Friends, Family and Temptations! - Fruited Chicken Salad

A friend and I were talking about how we sometimes have good intentions to show people how much we care about them, but too many times we let the moment pass. Fortunately, as we try to regain our equilibrium since Kathie left this world, friends and family have not let moments pass. It is amazing how people react in times of tragedy. I keep thinking of the line in one of my favorite movies, Starman, when Jeff Bridges says, "people are at their best when things are at their worst". The people in our lives have somehow known exactly what to do and when to do it. BBQ, Ribs, pound cake, brownies, muffins, and pie appeared when 25 people were suddenly coming for dinner. Late one night a breakfast casserole, ready to bake in the morning, arrived. Pizza was delivered when it was what everyone needed. Ham biscuits and pimiento cheese were on David's mind and soon appeared. Flowers, calls, visits, personal stories, and some very sweet notes have lifted our spirits every day. Carol made Fruited Chicken Salad more than one time for more than one household. Friends invited us to get away to the beach for a few days. Everything has been just what we needed, just when we needed it.

Months ago, we had planned a trip with friends to Asheville to see The Temptations. Since our 50th birthdays, we have made it a priority to see several concerts every year. We have seen some great ones, including Chicago, Van Morrison, Elton John and Billy Joel, James Taylor and Carole King. We had been looking forward to The Temptations and they did not disappoint us. They put on a great show on the South Terrace of the Biltmore House.

The weather was beautiful for an outdoor concert and the panoramic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains is always breathtaking. We have seen several concerts at the Biltmore estate and it is one of our favorite venues. The show was vintage Temptations with Otis Williams being the lone original, but all five singers dressed in black tuxedos, belted out their part of the melody or harmony and danced the trademark steps. The choreography was great and the theme of the show was all about Love. Participation was encouraged throughout the show with calls from the stage for women to stand and sing or for men to stand and sing; or for everyone to sing together. Everyone in the audience knew most of the words to most every song. It is impossible to listen to Temptations music and not dance. Some people stood up to dance, some moved to the back of the audience to dance. Alot of people danced sitting in their chairs; shoulders moving, heads bobbing, hands clapping and feet tapping.

At one point, Otis Williams cajoled all the men to stand and sing to their lady. Then he said he always noticed a few men who didn't want to participate. He wanted everyone to participate. Otis turned and said to his singers, "boys, it's time for us to start selling from the book of little things. So Otis starting telling the men what was in the book of little things - giving her a rose, serving breakfast in bed, looking her in the eyes and singing to her. Magically, I think every single man stood up and started singing just like Otis told them to. They did not let that moment pass.

The Temptations gave the entire audience a sweet reminder that just giving a little bit of yourself is the best way to show someone you love them. Friends and family have opened up the book of little things for us lately. So, thank you.

Carol's Fruited Chicken Salad

4 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
1 15 oz can pineapple chunks, drained
1 11 oz can mandarin oranges sections, drained
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup grapes, halved
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp grated onion
1 cup mayo (she says she never uses this much!)
1 Tbsp mustard

8 servings

Kathie

The world won't stop turning. That's what Mom and Dad have said to me over the years when I faced troubling times. The world won't stop turning. But on July 13th, the world definitely wobbled.

My sweet potato queen sister-in-law who was full of love, fun, laughter, drive, passion and courage, left this world.

Kathie faced a lifetime of challenges but she did not let that get in the way of what she knew was her life's work. I loved the scripture chosen to honor her. (John 9:1-3)...."but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in her life".

Kathie had great powers of observation and persuasion. She could get people to try to do things they had never done. She had an ability to see potential and talent in everyone. With some, the talent was obvious, with others not so obvious. Either way, she flourished when she was helping someone else flourish. She did this on stage, off stage and in real life.

I will never forget the kind way she welcomed me into the house one Christmas eve when David and I were dating. She met me at the door and reached out to hold both of my hands. She looked me straight in the eyes, smiled and said "my brother is in love". On Valentine's Day the next year, David and I went to a dinner theatre to watch Kathie perform in a play. She was fantastic. After the play, David asked me to marry him. I reminded Kathie of that not long ago and we laughed because the play was "Laundry and Bourbon".

Kathie loved playing dress up and she loved to dress other people up too. On our wedding day, she stood up and made a toast and then she gave me a picture in a heart shaped frame. The picture is of David at about age 4 after Kathie had dressed him up in a wig with long blonde pigtails! I love that picture.

A few years ago, Kathie, Ali, Cindy, Barbara and I dressed up in tiaras, sequin dresses, curly red wigs, and cat's eye sunglasses to ride in the Lattimore 4th of July parade. We stood up in the back of a pickup truck and danced the entire parade route to Aretha singing R-E-S-P-E-C-T. That was a very FESTIVE day. Kathie encouraged being festive. So much so, that after she had left for the Mayo Clinic last October, a package arrived at my door. It was from Kathie - a sweet note and a box full of special festive wine glasses. I will forever cherish the glasses and especially the sweet note.

When David and Jay were born, she was there with welcome home signs and balloons. When they were in elementary school, our summers were planned around SHS Children's Theatre so both boys could experience Kathie's magic. In middle school and high school the boys made lasting friends and memories in plays like "Guys and Dolls" and "Hello Dolly". In SHS drama productions, they learned a lot about theatre and a lot about life.

They certainly weren't the only ones. We knew Kathie had a big impact on alot of people, but the cards, letters, flowers, food, hugs, and the many shared stories have been truly amazing and wonderful. Some stories have been tearful. A lot have been hilarious. All have been a real reminder of the difference one person can make. And a reminder that teaching is a very powerful profession.

To no ones surprise, Kathie kind of directed her own funeral service. Bobby, Quinn, the extended family, the SHS family and the First Baptist Church family stayed focused on honoring Kathie. Fantastic effort was made by Traci, Amy, Rachel, John, Cliff, Jordan, Brady, Lee, Meredith and so many past and present SHS students to get to Shelby in time to practice and sing for Kathie. I couldn't help but think of the movie "White Christmas" when the band members and singers come from all directions to honor their former general.

They completely nailed the music. Quinn spoke eloquently. Tony Tench's eulogy was inspired and inspiring. A more powerful service I have never attended. The words, the music and the emotions were full of love, passion and truth.

So, the world hasn't stopped turning, but it will definitely be different for many from now on. Kathie really did 'live a life worthy of her calling'. (Ephesians 4:1) That's something we can all try to do.

Corn Freezing Days

Note: Will upload pic of Lattimore corn freezing when I can find them!



Corn freezing days came early this year. Usually, we freeze corn around the second week in July, but this year the corn came in on July 2, and 5th and 8th. That made for some interesting schedule changes, but when it comes to corn, arrangements have to be made.

We are corn fanatics. Carol says we are corn snobs. Both are true.

Daddy plants corn in Lattimore in late April. It is silver queen and only silver queen. They irrigate, weed and spray for critters and in about 90 days it is ready for the 'first pick'. Daddy has a special relationship with his corn. He enjoys every aspect of corn from preparing the crosstie beds, to planting, to each phase of growth, to checking every day for the perfect time to pick. We tease him about talking to the corn. After all, they do have ears.

And then there is the freezing phase. The main goal is to get the corn from field to freezor in under three hours to preserve the sweetness of the corn. The longer it takes the more starchy the corn will taste. Corn at it's peak is better than candy, so we go to great lengths to make the freezing a fast and efficient process.

Corn freezing day starts a few days early with Daddy calling to say it might be Thursday, or Friday but it probably won't wait for Saturday. So for several days we are juggling to make sure that whatever day it is we can be there to help. The night before the day he calls to say that they will start picking early the next morning. We gather the right pots, vegetable brushes, towels, and lots of pint sized freezor bags. And then there is the knife. It is very peculiar about knives, but all of the corn cutters have a specific knife that works. I bring my own and so does Libby. She even has her initials on hers so it doesn't get mixed up with the others. Mama Crowder kept a piece of freezor tape around the handle of her special knife.

So the freezing process begins in Lattimore with Abel and others picking the corn in big green bags. They pick one row at a time so the corn doesn't sit a long time in the sun. Then all the corn shuckers and silkers gather near the playhouse, under a huge oak tree. They sit in a wide variety of chairs, in a circle, with corn piled in the middle. This year, Cindy, David, Jackson, Mary Beth, Will, Able, Gustavo, Paula, John, Austin, Elsa and maybe a few others came to shuck and silk. The conversation is always very interesting with a mixture of English, Spanish and Spanglish. I miss this part these days because I am a cutter so I spend most of my time in the kitchen.

In the kitchen, we are griping our special knives, arranging bowls, boiling water and filling sinks full of ice and cold water. When the shucked and silked corn is brought in, we wash in the utility sink and then bring into the kitchen. Daddy and Mama have two big pots that they use for the blanching. They like to put 27 ears into each pot and they blanche for about 10 minutes. When the kitchen timer buzzes, we remove the corn to a pot of water to take the first heat out of it, then it is placed in the sink to begin cooling. There is alot of sloshing of water, especially when Daddy is helping, and we use alot of towels during this phase!

We cool the corn in one side of the sink and then add ice to the other side to cool it down as fast as possible. To know if an ear is cooled all the way to the cob, Daddy will pick out an ear and hold it to see if it stays cool. When he declares it cool enough, we remove all the ears and place on a towel to drain off excess water. Then the cutting process starts. Mama and Daddy want corn OFF the cob.

Cutting the corn off the cob brings back memories of days gone by when Mama Crowder, Nishie and Sis were the cutters. They would stand around the chopping block with corn piled high in the middle and slowly cut each kernel perfectly, making sure to get NO COBs into the sweet tender corn. The entire time they cut, they would be talking and laughing and telling stories. Sometimes when there is alot of corn to cut, it can get pretty tedious and they could make this a party. I loved being in there hearing them talk and laugh, so about the time I was 14 years old, I picked up a knife and gave cutting a try. I am now 54 years old and I almost know how to do it to Hunt quality specification. It takes alot of practice but I keep working on it.

When the corn is cut, Mama or Libby or Penny place it carefully in pint sized zip lock freezor bags (about 7-8 big spoonfuls in a bag). It is important not to get the bag sticky with corn which is nearly impossible and to seal the bags carefully. The bags are labelled with the date and if Mama thinks it necessary she may make a notation on the outside. A or B might mean something about the crop that time, or she may make a note known only to herself that would let her know something like who did the cutting that day.

The corn is then put on trays to be taken to the basement freezor which has previously been rearranged so that new corn and old corn aren't mixed up.

There is alot of counting that goes on with the corn process. We keep a running tab of the number of bags that have gone to the freezor and the number of cobs that have been cut. It is always the duty of one of the younger boys to pick up the cob buckets from the kitchen, take them to the pasture and throw each one counting one at a time, over the fence to the cows.

We have alot of guessing about number of cobs and number of bags and what the yield will be that year. Daddy loves to count most everything and Mama just likes to know that she has at least 100 new bags in the freezor each year. This is because all throughout the year when the Hunt crowd gathers or if Daddy and Mama have a Raleigh Ruby's cooking or if she wants to take corn to someone's family during a crisis, she will have plenty of fresh tasting silver queen at her fingertips. And it is always appreciated because it really is the best corn ever.

So, this year, we did corn on July 2nd - 70 pints and July 5th - 70 pints. The 3rd picking on July 8 was brought to my house because the Lattimore freezor is full of corn. Thankfully Daddy sends Abel to help shuck and silk, and Jay and Carol came to help. We ended up with 20 pints of cut and 21 ears of 'on the cob'.

There is nothing more satisfying to a corn fanatic than to know that there is fresh frozen corn in the freezor.

Summer's Half Over - Boneless Chicken with Squash, Zucchini and Onions

Blueberries, peaches, tomatoes, jalapenos, corn, crowder peas, squash, and zucchini are coming in like crazy. Sunflowers and zinnias are in full swing. Zinnias of every size and color are my favorite summer flower.

Yesterday, I bought peaches from Harvey Webb's peach stand. I chuckled when I saw a sketch someone had drawn of 'Harvey' in his overalls. The caption said, " 'Knobby' - we know it's really you Harvey!". Knobby has been the talk of the summer since a fellow up in Casar called 911 at 3 am and swore he had just seen a sasquatch named Knobby. It made international news for heaven's sake and one local entrepreneur has printed T-Shirts that say "Knobby don't believe in you either!" Someone else explained that maybe moonshine and meth don't mix.

Anyway, I had a good laugh at Harvey's peach stand and I also have a huge box of fresh peaches to enjoy and to share.

Since we are on the downhill side of summer now, it feels good to think of ways to eat the fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables that are plentiful right now. And after all that pursuing of happiness during 4th of July, we are ready to slow it down, eat healthy and enjoy the simple things in life.

The boys are winding up summer jobs and starting to think about getting in shape for their return to college life. It's hard to believe, but David IV will be heading to Wofford for his senior year of college. Football camp will start the first of August so he announced this morning that he is going to focus the rest of the summer on getting in shape for football. Jay has spent the last year at NC State, but now has an opportunity to play basketball at Gardner-Webb University. Basketball has always been a passion for Jay and playing for a Division I team is a dream come true. He starts summer workouts this week and is also focused on getting in top shape.

David III has requested healthy cooking, so I am pretty focused on trying to think of healthy and good things to fix with all the fresh, wonderful food that is available right now. I remembered that this time of year Mama cooks Chicken with vegetables and that is what we had for supper last night. Mama typically does this in an electric frying pan, but it works in any skillet.

Boneless chicken with Squash, Zucchini and Onions

cube boneless breasts
saute in olive oil, a little fresh thyme, garlic, salt and pepper.

add sliced squash, zucchini, and onions and saute lightly.
Sprinkle in a little soy sauce.

Serve chicken and vegetables over rice. Slice up some fresh peaches and tomatoes.

This is easy and so good, it might bring out the sasquatch!

4th of July - Fried Squash

The buildup of summer peaks with Fourth of July celebrations. Maybe it peaks because of the heat, or the realization that summer is halfway gone, or a connection we feel as Americans to the spirit of fire, defiance and independence of the founding fathers. For me, it is a combination of all three.

I have always loved history, but my earliest images of America's founding fathers had to do with wooden teeth, white powdered hair and staid speeches about how America was the 'shining city on the hill' that was meant to be. As a History major in college, I was mesmerized by studying the personal stories of the Revolutionary War characters and how the series of events may have never unfolded without these people's desire and passion to create a new kind of government. I'll never forget one professor's description of Thomas Jefferson as 'a red headed hippie'. The government that they argued with each other to create included a framework of checks and balances. But, the specifics were purposefully not set in stone so that it could be an ongoing experiment; with room for future citizens to continue to govern themselves. I think they would be excited to know that we are still experimenting and arguing over how it should all work, and that it is still worth the debate.

So, for me, the 4th of July is a celebration of wild, wacky, defiant ancestors who threw caution to the wind and made an attempt to create a place where everyone had a chance at life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

My July 4th memories begin in Lattimore with camp outs on the farm. We celebrated the 4th with a campout, cookout, sparklers, homemade ice cream and birthday cake for my sister, Penny. Penny was born at Fort Bragg, NC on the 4th of July. How patriotic can it get!

At our Lattimore 4th of July campouts, The Hunt, Martin, Sperling, McMurray, Crawley families and other friends gathered under a big tree near the pond with campfires and sleeping bags. Sometimes, the adults put mattresses on flatbed trucks and slept there. Of course, everyone slept in their clothes and there is a hilarious picture of three men sleeping, all with split seams in the back of their pants.

The first time I ever went frog gigging was at one of those July 4th campouts. Tim Martin and I along with several others got into a flat bottomed boat with 2 oars and rowed out onto the fish pond. We rowed around the edges looking for where the loud, croaking sounds came from and gigged the frogs out of the mud with a pole that had fork tines on the end. When we pulled the frog gig up, Tim would swing the wide flat part of the oar under the frog and flip it into the boat. I remember him comparing it to flipping a burger. "Burger that frog!" became the rallying cry of the night.

When we had enough frogs, we went back to the campfire to cook frog legs. I don't remember who dressed the frogs, but I am betting it was Carl or Tim. We cooked the frog legs in a cast iron frying pan over the campfire and they really did taste alot like chicken. It was the middle of the night; we had experienced wildness and liberty in the wide open spaces and that was about the best feeling in the world.

Lattimore summers in the 60s included a small parade with all the area kids on bicycles that we decorated with red, white and blue streamers. We tied the streamers through the spokes of our bikes and wound them all around the handlebars. Someone would start the parade and when it came by each house, kids would fall in line. We would ride to Lattimore church, park our bikes and march inside to songs like "America the Beautiful" and that was the start of Vacation Bible School. In Bible school, we practiced Bible drills, made crafts, sang songs, had snacks and then rode our bikes back home.

Lattimore still has a 4th of July parade which is much bigger and more organized. A few years ago Cindy and I, along with sister-in-law Kathie, Barbara and several other friends, dressed up like Sweet Potato Queens and rode the Lattimore parade in the back of a pickup truck. We wore long curly red wigs, black cat's eye glasses, sequin dresses and danced the entire parade to Aretha's R-E-S-P-E-C-T. It's a joyful time when liberation and good clean fun come together!

This year, I missed the parade, but I did get to Lattimore Church in time for the celebration. Now the parade winds up at the Lattimore Church ballfield where everything is festive in red, white and blue. Veterans of all ages are honored for their service and then there is music, food and games. It's like a community's family reunion and I always love to be there.

After the Lattimore festivities, we head to Lake Lure for more celebration. This includes more families, more friends and friends of friends. We have alot of friends at the Lake and we roam from house to house on foot or by boat. We swim, walk, kayak, ski, enjoy libations, cook, eat, and cook some more. Water sports makes everybody hungry. There are always alot of fireworks at the Lake. Some of them are even in the sky.

The menu this 4th of July included David's tenderloin, corn on the cob, pound cake, cheese wafers, lots of fresh cold watermelon, and chopped salad with Carol's Fantastic French dressing. We also had Angus Beef Hot dogs with chili, Carol's Blackberry Cobbler, Beth's Brownies, and Rhett's roasted potatoes with his own version of Aioli sauce. I fried some fresh summer squash for an appetizer. Turns out Rhett's Aioli sauce was really good on the fried squash too.

The 4th of July is the peak of Summer. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Fried Squash

Note: Mom, Dad, Mama Crowder, Nishie and Sis have all contributed to the way I fry squash. With four sisters and a mother-in-law named Sister, there is yet another Sis in our lives - Sis Davis. More about Sis and her wonderful cooking later.

1. Pick out the right sized squash for frying. They should not be the smallest or the largest, but should be fairly young and tender. Those hard ones aren't worth the trouble.

2. Slice the squash into thin circles. 1/8" - 1/4". I don't slice the necks.

3. Put the circles into salted water. Sis adds ice or puts in the fridge to get really cold before frying. I think this makes them extra crispy.

4. In one bowl crack an egg or two and pour in some buttermilk. Stir together.

5. In another bowl mix flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper.

6. In a frying pan, heat vegetable oil until hot.

7. Dip each squash into liquid mixture, then flour mixture, then add to frying pan. They need to sizzle in there or they will be soggy.

It is a really good idea to use one hand for the liquid, the other hand for the flour and frying pan. I always wash my hands alot during this process.

8. When the squash is browned on one side, flip over and brown the other side. Sometimes you have to flip more than once. Daddy salts and peppers the squash during this process.

9. When browned, remove each circle to a plate or biscuit pan with a paper towel to absorb the grease. Daddy might want to salt and pepper again at this point. Fried Squash is a vegetable, but we never claimed it was healthy!

Serve fried squash as an appetizer, because they won't make it to the dinner table.