I’ve ordered this used chess set because I had one like it in the late 1960’s and 1970’s. Most of these photos were snagged from the Ebay site from where I bought it. Hopefully it will be in as good of a condition as shown in these pics. It did have one picture of loose felt on a Queen’s bottom. But, if you’ve ever felt a Queens bottom, you know that’s easily fixable.
The set looked good in the eBay pictures and when it arrived on December 19, 2025 it was in awesome condition! The only flaw I see other than the felt on several pieces needing a little glue, was a few creases on the box and that not even the top of the box. Flawless. The pieces look like what my set might have looked like when I first opened my chess set over 50 years ago.
The pieces were molded plastic, but were weighted inside and had felt bottoms so they felt substantial but did not scrape the board.
The Set on the Set of the Dick Van Dyke Show 1960s.
Frogmore is a coastal community in South Carolina. Frogmore Stew isn’t actually a stew because it doesn’t include a broth. However, this version does have some broth left in the IP Mini pot, and it also includes okra, which works well with the rest of the flavors.
Ingredients
Andouille Sausage
Red Potatoes
Corn on the Cob
Shrimp
Okra
Old Bay Seasoning (a generous helping)
Garlic powder, Pepper, Paprika or Smoked Paprika (but I would wait until after all is cooked to add salt, and not to the broth)
Process
Add 1 C of water to the Instant Pot Mini
Layer ingredients in the steamer insert
Sausage
Potatoes
Corn
Shrimp
Okra
Close IP Mini Lid and set Pressure for 3 minutes
Immediately after the 3 minutes press the Quick Release to severely slow the cooking process
Remove the ingredients from any broth that may be left in the bottom of the pot
If there is any liquid in the bottom of the pot, I might suggest pouring it in a cup to drink like you would the “pot likker” of turnips or rutabagas. It has a bunch of good flavors. I wouldn’t add any salt that would get into the broth, because the broth can also be used to make a Frogmore Stew Soup later. *This is something that can’t be done when Frogmore Stew is prepared outdoors and for many people. Usually that broth is highly seasoned and would be too salty to consume. **Save the salt and just put that on the corn, potatoes and shrimp, then the broth will be drinkable and usable in a soup.
I asked ChatGPT (AI) to take the collage of images at the top and apply an “artistic” filter to it and this is what it came up with. Excellent, I think. I also asked Gemini (AI) to do the same thing and this was it’s artistic triumph. I do like the one above better, but this isn’t bad.
What the ingredients actually look like before cooking.Leftovers and the pot likker (if not too salty) makes a really good Frogmore Stew Soup.
I had some left over Frogmore Stew items: a third of an ear of corn, a few potatoes, shrimp, okra and Andouille. I had the left over pot liquor from a second Frogmore Stew in the IP Mini. It wasn’t too salty, so I combined the two into a soup. Worked great, although it is odd to eat the wet corn on the cob from the soup. But worth it!
I intentionally did not add any salt to the second Frogmore Stew I made in the IP Mini. I wanted it to be drinkable, and a previous version had been way too salty. This little bit of thinking ahead made it all work. *Frogmore Stew is normally a very communal meal. It almost has to be because it is cooked in a large stock pot, normally outdoors, and then the broth, as far as I know, is discarded and the other cooked items spread out on a table for people to pick and choose what they want to eat. It’s only when you bring this meal to the IP Mini that it becomes less communal, although you might be able to make enough for two, but definitely not enough for three. It just wouldn’t fit into the small pot.
But the Instant Pot Mini makes this a repeatable meal, Often and for one or two. And possibly even a third meal as soup.
In looking at the spread above it suddenly came to me something that was missing, and would go well with this. Not hush puppies, although they might be good, but some kind of cornbread. The rustic kind that I would eat when mom fixed fried fish, oysters or a “mess of crabs.” A thin, fried cornmeal fritter. And, here is where I might introduce some onion, in the batter. I love onion, but adding it to the boil doesn’t work for me here. It would just disappear or not be something you would pick up as you do the other items on the table.
Could coleslaw be far behind? And dipping sauces?
[NOTE 12/31/25]: I added okra to my stew tonight, but this is late in the season and these came out slimy. I like okra, even if they are slimy, but. And I definitely think if I had a green cabbage, it would be worth it to make a simple cabbage slaw. And a crispy corn meal fitter or cake would also be a pleasant addition. — Simple to dice up the ingredients. Three minutes cook time, with immediate Pressure Release helps make this a winner. And, really good repeatable flavor. [end NOTE]
What happens when you run out of Teriyaki Sauce but still have Soy Sauce? Well ChatGPT suggests modifying some of your Soy Sauce to mimic the sweet Teriyaki Sauce. And here’s how:
Base Teriyaki “Flavor Profile” (no thickness)
This is the core taste without the glaze:
1 Tbsp soy sauce (or reduced-sodium)
½–1 tsp sweetener (choose one below)
¼ tsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Pinch garlic powder (or fresh)
Pinch ginger (powder or fresh)
Sweetener options (ranked best → worst for glucose)
🥇 Best
Allulose (behaves most like sugar, minimal BG impact)
Monk fruit (pure, not blended with erythritol)
🥈 Acceptable (use very little)
Honey (¼ tsp goes a long way)
Agave (you already know this one — tiny amounts only)
You’re aiming for hint of sweetness, not sauce-level sugar.
Make it feel “thicker” without sugar
Teriyaki mouthfeel matters almost as much as taste.
Choose ONE:
Reduce it: microwave or simmer 30–60 seconds
Cornstarch slurry:
⅛ tsp cornstarch + 1 Tbsp water (very small carb hit)
Mason Jar Vacuum Sealer Kit, Electric Sealer for Wide, Regular Mouth Mason Jars, Portable Vacuum Sealer for Jars
I bought this a short time ago and have since sucked the air out of most of the jars I have with various food items, like dry beans, fruits and even nuts, but one thing I just saw online was something that I hadn’t actually thought of. Putting half of an avocado in a Ball jar and running the jar sealer on it to preserve this food longer. I’ve said elsewhere that if there was an Arlington Cemetery for Avocadoes, that there would be a whole section that I have personally buried. Perhaps the only other veggie that I consistently ruin is cilantro, and I’m going to go vacuum pack it right now. *And that got me to thinking about my head of broccoli. I cut it up into individual florets and am sealing it as I write this. *I put these in a wide mouth jar that I had.
If preserving these food items that I regularly ruin works. What a game changer. It will be worth the $30 I spent to purchase this sealer./
I graduated from Swansboro High School in 1972 and started at UNC-Chapel Hill in the fall.
I attended Carolina for two years, but did not graduate because of low grades. I transferred to Campbell College, because no one else would take me with my scores, but pulled them up and transferred to UNC-Wilmington and graduated from there in the summer of 1976, with a degree in Business Administration.
But here are some memories of my time at Carolina.
Another bar, of which I cannot recall the name. Seems to be a recurring theme, don’t you think?
I lived in Chapel Hill for a couple of years going to college in the early 1970s. Only two years, because I flunked out and had to finish my college education elsewhere. My mom was paying for my education, and there was no doubt that I would graduate from somewhere.
“Silent Sam” was still on campus and I would pass him in the early morning hours on my way back to my dorm room, in Aycock Dorm. That name was changed a few years ago because Governor Aycock, for whom it was named was determined to be a racist. Governor Russell, who immediately preceded Governor Aycock, and who was a very distant relative of mine, was ridiculed for his pro “black” leanings, but that’s because he had a black nanny, when he was growing up at Palo Alto Plantation in Onslow County. And Silent Sam was silent because she carried a rifle and he only shot it off when a “virgin” walked by. *I didn’t make this up. It’s what I was told.
Oh, and there was also Hector’s “Famous Since 1969.” I stopped in there many a time to get a couple of their egg rolls, to assuage my muchie hunger. Soooo… good.
But there was a little bar behind and below the Rathskellar Restaurant and you could either walk down stairs from the Rat, or come in the back way to the small bar. Small? I seem to recall that it had two rooms, all painted black, floor to ceiling. One room had the small bar area, and the other room had at least one “PONG” video game. And, John Sharp and I played this game well, as a team against others. I was good at defense and John was good on the front paddle.
And this bar had a beer special, a pitcher for a good price. It had to be good because I know I had several of them while visiting each time. Maybe one, but I drank it fast to get drunk.
So, I can’t recall the name of this little bar. There is a web cam that shows the intersection of Franklin Street & Columbia (the back entrance was down a concrete driveway) and I see this view quite often on WRAL TV5 in the mornings.
And after all of the above, ChatGPT managed to find the obscure name of this little bar — The Bacchae! And described as “…one of Chapel Hill’s first true nightclubs,” which I find amusing. About as far from a nightclub as a VW Bug is from a Lamborghini, and the Bacchae was no Lamborghini. And now ChatGPT adds that my version of The Bacchae, predated the nightclub version.
I asked ChatGPT to suggest ways that I could get below 230 lbs. I’ve lost over 60 lbs. in a relatively short time (about 5 months), twice in my life. Once when I was about 49 years old (2003) and then about 9 years later, in 2012 when I was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
I think when I was about 49 years old I became a “foodie.” Before that time I had told myself that I didn’t want to become a foodie, if I even fully understood what that might mean. I recall walking by the spices in Food Lion and stopping to look at at small jar of Saffron. I think it cost about $14 and I thought that rather expensive. I had never tried saffron, but I said to myself, “If you don’t try it now, you may never try it before you die.” And with that thought, I started trying things that I had, to that point, not tried. *Oh, and in the saffron spice jar, was a small black plastic resealable pouch, and in that just a few pinches of saffron. $14 and you probably weren’t even filling up a fourth of that small spice jar.
I do recall making some white rice and adding saffron to it. The saffron pistils are a dark rusty red, but they made the rice a bright yellow color. I ate the bright yellow rice with bright green (from frozen) garden peas. I haven’t fixed anything with saffron in a long time. As I recall it took several attempts before I could finally taste the nuance of flavor that saffron brings to food. There are so many other flavors that can overpower it.
Lost a bunch of weight at 49 about 2003, but I first visited the Biltmore Estate in last Spring of 2004. As I recall I just missed the spring plantings, which I was told had been dug up to plant the summer plantings about a week before I visited. I took the day’s ticket, and paid extra to make it a year long ticket, so that I could visit an unlimited number of times (except for the special Christmas tour). And I did visit multiple times that year (and haven’t been back since). I visited for each season, and paid extra for the Christmas night tour, and before the annual ticket ran out, I visited again to see the spring plantings early in 2005.
Seems like it was on a visit to Biltmore that as the afternoon waned, I went into the little shopping area attached to the main house. They had a bakery in there and I bought two or three sugary items. I know one of them was a Bear Claw. And, as I started to drive back home (to Fayetteville), I began to eat these sugary, starchy desserts. And that was the start of me adding the weight back on. This was the first time I had gotten to about 230 lbs. after losing 60 lbs. in a few months.
By the way, losing the 60 lbs. both times was not a struggle. Once in the mindset, and the metabolism is going, I can eat a variety of foods and still lose weight, about 2 or 3 lbs. a week. And that is even with cheats every so often. I consider a “cheat” to be like eating a large plate of spaghetti with sauce, or having a whole half gallon of ice cream in less than two days. These cheats were the first time I lost weight, because the second time was more difficult because I was now losing the weight because I was a type 2 diabetic. I had to cut out a bunch of foods that had been fair game the first time. I think I cut out bread entirely, and drank a lot of water and now corn, potatoes, pasta and rice were now severely restricted.
Both times of great weight loss I got to about 230 lbs. (maybe even a little less) but it was at this point that instead of continuing to lose 2-3 lbs. a week, I stopped losing for about two weeks, and then I started back up. But my gain was at about half the speed from which I had lost. Visually maybe about a 45 degree slant downward, and then about a 22.5 degree slope back upward.
I have lost about 12 lbs. over the last year and cut my Resting Blood Glucose level by about 50 points. So, unlike the two times that I lost about 60 lbs., this time it has been a slow, steady loss and I weighed 237.4 lbs. yesterday (12/06/25).
I forgot I had posted the following graphs about my weight in previous years:
And here are the tweaks that may help me get below my weight goal of 230 lbs.
1. Eat protein first at each meal
A few bites of protein before anything else flattens blood sugar spikes and naturally reduces appetite without effort.
2. Include one resistant-starch food every day
Beans, wild rice, black rice, or sprouted bread improve insulin sensitivity and promote slow, steady weight loss.
3. Take a 10-minute walk after your largest meal
This small movement lowers post-meal glucose and shifts your body toward fat-burning without feeling like exercise.
4. Add one extra serving of vegetables daily
Extra fiber fills you up, reduces calories naturally, and keeps blood sugar stable.
5. Choose one meal each day to be slightly lighter—based on appetite
Letting hunger decide the “light meal” prevents metabolic stress and creates a gentle calorie reduction.
6. Make very small calorie trims, not big cuts
Removing 30–70 calories from a meal (like one less slice of bacon or bread) nudges weight downward without triggering rebound.
7. Drink 4–6 ounces of water before eating starches or sweets
A small amount of water slows stomach emptying and reduces the blood sugar rise from the meal.
I bought a new digital bathroom scale and this morning was the first time I recorded my Daily Weight. I wrote down that it showed me as 240.2 lbs. but when I looked at the app on my phone it said 240.3. *I’ll try and pay attention to see if the numbers are slightly off, or maybe I made a mistake writing it down. I don’t have to have my phone with me, because the app uses my WIFI to get the message from the scale.
I had gone to Hamlet to have the lunch buffet at Seaboard Station Restaurant. Their prices have gone up to $13 for the buffet, with water. I had one small piece of fried chicken, a taste of meatloaf, a small portion of pastry, some green beans, a small salad and some Sara Lee Carrot Cake.
But, when I got to the IGA in Rockingham (Edwards, I think.) I found that they had a pint (maybe two) of Hershey’s “Roadrunner Raspberry” Ice Cream for $3.99. I was so happy to finally find it that I bought a pint for a lady that was passing nearby. Her choice and she chose “Dulce de Leche” I think.
I haven’t made bread at home for many years but I did have a machine just like the one shown above and just got rid of it about six months ago. I was divesting myself of things and this was one that I did not use.
As I recall, the machine would perform the whole process of bread making from mixing the dough, to kneading the dough, letting it rest and finally baking the bread. The only real problem with baking the bread was that the loaf came out oddly shaped (at least for slicing into a standard loaf form). And that is why at the last I would use the machine to get the dough ready to bake, and then put it in a regular loaf pan and bake it in the oven.
But now, unless I could use sprouted grain to make the bread dough, and I don’t know how to do that, I don’t knead to make bread at home. I do like the flavor of Aldi’s “Knock Your Sprouts Off” Reduced Sodium bread, and it doesn’t appear to raise my blood sugar, but I normally only eat one slice a day, with peanut butter, some honey and a generous portion of Ceylon cinnamon.
This was simple but turned out really good. I would definitely do this several times again.
Garden peas
Ingredients
1–2 chicken breasts
Onion
Bell pepper
Zucchini
1–2 tbsp oil
½ cup water or broth
⅓–½ cup teriyaki sauce
Garlic powder
Spicy Chili Crisp
S&P
Optional:
1 tsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water
Carrots
Okra
Add frozen peas
Cook Time
Whole breasts: 7–8 min on High + 10 min natural release
Diced breasts: 4–5 min on High + 5 min natural release
Steps
Lightly brown chicken on both sides.
Sauté onion and bell pepper in oil.
Add zucchini on top.
Pour in ½ cup water or broth.
Add 2–3 tbsp teriyaki sauce (optional at this stage).
Pressure cook using times above.
Natural release for the listed time.
Add remaining teriyaki sauce and simmer 1–2 minutes on Sauté.
Optional: stir in cornstarch slurry to thicken.
Notes
Keep zucchini thick so it doesn’t get mushy.
Add final teriyaki sauce after pressure cooking for best flavor.
I had some already cooked rice and I put that in a bowl and then added some Spicy Chili Crisp.
I fixed this again today and it was good again. I did not taste the okra, and think that maybe carrots might be a better option. This just makes a good soupy broth. Very satisfying. I don’t use much cooked rice. *I have recently fixed a black & wild rice combo in my IP Mini and have fallen in love with it. I like the flavor and each rice kernel is a shiny black color, like an onyx.
Having said I don’t use much cooked rice, here is a small batch recipe for a mix of Black & Wild Rice.
Black RiceBlack & Wild Rice ComboWild Rice
🌾 Wild Rice – Nutritional Facts
Wild rice is high in fiber, protein, and minerals like magnesium and zinc, and it contains strong antioxidant levels. It has a low to low-moderate glycemic index (GI 45–53), and usually falls on the lower end, making it one of the best rice options for stable blood sugar.
🌑 Black Rice – Nutritional Facts
Black rice, also known as “Forbidden Rice,” is rich in anthocyanins, the dark-purple antioxidants also found in blueberries, which support heart health and reduce inflammation. It has a low to moderate glycemic index (GI 42–55) depending on the variety, making it a significantly better choice for glucose control than white or brown rice.
黑米 (Mandarin Chinese) | 흑미 Korean
Pronunciation (Mandarin): hēi mǐ Translation: Black Rice
黑 (hēi) = black
米 (mǐ) = rice / grain
So this sticker simply means “black rice.”
TOP PRODUCING COUNTRIES FOR BLACK RICE
China
India
Thailand
Indonesia
Philippines
Vietnam
⭐ SMALL-BATCH WILD RICE + BLACK RICE (3 servings of ~⅓ cup cooked)
Yield: ~1 cup cooked rice
🟫 Ingredients
2 tablespoons wild rice
4 tablespoons (¼ cup) black rice (This ratio cooks evenly: black rice softens a little faster but still works well.)
½ cup water
Pinch of salt (optional)
½ teaspoon oil (optional — keeps foam down in the Mini)
Total dry rice = 6 tablespoons = ⅜ cup. When cooked, this will expand to ~1 cup, which divides into three ⅓-cup servings.
🍲 Instant Pot Mini Instructions
Rinse the wild rice + black rice under cold water.
Add the rice to the Instant Pot Mini.
Add ½ cup water, salt, and oil.
Close lid, seal the valve.
Pressure Cook: 20 minutes (High Pressure) This is the sweet spot where the wild rice softens and black rice doesn’t get mushy.
Natural Release for 10 minutes, then quick release the rest.
Fluff with a fork. You should have around 1 cup cooked grains.
✔️ Texture Notes
This gives a chewy grain—ideal for wild rice blends.
Bill Gibson, II 