We don't eat that much loaf bread either, (it's just myself and hubby), but we follow some advice my grandmother gave me a long time ago. She said not to throw leftover food or bread in the trash, to throw it outside in the yard, where something could eat it. I realize this would not be practical if you live in a condo or apt., but we have always lived where there was a back yard. and that is what we always do. Birds love stale bread, and although our outdoor cats are given dry cat food every day, they also love meat and other food scraps. I'm not sure who all eats what, but when we throw out scraps, they are always gone by the next day.

If you need to scrub a pot or pan and don't have a scrubber, you can crumple some foil and use it - it works pretty well.

I'd have to classify my culinary tastes as lowbrow. I live in the South, and nothin' says lovin' to me like homemade buttermilk biscuits, sausage gravy, fried chicken, or wood smoked pulled pork. I don't have anything against fois gras, cavier, or creme fraiche, it's just that my tastes are much simpler.

I live in Rowan County, where Cheerwine originated. It's a good drink, but I think Sundrop, which is another regional brand, is even better. Cheerwine is like a very cherry tasting cherry coke, but Sundrop is a lemon-lime drink that is lighter, and very refreshing.

I have two toy poodles, and they each eat a cookie every morning. They have been doing this for at least 5 years or longer, and there have been no ill effects.

Forgot to mention the Taco Bell chihuahua. He was waay beyond cute, lol.

I used to like those Hardee's commercials in the 60s with Gilbert Giddyup and Speedy McGreedy.

One of our New Years resolutions is to do more crockpot cooking this year. Tomorrow, I'm going to put chicken breasts in the crockpot, pour a jar of good salsa over them, make a cake of cornbread, and call it supper.

BBQ Chicken, macaroni &cheese, coleslaw, and red velvet cake at Keaton's in Cleveland, NC. That mad & cheese was to DIE for!

Pinto beans, good for the heart.
The more you eat, the more you fart.
.....author unknown

I don't care who you are, where you are, and what you have paid for - if you are a halfway decent person, you understand the meaning of the word "consideration." If you don't, you are not a person who deserves to be catered to.

My daughter, son-in-law, and grandkids left our house with over half an 8 lb honeybaked ham Christmas day. Our tradition is a Christmas breakfast, and we usually have about 10 people. Other meats, such as country ham, sausage, liver pudding, and bacon were set out with the ham, and not much of the ham was eaten. There was too much left for just hubby and me, so we just cut off a small amount for us, and gave them the rest.

I bought a box of clementines for the first time last week, and they are delicious! Price was the deciding factor, as Florida tangerines were about 50 cents each, but an entire box of the clementines was only 4.99. So I got them, and I actually think they are better than tangerines. They're smaller, but sweeter, and really easy to peel.

Well, I'm in the South. If I go out for a burger, I want a not-so-thick piece of meat, cooked on the same flat iron grill where the cafe fried their bacon that morning. It should be placed on a steamed bun with mustard, slaw, chile, and a slice of sweet onion. If I'm making a good burger at home, I want a thicker burger, cooked over CHARCOAL, placed on a grilled bun with mayo, lettuce, tomato, and a slice of sweet onion.

My husband chops garlic, fries it, and eats it by the bowlful. Just fried garlic. Nothing with it. I don't smell it on him, but I have allergies. I tell him that it supposedly leaks out through your pores, but I don't think he believes me. He has lots of friends, so I don't believe he offends anybody.

I love Shrimp Scampi, and I love grilled, broiled, or boiled shrimp dipped in a mixture of butter and Frank's Hot Sauce.

I sometimes saute them with chopped onion for a quick side dish. Of course, fresh potatoes are better, but I don't think the canned ones are all that bad.

Yes, chicken fingers are awful. They are usually tough, stringy, and taste like the oil they're fried in. Yes, ranch dressing should go, but only because the quality you get is so inconsistent. It can be delicious at one restaurant, and nauseating at another. And HELL yes to that gawd-awful green bean casserole! Why anybody anywhere ever thought that was a tasty dish is beyond me.

Wink's in Salisbury NC. The BBQ is good, and they will serve you breakfast any time.

Here in North Carolina it's BBQ. Not ribs or chicken cooked on a grill, but pork shoulder, that has been smoked for hours over hickory wood, until it's so tender you can literally pull it off the bone.

The dishes already mentioned are really good examples of southern style food, but I'd like to add fried potatoes and onions and cream gravy.

I love Frank's, and I tend to eat it on everything. Turkey sandwiches, fried fish, scrambled eggs. I mix it with melted butter and dip boiled shrimp into it, it's much better than cocktail sauce. I have even been tempted to sprinkle it on top of vanilla ice cream.

I second alkapal's comment about the hair. The very THOUGHT of a stray hair in the vicinity of any food will completely turn my stomach in a heartbeat. If they hope to establish themselves successfully in the food business, they need to change their appearance. I can't see anyone hiring them to cater with the look they've got now.

I found the universal condiment ( in my humble opinion) a long time ago. It's called Frank's Hot Sauce, and I have started eating it on everything - even turkey sandwiches, LOL.

I have one other "don't" to add to ekammin's list.

Don't do anything on the order of this:

Guest to hostess: "This potato salad is good."
Hostess: "Oh, thank you!"
Guest: "I always put a little pimento in my potato salad."

People (family), do this to me a lot, and it always makes me feel a little bit insulted. It's like they're saying - your dish is good, but it could have been better if you'd done it like I do.

Crystal Light peach tea is very good, and has no sugar. I am diabetic, and I drink it a lot.

My preference is for the signature southern dog - mustard, slaw, chili, and onion, on either a steamed or toasted hot dog roll.

I've been reading this one - it's really entertaining and informative:

http://www.thepioneerwomancooks.com/t...

We live in Salisbury, and used to think nothing of driving to Mooresville just to eat at the Lotus. It's not fancy, just your usual Chinese restaurant, but the food was outstanding. We hadn't been in a couple of years, and last night we decided to go.

It has really gone downhill. There were four of us. We ordered 2 apps and a side dish of fried rice, then each got their own entree. I ordered Mu Shu Pork, and the "chinese pancakes" seemed to be nothing but commercially prepared flour tortillas. The plum sauce was incredibly bitter. Someone else ordered scallion chicken, which was passable, but not great, and I didn't taste the other two entrees. The pan fried dumplings weren't good either.

As always, the service was top notch. The waiters were friendly and attentive. But the food is no longer up to its previous wonderful standards.

The aloe vera is great for kitchen burns, but if you don't happen to have any on hand, toothpaste will stop the burn too. It should be a minty toothpaste.