Chowing Down

What can I say? We certainly know how to put away some groceries.

• Sunday Dinner: Mom's Party Chicken (or Roast with Golden Mushroom Gravy, Carrots and Potatoes), Crock Pot Macaroni (or Cheese Pie), Fried Okra (or Squash), Broccoli Casserole (or Wild Rice), Green Beans with New Potatoes (or Lima Beans with Bacon and Chives), Black Eyed Peas & Pepper Salad (or Orange Congealed Salad), Bread & Butter Pickles, Homemade Cornbread (save a slice to crumble with milk later...), Banana Pudding (or Chocolate Pudding Cups with Cool Whip, or Angel Food Cake with Lemon & Blueberries or Strawberries, or Apple Pie with Ice Cream)...among many, many other delectable dining experiences. Thanks, Mom!

• Saturday Night Cookout: Chicken on the grill w/Maurice Bessinger's Piggy Park Yellow Mustard BBQ Sauce (is there any other kind?), salad with Mom’s homemade dressing and croutons, corn on the cob and Doritos

• Grandma Roberts’ biscuits (with or without sausage, eggs & cheese)

• Dad’s snacks: real popcorn (as opposed to microwaved), Rice Krispie Treats and toasted Saltine crackers with peanut butter and marshmallows

• Strawberry Shortcake (Mom)

• Blueberry Cobbler (Al)

• Zucchini Bars (Beth Miller)

• Zesto’s: White snack no slaw and a sweet tea for the back

• Homemade ice cream, virtually any flavor. Caldwell always made it best (peach, cherry, strawberry, rocky road, etc.)

• Chicken & Rice with black-eyed peas and Jiffy cornbread muffins (a BSC classic from the Chattanooga days)

• Ranch Dressing…on almost everything. While Kevin is particularly fond of the Hidden Valley brand, the rest of us are happy with either that or Kraft. But we must have it. This notorious family habit originated with Toby Kirkland, I believe.

• Shealy’s BBQ in Batesburg. Thursday is Quail & Grits, and you have to ask your waitress for pulley bones, and don’t forget your soft-serve ice cream cone to go. Oh, and Kevin knows Mrs. Shealy.

• Miller’s Bread Basket in Blackville, home of the Healing Springs

• Little Caesar's pepperoni pizza (actually, I think only Kevin and I wax nostalgic about this once-familiar comfort food. Everyone else pretty much had their fill after 10 years or so of eating it every Friday night.)