ok) 7 c. chicken broth 1 c. chopped celery 1 c. chopped onion 1 c. chopped ham (cooked) 3 T. hot sauce 1 tsp. creole seasoning 3/4 tsp. pepper 1/2 c. butter 3/4 c. a-p flour 4 c. milk 3/4 c. white wine Put chicken in a large pot; add broth. Bring liquid to a boil over high heat; then reduce heat and allow to simmer for approximately 40 minutes, until chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked. Remove chicken to a plate, reserving the stock. When cool enough to handle, chop chicken into bite-sized pieces. Meanwhile, begin cooking rice according to package directions, but remove from heat 15 minutes before the recommended cooking time has expired. Drain off any remaining liquid, and set rice aside. In large pot over moderate heat, saute celery and onion in 1 tablespoon of butter for 5 minutes. Add chopped ham; cover. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until all ingredients are tender. Add all the reserved broth and the partially-cooked rice to the pot. Stir in hot sauce, creole seasoning and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, melt remaining 7 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Gradually add flour, whisking constantly, until all flour is incorporated and mixture is smooth. Continue cooking and stirring an additional minute. Gradually add milk, continuing to whisk constantly, until mixture is thick and bubbly. Add some of the stock mixture to the milk mixture, continuing to stir. (This part was very fuzzy. It didn't give any reason, but I assume some sort of tempering process was needed. With no clear instructions, I added about 1/2 cup stock and stirred for a couple of minutes.) Then add milk mixture to stock mixture. Stir in chopped chicken and wine, simmering about 15 additional minutes. A bit time-consuming and a bunch of dirty pots, but we liked it a lot more than plain chicken soup. Wonderful with fresh, hot bread and a salad! sm

I'm also glad you found it. I looked for YEARs for my Grandma's (my Mother's Mother) sweet relish recipe for canning. Finally I decided to just try to recreate it and tried recipe after recipe without success. One day I was at my Aunt LulaBelle's (my Father's sister) house and she was canning. I remarked that her sweet relish smelled like Grandma's. She said that of course it did, Grandma had given her the recipe "years ago". So the recipe from one side of my family stayed with the other side of the family, LOL, and I'd never even thought to ask any of Dad's side of the family. Annie

LOL Jeri - I think you are right! At least that is what *I* would do with it *hic* LOLOLOL! Here is one of my "must haves".... Alexa ******************************************************** New England Biscuits with Cranberries and Rosemary 2 cups flour 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces ½ cup dried cranberries 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary, finely chopped 1 cup buttermilk 1 egg, lightly beaten Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Place the mixture in a large bowl. Stir in the cranberries, rosemary and buttermilk. Mix well. The dough will be sticky. Transfer to a floured work surface. Dust your hands with flour and knead the dough 10 times or until smooth. Pat into a round about ½ inch thick. Using a 2-inch round biscuit cutter or drinking glass, cut out biscuits and place on the prepared pan. Gather the scraps and repeat until all the dough is used. Brush the biscuit tops with the beaten egg. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool slightly.