The Munch Box, Saline, LA

The Munch Box
1401 Fourth Street
Saline, LA 71070
(318) 576-3767

The natives of Saline say:
“Try the bacon cheeseburger.”
“Always get the chicken fried steak.”
“The fish plate is good.”

A few thoughts and observations:
It’s the only place to eat in the village of Saline.
The Munch Box is a unique experience with delightful local color.
Service was prompt.
The employee was congenial.
The local people were friendly.

My lunch:
A well-prepared salad began the meal.
The Texas toast was tasty, but hush puppies would have been more in keeping with the other food on the plate.
My fries were cold.
The meal included generous servings of tartar sauce and cocktail sauce.
The oysters were cooked thoroughly without an excess of batter.

Local attractions:
Carolyn Dorman Botanical Gardens (The log cabin is in the Botanical Gardens.)
Saline Watermelon Festival in July

Did Adam and Eve eat collards?

If Adam and Eve ate collards, did they eat them raw?

According to an article in http://Creation.comthe original dark green leafy vegetable was . . . you guessed it . . . collards (or maybe kale).

Quoting from the article:
 Cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kohlrabi and kale , some of the most nutritious of all, contain lots of minerals and vitamins, and antioxidants that greatly surpass the power of vitamins A, C and E—the antioxidants commonly available in vitamin pills. They also have substances that inhibit cancer cells.1 Clearly, vitamin pills cannot make up for the benefits of eating the real food that God created. Furthermore, you can eat ‘boatloads’ of these vegetables without getting fat—it sounds like many of us should be eating a lot more of them.

 (The author of this article states that collards and kale are of similar nutritional value and origin.)

 Raw? Yes, high quality tender young collards are delicious raw in salads and wraps. Also, collards marinated overnight are as tender as cooked greens.

Friends and fellow writers ask me how I put my books together.

After stuffing myself with traditional Thanksgiving delights, I took a walk and thought about the way I write.

When I work on a writing project, I allow it to absorb most of me. I’ve tried not to become so involved, but I don’t seem to be able. Books about writing suggest making charts of the characters and listing the plot in individual scenes. I’ve tried, but so far I haven’t mastered those skills.

Instead, I move into the fringes of whatever I’m writing. At the moment I’m working on The Courtship of Miss Loretta Larson, which is a historical romance set in south Mississippi in 1908. Most of the story is Loretta’s, and she’s telling it in first person. I’m not Loretta, but I’m there listening to her and writing down what she thinks or writes in her journal. I’m her scribe.

Making charts confuses me. The characters change from what I originally conceived them to be. The plot changes as the characters deal with situations.

At some stages of the process, I have trouble concentrating on television programs, other writers’ work, or the life around me. In the middle of the night, I think or dream of the story. I awaken in the morning with the novel on my mind. I rush around so I can get to work writing . . . or is it play? Some writers tell me they don’t want to read other people’s writing while they are in certain stages of the process because they don’t want to be influenced. For me the problem is different. When my mind is full of my story, I cannot find room in my brain for anyone else’s book. At such times I read only nonfiction.

Some of my friends who have been published gazillions of times are much more organized. They know exactly what they want to say and how they want to say it. They organize charts of the characters, outline the plot, write a rough draft, and rework it two or three times. Voilà – a book is born.

I can’t work that way. Instead I write it and rewrite it. I take out, and I put back. I change the point of view. I look at the story through the eyes of different characters. In The Courtship of Miss Loretta Larson, as I said earlier, I’m Loretta’s scribe. Some days though I’m spending time with Chad to discover how he sees the events going on. After all, they are major concerns of his.

Once a week I bring two excerpts of the Loretta story to a critique group. While the critters crit my work, I crit theirs. The entire process is for me more play than work. It reminds me of sharing toys with cousins during childhood.

The process of going over my story countless times also reminds me of making furniture. I sanded and sanded and sanded until the wood was smooth. There was always a point at which too much sanding left the furniture rough because the soft sections of the wood became worn down. I have to look for that sweet spot in my writing where the project doesn’t suffer because I’ve rubbed out the smooth details that made it worthwhile.

Cabbage and Dark Greens

Leftover turkey giblet gravy – something to do with it
Ideas for turkey dinner leftovers are plentiful but what about leftover gravy?
Don’t throw it out. Use it as you’d use roux. Marvelous flavors will result from all those seasonings and drippings you cooked into your gravy. Take one little step to have delectable flavoring sauce. In greens? Yes!
—Sauté until tender:
1 stick celery, chopped fine
1 head cabbage, chopped fine
2 large onions, chopped fine
3 tablespoons olive oil
—Add and simmer covered until all the greens are tender:
1 cup water
1 pound frozen greens (mixed, turnip greens, mustard, collards)
1 tablespoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
—While the greens are cooking, liquefy in blender:
2 cups giblet gravy
—Lower the heat and add the gravy along with the final two ingredients:
1 (14.5 ounces) can diced tomatoes
1 packet (single serving artificial sweetener
—Adjust flavors to your own taste.

Secret Promise Reviewed by Paul Elliott, M. D.

Mary Lou Cheatham is wonderful, skillful author who is accomplished at threading compelling fictional stories with romantic interest through an accurate historical framework. Secret Promise, set in south Mississippi in 1907, is an excellent example. Secret Promise is an intriguing variation on the Cinderella theme. Mary Lou beautifully captures and energizes in the reader the range of feelings and politics of the days of prohibition, racial discord, and substandard schools in her home state at the turn of the Twentieth Century.

Hortense Clemons, the epitome of a wicked stepmother, has two goals: helping her daughters marry successful men and keeping plenty of moonshine available to treat her lumbago.

These are the days of prohibition, racial discord, and substandard schools. On the positive side, 1907 is in the middle of the era of innovation. Model T's and Coca Colas are new. Women are exchanging their hooped skirts and whalebone for a sleeker natural look. Senator Clemons works to improve conditions in Mississippi, while his daughter Caroline helps keep him in office.

Rage, pride, and unforgiveness overwhelm Jake. Who will help him find his way back to God? Will Caroline have enough courage to embrace life? Join her as she flees from her attackers. Follow her as she crosses racial barriers. Sit with her at the governor's table.

Come follow Caroline and Jake on romantic train rides, strolls under an umbrella in the rain, walks at night under gaslights. Cry with them, laugh with them. pray with them. See Caroline and Jake sit in a fringed topped surrey on a bridge on a secluded road. Does Cinderella marry the Prince? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Does the Secret Promise get in the way? You'll have to read Secret Promise to find out.

Secret Promise has the elements of historical fiction, a spine-tingling mystery, and the beauty of romance, yet the story moves with an urgency that compels the reader to beg for more.

Whether you prefer history, mystery, or romance you should read this book!

Follow the link below to a new video about Secret Promise, an inspirational romance staged in 1907 in the South. Secret Promise

Let's Write Weekend, PPW's Exciting 2012 Conference

Frontiers in Writing, June 28-29, 2012, is 164 days away from today, January 16. I’m excited. And I’m grateful to the FiW 1012 Conference Committee:
Dr. Mike Bellah, Jim Gleason, Rory C. Keel, Phyliss Miranda, Barbara Propst, and Natalie Bright-Chair. Kenja Purkey, PPW President.

This year’s Friday night Keynote speaker is Jodi Thomas, New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist and RITA award winner. Another featured keynote speaker is John Erickson, best known as the author of Hank the Cowdog series of books, audio-books, and stage plays.

Other speakers are Arizona poet and writing instructor Harvey Stanbrough, former acquiring editor and ghostwriter Hilary Sares, and best selling author Candace Havens.

In addition to the above lineup, Panhandle Professional Writers will feature Jeff C. Campbell, former criminal investigator and author; Jim Gleason, Community Relations Manager at Barnes and Noble; Craig and Nancy Keel, both prize-winning authors; and Phyliss Mirando, an outstanding presenter, who is also a New York Times bestseller; Chris Steward, an attorney specializing in copyright issues; and Mary Lou Cheatham, author of story cookbooks, devotionals, and inspirational historic romances.

I’m going to enjoy this conference. I’m bringing plenty of pens and notebooks. Now let me tell you another reason I’m excited. Check the last name on that list. This is the first time I’ve spoken at a conference. And it’s a big fabulous conference. (I know it’s good – I enjoyed the 2011 FIW Conference.)

During the next 164 days, I will continue to prepare my fifty-five minute talk scheduled for Friday, June 28, 2012, about overcoming rejection. I am delighted to present “Reject Rejection” with my insights as a writer on the way up writers’ hill. Let's Write Weekend

Terry’s Spicy Collard Soup

Terry Chrisman, a great north Louisiana cook, made a powerful pot of collard soup today. She said it had a spicy Italian-flavored kick. It was so good she didn’t have a leftover. She said she just made it up as she went along. She has a well-stocked spice rack. When she cooks, she says she “makes a pass by the spices.” Today she told us exactly what she added. With some cornbread, this soup would make an excellent New Year’s Day meal.

Terry’s Spicy Collard Soup
1 can collard greens (spicy ones)
1can pinto beans
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 chopped onion
1 heaping teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
a shake or two of parsley, Cajun seasoning, paprika, salt and pepper,
dash of Tabasco
1 cup seashell macaroni

Sauté onions and garlic. Add all other ingredients except macaroni. Add enough water or chicken stock (Terry uses water) to make it soupy, cook for ten to fifteen minutes, add macaroni. cook till al dent. Serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. (Terry adds parmesan last and stirs it in whole soup. She also adds one teaspoon of dry ranch style dressing mix.).Serve with dollop of sour cream.

Character Interview with Caroline from Secret Promise

Secret Promise is a historical inspirational romance to be released in early 2012.

Mary Lou: Hello, Caroline. Thank you for taking some of your time to talk with us today. I know you are busy.
Caroline: Yes, I’m very busy this summer. I have to make dresses for my stepsisters to wear in a revue. The styles they have selected are elaborate. As a result, I have to spend more time on these dresses than necessary. You see, the fashions they selected are out of style.
Mary Lou: Why didn’t you tell them?
Caroline: They went shopping without me. They never ask my opinion. They just go buy fabric and bring it home for me to sew.
Mary Lou: Too bad. What is the special occasion that requires them to wear new dresses?
Caroline: In our little town of Taylorsburg, we’re having a revue. The young ladies are going to be presented. I think they are trying to let the eligible bachelors see them look their best. The new man in town, Jacob MacGregor, is the master of ceremonies for the event. My sisters have their eyes on him.
Mary Lou: What are you wearing to the revue?
Caroline: I don’t have time to make myself a dress. Besides, my stepmother would have a fit if I participated.
Mary Lou: Why do you allow your family to mistreat you?
Caroline: It involves a secret promise I’ve made. I must make sure my family looks good in the community.
Mary Lou: So you make sacrifices because of your promise? I noticed your eyes sparkled when you mentioned Jacob MacGregor.
Caroline: All the young women in town are looking at him. He’s the new owner of the Mercantile. He may be interested in my sister Lydia. At least, she thinks so.
Mary Lou: Your situation seems hopeless. How do you handle it?
Caroline: I have to trust in the Lord. I look to our cook Rachel and Aunt Haley as my mother substitutes. I try to deal with my resentment. Lydia is mean like her mother, my stepmother. Millicent, the baby sister, may turn out all right, but she has no discipline.
Mary Lou: Thanks again for the time. I know you need to get back to your sewing.
Caroline: Oops, my last sewing needle broke. I need to head down to MacGregor’s Mercantile to buy a replacement. Maybe I’ll see Jake.

When Cinderella Meets a Man like Job

Cinderella – the ever-popular old folktale of unjust cruelty – remains a favorite. For centuries Cinderella has been a favorite character. Imagine a real, true-to-life, beautiful young woman who is mistreated by a stepmother who abuses alcohol.

Now place this situation in 1907 in a south Mississippi timber-and-railroad town. What is the result? Caroline Clemons, who has made a secret promise she will keep no matter the cost. Her life’ struggles seem as impossible as those of the Cinderella we know and love.

To make matters worse, Prince Charming has endured a life similar to that of Job; but, unlike Job, he voices anger at the Lord. How can he overcome his perceived misfortunes and return to the love for God he knew before disaster struck?

Tonight I moved one step closer to giving you this inspirational romance with a historical setting. I edited the cover and the galley proofs. I am excited about sharing this book with my friends.

She lives alone with her dogs. They don’t hit her or yell at her.

A dear sweet friend of mine – let’s call her Sherrie – told me she found abusive men attractive. Her husband yelled at her, pushed her around, and eventually slapped her. She doesn’t divorce him, because she hopes and prays God will change his heart.

She has decided she should remain alone because she is not worthy of someone who would treat her well. Through a process of soul searching, she has come to realize why she feels unworthy of a decent man. When she was a teenager at home, her stepmother abused her. As she matured, she concluded she was unworthy of being treated kindly.
.
She lives alone with her dogs. They don’t hit her or yell at her. Her life has sadness in it that is painful to watch. Sherrie is beautiful, vivacious, intelligent, and accommodating. Her sense of humor and playful spirit brighten the lives of all the people with whom she interacts at work. Her Christian spirit radiates from within her.

When I was eight years old, I owned a little paperback novel telling the story of Cinderella. It was my favorite story. As soon as I finished it, I started over at the beginning and reread it. I never failed to emote with tears, laughter, or anxiety when I read certain passages. I knew Cinderella would marry Prince Charming, but in my heart I had trouble believing her story would end in such a happy fashion. At various points in the story, I used to stop and invent different conclusions.

In my romantic historical novel, Secret Promise, Caroline suffers from her stepmother’s abuse. Despite all her wonderful qualities, she sees herself as too flawed to expect a happy life. I hope you enjoy reading about Caroline, the brutal struggles of her life, her joys, and her sorrows. I hope you love Caroline as much as I have loved writing about her.

A Walk down the Street One Week before Christmas

My neighborhood in north Louisiana doesn’t know we have only a couple days of autumn remaining. The leaves continue to glow with the beauty of fall colors. Some years the trees and shrubs are lovelier than others; this year the leaves have been exceptionally brilliant with subtle nuances.

I took Foxy, my standard poodle, for a walk down the street to admire the leaves this afternoon, but she had eyes only for the cat that teased her. She’s more interested in the winter wonderland we have after dark than in the leaves. Tonight the twinkling lights with plastic snowmen catch her eye.



After Christmas my neighbors and I will settle into a gray world punctuated by evergreens. We’ll be saying it’s raining too much or not enough. We’ll rejoice if we see any snowflakes. As always, springtime will come early. Then summer, our dominant season, will take over.


Do you ever wish you could stop time and hold onto one lovely moment? We keep walking down the street and doing all our other business until the time comes when time is no more.

Secret Promise

Sharing with you the opening of my first romantic novel, Secret Promise. It is due to be released soon.

Chapter One
The Clemons Household

Spring 1907

The thought occurred to Caroline that no one would believe what went on inside the Clemons household. She slipped out of Millicent’s bedroom. Glancing over her shoulder, she rushed through the dining room back to the warm kitchen, leaned by an open window, and drew the breeze into her lungs.

“Land’s sakes . . . you done got too hot.” Rachel brushed the thick soft back of her brown hand against Caroline’s cheek. “Sit a minute. I’ll fetch you some cool water.”

Caroline swigged it down and set the empty glass on the worktable. “Thank you, Madear. Got to go.”

“You can’t let Miss Horsey catch you back here when you supposed to be at the front door.”

In the parlor Caroline plumped the needlepoint-covered pillows on the sofa. A burst of wind blew a filmy curtain into her moist face. Reaching to straighten it, she looked through the window in time to see two Tennessee Walking Horses pull an elaborate surrey with fringe trim into the circle drive.

A dark-haired man perhaps in his early twenties stopped the team next to a hitching post. He jumped out to tie the horses and bounded up the steps to the high front porch.

A Sneak Peak at the Back Cover of Secret Promise

Secret Promise, my first historical romantic novel, is scheduled to be released in early2012. I'm excited to share with you what is to appear on the back cover:

Caroline is in hiding. She knows that lying in her bed seems too dangerous. If the wind blows, the curtains will fly open. Anyone passing in the yard will see her. She pulls the bed sheets and quilt onto the floor to make a pallet. Then she snuffs out the candle and finds her way to her makeshift resting place.

Caroline prays for God's protection as she lies, holding her pistol. Soon the morning will come, but the sky is still dark. Clump-clump. Clump-clump. It isn't the milkman; the horses and the wagon sound different.

The wagon pulls into the back driveway, and a man's thudding steps came closer, closer, and closer. He pushes against her door. Stuck—this door is stuck. He crashes into it, but the door does not budge. How will Caroline escape?

She watches the front room through the crack by the kitchen door. She feels an inexplicably strong attraction to the handsome young man.

Years ago she made a promise, which she will honor at any cost.

Guest Blogger: Paul Elliott, The Collard Patch, The Story of the Collard Greens Cookbook

If you think you don’t like collards, you haven’t tasted our collards.

The Collard Patchstory cookbook began life in Sister Ruth’s Laurel, Mississippi, collard patch. She invited us to pick a mess of collards, and did we pick a mess! We even made a mess. After the first big black plastic bag full, Mary said, “Paul, what are we going to do with all these collards?”

With a cavalier toss of his head, Paul said, “We’re going to fix them and eat 'em.” Of course, Paul wasn’t even sure he liked collards, didn’t know what they tasted like. Four big plastic bags of collards later, the cleaning and chopping process saw dawn’s early light. What a J-O-B!

Now reduced to many freezer bags of chopped collards and much needed sleep, the challenge of what to do with them remained. Fifteen thousand messes of collard greens with salt pork somehow overwhelmed our interest in healthy eating.

When an online search for a cookbook devoted to collard greens was fruitless, searches for individual recipes showed very little diversity or imagination. Mary went to work thinking of unusual ways to cook with collards. Paul signed up as a certified eater.

It was quickly obvious that the files were the beginning of a fine cookbook devoted solely to collard greens and cornbread. Research revealed the amazing nutritional value of collard greens – better than spinach, turnip greens, and mustard greens. (For more details look in The Collard Patch.)

Mary’s creativity soon yielded delicious recipes from appetizers to desserts. Yes, desserts! Collard greens make chocolate taste better. Did you ever realize you can eat your chocolate and get your greens? Other than eating Mary’s creations, Paul created stories of growing up in collard country – tales of his misspent youth.

It seems that a second edition may be on the horizon and we have some inventory to clear. Grab your copies for gifts at an unbelievably low price. Stock up for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, and wedding gifts.

At $23.97 it was a cookbook bestseller on Amazon.com. This offer we’re making now on Amazon is good only while the supplies last. Maybe the price is too low. Go here to learn more.

Guest Blogger: Paula Taylor. Family Gardening Legacy, Traveling Bulbs

Paula Taylor lives in Amarillo. She is in the process of writing her first novel, which reveals her sensitivity as she delves deeply into her characters' motivations. She has a unique talent for turning a phrase.

Because I enjoyed her comments about bulbs, I want to share this article with you. Thanks, Paula.

My dad's mother was an avid gardener. She could grow anything...my dad can too! Anyway, my grandmother followed the habits of most women from her era and moved plants and bulbs with her whenever she moved. I can only imagine the arguments that caused with their spouses!

She came from Iowa to Missouri. Then to Oklahoma, next Texas, back to Oklahoma, Arkansas, Oklahoma, then Arkansas again before finally staying In Oklahoma in her later years. She moved plants everywhere she went as the story goes.

I always loved helping her in her garden. One of my favorite plants was a pink lily she called a “Surprise Lily” or a “Naked Lady Lily”. It was unique because it sent up foliage in the spring, died back to nothing, and then in late summer sent up a single stalk where a cluster of gorgeous pink lilies bloomed.

My dad has many of Gram’s bulbs and has shared this particular one with me. Being the “Greedy Gus” that I am, I wanted more. I found that these bulbs are almost antique and very difficult to find. Ultimately I located a company called “OLD HOUSE GARDENS” which salvages old bulbs from places and then cultivates them for stock to sell.

If you like flowers, a copy of their catalogue is a must. The pictures and descriptions are fabulous. I now have more bulbs planted in my yard and am dreaming of ways to use more of these beautiful old plants in the future.

A Christmas Special, Flavored with Love at a Ridiculously Low Price

Something nice for Christmas for Less than Five Dollars

Many readers and cooks have delighted in Flavored with Love, my story cookbook. My sister in Laurel, Mississippi, sold almost 2,000 of the first and second editions. When Paul Elliott and I wrote The Collard Patch, I revised Flavored with Love a third time. It has sold constantly on Amazon for $22.97. Not long ago I reduced the price of Flavored with Love to $15.00. Just in time for Christmas I have reduced it to $4.95, a price so low I'm losing money; but I want you to have this book to enjoy. It would make an excellent Christmas gift. Right now there are only three available on Amazon, but more will be on the way soon. When I wrote this, I used the pen name Jane Riley, my imaginary cousin. She tells about the cooks in my family -- the way they act, what they cook for holiday meals and for every day good eating.

You'll be surprised that it is a big cookbook in big print.

Product Description:
Flavored with Love, Mary Lou's Family and Friends Can Cook, Third Edition, is a wonderful story cookbook. Experience the recipes for some of the most delicious food you'll ever put in your mouth. Delight in the intimate glimpses into the lives of some precious, colorful people! Take a culinary trip through the South from Texas to the Carolinas, while you plan to spend most of your time in south Louisiana and Mississippi. Imagine the delightful aromas wafting through your house as you enjoy the heart warming stories. Flavored with Love introduces you to a beautiful blending of flavors in a cookbook packed with more than 300 favorite nostalgic recipes in big print. Enjoy the personalities related to the recipes. Learn secrets from the kitchens of some of Louisiana's favorite restaurants. Collect some hard to find south Louisiana recipes. Learn about the simple recipes that have won cooking contests. Have fun with food and cooking facts. You don't have to be a cook to enjoy Flavored with Love.

What Friends Say about Flavored with Love:
I have been browsing through Mary Cheatham's cookbook Flavored With Love for some time now, and have found it growing on me the more I dip into it. I started out skimming through it just reading the fascinating recipes. But after a while I noticed that the little stories around the recipes were not just filler, but fascinating in their own right. These stories are wonderful little snippets of Southern life starring Mary's family and friends from times gone by, evocations of an era when the pleasures of life were simpler and available to all, rich or poor. Buy it! Read it cover to cover. I particularly liked the story where little 4 year old Mary Lou caught the biggest Bream that had ever been caught and what happened to the Bream the next day. This story was, of course, followed by a recipe for Fried Bream. I live in Western Australia, on the opposite side of the world to Mary, and we don't get much in the way of Southern food out here (apart from Col. Sanders)... But Mary's recipes are so interesting, dripping as they do with the flavours of the South, and I certainly intend to introduce some of them to my family. I highly recommend Mary's cookbook, not just for her incredible recipes, but also for her personal introduction to her family and other interesting people via her warm and memorable stories. --Lex Edmonds, Perth, Western Australia

I own several cookbooks, and this is the only one I would suggest reading cover to cover. In real life I am an auto mechanic, and I have to use exact measures and specifications. I love to cook and not worry if everything is the same as last time. Mary's recipes can all be added to or changed just enough to make them your own, but her humorous way of preparing to cook a pan fish by first catching the fish, or the warning at the end of one recipe about beating your brains out with your tongue, these will only be found in a cookbook written by someone who cares about real people. Some of the best cooking I have done was at the expense of a healthy dish. I love cholesterol, fat, and salt. I am a Louisiana state certified food handler and probably the only mechanic to hold that license. The other day Mary came into my shop and told me that her radio, steering, and electric windows all quit working when she put her car in reverse. Most people would have doubted her, but knowing Mary, and some of the things she has done I started working on her car. I owe my job to a killer pecan pie, and hope to get a raise with this new book. May the Lord bless you and keep you, Mary. --Walker Gay, Choudrant, Louisiana

Mary Lou, thanks for a great cookbook. You share so many downhome real family recipes that it's often hard to decide what to fix next. The little stories you add all bring a smile to my face. You sure can cook. --Willie Crawford, Renowned Internet Marketer, Navarre, FL,

Cornbread Salad

We Southerners love our cornbread. For the Simsboro First Baptist Church Thanksgiving meal, I made Cornbread Salad, an unusual dish that has become popular on the salad bars of all-you-can-eat seafood and catfish restaurants. If you like the tastes of raw vegetables, bacon, mayonnaise, pickles and cornbread, you will be unable to stop with one bowl of this unique salad.

Cornbread salad is featured in Flavored with Love by Jane Riley (my penname). My sister Ruth Ishee contributed it to the cookbook. She said I should take a big bowl of cornbread salad to the party. She was right. Several people wanted the recipe.

She suggested I dress it up by adding something. I made four batches and added one pound of frozen whole kernel corn (uncooked). Instead of four green bell peppers, I used two green bell peppers and two orange bell peppers.

Cornbread Salad

1 box (8½ ounces) corn muffin mix
1 egg
⅓ cup milk
4 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 medium green bell pepper chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
½ cup sweet pickles, chopped
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup light mayonnaise
¼ cup sweet pickle juice

Preheat oven to 400°. Grease a 6-cup muffin tin. Blend the first 3 ingredients. Let the batter rest 4 minutes. Pour the batter into the muffin cups and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow it to cool, and crumble it.

Combine tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, pickles, and bacon. Toss gently. Combine mayonnaise and pickle juice. Mix the mayonnaise mixture with the vegetables. Arrange the vegetable mixture and cornbread mixture in layers in a large glass bowl. Cover and chill 2 hours. Toss lightly before serving.

Mom’s Dressing, Our Family's Favorite Thanksgiving Recipe

Mom’s Dressing

My mother-in-law, Mary Cheatham, cooked this traditional family recipe. (Because her name was Mary and for a few more reasons, I have reverted to the name Mary Lou Cheatham to avoid confusion, although most of my friends except the ones in Taylorsville and on Facebook, call me Mary.)

Fanny, a precious friend in Peru, is a missionary and the wife of a missionary from Louisiana. She is planning to cook a USA Thanksgiving dinner and needs help. I am posting this recipe for her and for you if you’d like to try some of the best traditional cornbread dressing I’ve ever eaten.

2 batches cornbread prepared according to the instructions on the mix (Mom uses Martha White buttermilk mix; we use Jiffy®.)
½ - ⅔ large loaf white sandwich bread
6 large onions
1 bunch of celery less 2 stalks
½ bunch parsley
1½ teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon sage
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
Salt to taste
5 large eggs
Hot water or chicken broth (depending on the use of the dressing.)
Cooking oil

In a huge pan crumble the cornbread; tear the white bread into small pieces.

Sauté the celery and onions in oil but do not allow them to brown. Cut the long stems off the parsley and tear the parsley into small pieces. Stir the vegetables and the seasonings into the breadcrumbs. With vigorous stirring, add the eggs. Continuing to stir, add enough hot water to make a moist dressing. (Alternate directions: if the dressing is to be served as a side dish instead of stuffing, moisten it with chicken broth.)

Cook the dressing in a scant amount of oil in a large electric skillet until it is warm. Adjust the seasonings according to your mood.

Store the dressing in the refrigerator until it is time to stuff the turkey. (If the dressing is to be served as a side dish at a later time, bake it until it is light golden brown on top. Store it in the freezer.)
***
Having lived in Louisiana for more than half my life, I’ve become addicted to cayenne pepper. This dressing is better if you shake a little cayenne into it. Stir well so one of your guests won’t get a mouth full.
***
Just a reminder: Stuffing is cooked inside a bird, and dressing is cooked outside of it. My mother-in-law used this recipe to stuff a turkey, and she always had two cake pans of it left over no matter how big her bird was.
One more note: My daughter and I have stopped cooking the dressing in a small amount of oil. (See the last step of the recipe.) Mom did that to avoid food poisoning from stored raw eggs. Instead of frying it again, we mix it just before we bake it. Then there is no danger. I never stuff a bird. Instead I cook it in a separate pan. It’s lighter and lower in calories. Also there’s no danger this way. The problem of food poisoning arises when a bird is stuffed.



This recipe is featured in Flavored with Love, available on Amazon.com

Edward H. Davis Interviews Mary Lou Cheatham, Part 6 (Final Section)

Ed: And finally, may we please use one of the recipes from your book -your choice -in our book, or do you have another (newer?) one you'd let us include?

Mary: As soon as we published The Collard Patch we realized we didn’t put enough recipes of our favorite way to eat collards when they are tender: wraps. We published a little bonus e-book called Collards Notebook, which I will gladly send to anyone who asks for it. I cannot make it into a Kindle book because it has colored pictures illustrating the following recipe.
Wraps with Collard Greens

Ingredients
Collard greens
Flour tortillas (12" is preferred)
Tuna spread (Use any spread you like, or use meat and cheese. In Flavored with Love, I have included a unique tuna salad recipe.)

Preparing the Wraps
Begin with thoroughly washed collard leaves.
Two methods to wilt the leaves:
Dip them into a shallow pan of boiling water for approximately 15 seconds and drain them on paper towels
OR
Wrap them in damp paper towels and microwave them 15 seconds or longer if they need it.
Second step: Fold the wilted leaves and cut the stem out. Try not to let the leaf fall into two pieces.
Tortillas are sometimes sticky. Warm the tortillas in the microwave 15 – 30 seconds, depending on the size of the package. Warming makes them more pliable – easier to separate and roll. Carefully separate the tortillas. (Tactic for separating the tortillas: work a sheet of waxed paper between them.)
Cover the tortilla with a collard leaf. The 12" size is the right size to go under a leaf.
Spoon a generous amount of the spread in a row on one end of the collard leaf and tortilla.
Too much spread will squoosh out the bottom.
You have two choices:
Make the wrap neat and skinny. You may need to eat two of them!
Make the wrap big and eat one.
A layer of Swiss, cheddar, or Romano cheese could be placed along the top of the spread.
Or if you are a spicemouth, you may want to add some jalapeño slices.
Wrap it tightly and carefully. Start at the side that has the filling on it. To reduce squooshing, you may want to fold in one side as you wrap it.
Toothpicks are useful to hold the wrap together.
Slice at angles or eat a whole one by yourself.