Grinning Gadget

I have a weakness for kitchen gadgets.  Some are useful, others are not.  Some I've purchased, others were gifts.  Most make me happy whenever I use them.  This little guy makes me laugh right out loud.

He's a gift from my parents' trip to Seagrove N.C.   Funny-looking pottery is a long-standing tradition there.  The grotesque faces were originally designed to frighten children away from jugs containing items that shouldn't be consumed by children.  Like poison.  Or whiskey.  


This little fellow wasn't designed to alert us to the dangers of poison or moonshine, though he is a useful guy to have around.  Most days he just hangs out in my kitchen making me smile.  He only demonstrates his true talent on baking day.   

My little pottery pal is an egg separator.  You crack the whole egg into the top of his head, then you tip him and the egg white oozes from his mouth.  I laugh every time.  Useful and amusing.  What more can you ask from a kitchen gadget?
 

(Note: The hand in the photo belongs to Hubby.  Also a useful and amusing guy to have around. Thanks honey!)

Just Call Me Jethro

I had my first experience with local food here in North Carolina last night.  There was a possum in the back yard.  I understand they're good eating.  Of course, I could be wrong.  I believe I got that bit of information from reruns of The Beverly Hillbillies.  Doesn't really matter. I'm pretty sure that even if I managed to catch the little guy, I wouldn't have been able to prepare him in a way that my sister could eat.  Her jaw surgery went well, but she's still surviving on liquids until she's all healed up.

Though I was able to find possum recipes and instructions for catching and cleaning possums online, I wasn't able to find anything about possum smoothies.  Thank goodness.  I left the little fella to wander along the fence and enjoy the moonlit night.  

(What would be the correct word for preparing a dead possum for cooking?  Cleaning? Skinning? Butchering?  Whatever it is, that last link is my favourite.  Note that it's even a website from North Carolina!)