by Christi on June 15, 2009
Ruby Tuesday visitors – made some revisions that didn’t get updated properly last night. Sorry, I didn’t have the link here last night. It has been corrected this morning (Tuesday).
I’ve been out on the porch listening to another storm roll in. We had one earlier this afternoon and all last weekend and last week. One of the storms last week did quite a bit of damage farther south of here. Not a lot of damage other than some limbs down around here.
My garden is loving the storms. All that nitrogen from the lightening is making things grow like, well, weeds! When it dries out a bit in the morning, I’ll get some pics of the garden to post.
The robin babies have been back! You can see how young they are because the red breast is not really real red yet. They sit on the fence and the mother (or maybe father) bird gets some seed from the feeder and goes to the fence to feed them. I’ll try to get some pics of that to post later this week. Those robin babies (or teenagers now maybe) are still so cute. They are very noisy about wanting food still. I’m so glad that they have come back around. We’ve only seen the mom (or dad) and two of the babies. Hopefully the third is off on its own and doing well.
This little red headed guy and his bride have been looking at the old robin’s nest but haven’t decided to move in yet.
Hope all of you are safe from storms and having a great week!
Today’s Lagniappe: Caprese Salad (also known as tomato, mozzarella and basil salad)
Can you tell I love summer tomatoes?
4 tomatoes, each cut into 6 slices (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 4 tomatoes, each cut into 6 slices (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 12 slices
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
Arrange 4 tomato slices and 2 mozzarella slices on each of 6 salad plates. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper; drizzle with oil. Top evenly with basil. Six servings.
Join Tam at the Gypsy's Corner for Three or More Tuesday!
Join Mary at Work of the Poet for Ruby Tuesday!
by Christi on May 11, 2009
I wanted to share with you a picture of a little garden bench that was given to me. It was unassembled and plain wood when I got it. I painted it and hung it on the wall of my porch.
I like the check and floral thing so that is how I painted it.
It comes in really handy for my garden gloves and other things that I can just drop off on my way in the house.
I think this little bench was originally intended to be used to set plants on as an accent. I like finding a different way to use things. This makes a nice little shelf for my porch.
Isn’t it sometimes the small things that make us smile? This little bench is one of those things. Really, in times like these, it is good to notice little things like how the grass is now green and the birds singing and the flowers blooming. These things make the big things not seem quite so bad.
Stay tuned tomorrow for an update on the robin’s nest – new eggs with pics!
To see more 2nd time around posts, visit Diane for 2nd Time Around Tuesday.
Today’s Lagniappe: Key Lime Bars
Something refreshing to serve on the porch.
1 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs
2 1/2 tablespoons finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
2/3 cup fresh Key lime juice , (about 23 Key limes total)
1 cup sweetened condensed milk, (14 ounces)
2 Key limes, thinly sliced into half-moons
Make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Press evenly onto bottom of an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Bake until dry and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.(Leave oven on.)
Make filling: Put egg yolks and lime zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on high speed until very thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add condensed milk in a slow, steady stream, mixing constantly. Raise speed to high; mix until thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add lime juice; mix until just combined.
Spread filling evenly over crust using a spatula. Bake, rotating dish halfway through, until filling is just set, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight).
Cut into 2-by-2-inch bars. Garnish bars with whipped cream and a slice of lime.
by Christi on May 6, 2009
One of my favorite community cookbooks is Louisiana Entertains – A Complete Menu Cookbook from the Rapides Symphony Guild in Alexandria, Louisiana - copyright 1978. The first 54 pages of this cookbook are devoted to breakfast and brunch. These menus offer a Southern breakfast at its best! I’ve set the table on the porch for the menu “Table for Two.”
Mimosa
Eggs Sardou or Eggs Stravinsky
French Bread
Dessert Pancake
Fruit
French-dripped Coffee
The cookbook then gives the recipes for these delights. I’ll give you the recipe for the Eggs Sardou today.
We're all set.
Bailey is peeking at us over the table.
Have a seat.
I love the little fruit spoons (far right)
I can see a pretty little flower while I sip my coffee.
Mimosas can be served from the pretty pitcher.
We can keep an eye on the robin's nest.
We can enjoy some good food . . .
some good conversation . . .
At our lovely Southern breakfast!
Thanks for joining me at my Southern Breakfast Tablescape. Check out the other lovely tablescapes at Between Naps on the Porch.
Today’s Lagniappe: Eggs Sardou
Delicious – If you don’t want to make these yourself, just head on down to New Orleans and order it from one of their great restaurants! It was created at Antoine’s and named after French playwright Victorien Sardou
4 Poached Eggs (See below)
1 Recipe Creamed Spinach (see below)
1 Recipe Hollandaise Sauce (see below)
4 Artichoke bottoms
Paprika for sprinkling
Divide the creamed spinach in the center of two heated plates, nest two artichoke bottoms per plate on the spinach. Place a poached egg on each artichoke bottom then top with a generous portion of Hollandaise sauce. Sprinkle with Paprika. Serve.
Serves 2.
Poached Eggs Recipe
Fill a dutch oven with 1? of water, heat until just below a simmer. Add a few dashes of white vinegar. Crack the eggs and gently drop them into the water, keeping the shell as close to the water as possible when dropping them in. With a slotted spoon, gently move the ghost like strands of white back to the yolk. The eggs are done when the whites are no longer transparent, and the yolks are still runny. Remove with a slotted spoon and gently dry off with a towel.
Creamed Spinach Recipe
1 Cup Cooked and chopped Spinach, squeezed in a kitchen towel to remove excess water
1 Pint Heavy Cream, reduced by 3/4 of its volume
A pinch Freshly Grated Nutmeg
A pinch of Cayenne
1 tsp Crystal hot sauce
A few drops of Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt to taste
Hollandaise Sauce Recipe
2 tsp Red Wine Vinegar
2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
3 Egg Yolks
1/2 Cup Clarified Butter, warm
Kosher Salt & Cayenne Pepper
1 Dash Crystal Hot Sauce
A few drops Worcestershire Sauce
Place the vinegar, lemon juice, and egg yolks in the top deck of a double boiler. The water in the lower deck should be hot but not boiling.
Whisk slowly until you see the yolks start to coagulate on the sides. If the pan gets too hot, remove it from the heat for a minute, whisking constantly.
Whisk while cooking, minding the bowl temperature, until the yolks are lighter in color and do not leave yellow streaks when the whisk goes through them. If you see any signs of scrambling, remove the bowl from the heat.
When the yolk/acid mixture is good and thick, remove from the heat and slowly drizzle in the clarified butter, whisking constantly, until incorporated.
Add the hot and Worcestershire sauces, and season to taste with the salt & cayenne.
If the sauce is a little too thick, you can thin it down with a few splashes of hot water.
Makes about 2/3 Cup.
P. S. – I’m still getting around to visit all of the outdoor Wednesday folks. Eye Doc dialated my pupils and it really put a kink in things!
by Christi on May 5, 2009
It is Outdoor Wednesday and memories of fish fries! Click the pic above for more of Outdoor Wednesday!
I have to interrupt my Southern food series to show you what this pretty little robin has been doing on my porch. After you see the pics, read about my Grandpa’s fish fries – a Southern tradition!
This is how she started out. At first the wind kept blowing the twigs away but she stayed after it. If you look real close you can see where my husband tried to help secure it with some floral wire.
Here she is, caught in the act of building. It was amazing to watch!
Still at it!
She's really making progress. The female robin picks the spot for the nest and is the primary builder. Male robins help out by bringing materials for the nest.
See her building material in her mouth? She is using her right wing to build this nest. Amazing!
Looks like a lot of work to me!
So, she got her nest built and we started waiting for eggs. We have to hold the camera up to the nest and let it auto-focus to get the pics. We cannot see in the nest from the porch. We kept taking pictures of the empty nest and then, finally:
An egg! Isn't it pretty?
At last check, there were 2 eggs that we could see. You can just see the tops of them.
Robins will lay from 3-6 eggs and then they will incubate for around 15 days. We will be looking for more eggs and keeping you up to date on their progress in the coming weeks!
Now, back to that fish fry! I just want to tell you a quick story about my Grandpa’s fish fries. If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ll remember that Grandpa is 93 years old this year. He used to hold the best fish fries. He used to go fishing in Canada every year and he would bring back fish and have great fish fries. Eventually, the limit that he could bring back got too small for his parties. He then had a friend that had a trot line on Lake Texoma. He said he would get around 100 pounds of fish from him for the fish fries.
After a while, so many of the local politicians were involved and vying for time that it started getting out of hand. One summer, Grandpa’s beautiful wife, Betty (who had done a lot of the fish fry work) tripped over their Great Dane, Patrick and broke her arm. That was the end of the fish fries. Everyone was really disappointed, but, it was great fun while it lasted!
Southerners have always loved to gather for food and friendship in the steamy hot days of summer. This is one of my memories of those times.
Today’s Lagniappe: Southern Fried Catfish
There are a million ways to do it. Here is how I do it.
4 catfish fillets
1/2 cup cornmeal
3 tablespoons flour
creole seasoning to taste (I use Emeril’s Essence or Tony Cherchere’s)
salt to taste (depending on what creole seasoning you use)
vegetable oil
Pour vegetable oil to a depth of about 1 inch in a large cast iron skillet.
Heat the oil to around 375.
While oil is heating, mix cornmeal, flour and seasoning.
Coat catfish fillets in flour.
Once the oil is hot, fry the fish until golden brown and it flakes easily with a fork.
Drain the fish on paper towels and serve hot with tarter sauce.
by Christi on May 4, 2009
Today, I’m joining Barb at Grits and Glamour for her porch and patio party. You may be wondering what happened to the series on Southern food. Well, it’s still here. You see, porches and Southern food go together like greens and ham hocks.
Back in the day, they didn’t have air conditioners. So, Southerners would often gather in the shade of the porch on Summer evenings after supper to enjoy the relative coolness of the evening. Remember, it gets blazing hot and very humid down South; so we are always looking for cool spots.
July and August are traditionally favorite times for church socials on the grounds, community barbecues and other outdoor gatherings that centered around food. The crops were already in the ground, and it was a good time for everyone to take a little bit of a break.
Some of the favorites at these gatherings were fried chicken, deviled eggs, potato salad (a true Southerner knows to steer clear of potato salad that has been sitting out in the Summer heat). There would always be desserts and lots of sweet tea.
One year, when I was growing up, my Mama and Grandaddy, decided to get some chickens to “process” in Grandaddy’s backyard. Now, the chicken I always ate came from the grocery store, and I really didn’t want to have anything to do with the actual “killing” of the chickens. When I told Mama this, she informed me that the dead ones were the only kind you could eat! Well, she’s right about that.
Here are pictures from one of my porches. I still love to sit on the porch in the evenings, listening to the birds sing and enjoying the world. Of course, there will be recipes at the end!
View from the yard. That's a bird feeder in the fore-ground.
Lobelia and white petunias. There will be morning glory growing up that rail soon!
That is an old salvaged window fitted with mirrors and then decorated with gallery glass. This is my 2nd time around entry. Love how this worked out. Click on pic to see more 2nd time around entries.
A place to sit and watch the birds.
A place to pot flowers.
A place to sit and eat that good Southern food or read a good book.
A closer look at the table. I like to change this out.
Some greenery. See the nest at the top. More pics of that tomorrow!
One more view.
Thanks for coming to the party on the porch. Now for some food!
Today’s Lagniappe: Mama’s Southern Fried Chicken
Mama tells me that to get it really crispy you need to fry it in shortening or lard.
shortening or lard
1 chicken, about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds, cut up
2 cups flour
salt
pepper
seasoning salt
Salt the chicken. Heat the shortening or lard in a large skillet. Combine the flour with seasoning salt and pepper. Roll each piece of chicken in flour and place in the hot fat (about 370° F). Put the largest pieces in first, in the hottest part of the skillet. Arrange the chicken pieces in the fat, making sure not to overcrowd. Fry the chicken until outside is golden brown and crisp, about 15 to 20 minutes, turning once to brown both sides. Reduce heat and fry until cooked through golden brown, about 15 minutes longer. Turn once. Drain chicken on brown paper or paper towels
The fat should be deep enough to cover the pieces when it boils up, but make sure you use a deep skillet, preferably one made for frying chicken, and watch carefully.
by Christi on April 17, 2009
To wrap up a week on the porch, here are some ideas of things to look for at garage sales and flea market for your porch. I’m sure many of you have fabulous ideas you could add for inspiration. Here is what I came up with:
Old chairs
Knock out the seat, add a favorite plant and presto!
Buckets
Punch a few holes, add plants and hang them anywhere.
Bird Cages
For plants, and lots of other things.
And, some other ideas:
old candle holders which you could paint any color for your porch.
Old lamps that you could remake into a candle stick.
Old trays, you could repaint.
Anything you can use for a plant container.
Baskets
Dishes
Bird Houses
I could stay all day thinking of more ideas. What do you think?
Today’s Lagniappe: Angel Biscuits
Biscuits that are as light as an angels wing.
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Sprinkle the yeast over warm water and sugar, and allow to stand 5 minutes. Add buttermilk. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients thoroughly. Cut in shortening.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and slowly pour in the buttermilk mixture. Pat dough together and knead gently 10 times.
Do not overmix or the biscuits will be tough.
Roll out to 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch thickness. Cut out circles.
Place on greased cookie sheets with biscuits just touching each other, closely spaced.
Brush with a small circle of melted butter.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 11-12 minutes or until lightly golden.
by Christi on April 15, 2009
We have been enjoying the porch all week. If you’ve missed it, check this weeks posts on A Southern Life. Today, we’ll have lunch on the porch. Yes, I braved the wind. Sorry, it wrinkled the tablecloth a little, but, those things are okay when you are enjoying the porch. Y’all check out how my little dog, Bailey (the ham) managed to get in the picture.
All ready for soup first, then an entree and bread.
Wheat grass in a garden.
The squirrel is having lunch at the bird feeder.
Ready to eat.
The dishes are Mikasa's Garden Bloom for Studio Nova.
This bird is shy.
This bird is trying to hide behind the pretty purple glass.
This bird thinks it has found something to eat.
Glad you could join me.
Wish you could all join me for lunch on the porch. Life is just better when you can sit on a porch.
Ya’ll go on over and see the other great tablescapes at Between Naps on the Porch.
Today’s Lagniappe: Spring Soup
This soup looks and tastes delicious and takes advantage of the abundance of Spring asparagus.
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 pound leeks, chopped
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 quarts water
* 3 large potatoes, chopped
* 2 large carrots, chopped
* 1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
* 1/3 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
* 4 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 pound fresh spinach
* 1 cup heavy cream
1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the leeks and onion, and cook until tender.
2. Pour water into the pot. Mix in potatoes, carrots, asparagus, and rice. Season with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes, until vegetables and rice are tender.
3. Stir spinach and heavy cream into the soup mixture, and continue cooking about 5 minutes before serving.
