From the category archives:

Southern Family

Southern Inspiration

by Christi on August 28, 2010

Today, I’m participating in the Miracle Makeover Party! Read the details at the bottom of the post and start commenting! Thank you to Guideposts Magazine for bringing us the video of Colette and her miracle makeover. The link to see the video is at the bottom of this post.

Colette’s story is inspiring. Many things inspire us in life. Special people, the song of a bird, rainbows, a refreshing breeze – all of these remind us who we are and Whose we are. They remind us of our Creator and our salvation! Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow!

As many of you know, I lost my beloved Grandpa last Friday. He inspires me to live life well and fully.

Frank Dicus

I lost my father in 1992. I’m inspired by him to care about people and to let them know that I care.

Eddie Dicus

I am very fortunate to still have my mother. She inspires me to put my heart in to everything I do, whether it is teaching a class, working with clients, making dinner or setting a table – give it your all and do it well.

Carrol Dicus Ward

I am also inspired by my husband. He inspires me to be committed and he makes me laugh.

My husband, Joe B. Wharton and me on our wedding day (almost 13 years ago)

I could go on and and on about all the inspiration in my life – sisters, brother, nieces and a nephew, a bonus father and on, and on it goes.

Today, I’m inspired by a cool morning after so many hot, hot summer days! What inspires you today?

Check out the information below on the wonderful Miracle Makeover Party and join in!

Please take the time today to thank Guideposts Magazine for bringing us the video of Colette’s story. Please leave a comment thanking Guideposts Magazine, and telling them what you loved about the video – and be sure to click “Like It”. The comment you leave on each participating site will generate a $1.00 donation by Design Gives Back. These donations will facilitate another Miracle Makeover.

Please comment here on Pink Saturday post for a $1.00 donation.

Pink Saturday with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound

Comment at Spiritual Sunday for another $1.00 donation.

Comment at Country Wings in Phoenix for yet another $1.00 donation.

And, of course visit Kelee at The Katillac Shack, and comment for yet another $1.00 donation. At Kelee’s you will view the awesome Miracle Makeover video, meet and learn more about Colette, and have the opportunity to see and be eligible to win awesome prizes.

And, be certain to post this event to Facebook, and for another $1.00 donation leave a comment at www.facebook.com/guideposts. Be certain to thank Guideposts for sponsoring the video, tell them what you like about the video, and be sure to click “Like It”.

{ 11 comments }

Southern Summer

by Christi on July 31, 2010

Wow, it has been crazy busy around here this past couple of weeks. I thought I would try to get by with combining posts and not actually posting every day. Oops, apparently not a good idea. In addition to my mother and my sister letting me know that they had noticed and missed a new post every day, others have let me know as well. I’ll have to work on my time management to do better!

Anyway, it has been very helpful this week that Mama sent me pictures of her lovely tablescape. She also included some pictures of her beautiful fuchsia pink hibiscus.

Pink Hibiscus

pink hibiscus

I love how the color radiates from the center that looks almost white to the edges that look almost red. Beautiful!

Pink Saturday with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound

Today’s Lagniappe: Corn and Summer Vegetable Saute
The original recipe calls for cilantro instead of parsley and also includes a can of rinsed black beans. I switched this recipe up for my personal taste – you can too!

1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup chopped green onions (about 4)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup sliced fresh okra (about 4 ounces)
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1)
1 finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add okra; sauté 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add bell pepper and jalapeño; cook 5 minutes. Add corn; cook 5 minutes. Stir in parsley; sprinkle with salt and black pepper.

{ 2 comments }

Southern Grandmother

by Christi on July 11, 2010

One of the great blessings in life is to have a wonderful mother. I enjoy visiting with my own mother and I also enjoy hearing her talk about her mother, my grandmother. I was fortunate enough to have my maternal grandmother on earth until I was in my early 30’s.

It is wonderful to have a mother and grandmother who love the Lord and teach His ways.

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Proverbs 31:10-12 and 25-31(NIV)

It is Sunday so we will join Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday favorites and Charlotte and Ginger at Blogger Spirit for Spiritual Sunday. Enjoy your Sunday and Happy Independence Day!

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Today’s favorite post remembers my grandmother, Johnnie Lloyd – from July 20, 2009

Southern Memories

grandmother

I was talking to my Mama about recipes that were handed down to her from her mother. Grandmother was a great home cook. Nothing complicated but a lot of goooood food. Grandmother knew how to stretch a dollar but still create flavorful meals.

Here are a couple of our favorites:

Hamburger Steak
Breaded and fried=down home goodness

Form ground beef (also known as hamburger meat) into thick patties. If you want to add chopped onion and Worcestershire sauce before you form the patties that is also good.

Mix together an egg and some milk in one bowl and put flour seasoned with salt and pepper in another bowl. Dip the hamburger patties in the egg mixture and then the flour mixture.

Fry the breaded hamburger steaks in hot oil until done.

Grandaddy Potatoes
These were Grandaddy’s favorite potatoes. We always call them Grandaddy Potatoes.

Boil small potatoes (either red or small russet) in salted water. Serve the boiled potatoes whole. Serve with butter and sour cream. You can mash them with your fork at the table and add the butter and sour cream and salt and pepper. Simple and good.

Plum Dumplings
My mother tells me that when grandmother canned plums that she saved the juice from canning to make these plum dumplings. Just in case you don’t happen to be canning plums, you can use this recipe.

Make the dumpling batter:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup milk

Stir flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients, using a pastry cutter or fork. Add milk to form dough. Set dumpling dough aside.

Prepare Plums:

1 lb of plums pitted and diced
1/2 cup sugar
spices to taste if you like (such as nutmeg or ginger)
2 cups water

Combine all of the above and bring to a boil. Drop dumpling mixture by tablespoons into the boiling plum mixture. Cover the pot and cook for 20 to 30 minutes.

Actually, grandmother rolled out her dumpling dough and cut it into squares. You could always do that if you like as well.

I love recipes that are passed down. My grandmother loved to cook for her family and I remember many happy times at her table. No, none of these recipes are fancy or complicated. They are just simple and good.

{ 11 comments }

Soutnern Metamorphosis

by Christi on July 4, 2010

What a wonderful weekend we have had, celebrating our nation’s independence. We definitely need have some people to thank for our continued freedoms and that would be our military! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I have posted about my nephew (the Marine) before. It is a different kind of metamorphosis to be sure. But, it is an important kind of transformation. I wanted to post about him again, just in case you missed reading about him before. I am so proud of my nephew for so many reasons. I wish you could all meet him. He is a fabulous cook and makes his own wine. Quite the Renaissance man. So here I am posting about him again for:

It's Met Monday with Susan. Click on the pic for more

Met Monday with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

Pic of Bryan with me when he graduated from Marine boot camp (1996).

Today, I want to introduce you to my nephew, Bryan. Bryan is a Marine. He is not actively serving, but, I learned early on, “once a Marine, always a Marine.” The metamorphosis here is what happened to him at boot camp. They took a bright, energetic, clever boy and made him into a bright, energetic, clever man.

My sister, Tammy (his mother), and I went to his boot camp graduation. It was a life changing experience for me. We met with the drill instructors first. They spoke well of my nephew, which was a good thing. My sister and I were ready to take on the entire Marine force, if, for any reason, they didn’t have good things to say about him (which was unlikely). Luckily for us and for them, the drill instructors had nothing but good to say about him.

It was a goose bump moment when we heard the cadence from the young men as they marched towards us in the dark. You could hear them coming from a distance. Once they arrived, they stood at attention until they were dismissed to find their families. That was an awesome time. We saw him go in as as a young man and he came out a Marine!

The day he graduated from boot camp, I asked him what he had for breakfast. He said duck. I was surprised and said, “duck?” He told me that they had duck a lot. He told me that you duck your head and eat as much as you can before they kick you out. Never heard of that “duck” recipe before!

I am so proud of my nephew, then, and now. After boot camp, he was assigned to the presidential guard. He served in Washington D. C. and then at Camp David. He served in Kuwait during the initial invasion of Iraq.

He is no longer actively serving in the Marines but he still has that Marine attitude. He is a truly wonderful man that I am proud to have as my nephew. He is now married to a wonderful young lady and is still making me proud every day. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful young man as my nephew, and, we as a nation, are blessed to have so many like him who serve our nation so we can sleep in peace at night when we lay down our heads.

Thanks Bryan and to all of the other Marines for all they have done and continue to do for our country!

Today’s Lagniappe: Mussels with Garlic, White Wine and Butter
My nephew has become quite the connoisseur. He makes his own fine wine and is quite an accomplished cook. On one of our trips together, he ordered mussels. He loved them. Here is a recipe that I’m sure he would love.

3 pounds mussels
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, white parts only, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 bunch fresh thyme
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Rinse the mussels under cold running water while scrubbing with a vegetable brush. Remove the stringy mussel beards as you wash them. Discard any mussels with broken shells.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, garlic, and thyme and cook until the vegetables cook down, about 5 minutes. Add the mussels and give everything a good toss. Add the white wine. Cover and steam over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until the mussels open. Stir occasionally so that all the mussels are in contact with the heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and a drizzle of olive oil to the sauce remaining in the pot and stir to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the parsley. Serve with hot crusty French bread.

{ 5 comments }

Southern Father’s Day

by Christi on June 20, 2010

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Join Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday favorites and Charlotte and Ginger at Blogger Spirit for Spiritual Sunday and enjoy your Sunday!
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! You have seen my favorite post for today many times. I was thinking this past week that I need to write another “Daddy-isms” post. My dad had a lot of great things to say that have stuck with this daughter even now, nearly 18 years after he died.

One that keeps coming back to me is:

“If your problems can be solved by money, you don’t really have problems.”

This has been going through my mind this week as I watch the tragedy of the oil spill on the Gulf Coast and after our local community lost a wonderful lady who was a leader and who gave very generously of her time and talent.

It is true, lost lives and a lost way of life can’t be recovered by any amount of money. Money problems are tough, no doubt about it! But, life and health are very precious and are worth more than gold!

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Hebrews 13:5

Okay, on to my Sunday Favorite. One more time for Southern Daddy-isms – originally posted January 26th, 2009:

Daddy

Since I posted Mama-isms, one of my two beautiful sisters requested that I give equal time to Daddy-isms. My Daddy died in 1992 at the age of 54 of cancer. Daddy was a big, lovable man, full of integrity and loved by all who knew him. He laughed a lot and smiled a lot and I am very blessed to have had such a great Daddy. He was a very optimistic and positive man who had sayings that deserve equal time as well as a few funny memories.

When asked how are you his response was invariably, “If I was any better I couldn’t stand it!”

You can’t go through life looking in the rear-view mirror.

About anyone who was a good cook – You’re a good cooker.

About Marriage – Love is important but commitment is equally important.

The Bible is a book that is meant to be understood by reading.

When we were kids, my younger sister had a slumber party on March 31st one year. The following morning, my Daddy woke all of the sleeping girls and told them to be calm but to hurry outside because the house was on fire. When they were all safely outside he called to them from the door “April Fools.” He loved to pull April Fools jokes but that was one of the best.

Daddy loved to swim and he made sure we all had swimming lessons. He would take us to the pool and delight us by throwing us high in the air. We would wear him out by begging him to throw us again.

He would wake us up in the morning by turning on the light and singing (loudly)

Good morning to you,
Good morning to you,
We’re all in our places
With bright shiny faces.
For this is the way,
To start a new day.

If we didn’t wake up after the singing, he would stand at the end of the bed and say chop, chop, chop (as he was falling forward) to give us time to get up before he said TIMBER and fell on top of us. To my recollection, he never actually fell on top of any of us.

I could go on and on. As you can see, Daddy was a fun guy.

Today’s Lagniappe: Recipe for Spinach Madeleine or Crawfish Spinach Dip

I spent the afternoon yesterday with my friend Darlene planning our upcoming Mardi Gras party and it put me in mind of something with a little New Orleans’ Flavor. This is copied from Chef John Folse & Company Website. If you don’t have the River Road Cookbooks, look for them, they are great.

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Yields: 5-6 Servings

Comment:
This traditional Louisiana recipe was first presented in River Road’s cookbook from the Junior League of Baton Rouge. It is safe to say that this single recipe made the book world famous. In the late 1990s, Kraft foods did away with their jalapeño cheese roll which was originally used in the recipe. Recently, an alert customer informed us that Kraft’s Velveeta line introduced a similar Mexican cheese.

Ingredients:

* 2 packages chopped spinach, frozen
* 4 tbsps butter
* 2 tbsps flour
* 2 tbsps chopped onions
* ½ cup evaporated milk
* ½ cup reserved spinach liquor
* ½ tsp black pepper
* ¾ tsp celery salt
* ¾ tsp garlic salt
* 6 ounces Velveeta Mexican cheese, sliced into ¼-inch cubes
* salt and red pepper to taste
* 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Method:
Cook spinach according to directions on package. Drain and reserve liquid. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add flour, stirring until blended and smooth, but not brown. Add onions and sauté 3-5 minutes or until wilted. Add evaporated milk, spinach liquor and Worcestershire sauce slowly, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cook mixture until smooth and thick, stirring constantly. Add seasonings and cubed cheese. Stir until melted and combine with cooked spinach. This may be served immediately or put into a casserole and topped with buttered bread crumbs. The flavor is improved if the latter is done and kept in refrigerator overnight.

This traditional dish can be spruced up for the holidays by adding ¼ cup diced red bell peppers when the onions are sautéed.

There are other great dishes that can be made with this versatile recipe, such as:

Crawfish Spinach Dip: Add 1 pound of Louisiana crawfish tails when you add the cheese and serve warm with tortilla chips or crackers

{ 9 comments }

Southern Sunday Favorite

by Christi on June 13, 2010

It is another beautiful Sunday here in my neighborhood! I’m so thankful for a day of rest. Things have been so crazy busy around here, it is good to rest and re-charge. It is also time for:

with Chari at Happy to Design. Hope you have a great Sunday morning. This is a favorite from last year called

Southern Retro

Back in the late 80’s my little sister got married. Before her wedding, my Grandpa’s wife, Betty, hosted a beautiful bridesmaid luncheon in their home. Betty is a wonderful person and a most gracious hostess. For this luncheon, she served this unbelievably delicious chicken dish. Recently, I asked my sister if she still had the recipe. She told me she had made it many times and she sent it to me with her notes.

CHICKEN DELIGHT

4 chicken breast, cooked and cut into small pieces (I usually use 5)
1 2oz. Jar pimientos
1 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts
½ cup slivered almonds
¼ tsp. Celery salt
dash of pepper
2 TBsp. Lemon juice
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup cream of chicken soup (or mushroom)
1 3 oz. Can onion rings

Mix chicken, pimientos, water chestnuts, almonds, celery salt, pepper, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and chicken soup. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with onion rings and bake for another 20 minutes. (Serves 4)

This is a really good recipe if you are cooking for a luncheon.

Here are some pics from the shower (remember, this was around 20 years ago!).

Here I am (on the left) with my little sis

And here with both my sisters (from left to right: me, Linda and our big sis' Tammy)

How do you love the big hair?!

Alright, I’m outa here. Headin’ to Vicksburg, Mississippi this weekend. My husband attended All Saint’s Episcopal School there and we are going to meet with some people about a reunion planned for the fall. Happy Weekend everyone!

Want to find some great recipes? Head on over to Foodie Friday with Designs by Gollum!

Today’s Lagniappe: Linda’s Holiday Chicken Salad
My sister, Linda also sent me the recipe for this casserole that she says is wonderful. Haven’t had a chance to make it yet, but, trust me, if she says it is good, it is!

Stew 4 chicken breast ( I usually do 5) reserve broth

Combine ½ cup melter butter
seasoning packet
2 Stove Top Stuffing mix ( I use wild rice)

Combine 2 cups sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup
1 ½ cups broth

In 9 X 13 dish:
1. put layer of crumb mixture
2. chicken
3. liquid mixture
4. remaining crumbs
5. top with slivered almonds (don’t add until ready to cook, if your freezing)

Bake at 350 30 minutes

{ 2 comments }

Southern Mother’s Day

by Christi on May 9, 2010

Happy Mother’s Day!

“Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee,” Exodus 20:12.

This is the 5th of the 10 Commandments. It has been said that the fifth commandment is pivotal, for it is between the commandments teaching us to love our Creator, and those admonishing us to love our fellow man.

I have been blessed to have a wonderful mother! Love you Mama and Happy Mother’s Day!

Today’s Sunday Favorite is a post that Mama did about her memories of the porch.

From April 15, 2009:

Mama’s Southern Porch

Here is another great “guest” post from Mama. Today, she tells us about her memories of the porch.

After reading all the comments about porches it brought back memories of my childhood. We had a big cement front porch, a porch swing and two views of the two streets since we lived on a corner.

Many summer mornings and afternoons my friends from the neighborhood would come and play jacks on the porch, swing on the swing, play house or whatever. We would sometimes play cowboys, annie over, rover rover, swinging beauty, or maybe just go to the library and check out books,ride bikes or skate up and down the sidewalk but we would eventually end up on the porch resting and planning what to do next.

When I reached my teens the porch was a “meeting place” for boyfriends to sit in the swing or on the steps with me. We were, of course, under the watchful eye of my parents who were in the living room with the windows open, and could(and often did) appear at any moment to join us. I had many a goodnight kiss on the front porch.
I now have a screened-in porch which we enjoy immensely. Two of our granddaughters love to come and swing on the glider and play and of course the backyard is just outside the screen door so it is like being outside but protected from the wind, bugs, sun, etc.
It seems sad to see so many homes with closed doors, no porches and many times no communication with neighbors. How can we ever get any problems solved, without porches?

Today’s Lagniappe: Sweet Tea
In the South when you order tea, it is either sweet or unsweet. Southerners love sweet tea. Here is a recipe to make your sweet tea to drink with a friend on the porch.

Around 3 quarts water
2 cups Sugar
4 Quart size tea bags.

Bring water to a rolling boil, add sugar. (Stir to dissolve)
Add 4 tea bags. Stir. Let sit around 20 minutes
Pour up into gallon jug or container. Fill the rest with cool water.
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Join Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday favorites and Charlotte and Ginger at Blogger Spirit for Spiritual Sunday and enjoy your Sunday!

{ 7 comments }

Southern Sunday Favorite

February 28, 2010

Join Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday favorites and Charlotte and Ginger at Blogger Spirit for Spiritual Sunday and enjoy your Sunday!
It is Sunday so that means a past favorite and something for the soul. I’m very blessed to have a talented, creative, Christian mother. Last March, she wrote a guest post telling about [...]

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Southern Birthday!

January 24, 2010

Join Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday favorites and Charlotte and Ginger at Blogger Spirit for Spiritual Sunday and enjoy your Sunday!
Today, is my wonderful Grandpa’s 94th birthday! I wrote this post last year for his birthday. What a wonderful blessing to have such a wonderful man in my life! Grandpa has lived quite [...]

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Southern Daddy

January 3, 2010

Join Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday favorites and Charlotte and Ginger at Blogger Spirit for Spiritual Sunday and enjoy your Sunday.
Today, January 3rd would have been my daddy’s 72nd birthday. Many of you who have read my blog know that my daddy died at the age of 54 of cancer. I wrote this [...]

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Southern New Life

December 28, 2009

My husband and I and our little dog and cat have been traveling the last few days. We spent a couple of days with my mother and her wonderful husband in Oklahoma. The day after we arrived, a blizzard blew in! It made for a beautiful white Christmas, but unfortunately, many people were sliding off [...]

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Southern Happy Thanksgiving

November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone from A Southern Life. Hope you have all had a wonderful holiday and the weekend will be peaceful and joyful!
We have had so much fun here with all of the family. My sisters and I enjoyed singing together with my mother.
Today’s Lagniappe: Black Friday Cocktail
Something to enjoy after a day of [...]

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Southern Morning Treat

November 20, 2009

Thanksgiving is almost here and my family is coming to visit! I am so excited and am really looking forward to it. There is sooooo much to do. When things get hectic it is so nice to enjoy the everyday things. Okay, so, I am a very blessed girl. here it is . . . [...]

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Southern Holiday Eve Recipes

November 9, 2009

The whole gang (I’m sure my family appreciates being referred to as a gang) will be showing up the Wednesday before Thanksgiving or before. They will most likely be tired from their travels and need something warm and comforting to eat. Of course, there are a couple of considerations. One family member doesn’t like fish [...]

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Southern Honeymoon

October 12, 2009

Okay, no more wedding pictures today (I think). If I were going to show you a wedding picture it would be of my wonderful and talented friend, Denise White, who sang The Lord’s Prayer at our wedding and also had a wonderful time singing with the Jack Mitchell Big Band at the reception. I even [...]

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