Sunday, August 13, 2006

Pheasant McNuggets Contest Entry 10

This is our last contest entry and we're only in the middle of August. This means you've still got time to send in your story. Join the fun. We love reading them.

Tonight you get two from Cherokee Echols....
Story #1

I come from a very large family, I am the youngest of twelve. So my Mom never threw anything out especially food. One day when I was a young girl I was out in the backyard waiting for Mom to call us all in for super when suddenly the back door flew open and Mom came rushing out carrying a pot. She went straight over to the garden and tossed the contents out. Odd thing was I noticed that what she threw out was the left over beans she had served the night before. As I mentioned Mom never threw anything out so I asked what she was doing and she gave me that look that only Mom could give that meant "Little girls were to been seen not heard". So I quickly went back over to watch my brother tear his motorcycle motor apart and never mentioned the beans again.

Then one day when I was in college a girlfriend and I went home to spend the weekend with my folks. My girlfriend, Mom and I were sitting on the front porch sipping iced tea, eating cornbread with beans and chatting. Mom inquired as to whether my new girlfriend liked to fish. My Mom being an avid fisher-woman, herself. Sandy said she did as long as she did not have to use worms. Suddenly my Mom about choked on her beans and started laughing her ass off.

I looked at my Mom then at my girlfriend worried she thought my Mom had just flipped her lid or something. When Mom recovered from her hee hawing she asked me if I remember a time when she threw out a pot of beans. I said I remembered it and I also remembered she never told me why. (I wish I still did not know why.) Apparently one of the worms she had in a container in the fridge (do not ask why she had worms in the fridge, it is a fishing thing) got out and in the beans. She said she was heating the beans up for supper and noticed something in them. When she scooped it up with a spoon it took her a moment to realize it was a worm because it puffed up from the heating.

Now here is the part that made me stop eating my beans that day on the porch. Mom said since money was so tight in those days she seriously thought about taking the worm out and feeding the beans to us kids anyways! I never ate a spoonful of beans at my moms house from that day on.

True story #2

All eight of my brothers like to eat... a lot! But none of them married women who could cook worth a darn. So for my brother James and sister-in-law Teresa's fifth anniversary she wanted to fix something nice for supper. Teresa called me up and asked if I would teach her how to cook one of my brothers favorite meals, so I said sure.

I gave her a shopping list before she came over to my place to make James' favorite meal of oven roasted pork roast with root vegetables, biscuits and gravy from the drippings. So first thing I told her was we needed to put a little bacon grease in a cast iron skillet and heat it up to brown the roast and sear in the juices. She put the grease in and turned on the heat. I told her to add her spices to the meat, flour it and then we would brown it. I watched her put salt, pepper, and garlic on the roast and when I thought she picked up the flour to coat it I turned to get my glass of tea. When I turned around she was putting something back in the cabinet and the roast had a funny color to it. I asked if she put anything on the roast besides what I saw and she said she thought she would add a few more things to spice it up. Like what, I asked. She had added Anise (tastes like licorice) and Mace (tastes like strong nutmeg) to the roast. Why. I asked. Because James thought her cooking was bland so she wanted to spice it up.

I picked up the roast and thoroughly washed it off. I then handed her the salt, pepper, and garlic powder to rub on the roast. Next I gave her some Cajun seasoning so it would not be bland and she seemed to be happy as she floured the roast. Now as you remember we had put some bacon grease in a pan to heat and it was getting hot and starting to smoke. When she dropped the roast in, it smoked up heavy and she decided it needed to go in the sink. She turned the water on and when it hit the hot grease we had a sight to see with grease and water spraying all over my kitchen cabinets and me. Once the excitement calmed down I looked at the roast in the pan in my sink covered with water and burned on one side. I decide to hell with it my brothers will eat anything.

I browned the other side while Teresa watched and then placed the roast in a baking dish with potatoes, carrots, onions and turnips. We placed it in the oven and I decided to forgo the ice tea and start in on some Margaritas before tackling the biscuits.

I told Teresa what items to get out of the cabinet while I mixed up the Margaritas. I glanced over occasionally as I was downing the icy drinks and she seemed to be doing okay and getting the biscuits made and ready for the oven. I thought, well this is great... no problems.

The roast was done and came out of the oven so we went to drain the drippings off for the gravy. She followed directions well and the gravy wasn't too lumpy. I praised her on her job well done. She and I were now going to sit down and eat her first lesson.

I sliced the roast and dipped up the vegetables, added some gravy over my meat and potatoes and grabbed a biscuit which appeared to be very beautiful. Okay the meat had a funny twang to it and she added garlic to the biscuits when I wasn't looking (way too much garlic) and they were like hockey pucks and the gravy was tasteless. Oh did I forget to mention my kitchen was a wreck? Then to top it off when their anniversary came around James took Teresa out for dinner and she never cooked the meal for him. *sigh*

Cherokee


That's a hoot about the beans. I'm not sure what you're so upset about though...worms are just a little more protein.... And what a hoot about your sister-in-law. Anyone who can screw up biscuits probably should stay out of the kitchen.

Please thank Cherokee for sharing these and while you're at it give her a little feedback on her stories at www.butchesbabesandbards.com.

Tamara

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