Shellie Rushing Tomlinson
Hello to some of my favorite people in the whole world, the All
Things Southern Porchers! I've been watching at the screen door
for you. (By the way, if you've wandered by here and you're not
a bona-fide, signed up porcher, consider this a formal invitation.
We'd love to have you around here. We call our little cyber
community Coon Creek.) Y'all know the routine. Put your feet
up, close the office door, take the phone off the hook, give the
baby a pacifier--whatever you have to do to have a moment's break
and let's chat! ~smile~
Is your dog interested in ballet? How about tap or jazz? If so,
you’re in luck! Canine dance lessons and competitions are the latest
competitive sports craze. I might enter one with Dixie Belle. My
college kids’ll roll their eyes if they read this, but I was a pretty
good dancer in high school. I could, as we said back then, “get down!”
Still, I remember once when my dancing spirit got my happy feet grounded.
I was raised in a strict Southern Baptist home where dancing was a
huge no-no, “Dancing feet don’t belong on praying knees.” One weekend
there was a big dance at the Moose Lodge. I wasn't supposed to go but
once I got uptown with my friends I kinda fell into temptation. And
then we got there and found out they were having a dance contest. My ears
shot straight up. I was headed the wrong way and shifting gears...
Back then I was dating a good old boy who didn’t like to dance but I
had a couple reliable dance partners I could count on-—John and Jamie.
That night, Jamie Wallis and I cut up like a new pair of scissors. The
judges kept narrowing the couples down, and the Isley Brothers kept
singing until eventually we were crowned the winners. The crowd cheered,
a flashbulb popped and reality hit me. I spent the rest of the night
begging my friends to keep my secret.
One week later, I was eating breakfast with my whole family, my
indiscretion only a faint memory. Papa was reading the town paper,
“The Delta News”.
“Papa,” I said, without a care in the world. “Pass me the biscuits.”
Papa lowered the paper slowly. And then, just as I saw the photo of
my and Jamie’s big win, I heard my Papa say, “Sure, Disco Queen.”
I didn’t enter many dance contests after that—-at least none close
by. *grin*
All this dancing talk has me thinking about the now infamous Super
Bowl Halftime Exhibition, and boy do I mean "exhibition!" I won't use
this space to go into how I felt about the display. (There I go again.
I just can't seem to avoid the obvious puns.) I've done that already
on the blog board. http://www.allthingssouthern.com/blog.html.
That's it for me. Y'all have a good time with this week's southern
celebration and make sure you drop by for a little personal chat. I
always enjoy hearing from you. Until next week...
Hugs,
Shellie
P.S. Hey! Where are your entries for the logo contest? I keep
hearing from those of you that are working on it--but no logos.
Are y'all shy? Don't forget, there are prizes involved here! :-)
Read the details again here: http://www.allthingssouthern.com/contest.html
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~~Chuckles~~
"Questionable Manners"
With all the new folks joining us here on the porch, I figure we need
to introduce everyone to that infamous southern belle we like to check
up on from time to time. Could I have a drum roll, please? Her name is
Savannah Grace, she’s just a child, but she epitomizes the steely charm
of the southern woman. You can find Savannah stories all through my
archives. Anyway, I phoned her mom Julia yesterday to see what Savannah
had been up to.
“Plenty!” Julia said, sounding more exasperated than amused, “but I’ll
be brief. Last week, Savannah fell on a piece of her dad’s farm equipment
in the barn and had to have stitches-—which led to a tetanus shot at
our pediatricians. Savannah is notorious at our pediatrician’s for her
aversion to a shot needle. I actually think the nurses draw straws.
That day, as soon as the unlucky winner entered the room with the shot
in hand Savannah began kicking and screaming, “NO! NO! NO!”
“Savannah Grace!” I said in my sternest voice, “That’s not polite
behavior and you know it!”
Your mascot and my child just yelled louder, “No thank you! No thank
you! No thank you!”
~Shellie
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~~A Taste of the South~~
Hey porchers! We’re smack in the middle of soup weather. I tried a
new recipe last night from the new LSU Ag Center’s cookbook. It was
delicious. It will definitely be added to my keep file. And of course,
I thought of y’all immediately. So, relax and let me walk you through
this “Cream of Crawfish Soup.” Are you ready? Great! Let’s get cooking!
“Cream of Crawfish Soup”
•1 pound peeled crawfish tails
•½ bunch green onions, coarsely chopped
•½ cup grated onion
•½ cup or one stick of butter
•½ cup flour
•2 cups chicken stock
•2 cups half-and-half
•2 cups heavy cream
•2 teaspoons red pepper
•2 teaspoons garlic powder
•2 teaspoons onion powder
Ground one pound of peeled crawfish tails with ½ bunch green
onions in your food processor. Take a large heavy saucepan and sauté
a half-cup of grated onion in a stick of butter for about five minutes.
Next, add ½ cup flour, mix well and cook for two minutes or until
thickened before stirring in two cups of heated chicken stock.
Simmer for another five minutes, stirring constantly before adding
your crawfish and green onion mixture. You’re about done! Once
your soup base has simmered about ten minutes, add 2 cups of half
and half and two cups of heavy cream. Simmer another five minutes,
stirring occasionally. Season with 2 teaspoons each of red pepper,
garlic powder, and onion powder before ladling into individual soup
bowls! We got about six nice size servings out of this recipe. Oh,
and we enjoyed it with crackers. A good French Bread would be great
with it as well. Trust me; you’ll love this light and flavorful soup
on a cold winter’s night!
~Shellie
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~~It's Been Said...~~
We’ve been listening to a lot of our famous southerners lately, so
today we’re gonna take a look at the one of our more common sayings.
We southerners know that when someone begins anything by saying,
“I’ll tell you how the cow ate the cabbage”, this person is fixin’
to tell us like it is. We also know that chances are, we’re
not gonna like what we hear. But do you know where the phrase came
from? Neither did I, until I began to research its origin.
Now, I’ve heard this familiar story before, but never as an explanation
for this expression. All I can say is, if it’s not true, it should
be—-and in the tradition of southern storytellers, that’s enough for me.
Once upon a time, a circus came to a small rural town. While they
were putting up the big top, a baby elephant escaped and found his
way to a little old lady’s garden up the road. The lady in our
story couldn’t see very well, but she was alarmed enough to call
the police and report a cow in her cabbage patch pulling up her
cabbages with his tail. The policeman on the other end of the line
listened patiently, “A cow is eating your cabbage, ma’am? We’ll
send someone right out."
“I never said he was eating ‘em,” the lady said.
“No?” The policeman replied. “Then what is he doing?”
The woman hesitated and then exclaimed. “You wouldn’t believe me
if I told you!”
So, there you have it porchers, now you know why telling someone
how the cow eats the cabbage can precede a very serious discussion.
~Shellie
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~~Southern Comfort~~
"No Suitable Substitutes"
The other day as I was reaching under my bathroom cabinet for my
hair-dryer, I noticed a can of furniture polish that belonged in
the utility room. I set it out on the counter and continued doing
my hair and makeup. Once I got my hair just right, I grabbed my
hair spray, closed my eyes and promptly gave myself a wax free
shine with no ugly residue. That’s right! The lemon fresh scent
was my first clue that something was bad wrong. I opened my eyes
and stared in shock at the furniture polish in my hand and my
limp hair-do.
I can assure you that furniture polish is not a suitable substitute
for hair spray. Still, the experience made me wonder if that’s how
folks come up with all those alternate uses for everyday products.
You’ve seen the list; WD 40 for arthritis, Preparation H for puffy
eyes and Cool Whip as a dual lice killer and hair conditioner! Then
again, maybe those discoveries weren’t accidental. Maybe someone
actually said, “Your joints are hurting you? Well, spray a little
of this WD 40 on ‘em; it works on the garage door!”
Those chance substitutes remind me of our culture’s ideas of what
will fill the emptiness in your soul. Some say its financial
stability, some would say a tight family unit and others good health.
The Bible teaches that all these things are fine, but none will
bring you true joy if you seek them as a substitute for Jesus
Christ your Savior. He alone can offer you abundant life now and
eternal life when your time here is done. This is one area where
you can’t afford to settle for substitutes.
~Shellie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~Southern Exchange~~
Your letters:
Dear Shellie,
I am from Washington State, but I was born in Weiner, Arkansas. I ran
across your web page the other day. I sure enjoy it! I was wondering
if you have a recipe for Little Sisters, they are like a corn fritter
but flatter. Also I am looking for a recipe for smothered chicken.
My grandmother used to make it. She is with the Lord now, so I can't
get the recipe from her. I can remember it had a gravy over chicken.
Thank you if you have any of these recipes and thank you for your web
site.
Louise Foiles
Washington State
(Hi Louise, I'm afraid I've never heard of Little Sisters, but I do
have fritter recipes in the archives. Now, I’m sending you my recipe
for smothered chicken even though I’m afraid it won’t taste exactly
like your grandma’s. You’re remembering sights and smells I just can’t
duplicate, but hopefully it’ll come close. Thanks for the kind words
about the site! ~ Hugs, Shellie)
____________________
Dear Shellie,
Not too many years ago I lived in Melbourne Community. I had a very
dear friend, most people called him "SHORTY", because he wasn't very
tall. I became very ill---of all the friends & good neighbors I had
he was the only one that sent me money to my house, so to me he is
now, and always will be, the tallest man in that area. By the way,
you know him as Lamar Williams. Tell your mother hi for me.
Pete Philey
Epps, Louisiana
(Dear Pete, I hope Mr. Lamar hears this. I understand that he listens
to the program on KWCL out of Oak Grove, LA. Your story reminds me
of a saying I once heard, “a person isn’t honored by what he has
received, but what he has given.” I’m happy to give this little
tribute to an old friend of my family. Thank you for sharing! ~Hugs,
Shellie)
______________
Dear Shellie,
I’m a displaced southerner having a blast on your porch! I especially
enjoyed the story about my fellow Ohioan putting the gas on the stove
to warm up his car’s frozen fuel line. So, tell me, have you gotten
ugly letters about that one? If so, forward them to me and I’ll tend
to ‘em. It’s the least I can do for all the laughs from home that
you bring me each week!
John Lee Mills in Ohio
(Hey John, I haven’t gotten any flack at all. From all accounts our
Yankee porchers have a good sense of humor. Still, I appreciate your
being willing to catch my back. I’ll keep your email handy in case
I stick my foot in my mouth too far. It could happen! ~Hugs, Shellie)
__________________
Hi Shellie,
Your porch makes me feel like I'm back home on Grandma's porch
coloring in our coloring books, chattin' and don't forget eatin'.
Thanks for expressing your faith on your web site. I hear so many
people say that they don't talk about religion or politics because
people just get upset and offended. What a load of bull. Nothing
would ever get done the right way if we didn't talk about things
that matter. It's nice to hear someone that doesn't take the main
stream of media and popularity to heart. And I totally agree with
you about Sadaam. He deserves a lot more than to be embarrassed
in front of the whole world. I can go on and on for hours but I
know you have more fan mail to read. So Thank you again for making
me feel a little piece of home today. Take care and God Bless!
Kym Carter in Southern Utah’s Dixie
(You’re so very welcome, Kym. You know, I’ve been called a lot of
things, but politically correct is not one of ‘em. *grin* I’m glad
you’re enjoying my porch. I'm always going to talk about what's
important to me and around here, it’s all about faith and family.
~Hugs,Shellie)
_________________
Hi Shellie,
I just recently joined your site and wanted to let you know how
much I enjoy all the different areas! I’ve have come in and out
a lot lately. Each and every time I find something interesting,
funny, or just plain good! I am living in Washington State but
I'm a GRITS, (Girl Raised in the South), and I’m SO homesick.
This site refreshes me.
LeAnne Eager
Long Beach, WA
(Dear LeAnne, I thought I heard the screen door banging more than
usual. I’m happy you’ve been able to find some refreshment on my
porch. And just think—-no caffeine, stimulants or artificial
sweeteners involved. Thanks for sharing. The rest of y'all come
by and see me! ~Hugs, Shellie)
******The winner of this week's "Quail Ridge Press and ATS
Drawing" is Kym Carter in Southern Utah’s Dixie! Congratulations
Kym--you've won "The Best of the Best from Louisiana Cookbook",
selected recipes from Louisiana's Favorites Cookbooks. Shoot
me your physical address and I'll put your prize in the mail.
To find out how Kym won, check out the details of this
drawing by clicking on the Quail Ridge banner at the top of
my homepage. http://www.allthingssouthern.com**************
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ATS NEWS AND NOTES:
With the new format, if you see your letter in the exchange, that means
it was also in the radio show this week, (although sometimes condensed
to fit the time frame.) If you'd like a copy of the show, I'll "burn"
you a CD for $7.00, and that includes shipping and handling. (Louisiana
residents will have to include tax.) Just send your check or money order
to ATS at 2007 Island Point Drive, Lake Providence, La. 71254 and let
me know which show you're interested in.
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All Things Southern Sponsors:
PLEASE do business with my sponsors. If you enjoy All Things
Southern on the radio--or by internet, let my sponsors know.
They're so important to me. ~Thanks,Shellie
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