More about tomato jam

In response to a recent query, you can find out more about tomato jam on our new blog at PaulandAngela.net.

It's Rajun Cajun time!

Head over to our new blog for news about your chance to feast on crawfish and gumbo while helping Porter-Leath help children.

There is also Slow Food news from the Emerald Isle and the Irish Grand Marshall of the Beale Street St. Patrick's Day parade.

If you sign up for our newsletter, you can get a look at Teh Boy's latest school project as well as Mama Squirrel's recipe for ginger meltaway cookies.

Extra! Extra!

If you have ventured over to our new venture, From the Southern Table, you may have noticed a newsletter link. (Like that one right back there.) The fine folks who signed up just received the very first issue, hot off the non-existent presses.

Those folks got a delivery of ponderings, pork, and, sadly, passings. It's not too late for you my friend. Head on over and sign up and see what the fuss is all about. As soon as you sign up, that first issue will be speeding toward your inbox.

And, yeah, you can read it in the archive online, but then you would miss the thrill of that little new-email ding noise that your computer makes. And who doesn't love that?

Squirrelly about amenities

When we went to visit MamaSquirrel's grandmother in the hospital, Squirrelly, Jr., and I went out for a walk in the area. One of the places we passed was the nursing home next to the hospital. Teh Boy pointed out something odd.

"I didn't know people still had propane tanks," he said.

"Oh, sure they do," I replied.

"Yeah, but not in town (Somerville), I didn't think."

"Good point," I said.

"Maybe it's for emergencies," he mused rather sagely.

Then, as I looked at the tank, I noticed something else.

"They have a smoker, too," I said.

"Man, this is a high end nursing home," he replied.

We're expanding our empire!

Please come visit us at our new site, From the Southern Table. The new site is a showcase for our more professional writing efforts. There you can find some of our published works along with places where we have been sources in stories.

We will have a blog there of our more serious writing and more in-depth reporting. We will continue to blog here as well with local food news plus our general silliness.

We hope to see you there soon.

The Pig is back!

The best radio station in Memphis since, perhaps, the Redbeard days of Rock 103 has returned to the airwaves. Yes, 96 oink 1, The Pig is squealing again.

This is the radio station that Memphis desperately needs, one that plays an eclectic mix of excellent music. There is the harmony of John Prine and Iris DeMent, the tranquil melodies of Led Zeppelin, and the contented musings of Tracy Chapman.

Yeah, those may not be the best descriptions, but then again, this is the radio station that makes "ham-handed segue" a good thing. Take, for instance, the recent fade from The Eagles' Seven Bridges Road to The Clash and London Calling. It sounds strange, but it was beautiful.

Of course, radio is a business. There have to be commercials to pay for the music. The Pig even gets that right. The first ad I heard on the reborn Pig was a welcome back message from Central Barbecue. Pig-a-licious.

Squirrel Appreciation Day

Yes, January 21 is National Squirrel Appreciation Day. For us, of course, every day is Squirrel Appreciation Day thanks to the adulation of you, our dear readers, our dear, Squirrel-appreciated readers.

For me, it has been a relatively uneventful day. My tyrannical boss forced my to work today, and she showed me no appreciation whatsoever aside from some muttered comment along the lines of, "you better just appreciate that paycheck..."

At least I am appreciated at home. This very minute, Mama Squirrel is in the kitchen making me the biggest peanut butter sandwich you ever saw. She really loves me.