Everything’s coming up peanuts with Tom Joyner
On one of the nation’s most popular morning radio shows, Tom Joyner and his cast of sidekicks and characters get the day off to a great start for millions of Americans. Joyner began his radio career in Montgomery, Ala., shortly after his college graduation. He was an original member of the musical group The Commodores.
Joyner is known as the “Hardest Working Man in Radio,” and got that nickname in the mid-1980s, when he was commuting between Chicago and Dallas to work two radio jobs at the same time. He is an author, lecturer and respected humanitarian – the Tom Joyner Foundation has raised $60 million to provide tuition assistance to students attending historically black colleges. For more info: www.blackamericaweb.com.
“ Favorite dining memory from growing up in Alabama:
Growing up in Alabama we spent a lot of time participating in protest marches, and what most people don’t know is that a protest march is where you could find the best sandwiches. For a fat kid like me, it was a win-win situation. I got a chance to do my civic duty with a peanut butter sandwich in my hand. It doesn’t get any better than that.
“ Describe your life in a three-course meal.
All I know is that each course would include peanut butter. Tuskegee was the home of George Washington Carver, and peanuts played a big role in our lives. The appetizer would be peanut butter straight out of the jar on two fingers. My early years were simple with no flair or fanfare.
The next course would be a peanut butter sandwich, because I began to add a little substance. My family was one piece of bread, my radio career was the other and the rest of the good stuff was in the middle.
The last course would be peanut butter cookies for dessert. Everything is good: I’ve got my wife, Donna, a brand-new studio, Reach Media, and my two sons working by my side. It doesn’t get any sweeter than that.
“ You’ve been asked to be the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and are responsible for serving a big welcome dinner to the other representatives. What’s on the menu to represent the U.S.?
It’s got to be soul food. I would do it old school, too, like an old-fashioned picnic with lots of food served on flimsy paper plates. Ribs, fried chicken, collard greens, potato salad, sweet potato pie and sweet tea!
Peanut Fruit Roll*
3 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup cream
1/3 cup coarsely chopped peanuts
1/2 cup each of figs, dates and candied pineapple
Boil sugar and cream until it reaches the soft-boil stage; pour out on a large platter and cool. Work with a wooden spoon until creamy; add the nuts and fruit; work until mass begins to stiffen; then make into a long roll, and wrap in a moist towel. In an hour or more it can be sliced, and the slices wrapped in oily paper.