Southern Summer

Submitted by Christi

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

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.

Southern Blue Rhapsody

Submitted by Christi

Thank you so much Mama for this lovely tablescape that you put together this week. It has been a crazy week around here for me and you know I love to feature my wonderful mother and her wonderful talents. She set a table with Mikasa Studio Nova’s Blue Rhapsody for today.

I love the blue tulips that rim the plate. She also has a lovely blue charger. Her flatware is Oneida’s Michelangelo. The tablecloth is one that I gave her that I found at a neighbor’s garage sale. I thought it would be perfect for her blue china.

mikasa china

Above is a shot of more of the china and her lemony-grape centerpiece. I love the yellow with the blue and white. Very classic.

hand painted pictchure

The lovely pitcher was painted by my great aunt, Ethel Cantrell. We called her Auntie (which we actually pronounced “annie”). She was a fine artist. She painted mostly in oils when I was younger and then moved on to watercolors and then to painting china.

Fine glassware

The cut glassware belonged to my bonus-father’s family. It is very old and, as you can see, very beautiful.

My mother told me that this tablescape was “something old, something new, nothing borrowed, everything blue” – how great is that?

blue china

Thank you Mama for a lovely table setting to add to this week’s:

Tablescape Thursday with Between Naps on the Porch

with Between Naps on the Porch

Today’s Lagniappe: Good Advice

As you know, a lagniappe is just a little something extra. Tonight’s lagnaippe is just a good wish for you to have a wonderful day and a fabulous weekend!

Southern Skies

Submitted by Christi

Well, we have been looking for some rain around here. The clouds come along, but they haven’t gotten together to give us any rain lately to break this heat!

I go outside and here is what I see:

Blue Sky

No clouds

 

blue sky

None here either

 

blue sky

Sun shining through the trees

 

blue sky

Hot, hot, hot!

 

blue sky

in the Summertime . . .

I know it will cool down eventually! In the meantime, I enjoy the pretty blue skies.

Outdoor Wedenesday

Outdoor Wednesday with A Southern Daydreamer

Southern Summer

Submitted by Christi

Late July and Early August are really hot around here and also very humid. It has been said that the humidity is what gives Southern girls their wonderful complexions! It may also be responsible for some really bad hair days. I don’t even try to fight the curls in the summer. Just not worth it. My summer do is definitely of the naturally curly variety.

This is also a great time to harvest all that wonderful goodness from the garden or at least the farmer’s market. I’ve been putting up okra.

Okra

Gather it from the garden (get 3 or more pods)

Some people use a buttermilk batter when they fry their okra. That is not the way I grew up eating it. The way my mother made it is by just cutting it in to  slices and tossing it in a mixture of cornmeal with a little flour and salt and pepper (I also add garlic powder to mine). It is easy to prepare to freeze that way as well. Just process it and put it in freezer bags and in to the freezer and it is ready whenever you are.

okra to freeze

When you are ready, just heat up some oil with a bit of bacon grease to around 350 and gently drop the okra in the pan and fry until golden. YUMMY!

This is also the time of year when there is a good harvest of tomatoes. In my case, this year I have cherry tomatoes in pots with basil.

cherry tomatoes

Looks like a bird dropped a sunflower seed from the bird feeder in this pot.

We have been making frequent trips to Jonesboro, Arkansas this summer for our business. One of the fun/scary sights of summer, we see on our trip over. It is KUDZU! Yes, the kudzu that is eating it’s way across the South!

kudzu

photo courtesy of dmott9 via Flickr

The kudzu transforms trees and power poles into giraffe like figures and an ordinary bush looks like a green leafy monster. Lots of fun!

This time of year is also when the morning glory really comes in to it’s own.

morning glory

Yes, it is really hot and really beautiful and quite tasty as well!

Today’s Lagniappe: Bananas Foster Cheesecake
Saw this recipe and thought is sounded fabulous!

Crust:

  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling:

  • 2 8-ounce packages creme cheese, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 cups puréed bananas (from about 4 bananas)
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt

Topping:

  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 17-ounce jar caramel sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dark rum
  • 2 bananas, peeled, sliced

For crust:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap outside of 9-inch diameter springform pan with 3-inch -high sides with heavy-duty foil. Combine flour, pecans, butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl. Mix well. Press mixture onto bottom of prepared pan.

For filling:
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in cornstarch. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just blended after each addition. Add puréed banana, sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Beat just until combined.

Transfer filling to crust-lined pan. Place pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come 1 inch up sides of springform pan. Bake until center of cake is just set, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove cake from oven. Maintain oven temperature.

Meanwhile, prepare topping:
Mix together sour cream, sugar and vanilla in small bowl until well blended. Spread topping over cheesecake. Bake until topping is set, about 10 minutes. Turn off oven. Let cake stand in oven until cooled to room temperature, about 2 hours. Refrigerate cake until well chilled. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Cut around cake to loosen; remove pan sides. Transfer cake to platter. Warm caramel sauce in small saucepan over low heat, stirring often. Mix in rum. Drizzle some sauce decoratively over cake. Arrange bananas top cake.

bluemondaymet-monday

Visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday and Smiling Sally for Blue Mondays. You will find wonderful and talented bloggers with fantastic posts!

Also check out:
tastytuesday175pixtmtt3threeormoretuesdaylogo3

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam’s Tasty Tuesday

Blessed with Grace’s Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

The Gypsy’s Corner’s Three or More

Southern Pinks

Submitted by Christi

It is still really hot here, but I still try to brave the back porch whenever possible. Today, while I was out, a small rain shower moved in and cooled things just a tad. The sun was still out while the rain fell. Norvelle Turner, who helped raise my husband used to say, “the devil is beating his wife” when it rained while the sun was shining.

We may have to have our meals earlier in the morning or way later in the evening to enjoy them outside, but still, I love to be outside and watch the birds and the rabbits and see the wind blowing the trees. Here is my pink outside tablescape:

Pink Flowers

The inspiration

pink tablesetting

pink table setting with purple charger

Pink table with pink stem glasses

boy statue

girl statue

overhead shot of pink tablesetting

complete tablesetting

A pink table for:

Tablescape Thursday with Between Naps on the Porch

with Between Naps on the Porch

Some pink for:

Pink Saturday

Pink Saturday with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound

And today’s lagniappe is a summery recipe for:

Foodie Friday

With Designs by Gollum

Today’s Lagniappe:  Summer Squash and Cherry tomatoes in Basil Butter
From Dining by Fireflies: Unexpected Pleasures of the New South – The Junior League of Charlotte, North Carolina

1 lb yellow squash, thinly sliced
8 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
2/3 cups basil butter, divided

Saute squash and tomato in 2 tablespoons basil butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until squash is tender. Serve with remaining basil butter.

Basil Butter

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
3/4 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup butter, softened
freshly ground pepper to taste

Process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth,  stopping once to scrape down sides. Cover and chill until ready to use.

Save any leftover basil butter to slather on hot corn on the cob.

Southern Gulf Coast

Submitted by Christi

If you have been reading A Southern Life for any time, you know how much I love the Gulf of Mexico. From South Padre Island to the Florida Keys it is beautiful and has some of the best seafood in the world. The wetlands that are closer in host oysters and crawfish and pelicans and all kinds of wonderful life.

Of course, recently, the Gulf has been hard hit with the BP oil spill. Now that it looks like the oil spill may be a bit contained, (praise the Lord!),  it is time to start looking to restoring this national treasure.

You can sign the petition at Restore the Gulf.

Today’s Lagniappe:  Cajun Shrimp

1 lb. shrimp (3-4 inch w/out heads)
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. red chile pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/8 tsp. oregano
3 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup beer (room temperature)

Shell, de-vein, and rinse shrimp. Grind seasonings in mortar and pestle. In large skillet over high heat, melt butter, add garlic, seasonings, and worcestershire sauce. When bubbly, add shrimp. Cook 2 minutes, stirring and shaking the skillet. Add beer and cook 3 minutes. Remove shrimp and reduce sauce, adjusting seasoning. Serve shrimp over rice with sauce spooned over the top.

Check out what is going on in the great outdoors with:

Outdoor Wedenesday

Outdoor Wednesday with A Southern Daydreamer

Southern Retro

Submitted by Christi

First a note to some of you with blogspot blogs. I went to visit several of my friends with blogspot blogs today and they would not allow me to leave a comment.  I’ll try again later. Hopefully, it was just a temporary thing.

Anyway, I was thinking back to my younger days today and remembering some of the things my mother used to make for parties.

Mama

Mama back when I was a little girl.

There were the little wienies in the crockpot with grape jelly and barbecue sauce. This sounds strange but it was really good. You put some on your plate and ate them with a toothpick.

Which reminds me . . . I was looking for some cocktail forks tonight and ended up wondering how it is I came to possess so many fondue forks. I actually found 3 sets of fondue forks! Is that strange, or what?

Okay, anyway, where was I? Oh yes, thinking of those things my mother used to make for parties. Oh yes, Rotel dip. Oh yes, I was asked what Rotel was and I never got a chance to reply to that. Rotel is a brand name and it is canned tomatoes with chili peppers. Kind of spicy and when you mix it with melted Velveeta cheese it makes a mighty tasty dip for Fritos!

She made lots of different kinds of cheese balls and party mix and dips for lots of friends who were always there to visit.

One of my favorites was hot cheese olives. The olives on the inside are encased in a kind of cheese straw kind of crust. They are so yummy!

Today’s Lagniappe:  Hot Cheese Olives

1 stick of softened butter
2 cups (8 oz.) grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (at room temperature)
1 1/2 cups flour
dash of salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg
50 small pimento-stuffed olives, drained and patted dry

Preheat oven to 350. Beat the butter until creamy in a large mixing  bowl. Add the cheese and mix well. Stir in the flour salt, cayenne and Worcestershire. Been the egg and add to the dough and mix until just incorporated.

Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and pinch off a piece about the size of a walnut. Flatten the walnut size piece of dough in your hand. Place an olive in the middle and wrap the olive with the dough. Repeat until all of the olives are used.

Place dough wrapped olives on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes until done.

Serve hot.

tastytuesday175pixtmtt3threeormoretuesdaylogo3

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam’s Tasty Tuesday

Blessed with Grace’s Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

The Gypsy’s Corner’s Three or More

Southern Sweetness

Submitted by Christi

Metamorphosis Monday with Between Naps on the Porch

I was sitting out on the porch this morning watching the birds at the feeder. You actually have to sit out early in the morning or late in the evening this time of year because it is hot, hot, hot and steamy, sultry, humid during the day.

There were several robins out in the yard and feeding at the feeder as well. You know, I always wonder if those robins are one of “ours.” Remember the robins nest we had on the porch? It was so wonderful. I hope to enjoy that experience again sometime – watching the robins build the nest, seeing the pretty blue eggs, seeing the first little ones after they hatched and then watching them grow as the mommy and daddy robins fed them and then finally watching them leave the nest.

I loved sharing that experience with you and today, I wanted to go back and revisit those sweet robins. Talk about a metamorphosis! How about this:

We went from this . . .

We went from this . . .

robin-081

to this

to this . . .

to this . . .

Then, back to three!! What happened. We're not sure but one is missing :(

Then, back to three!! What happened. We're not sure but one is missing 🙁

Then, finally this! Three little babies Sunday morning!

Then, finally this! Three little babies Sunday morning!

I want food!

I want food!

Not much room for mom now.

Not much room for mom now.

Ready for their closeup.

Ready for their closeup.

Looking out.

Looking out.

They are a singing trio.

They are a singing trio.

3 peas in a pod.

3 peas in a pod.

Their eyes are open.

Their eyes are open.

They keep mom on her toes.

They keep mom on her toes.

Daddy too.

Daddy too.

Here is dad keeping watch from a nearby tree.

Here is dad keeping watch from a nearby tree.

Here are the pics from the final two days.

Here are the last two

Here are the last two

Getting kind of crowded.

Getting kind of crowded.

All alone.

All alone.

Preparing for takeoff! title=

Preparing for takeoff!

Okay, one wing at a time.

Clear the runway!

Here I go!

Here I go!

I made it!

I made it!

Empty nest

Empty nest

I'm ready for the world!

I'm ready for the world!

The parents, particularly the dad will stay with the little ones for about two more week, showing them the ropes. After that, they are on their own. I’ve always loved robins, but, after this experience, I’ll never look at them the same again.

Today’s Lagniappe:  Okra Rellenos
It okra time! From Southern Living 1997 Cookbook.

  • 4  ounces  Monterey Jack cheese with peppers
  • 1  pound  fresh okra (4-inch-long pods)
  • 1  cup  self-rising flour
  • 1/3  cup  self-rising cornmeal
  • 1  large egg
  • 1/2  cup  buttermilk
  • 1/2  cup  dark beer
  • Corn oil
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt

Cut Monterey Jack cheese into 3- x 1/4- x 1/4-inch sticks.

Cut a lengthwise slit in each okra pod, cutting to but not through ends; push seeds aside. Stuff pods with cheese sticks, and set aside.

Combine flour and cornmeal in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.

Stir together egg, buttermilk, and beer; add to dry ingredients, stirring until smooth.

Pour oil to depth of 3 inches into a Dutch oven; heat to 375°. Dip stuffed okra in batter, coating well; fry, a few at a time, in hot oil until golden. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt; serve immediately with salsa.

Southern Flamingos

Submitted by Christi

This past week, one of my Facebook friends posted some really cute pictures of some kitschy flamingos that were used to decorate a table  for  a pink benefit golf tournament. I emailed her and asked for permission to use her pictures but haven’t heard back yet. I’ll definitely post them later on this post if I hear from her!

In the meantime, I got to thinking about the flamingo decorations that have been around for years (actually, since 1957). They were kind of viewed as being a bit tacky back in the day, but now they have achieved a status of being the ultimate, fun retro kitsch.

plastic pink flamingos

The original flamingos always came in pairs – one standing upright and the other with it’s head down. Now you can buy them in bulk and really go crazy.

flamingos

You can even buy costumes for your flamingo!

Uncle Sam Flamingo

How fun is that? If you are having a tropical themed party – well, don’t they just scream tropical?

Let’s have a look at the real thing.

flamingos

Happy Pink Saturday!

Pink Saturday

Pink Saturday with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound

Today’s Lagniappe:  Pink Fluff
A retro dessert to go with those pink flamingos!

2 small boxes Raspberry Jell-O
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature
1 9 oz tub Cool Whip
1/2 cup chopped pecans or nuts

Dissolve Jell-O in 2 cups boiling water.

In a blender, combine Jell-O and cream cheese. Refrigerate until the mixture has thickened slightly.

Stir in the pineapple and nuts. Fold in the Cool Whip.

Transfer mixture to a pretty mold and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

When ready to serve, dip the outside of mold into hot water for a few seconds to release. Run a butter knife along the edge. Flip over onto a dish and serve.

Southern Tweaks

Submitted by Christi

Do you ever tweak a recipe? I do it all the time. As a matter of fact, almost every time I read a recipe, I immediately start thinking of ways to change it! That is, of course, unless it is something I have had and loved and want to try to duplicate.

Tonight, for instance, I wanted to grill some salmon. I saw a recipe by Bobby Flay:

  • 1 cup sherry vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 4 salmon fillets, 6 ounces each

In a small saucepan over high heat, reduce the vinegar to 1/4 cup. In a mixing bowl, combine the vinegar syrup with the mustard, honey, and ancho chile powder and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let rest 30 minutes.

Preheat grill. Brush the salmon with the glaze and grill 3 minutes on each side for medium.

Okay, first of all, I did not have sherry vinegar. I had lots of kinds of vinegar, but no sherry vinegar. First change was to switch that to apple cider vinegar. Secondly, I did not have ancho chili powder (remember, I live in a very small town). So, for the ancho chili powder, I substituted Emeril’s Essence. It turned out very well.

I also make a few other changes all the time and those are my additions to –

Today’s Lagniappe: Christi’s Substitutions

I don’t really like cilantro (tastes soapy to me) – I always either leave it out or substitute parsley.

Not a big fan of curry (I think it is the tumeric) – just substitute traditional curry components without the tumeric.

I often substitute Splenda for sugar.

I like to add extra garlic to a lot of recipes.

Many recipes can be kicked up with a splash of hot sauce!

You know, sometimes you have to make do or, if you don’t like a flavor, just substitute something you do like.

What do you substitute?

With Designs by Gollum

Southern Sunny Table

Submitted by Christi

It is hot, hot hot here! As I write this, the heat index is 101 – down from 105 today! So, summer is in full swing. What makes me think SUMMER? The sunflower!

Earlier this week I posted this pic of a sunflower about to bloom.

Now it looks like this:

I love those colors and it reminded me of some of my china that has sunflowers on it.

So, of course, I braved the heat and set the table for a late evening supper on the back porch.

The sunflower china (Spode – Reynolds) with golden flatware and some summery flowers.

See the bird feeder in the background. The doves that were feeding flew off when I went out. Hated to disturb them 🙂

A close up of the summer flowers:

And, of course, my table doves were invited too!

Happy summer evening! Hope you enjoyed this tablescape and will go and visit a lot more at:

Tablescape Thursday with Between Naps on the Porch

with Between Naps on the Porch

Today’s Lagniappe:  Smothered Okra
Found some okra, along with some heirloom tomatoes and some other delicious treats at the Farmer’s Market today!

1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 pounds okra, washed under cool water, stemmed and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
3 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped bell peppers
1 cup chopped celery
2 (1-pound) cans whole tomatoes, crushed with their liquid
3 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne or Cajun seasoning
3/4 cup water or chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 350º F degrees. Pour the oil into the bottom of a large roasting pot, not cast iron. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to mix well. Cover the pot with a lid. Bake, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300º F. Continue baking, with the lid on, for one and half to two hours, or until the slime has disappeared. Bake, uncovered for the last 15 minutes of the cooking time. The time will vary according to the tenderness of the okra. Remove and cool completely before storing in freezer containers. This is excellent to serve as a side dish or to use as the base for okra gumbo. Makes 10 servings.

Southern Neighborhood

Submitted by Christi

Today, we were out and about visiting clients. I’ll have to tell you more about these clients later. I think you will enjoy hearing about them. In the meantime, we usually drive through this neighborhood on our way out to the bypass. I love some of the sweet gardens that people have.

outdoor garden

outdoor garden

outdoor garden

outdoor garden

As I have mentioned before, I live in a county with 2 lakes and three rivers. Recently we have had a lot of rain and storms.

rainbow

As long as that is the result – I don’t really mind the storms that much!

What is going on outside in your neighborhood?

Outdoor Wedenesday

Outdoor Wednesday with A Southern Daydreamer

Southern Little Bites

Submitted by Christi

When you live in a small town you don’t always have access to everything you think you might want. I was looking for some little fillo cups the other day and found out that they are only available at my favorite grocery store around the holidays.

Okay, I better stop here and think about the spelling of fillo. On the Athens  Fillo Dough site, they spell it both “fillo” and “phyllo” and I have also seen it spelled, “filo” – very confusing. I decided to go with fillo. So there 🙂

Soooo, where were we? Oh yes, fillo cups. I could find fillo dough but not cups. So the thing to do, obviously, was to buy the dough and make my own!

Here is how I did it:

Click on the first photo and then just use the navigation buttons to see the pics and instructions or for bigger pics, view with piclens.

Now that was just fun! It wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be after hearing how “difficult” it is to work with fillo. It really wasn’t at all.

Okay, what else could you put in those little cups?

Today’s Lagniappe: Fillo Cup Filling Ideas

mozzerella and tomatoes topped with basil

goat cheese and fig preserves

strawberries and whipped cream

guacamole with chopped, cooked, shrimp

spinach dip

What would you put in a fillo cup?

tastytuesday175pixtmtt3threeormoretuesdaylogo3

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam’s Tasty Tuesday

Blessed with Grace’s Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

The Gypsy’s Corner’s Three or More

Southern Sunflowers!

Submitted by Christi

Sunflowers just always seem so happy with their heads turned to the sun and their bright yellow colors. I wanted to use sunflowers to decorate. I found an little old bench that had seen better days and painted it with sunflowers! I had instructions on painting sunflowers before. Wish I could remember the name of the painter who wrote the instructions. They were easy and I loved painting them.

The writing on the top and bottom reads, “A flower a day, keeps frowns away.” I think my lettering could use a little work.

I also found some fun sunflower-y fabric and made some cute little pillows for the chairs on the porch.

I’m thinking I may see a sunflower themed tablescape on the porch coming up soon! These pictures were taken inside because it was pouring down rain when I took them. It is back to being sunny right now.Just before the rain started, I went out in the yard and snapped this pic of a sunflower that is about ready to bloom:

Isn’t that pretty? I loved it :

Hope you find lots of inspiration this week in all that is around you and also at Susan’s for

Metamorphosis Monday with Between Naps on the Porch

Today’s Lagniappe: Sunflower Cheese Balls
Sunflower seeds are very good for you and here is a fun way to eat them!

4 ounces Muenster cheese, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon red pepper
2/3 cup roasted, salted sunflower kernels
Combine cheeses, blend thoroughly. (Use food processor, if possible.) Add Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and red pepper; blend. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Roll in sunflower kernels immediately. Refrigerate cheese balls 2 hours. Serve with whole-grain crackers, bread sticks or miniature bread slices.
Makes 25 cheese balls

Southern Grandmother

Submitted by Christi

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!

bloggerspiritsidebar

Sunfav
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.