Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History- Jill Conner Browne of the Sweet Potato Queens

"Heeeeeyycuteshoestellyamommahi!" The classic greeting of a Sweet Potato Queen. If you have not heard of these infamous women who reside in Jackson, Mississippi, you need to acquaint yourself with them here and now. Especially if you are a woman over the age of, oh.. let's say 40-ish, and more especially, if you are a Southern gal. There are several books written by Jill Conner Browne, the lead Queen and one of my idols. The SPQ are all about making your own fun, hence the silly costumes they wear. Who wouldn't like to dress up like someone else for a day and just let loose?! It all began with a St. Patrick's Day parade many years ago and a few ladies who appointed themselves queens of that parade because like Jill said, in the words of Suzanne Sugarbaker, "There is just nothing better than riding in a convertible with a tiara on your head." Through the years, the SPQ have gotten quite a following, groupies called Wannabee's and even Wannabee Wannabee's, to the point that the annual parade draws tens of thousands of people from all over now. They all come to see these ladies (in their green-sequined and amply augmented dresses, pink drum-majorette boots and silk gloves, and big-haired red wigs) get out there and shake what their mommas gave 'em! The books are an easy fun read, but be warned, you WILL find yourself laughing out loud! I personally have passed my copies of them on to 6 or 7 friends, cousins, aunts, and my mom, and am currently re-reading them for the ?nth time.  The Queens believe in eating as an art form and that pretty much anything is better with bacon in it. All of their books contain a section of "death-defying" recipes that sound sinfully good. I must say that I did not know until I read it, that you can boil an ENTIRE can of sweetened condensed milk to caramelize it, but you do have to be careful that it doesn't explode! They also have lots of great advice about men, funny stories, tips on getting that Queenly look, and the how-to on "lolling about"-the official activity of the SPQ.  Oh, and the info on how to order Fat Mama's Knock You Naked Margaritas! So now you  know... who wrote the book of love....that is, "The Sweet Potato Queen's Book of Love".