"ALL THE FAT IS THE LORD'S . . ." —Leviticus 3:16

Radio personalities Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey love their grub, and they love it well—and now they want to tell you everything they know about it!

In this bountiful buffet of all-things-vittles, Rick and Bubba of the syndicated Rick & Bubba Show—heard nationally on more than 60 radio stations—will offer you a veritable smorgasbord of tantalizing tidbits to help you get the most out of America's favorite pastime—eating!

Features of Rick and Bubba's Big Honkin' Book of Grub include:

• Rick and Bubba's no-fail Weight Loss Tips
• Palate-pleasing recipes to tickle your tummy
• Rick and Bubba's Tribute to the Casserole
• "Da Rules" for eating with excellence and grace (including Rick and Bubba's Never-to-Be-Broken Rules of the Church Potluck)
• Rick and Bubba's Favorite Places to Eat
• The official list of interesting Food Fairs and Festivals

"Eating is an art . . . an event . . . an experience," say Rick and Bubba. So grab your forks, y'all, and come on. There's eatin' to do! Let Rick and Bubba show you how!

Rick and Bubba's Big Honkin' Book of Grub

By Rick Burgess Bill "Bubba" Bussey Martha Bolton

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2010 Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4016-0402-8

Contents

1. The Rick and Bubba "Hey, You Gotta Live" Diet.........................................................12. The Incredible, Edible ... Meat?......................................................................213. Other Foods We Like...................................................................................514. How We Eat: Da Rules..................................................................................755. Where We Eat, Part I: At Church.......................................................................956. Where We Eat, Part II: At the Restaurant..............................................................1077. Where We Eat, Part III: Other Places to Get Good Grub.................................................1378. Rick and Bubba's Pet Peeves...........................................................................1559. Rick and Bubba's Grocery Store Chain..................................................................16510. Rick and Bubba's Secret Recipe File..................................................................179Appendix: Rick and Bubba's Grub Definitions..............................................................201Acknowledgments..........................................................................................207Rick and Bubba's Itty-Bitty Recipe Index.................................................................211

Chapter One

The Rick and Bubba "Hey, You Gotta Live" non Diet * * *

Diet. Now, that's a word you hear every livelong day, somewhere in our carb-conscious society. Seems like every time I (Bubba) turn around, so-and-so's on a diet, or "Hey, man, what diet are you on?" or "Gee, she looks great. She must be dieting." If you ask us, there's a reason that the first three letters of the word diet are d-i-e, but hey, if YOU want to fuss with calories, points, or fat grams, we're with you.

Now, having offered you our support, if you want-or need-to go on a diet, there are a lot of different choices available to you today. You can do Atkins-if you're into that. Personally, we like our starch. God made it, and that's good enough for us. Or you could try Weight Watchers-if you dig counting all those little points for every sumptuous bite you put in your mouth ... but Rick and I tend to cheat. (Individual chocolate chips don't really have points, do they? They're so small ...) There's even the illustrious "Deal-a-Meal." (Ever notice how those old commercials make those ladies look like they're playing a fun game of cards? Hmph. I don't think so ...) South Beach, North Beach, Sugar Busters, Weigh Down, count your calories, watch your zones, watch your this and watch your that-oh, the choices are endless. There's even a caveman diet. Hey, I could get into that! Anybody remember the size of that rack o' ribs Fred Flintstone was served in the closing credits of The Flintstones? Pass me the sauce!

But we are going to give you one more choice, the quintessential diet. Introducing ... (drum roll, please) the Rick and Bubba "Hey, You Gotta Live" diet. This is a diet plan that is based in reality, and it is what has kept us in GQ shape all these years.

The truth is, almost any diet will help you lose weight to some extent. That's because most diets are based on the simple principle that eating fewer calories than what you've been eating in the past will cause anyone to lose weight. It just makes mathematical sense.

But very few diets are set up for you to actually live while following them. Losing weight is fine, but if it's only to help you fit into your funeral clothes, what good is that? We contend that life is meant to be lived, and who can live without, say, carbs? (Hey, doctors tell us carbs have that "feel-good" thing going on for your brain. Who are we to argue?) A "diet" without mashed potatoes and French toast and Sister Schubert's yeast rolls and bottomless pasta bowls-we can't do it. And meat? Essential. Jesus ate meat. Who are we to tell him he's wrong? No sirree. We aren't about to go vegan.

No, with the Rick and Bubba "Hey, You Gotta Live" diet plan, we don't discriminate against any particular type of food. In fact, with our diet, you can eat whatever you want.

Sugar? You got it!

White bread? Absolutely!

Animal fat? Here you go!

Red meat? Belly up to the carving table!

We're not so arrogant and narrow-minded as to leave out the very foods that everyone enjoys. That's not fair. Why should we punish butter? What did it do? Tasting good isn't a crime. At least the last time we checked it wasn't.

We're not going to single out desserts as the bad guy either. They're just trying to keep themselves in demand like everyone else-a little job security. Is that so bad?

Our philosophy is that we will continue to support all food. We say, eat everything ... only do it in moderation. You can still go to buffets; just don't clean them out. And if you do, don't start licking the serving carts.

* * *

The Rick and Bubba "Hey, You Gotta Live" diet works on the truth principle. The truth is that people like us aren't fat because we're hungry. We're fat because we like how food tastes! That is a fact. We've faced it-now nutritionists need to face this truth too. They need to step back into reality. We love to eat. It's part of who we are.

I (Rick) don't order a hot fudge sundae because I'm starving. Nor do I order a second slice of cheesecake because I'm feeling weak and faint. If I were feeling weak and faint, I'd order a triple-meat burger or a sixteen-ounce steak or something a lot more filling and rich in iron. I order desserts because they don't care about iron. I order them because they taste good. I want that chocolate shake because I like the flavor of it, not because my stomach's growling for it. (I haven't heard my stomach growl in fourteen years. I do my best to keep it full at all times. As its primary caregiver, I consider it my duty.)

So we say, why pretend that you don't want to eat? Of course you want to eat. You want more than the 1,800; 1,500; or 800 calories those other plans are limiting you to. Accept that truth. The goal of our diet isn't to get you to be skinny. Our goal is to get you to a level of fat that you can tolerate.

Having said all that, there are some folks out there-unlike Bubba and me-who really do eat because they're hungry-and only then. Our hats off to you. We'd like you better if you ate for fun, but hey, there's room for everybody on the Rick and Bubba "Hey, You Gotta Live" diet. For good, conscientious folks like you, there's only going to be one way for you to lose weight: stop eating when you're hungry, and instead, only eat when you're famished.

Now, many people confuse the terms hungry and famished, but there is a world of difference. Let Uncles Rick and Bubba help you.

First, hungry is a mild inconvenience. You may have heard your stomach growl. The aroma coming from your kitchen may be making it difficult for you to concentrate on your favorite show. You may have even gotten a...