Miss Kay's Duck Commander Kitchen (35 page)

Willie’s Armadillo Eggs

Makes 6 to 16 servings • Outdoor grill (optional)

6 to 8 large jalapeño peppers, cut in half lengthwise, seeds and ribs removed

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

2 pounds breakfast sausage, formed into 12 to 16 patties

1 pound bacon, sliced thin

1 stick (
¹
/
₄
pound) butter, melted

1. If you’re using a grill, heat it to medium. If not, heat the oven to 400°F.

2. Fill each jalapeño half with cream cheese. Mold sausage around each jalapeño half, making sure to cover the entire jalapeño. Wrap each “armadillo egg” with a slice of bacon.

3. Cook the eggs on an open grill until the sausage is cooked through and the bacon is crispy. If you don’t have an outdoor grill, bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, then broil until the bacon is crispy.

4. Remove the eggs from the grill or oven and cover with melted butter.

A Note from Miss Kay

I know these aren’t real armadillo eggs; I just love the name! Willie uses this recipe a lot. In fact, it’s in his book,
The Duck Commander Family
, along with other things he likes to cook. I love to talk recipes with Willie. I am so proud that he loves to cook and eat—just like I do!

11.

Remembering Granny

If God had intended us to follow recipes, He wouldn’t have given us grandmothers.

—Linda Henley

No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.

—1 Timothy 5:9–10, NIV

Remembering Granny

Sour Cream Cake

Chili with Beans

Pineapple Cheese Salad

Buttermilk Biscuits

Rice Pudding

Mayhaw Jelly

Hale Fries

Cornbread

Hot Water Cornbread

Blackberry Jam Cake

Granny & Iced Tea

Phil’s mom wasn’t always called Granny. Her name was Merritt, like one of my granddaughters (
pictured at left
). She was a tough lady who raised five boys and two girls through some very hard years. It’s difficult for me to hear young people complain today when I think of Granny and how she clothed and fed those seven children on next to nothing.

In the early years, Granny and Pa lived in a four-room log cabin where four of the boys slept in the same bed. There was no air-conditioning or heat and the running water came through a single hose that Pa had rigged up through a window in the kitchen. Since there was no hot water, Granny had to put on a big pot of water to boil every morning. That was used for everything from cleaning the dishes to bathing the children.

Granny and Pa with all their grandchildren. See if you can spot my boys. Here’s a clue: Alan has a mustache, Willie is preppy, Jase is serious, and Jep is little.

Most of the food they ate was raised on their own plot of land. Hogs provided bacon, cows provided milk, butter, and beef, chickens (bought by mail order for $5.00 per 100) provided eggs, and a garden provided a variety of vegetables. Beyond that, the boys hunted and fished and, for all they knew, they had more than enough. Granny and Pa were hardworking
folks who raised their children to work hard, too, and to value what they had been blessed with.

This is the Robertson Seven! From youngest to oldest: Jan, Si, Phil, Tommy, Judy, Harold, and Jimmy Frank. Now, that’s a good-looking bunch!

The first time I ate at Granny’s house, I was eager to show her that I could help out in the kitchen. I asked repeatedly for her to give me a job. I’m sure she was hesitant to turn the food preparation over to a fifteen-year-old, so she told me my job was to put the ice in the glasses. She made that job sound so special by telling me that no tea tastes good until it is poured into a clean glass filled to the top with fresh ice. I proudly did my job to the best of my ability.

Over the years, Granny taught me many lessons in cooking, but more important, she taught me life lessons. One lesson I’ll never forget is how she cleaned up her brood of children every Sunday and, with nine people in one car, headed to church. Granny made sure her children didn’t go physically hungry, but she did want them to be hungry for the Word of God. I’m pretty sure she succeeded. All seven of her children are faithful believers.

Granny was quite the character. In her older years, she loved the game show
The Price Is Right
, and was chosen to be on the show in 1999. She even won a car! Thank you, Granny, for leaving a legacy of working hard, holding on to family, and honoring God in all you do.

Granny is pictured with her oldest daughter, Judy. Granny lived with Judy the last few years of her life.

Sour Cream Cake

Makes 1 Bundt cake • Bundt pan (10 to 12 cups) • Wire cooling rack • Nonstick cooking spray and flour, for the pan