Summertime

Summertime has been really busy and really hot. We have had alot of projects going on with work and with family.

The sports world has been fun with the US playing world cup soccer and with Wimbledon tennis matches. John Isner, a Greensboro, NC native and Nicolas Mahut of France played in the most amazing marathon tennis match ever. The match was spread over three days and lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes. It was a display of huge serves and amazing effort to stay in the match from both players. Isner ended up winning, but both players were winners in my book. They were cordial and classy all the way through and it was a pleasure to watch.

Local tennis was fun too with USTA league play, Club Team and Boiling Springs Team Tennis winding up with a fun benefit tournament for Madison's Cancer Foundation.

For me it is way to hot to play tennis just now. I keep hearing songs from 1965. The old Lovin Spoonful song - "Summer in the City". "Hot Town Summer in the City. Back of my neck getting dirt and gritty! ...Everybody walking around half dead..Hotter than a matchhead". Another song that keeps playing in my head is Billy Stewart's version of "Summertime". This is a jazzy, bouncey, staccato version of the Gershwin tune from "Porgy and Bess". Billy Stewart was one of my favorite soul singers and he always comes to mind in the Summer because I remember hearing so many of his hits when I was coming off a tennis court or near a swimming pool in the 1960s. "Sitting in the Park waiting for YOOOOUUUUU" was another favorite. And of course "I Do Love You" was a classic beach song. If you don't know or remember the Loving Spoonful or Billy Stewart you can look them up on YouTube. If you're like me, you'll get the urge to dance.

Another summertime pleasure from the 60s was chasing lightning bugs. In Lattimore, we would run around outside with mason jars and catch as many lightning bugs as we could. We would punch holes in the lids so they could breathe. I'm not so sure why we did this because we also used to pinch off their lights to make 'jewelry'. One light could make a ring and several lights would make a necklace. There seemed to be a ton of lightning bugs back then. I haven't noticed them as much during the last few summers, but this year they are very plentiful in my neighborhood. Fortunately for them, I haven't felt any urge to chase and pinch. I am happy to just rock on the front porch and watch them blink.

The Round-Up Store - Homemade Pimiento Cheese

In the late 40s Mom and Dad moved to Cliffside, NC so Dad could practice dentistry. They had planned to start a practice in Shelby and had a site picked out for an office when Dr. Robertson, Cliffside's only dentist called. Dr. Robertson was not well and needed Dad to come fill in for him while he recuperated. Cliffside was a southern mill town and had a very closely knit family atmosphere. People who lived there during that time have a strong nostalgia for Cliffside. They still have reunions even though the mill was closed years ago. Dad planned to stay there until Dr. Robertson returned, but ended up practicing dentistry there until he retired in the 80s.

There were alot of interesting characters in Cliffside; Mr. Haynes of the Haynes Bank, Harris who was Dad's Dental assistant, and there was Tubby Hawkins. Dad says Tubby was larger than life. Tubby was involved in everything that happened in Cliffside and was quite the entrepreneur. One day Tubby appeared at Dad's dental office in uptown Cliffside. To get to Dad's office you entered wooden doors with creaky, dark, dusty, and very long stairs leading up to the dental office area. Walter Dalton says that when he was an eight year old going to the dentist, this felt like walking up to the gallows.

Tubby walked into Dad's office and said, "Jack there's been a train wreck at the Harris Station down the road. Let's go look at it." Dad had patients to tend to but he agreed to go during lunch. When they arrived at the train wreck, they discovered the train cars contained Donald Duck orange juice and escarole. Tubby and Dad thought they could sell the salvaged orange juice, but they didn't know what escarole was. Anyway, after some discussions they bought the contents, salvaged all they could and got it ready to resell. The Donald Duck orange juice sold quickly, but as it turned out nobody knew what to do with escarole. They put it on a truck to drive up North thinking people up there might know what to do with it. Turns out escarole just wasn't very popular anywhere, but overall the salvaged train wreck turned a small profit. Dad says that for he and Tubby, "the salvage bug had bit".

From there, they bought other train wrecks, fire damaged goods and close-outs. After Dad worked all day in the dental office he would drive around looking at various merchandise that somebody wanted to dispose of. They bought shoes which Tubby and Georgia sold from their basement. Dad says this was before Pic N Pay or but they did run across the Levine's from time to time during this period.

Dad was called back to the Army for Korean War service and he turned everything over to Tubby. When he returned from Ft Bragg, he started looking for salvage deals again and this was the beginning of The Round Up Store.

The Old Round Up Store began with a purchase of a hardware store in Virginia. Mom, Dad, Tubby and Georgia traveled to see the stock. After a lot of discussion they ended up with this stock and moved it into Roy Price's building in Mooresboro. It was named the Round Up Store, I thought because they galloped all over and rounded up the bargains. A cowboy on a horse with a lasso became the logo. Bo Greene was hired as a manager, Mildred Jackson as a cashier and Helen Byars did the accounting work.

Turns out they were pretty good at looking at stock, finding quality merchandise and selling it at discount prices. Mom got involved reluctantly at first, but Dad encouraged her to spread her wings in the business world. At one time or another, they opened stores in Ellenboro, Troutman, Boone, Raleigh, Morganton, Shelby and had three locations in Boiling Springs, NC. My sisters and I worked throughout the years in one location or another and so did alot of our friends.

The Round Up was interesting because we never knew what tomorrow would bring. At one time or another we packed up roller skates, TVs, hardware, soft goods, Misty Harbor raincoats, Lanz, Bobbie Brooks, red pajamas, groceries, shoes and a whole gift store from Oxford, NC. We cleaned and packed and sold flood damage stock from a hurricane in Alabama and fire sales from alot of places. It was wild and exciting and fun. We worked together as a family, doing whatever needed to be done at the time. In the salvage business, you never know when you will be called to pack a train wreck or a close out. You just have to be ready when called.

Dad met alot of interesting people while he was in the salvage business and enjoyed the relationships. Somewhere along in there he also met a man named Johnny Walker who was a sales manager with a fairly new business called Lowes. At that time, Lowe's wanted to franchise so Dad opened a Lowes Franchise in Shelby, NC on East Dixon Boulevard. After several years, Lowes decided that they wanted to have only company stores and they bought the franchise rights back. So they rented Dad's building in Shelby and the Lowe's store operated there for many years.

Dad still had the dental office, still had the Round Up and other stores, they had moved to Lattimore and he and his brother Robert had started a dairy farm on the side. Then Dad decided to get into politics. He told Mom he wanted to run for the Legislature for two terms and ended up staying in the legislature for 22 years. Eventually it was time to close some of the businesses and to simplify the stock.

Today there is still The Round Up Store of Shelby, Inc and it operates out of the original Lowe's location in Shelby. Today the stock is limited to building materials. There is a shop where storage buildings are manufactured and there are a wide variety of cabinets and cabinet grade plywood.

This week, about 60 years after the first train wreck of orange juice and escarole, the Round Up Store of Shelby held a Chamber of Commerce event called Business After Hours.

The purpose of the event is to expose Chamber members who may have never been into the store to come see the products. Dad wanted to make it a memorable event and this meant calling in all of the family to help. Old neurons must have kicked in because everyone knew how to jump in to help.

Dad set the menu; Mama's Country Ham biscuits, shrimp cocktail, cream cheese and olive sandwiches, homemade pimiento cheese sandwiches, pineapple raisin sandwiches, deviled eggs, and David's beef tenderloin. For dessert, he wanted coconut cake, pound cake and Libby's Marshmallow brownies.

Philip, Chris, Jay, Abel, and several others worked for days to get the Round Up cleaned up and organized. Mom, Dad, Libby, David R and I worked to get the food and tables together. Cindy, Judy, Penny, David M, Tammy, Debbie, Will, and Jay were present to help with hosting and clean up. The Round Up looked great and the food was outstanding. It was a very memorable event.


Homemade Pimiento Cheese

Grate an 8 oz block of Cheese (Dad uses Colby Cheese but I use Sharp Cheddar. Dad and Mom like to taste the pimiento so they like colby because it is milder cheese)
Grate a little bit of Monterey Jack with Jalapeno if you want
Add diced pimiento. (Dad and mom have grown their own pimiento but they also like Goya when they can find it)
Add mayo to taste.
Add black pepper to taste. Less mayo than you think. Dad puts alot of pepper.

Mix everything together and spread onto white or wheat bread. Cut each sandwich into fourths. For parties, Mom and Dad arrange on a three tiered platter that they call 'the sandwich tree'.

OPG

One of the best things about having a small garden of your own is walking outside to pick something fresh for dinner. But one of the drawbacks is that sometimes there isn't alot to pick. That's when you can really appreciate OPG. Other people's gardens.

People who love fresh food and gardening flock together. After so much preparation and work that goes into gardens, when the bounty starts coming in, it can be really bountiful. All of a sudden.

So, I haven't planted some of our favorite things like silver queen corn, white potatoes, green beans or zucchini. But other people have.

Mom and Dad have white half runners (green beans) coming in fast and furious. They have canned several times now and Mom has declared she is done. She has over 100 quarts of perfect green beans in the pantry. But the beans keep coming, so Dad has called to offer fresh green beans and we are happy to accept that offer.

Then, this morning, I saw a grocery bag on the kitchen counter. It is full of fresh, beautiful white potatoes. Steve Royster grows the best white potatoes we have ever eaten. They are organic potatoes and honestly there is nothing like them. They are not at all starchy and the thin skins taste wonderful too. I ran into Steve recently and he said this year's is the best crop he has ever had. Oh joy.

The Royster's immigrated from Wales in the 1700s, settling first in Jamestown, Virginia and then Granville County, North Carolina. Horace and Mary Elizabeth Royster came to Cleveland County, North Carolina in 1872. They wanted to build a railroad in Western North Carolina, but when this project didn't work out they set up a boarding school. Later Horace became the first Superintendent of Education in Cleveland County. Horace and Elizabeth had five children and one of those was Stephen Sampson Royster. He was a pharmacist and a medical doctor and was known as Dr. S. S. My grandmother, Alma Harrill Hunt, wrote that she remembered Dr. S. S. making house calls in a horse and buggy.

Dr. S. S. and his wife, Olive, had two sons, David and Ralph. David had two children Anne and David Jr ("D"). Ralph had two children, Mimi and Steve. So Steve is David III's first cousin once removed or something like that. Mama Crowder could explain it.

Anyway, Steve grows the best organic potatoes that we have ever had. And they go great with my parent's fresh green beans. We are so lucky to have sweet family who want to share with us.

When you get to enjoy other people's gardens, it's a treat in more ways than one.

Garden Update - Cucumber and Onion Sandwiches

The gardens are just about to explode with fresh vegetables, herbs and flowers. Things we have planted and things that come back every year are really taking off. We had a wet winter and spring and that has made the hydrangeas this year the prettiest ever.

In the Lattimore garden, Mama has had beautiful cabbage heads and has made slaw and cooked cabbage with cornbread. The freshness and the tenderness of homegrown cabbage makes everything taste twice as good. Yesterday I made Nishie's Slaw. Nishie would be so proud.

Mama and Daddy have already canned 14 quarts of green beans with more to come. They use a pressure cooker to can beans. I never have learned to use a pressure cooker. I don't think I am afraid of that many things, but that jiggling and hissing and steaming scares me to death. So I can help pick, string, break, wash, blanche and put the beans in jars, but I don't do the pressure cooker part.

The corn 'is as high as an elephant's eye' and will be ready to pull in early July. Corn freezing day in Lattimore is a huge production that actually spreads out over a week or so. This is usually around July 12th, but Daddy says this year the corn may come in a little earlier. Whenever it is, we drop everything to 'do corn'. Daddy wants us to get the corn 'from field to freezor in under 3 hours' because that preserves the fresh sweetness of the corn. If it takes longer, the corn sugars start breaking down into a less flavorful sticky starchiness.

My little garden is also growing and we have eaten cucumbers, peppers, and sweet 100 cherry tomatoes. I love walking outside to pick something fresh to put on a sandwich or salad.

The difference between slicing a grocery store cucumber and one straight from the garden is amazing. They are more tender to slice and the smell and taste are juicy, crispy and sweet. We have had cucumbers in salads, but my favorite thing is a cucumber and onion sandwich.

Cucumber and onion sandwiches make me think of Memorial Day on the grounds at Lattimore Church on the first Sunday in May. It isn't the same as the National Memorial Day Holiday, but is held each year to remember people who are buried in the Church Cemetery. Lattimore Church is an old country Baptist church where we grew up going to Sunbeams and Vacation Bible School. I was baptized there and I remember Preacher Borders being an intelligent and quiet leader back then. I also remember one time sitting on the front row with my friend, Avis, and watching the candles flicker on the big oak table that said "This Do in Rememberance of Me". Avis and I caught each other's eye and we both saw the candle flame dancing around like it was alive. I have no idea why it was so funny, but we could not hold back the giggles. The harder we tried not to laugh the worse it got. Preacher Borders was trying to concentrate on his sermon and gave us a sweet but exasperated glance. That look is burned into my memory. I'm still afraid to watch a candle flicker in church.

Lattimore Church is small, but has a pretty sanctuary and large beautiful grounds with grass and huge trees outside. This is where they usually set up the Memorial Day Lunch on the grounds. Everybody brings their speciality and sometimes there is a little competition to make sure the dish you bring is appreciated. When the dish you bring 'gets gone quick' then that means it was a hit.

Aunt Pauline, who was really my great aunt, married Nanny's brother, Colon Harrill. They lived in the old Harrill homeplace where we also had the Harrill Reunions. She always made cucumber and onion sandwiches for Harrill Reunions and for Memorial Day at Lattimore Church. She cut white bread out into big circles with a biscuit cutter and then peeled and sliced cucumber and onions. She put just a little mayonaise on the bread and a little salt and pepper.

Sometimes we make these like a sandwich and sometimes we do them in smaller circles and serve open faced as an appetizer. It is simple, but so good.

Sister's Cheese Wafers

The Summer so far has been filled with visitors in and out of the house and with quick road trips here and there. If there is one thing that I can cook to make everybody happy it is Sister's Cheese Wafers. They are a hit anytime anywhere.

Sister's Cheese Wafers put people in a festive mood. They are crispy and spicy and they go great with coffee for breakfast, diet coke for an afternoon snack or with a 'libation' during cocktail hour. A cheese wafer on a road trip can make the trip itself feel like a party.

There are alot of recipes for cheese wafers, cheese straws, cheese pennies, but we think Sister's Cheese Wafers are the very best. Sister is David's mother. Her given name was Katherine Quinn but everybody calls her Sister. She got this Cheese Wafer recipe from her mother, Katherine Briggs Quinn. Katherine Briggs grew up in Raleigh, married Aaron Quinn and they had four children - Sister, Pete, Ennis and Charlie. Sister said her mother had given her a box of handwritten recipes when she married David's father and the Cheese Wafer recipe was in the box. I asked if it was okay to blog this recipe and she laughed and said, "oh heaven's yes! I have given that recipe out many times."

It may not matter if you have the recipe or not because making cheese wafers is another one of those things that takes some practice. Also it helps to have the right pan. I mentioned to Lynn's husband, Tommy, that sometimes food is only good if it is cooked in the right pan. Tommy said he sure would like to have the pan Sister makes cheese wafers in.

I make cheese wafer rolls on one day and then refrigerate until I am ready to bake them. You have to bake the cheese wafers just before you plan to serve them for two reasons - 1) they get stale within a couple of days; and 2) they get eaten up within a couple of days.

I store them in cookie tins and those tins have become familiar to alot of folks. One red cookie tin says David's Cookies and we bought it years ago on a trip to NYC with Susan and Thomas. I have kept it all these years and always put cheese wafers in there for David on his birthday, Father's Day and many other times. Family and friends know when they see the red tin that cheese wafers are in there and that means the cheese wafers can disappear really fast. When I have a big crowd around for a weekend, I hide extra tins of cheese wafers so I can ration them or they won't last past the first day.

Sister's Cheese Wafers

8 ounces Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
1 stick melted butter
1 cup flour (I use self rising and do not add salt which is not the original recipe)
1/3 cup pecans, chopped
Cayenne Pepper to taste

Pour butter over grated cheese and mix. Add flour, pecans and pepper. Divide into two long rolls and wrap in saran wrap. Keep in the fridge until ready to bake.

When ready to bake, slice and bake on a cookie sheet at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes. Then, put them on paper towels to cool and to absorb some of the grease. We like cheese wafers really crispy. As David says, "There is a fine line between cooked and burned."

Playing House

My parents, Ruby Frances Crowder and John Jackson Hunt, were born within 100 yards of each other in Lattimore, NC. Daddy was born in 1922 and Mama in 1926. Walter Dalton says they are so much a part of each other that their names are intertwined - JackandRuby sort of like Jack-o-lantern.

Daddy remembers how pretty Mama looked when he saw her as a little girl hoeing cotton in Lattimore. Mama is beautiful inside and out and is possibly the only person who can hoe cotton and still look beautiful. Mama remembers how cute Daddy was as a 12 year old, wearing his short khaki pants and driving an old red pickup truck around Lattimore. In those days, no drivers license was required.

Daddy also remembers that Mama loved to play house. He remembers seeing her when she was a little girl playing house on the side of the road in Lattimore using old bottle caps for cups and saucers. He says she has been playing house ever since.

They have set up house in Cliffside, NC where Daddy practiced dentistry; in Ft Bragg, NC where they served during both WWII and the Korean War; in Shelby and in Lattimore where they raised five children and 11 grandchildren; and in Raleigh where they served for 22 years in the NC Legislature.

When Mama sets up a house, she works at it. She thinks about colors, fabrics, furniture and accessories. And she thinks about comfort. Mama's house is pretty, but it is also warm and inviting. And it is always about serving whatever friends and family are there.

In the Lattimore den, hanging over the fireplace, there is a print of a woman and several little children on a picnic. The woman is nudging one of the little girls to offer a plate of food to a little boy. Mama said she loved this print when she first saw it and she bought it because "I wanted to teach my little girls to serve".

I love the print too, but Mama is the best model for learning to serve.

Lake Lure North Carolina - The Hunt's Potato Salad

There is no where in the world more special to our families than Lake Lure.

Lake Lure was built in the late 1920s in Rutherford County, North Carolina to generate power and for recreation. Small cottages were built around the lake and the majority of the recreation was fishing. The Lake has had many ups and downs since then. Today some of the fishing cottages are disappearing and being replaced with huge houses. The recreation still includes fishing, but also canoeing, kayaking, skiiing and pontoon rides. Jet Skis are not allowed on Lake Lure and I see that as a plus. Several movies have scenes on and around the Lake including The Last of the Mohicans, Firestarter and Dirty Dancing. The Town of Lake Lure has pontoon tour boats that take folks around the Lake to hear the history and enjoy the beautiful scenery. For years, visitors to the Lake told me that the old, rounded mountains and the homes and boathouses that surround the Lake looked alot like Switzerland. Last year, after a pontoon trip around Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, I could see the similarity.

Both sides of our families have long histories at The Lake. Any trip to The Lake starts out with excitement and anticipation of who will be there and what are we going to eat?

My grandfather, R. L. Hunt, loved Lake Lure and had a fishing cottage there. Carl Martin, my father's best friend since elementary school, tells a story about visiting the Lake with my father and grandfather. Most of Carl's stories are theatrical and hysterical. He loves to tell them and we love to hear whatever version he's telling. The jist of this story was that Carl and Daddy were grown men and were 'up at the Lake' to go fishing with PawPaw. PawPaw and Daddy did not drink 'libations' in front of each other. So Daddy might say, "Carl let's go down to the dock and have a libation". Later, PawPaw might do the same. If you have seen Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire you get the picture. Carl can make this story short or long, but it is always funny to watch him tell it.

In the 1950s, my parents bought several cottages and a restaurant called The Log Shop. They rented the cottages most of the year, but also took friends up to the Lake for house parties. Sometimes they would take their guests to the Log Shop for breakfast of country ham, grits, eggs, biscuits or for a steak dinner. But mostly Mama would cook. She did this with five small children. Betty Harris reminds me every time I see her, that she rode with Mama to The Lake once. At that time, there was one way to The Lake - about a one hour ride on a curving winding 2 lane mountain road. My sisters were ages 7, 5, 4, and 2. I was a baby and Betty says she held me in her arms while I cried the whole way to the Lake! No wonder she only did that once.

Mama is the most organized hostess you will ever see. She knows how to entertain and make it look effortless. She planned her menus so that she could actually accomplish a trip that men, women and children could enjoy. I am guessing she was beautiful and smiling while she pulled off this magic.

Her menu was picnic style - shrimp, ham, fried chicken, potato salad, green beans, deviled eggs, pimiento cheese sandwiches and chocolate cake. She would prepare everything ahead of time and when she arrived at the Lake she would just put it out buffet style and "let people eat when they wanted to".

I learned to water ski at Lake Lure when I was nine years old. We were visiting at the Hamrick's cottage and Daddy's friend, Carl, had pulled skiers all day long. Carl was ready to put the boat in the boathouse, but I begged him to let me try. I remember he looked at me and said, "I'll let you try one time, but if you don't get up, we are coming in." I knew he meant that and somehow I managed to get up the first try.

Later on in the 60s, I learned to slalom when we were skiing at Bald Mountain resort (now Rumbling Bald). I never enjoyed the slalom as much as two skiis. I think it's because when I was learning to slalom, I fell into a patch of lily pads and started imagining all the creepy things that might be living under there. It seemed like hours before the boat circled around to get me out of the lily pads. Bald Mountain resort is also the first place I ever tasted an ice cream sundae. It was in a tall parfait glass and had vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry on top. I guess I remember it because it settled my nerves after the scary lily pad incident.

In the late 1950s, David's father "D" bought a lot on The Island. There is a small island in the middle of Lake Lure called Yacht Island. I'm told it was originally called Snake Island and the story goes that they released pigs on the island to get rid of the snakes. I seldom see snakes there anymore, so if it's true, it must have worked.

There was no bridge to the island, so "D" built one. That's just how "D" was. They have since replaced the original bridge, but there is a picture of the old bridge at the house. They built a house on the island and it has one of the most spectacular views on the lake. Every trip to "D"s house also included lots of menu planning and gigantic meals. Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, BLTs, Steaks and Ribs were on the menu and huge quantities of everything. There is a big boathouse with a high deck and railing that everyone loves to jump off. Various boats over the years have pulled alot of people skiing and tubing all over the lake. Several years ago another deck was built at the house where we eat crab legs and ribs and watch the amazing sunsets. Dancing parties have been known to break out there.

On the way to the island, is a cove that years ago was called "Shelby Cove" because so many people from our area owned houses there. There are still alot of "Shelby people" in the cove including a cottage that my sister, Cindy and her husband, David own. With alot of musicians in the circle of family and friends, the Martin's deck is home to alot of music and singing.

So, there are years and years of memories filled with food, fun, family and friends at Lake Lure.

The Hunt's Potato Salad for 50 People
Note: I have three written recipes for Potato Salad and all are varied amounts so adjust it to how you like it.

Scrub 17 white potatoes, cook in several pots in uniform sizes so they cook right (they aren't good if the insides aren't done)
Cook potatoes 20 minutes unsalted. Peel and cube uniformly.

About 2 cups of celery
Pull silks off and cut fairly small and uniformly

3 large onions (or 3 cups - which mama thinks is too much but daddy doesn't)
chop onions uniformly
1 cup or more of sweet salad cube pickles
17 eggs - Cook 10 minutes, then let them sit in hot water 10 minutes, then chill
Use 5 whites and all of the yolks, finely mashed

2 cups mayo or so (*there is a Dukes vs Hellmans controversy. Decide for yourself.)
3 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper

Cook potatoes, eggs. Cube potatoes. Finely mash eggs. Chop everything else. Add together and mix it without making it all too mushy. Add a little extra pepper and puerto rico (paprika) and garnish with fresh parsley.

Saturday nights in the 60s - Homemade Pizza

In the mid 1960s, our family moved from the brick Hewitt house in Lattimore to a rented house on West Warren Street in Shelby. Mom and Dad had bought a big lot in Shelby to build Mama's Dream House. In trying to decide exactly where to locate the house, they walked over the lot many times, drove stakes, then tied strings from stake to stake to 'see' where they liked the house best. This process took several years, so we lived in the rented house on Warren Street during that time. Mama never really loved the Warren Street house, but we always had alot of fun there. We were within walking distance of three schools - Graham, Oak and Shelby Junior High. We were also within bicycle distance to the Shelby City Park and to Uptown Shelby. So it didn't matter that I couldn't drive because I could get most everywhere on foot or bicycle. Judy and Penny were in high school, Cindy and Libby at Junior High and I was in the fifth grade at Graham. We had a trampoline in the backyard and many days all ages of kids would walk from school to our house to jump. It really wasn't unusual for 25 plus kids to be there - just jumping.

On Saturday nights, our family watched TV together and made homemade pizzas. TV was still fairly new then and we basically had three channels. The TVs had huge cathode ray tubes, rabbit ears for antennae, and broadcast in black and white. Most TVs ended up with a pair of pliers to change the channels because, after jumping up to change channels alot, the knobs would fall off. I remember watching Neil Armstrong take the first steps on the moon and we were all glued to the tube in awe when he said, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Sometimes on Saturday nights, Daddy would play cards with us. Daddy still loves to play poker, but the game at that time was Gin. We were all pretty good Gin players before long. On TV, we watched Flipper, Jackie Gleason and my favorite, the Carol Burnette Show. Flipper was a show about a very special dolphin who was like a water version of Lassie. I didn't know alot about Florida, but it seemed pretty wonderful and exotic to me. Jackie Gleason had a funny variety show with alot of characters like Crazy Joe, and the Honeymooners. What I loved to watch most on his show were the June Taylor dancers. They all had long legs and looked so sophisticated and smart when they performed those amazing - and very 60s - kaleidescope figures.

Carol Burnette had, by far, the funniest show on TV. Carol, Harvey Korman and Tim Conway could just walk across the TV screen and it would be hysterical. I loved so many of their skits and mostly I loved that they seemed to have so much fun together.

But the highlight of these Saturday nights was making pizza. We did not make the crust from scratch, but used a boxed mix. We didn't use a round pizza pan, but rectangular biscuit pans. Everyone had favorite ingredients and we all got to make our part of the pizza exactly the way we wanted it. We would decorate our 'masterpiece' so that when it came out of the oven, we knew which side was ours. This was a really creative time. The sixties were all about creativity and experimentation and we embraced that with our pizzas. To this day, I love sliced green olives on a pizza as much as the tomato sauce and cheese.

We only lived on Warren Street for five years. Mama said that after they had staked up the houseplan three times and the strings rotted three times she knew it just wasn't where they needed to build. Mama's heart was in Lattimore and they decided to build the dream house on Peachtree Road. I'm glad they built in Lattimore, but that house on West Warren Street has alot of happy memories.

So, I have been thinking about how much fun we had making homemade pizza and since both of the boys are home, tonight we each made our own masterpiece. Sure wish Carol Burnette was on.


Homemade Pizza - 60s style

1 Box Chef BoyArDee Cheese Pizza Kit
Make the dough according to the package and spread onto greased baking pan

Decide ahead of time what everyone wants on their side. Chop it, saute it, etc. Fresh basil, oregano, onion, olives, anchovy, peppers, tomato, pepperoni, hamburger, sausage are favorites at our house.

Sometimes, I make my own sauce, or at least add something to the boxed one.
I don't use the cheese that comes in the kit, because I don't like it. It is worth it to buy real parmesan and mozzarella and grate it yourself.

Divide up the pizza so that everyone knows where their side is.

Here's the hard part. You have to let everyone involved put what they want on their side. Anything goes.

Recently, we have had the fun of making homemade pizzas at several friends homes. Beth and John get a special dough and sauce and make them in their kitchen. Susan and Thomas get a special dough and sauce and make them in a backyard pizza oven. Everyone adds their own flavors from vegetables to herbs to meats, and they are all wonderful flavors. Besides how good they taste, the best part about homemade pizza is watching how much fun everybody has when they are encouraged to do their own thing.

Harmonic Balancer - Mama's Homemade Biscuits

My favorite newspaper columnist is Tommy Tomlinson with the Charlotte Observer. For years, I have read his column and he is always speaking my mind. The normal morning routine at our house is to have coffee, read several newspapers and online articles, and then talk about articles we have read. David knows I will want to talk about whatever Tommy Tomlinson has written so he makes sure to read that one along with his favorite sports and business reports. Today's column was vintage Tommy Tomlinson titled, "My car needs a part all humans should have, too".

The car part is called a harmonic balancer. I was amazed to learn that there was such a part in cars.

David not only knew it existed (even in old cars), he knew where it was located (near the crankshaft), and why it was there (to reduce vibrations from the engine, which reduces stress on the engine).

Growing up with four sisters, car talk was not a big part of my life; but living with three males has changed all that. Living with a house full of males changes alot of things.

Both boys are home from college and life around the house is back up to warp speed. I love having the boys home and I love having their friends around again. Over the last 20 years, we have had ALOT of activity at our house - backyard basketball, football, frisbee golf, swim parties, prom parties, the 'gallon challenge', poker tournaments and dance parties. Warp speed might not cover it.

But we have always had a Harmonic Balancer in our lives. Mama's Biscuits.

Things can be moving really fast; everyone on their own schedule with their own plans. But, when we say, "We're fixing dinner at 7:30", you can bet that the stars will line up and everyone will be at the table.

So, this week, both boys came home from college with all the stuff that college kids bring home - lamps, laptops, bedclothes, chairs, and piles of dirty laundry. Within a few days, the laundry was done. We cleaned out the storage building, cleaned out the old playroom, hauled alot of things away on the trailer and stored away the college stuff until next fall. It is amazing what can get done in just a few days with everyone working together. Cooking has stepped up to warp speed as well. We have had Mama's Pot Roast, Mac and Cheese, Corn, Beans, Salads, and Grilled Chicken.

On Saturday we wanted to clean out the Summer House. The Summer House is a screened room outside where I like to read or just visit with friends. David likes to watch golf out there. The boys like to play cards and dance. It's a great place to take a nap. Over the winter, the Summer House gets dusty with pollen and full of spiderwebs. To whip it into shape, we have to take everything out, hose it all down, and put it all back together.

So after a week of stepped up activity in the house and alot of extra boys spending the night, we planned our Harmonic Balancer - Saturday night Dinner. After looking up what was on sale, the menu was set - steak, grilled chicken, baked potato, green beans from last year, salad with ranch dressing, fruit salad, sliced tomatoes with fresh basil and Mama's Homemade Biscuits.

Mama made up her own biscuit recipe. She had watched Nishie and Mama Crowder make biscuits over the years without a recipe. Biscuits only take three ingredients - self-rising white flour, buttermilk and Crisco. The Biscuit Trinity.

Once Dad figured out the cost per biscuit and it was about 2 cents. Daddy is always figuring out the cost per item of everything. But we all understand that the material cost versus the actual value of Mama's homemade biscuits doesn't really compute. How do you compute Harmonic Balance?

Mama's biscuits are neat, tidy and uniform. They are the perfect size and shape and will melt in your mouth with just a little butter. Mama and Daddy are famous for their Country Ham Biscuits, but my favorite is a Biscuit with a slice of fresh tomato inside. I can't claim to make the biscuits exactly like Mama's, but I am working on it. It takes alot of practice to achieve Harmonic Balance.

Mama's Homemade Biscuits

4 cups sifted self-rising flour
3/4 cup crisco, and a little more the size of an egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, a little more or less as needed

Cut crisco into flour with pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in the buttermilk and mix a little with hands. Turn onto a floured surface. Knead 3-4 times. Dont' work with it very long or it will make the dough tough. Roll out dough about 1/4 - 1/2" thick. Cut out biscuits and place on greased cookie sheet. You should get about 24 biscuits this first cut.

Pull dough back together and roll out again. You should get about 6 biscuits the next cut and 6 the next. Mama Calls the last six the dog biscuits because they have been worked longer and will be tougher. I love a dog biscuit.

Precook at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Bag and freeze.

When you want to serve the biscuits, remove from freezer, place on cookie sheet and bake in preheated 450 degree oven for 7-8 minutes. When Mama wants to get the tops brown, she will turn on the broiler but she warns us not to get distracted. "You have to watch it like a hawk!" We know to be quiet and still while Mama achieves harmonic balance with her Homemade Biscuits browning in the oven.

Old Fashioned Sayings

Mike, my son David's college roommate, was in the hospital for a week with an unusual and serious illness. Mike's parents live 7-8 hours away and came to be with him, but after several days needed to return home to work. Since we live less than 1 hour away from the college, I promised his mother that we would check on him.

On one visit to the hospital, I wanted to talk with Mike about adjusting to his new health needs - getting plenty of rest, eating right, finding the right medication and generally focusing on his long term health. He wanted to talk with me about his worry about the cost of his hospital stay.

My initial reaction was sadness that a 20 year old college student was in a hospital bed worrying about the cost of getting well. In an attempt to get him to focus on the most pressing problem - his health and not the cost - I said "Mike, don't worry about the mule going blind." His face broke into the widest grin and he said, "That sounds just like the things David says! Oh, I have gotta write that one down with the other ones!" He went on to say that living with David, he had heard all kinds of sayings that were unfamiliar to him.

I guess I had never realized how many old fashioned sayings are used by our families. Or maybe the expressions are just forgotten from generation to generation. How many people today know WHY somebody might worry about the mule going blind?

"Worrying about the mule going blind" is actually something that my husband used to hear from his father who likely heard it from his father. Mr. D. W. Royster was sometimes called Mr. Ich. I have heard that his nickname originated because his tall, lanky frame resembled Washington Irving's character, Ichabod Crane. The grandchildren called him Pop Ick. When you were told "don't worry about the mule going blind", it meant don't spend non-productive energy worrying about something that you cannot control.

Several years ago, my Dad stumped me with an old fashioned saying when I was typing a letter for him. It was a recommendation letter and the point he wanted to make was that the applicant was a consistent, dependable person and focused on reaching his goals. Trying to decipher Dad's handwriting, I typed the words "he doesn't fall off the tracks". Dad laughed when he read what I had typed and told me it was supposed to say "he doesn't fall out of the traces". I had no idea what that meant, but he explained that it was a mule driving term. A good mule knew it should stay on a straight path while plowing all the way to the end of a row. If a mule, "fell out of the traces" it meant it wasn't consistent, dependable and focused on its task.

Another favorite saying in our family is one that Mama uses alot. Mama is the queen of diffusing an argument. Growing up, my sisters and I were encouraged to have independent thoughts and express our opinions. Discussion and debate are still normal at the round dinner table and the kitchen chopping block. So when something comes up that Mama sees is NOT going to be agreed upon, she just shrugs her shoulders and says, "That's why they make chocolate and vanilla". Sometimes you just have to agree to disagree. This one has really caught on in my little household. It is not unusual to hear it as often from our boys as from their parents!

Nishie had alot of good sayings, but the one that everyone in the family still uses in many different situations is - "You got to know when to turn it loose!" When Nishie said turn it sounded like tarn. In the original story, Nishie was telling dad, "Jack, you got to know when to tarn it loose!" This can be used for a variety of reasons, but basically means it's important to know when enough is enough.

This year on Mother's Day at the Hunt House in Lattimore, we were sitting on the front steps talking when somebody on a loud motorcycle sped by; the engine popping and the bike swerving and swishing around the corner. Daddy grinned and said that when he was a little boy and somebody came by the house like that in a loud, fast car, the kids would yell from the yard "go ahead on, hell ain't half full yet!"

These old fashioned sayings can really drive home a point.

Mother's Day at the Hunt House - Sour Cream Pound Cake

The Hunt's like to gather. We gather for all kinds of occasions and sometimes for no reason at all. With Mama and five other mothers in our immediate family, we spread out the chores and have Mother's Day at The Hunt House. The Hunt House is where Daddy grew up in Lattimore, NC. Nanny and PaPa (this sounds like Paw Paw) were married in 1911 and they built the Hunt House in about 1930. The Hunt House originally had 7 bedrooms to accomodate Nanny, Papa and their four children - Burnette, Robert, Julia and my father, Jack. Sometimes teachers from Lattimore school would also live with the family.

PaPa (Robert L Hunt) was a dentist and co-owned Hunt and Hewitt General Merchandise. The store was in a building on Main Street that was later Martin Milling Company and is now a restaurant called The Depot. Lattimore in those days was a busy intersection of two major railroads - The Southern and The Seaboard. PaPa's dental office was above the store on Main Street. He built the Hunt House on the corner of Main and Lee Streets. Lattimore School was across Lee Street on the other corner and Daddy remembers shooting basketball in the playground at all hours of the day and night - sometimes by moonlight. Across Main Street from The Hunt House is the two story red brick house where my family lived and where my sisters and I used to dance on the roof. I barely remember PaPa because he died when I was about 2 years old. I know alot of stories about him and I know that he was very involved in the community. I also know he had alot of energy and alot of fun.

I remember skipping across the street to visit Nanny at the Hunt House and how, in the mornings, her kitchen always smelled like coffee and cinnamon toast. Later in the day, it seems like she always had a chicken stewing in a big pot on the stove. There were dairy cows in Nanny's pasture. There was a barn with stalls for the cows to be herded into and then their necks were clamped into a harness to keep them still. Golly Hopper, Nishie's husband, would attach milking machines to their udders. The milking machines reminded me of an octopus. The milk was pumped through hoses into another room that had a huge electric stainless steel container where the milk was kept cool until the Sealtest man came to pick it up. Sometimes, my sisters and I would carry a glass milk jug from our house across the street to the milk barn. If we got there just after the cows had been milked, the milk was still warm. Warm milk on your cheerios is awful.

The railroad tracks run behind the Hunt House and under a bridge on Lee Street. When we would hear the train, every kid within earshot would run to the bridge and the conductors would throw candy from the train up to all the kids on the bridge. This was one of the highlights of the day for a kid in Lattimore.

There were hills between Nanny's house and her sister's, Garva Blanton (she was called Garvey). Once I remember there was a huge snowfall. It seemed like it snowed about 8 feet, but I am guessing that would be a slight exaggeration. All of the Blantons, Hunts, Martins, and other Lattimore kids went sledding in a big canoe on the hills between Nanny's and Aunt Garvey's.

So, the Hunt House is full of memories for everyone and this is where we spent Mother's Day Lunch.

When my grandmother and my Aunt Burnette passed away, Daddy bought the Hunt House, renovated the kitchen, added extra bathrooms, and it is now a five bedroom house. My sister, Judy, and her husband, Hanse, have bought the house from Daddy. They live in Blowing Rock full time and I think they are the only people who have ever had a permanent home in Blowing Rock and a vacation home in Lattimore! But I am so glad they do, because we all enjoy being at the Hunt House.

My sister, Libby, organized the menu for the Mother's Day lunch. Libby and Mama had the house warm with peonies on the tables and mint in the kitchen window. Daddy had it warm with a fire in the fireplace. Mama and Daddy brought corn and green beans from last years garden. My mother-in-law, Katherine Mabry, (we call her Sister), made her special coconut cake and layered salad. Unfortunately, she was not feeling well on Mother's Day, but she insisted on sending her delicious cake and salad. Judy, Penny, Libby, Cindy and I brought specified dishes and we did our very best to make them the way Mama and Daddy taught us. We must have done okay because Daddy called later and said he and Mama had now learned that they don't have to cook anymore! Doubtful that they won't cook anymore, but it was nice to hear him give us such a compliment.

The menu was ham, potato salad, strawberry salad, deviled eggs, corn, beans, mac and cheese, broccoli casserole, Sister's Layered Salad, and Biscuits. For dessert, as if we needed any, we had Sour Cream Pound Cake with strawberries and whipped cream, Sister's Coconut Cake, Nanny's Pecan Pie, and Mama Crowder's Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies.

Friends and cousins started pouring into the house. When Mama arrived, I was struck by how pretty she is and how she always has a smile on her face. Mama has always been pretty, but that day she looked even prettier than usual.

We told stories and remembered and laughed and missed the ones who weren't with us, but mostly we were grateful that we could enjoy sharing the day together.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

2 sticks real butter
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups cake flour (sift, measure and don't sift again)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup sour cream (a little more)
1 tsp vanilla (more)
1/2 tsp lemon extract (more)

With electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add soda and flour alternating with sour cream. Add vanilla and lemon. Bake at 300 degrees for 90 minutes. This is a really big cake so I use a large bundt pan. Leave in pan for 10 minutes before turning onto a plate and then flipping back over onto a cake plate. The top is the best part!

Cut up strawberries and add a little sugar if needed. Serve cake with strawberries and whipped cream.

Any leftover cake is great toasted for breakfast!

Jicama - the wonder vegetable

Jicama is my new favorite vegetable. I had seen this vegetable a few times here and there but had not eaten it until my trip to visit Mary in Clearwater. Jicama (pronounced HICK-ah-mah) is a mexican root vegetable from the Morning Glory family. It looks like a potato. It does not taste like a potato. It is crunchy, juicy and mildly sweet. To use jicama, all you have to do is peel and cut it. It is great raw in salads. It can be stir fried or cooked with other veggies. And it works like a carrot stick for dips like hummus or salsa.

Here is the real bonus on jicama. Not only does it taste good, but it is also fairly cheap, easy to peel and chop, and it works in alot of recipes. It is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and calories. It is high in potassium, vitamin C and fiber. I think it might be able to tap dance!

The way you cut it depends on how you are using it. It is easiest to work with if you cut it in half and then peel it. For salads, I like to cut it into shoestring potato-like strips. If you are using it for a dip(in place of Tostitos), cut a little wider and thicker. If you are cooking it, you can cube it in various sizes.

Since it is juicy and sweet, it is great to balance out spicy foods. In Mexico, it is eaten like "street vendor food" - just sprinkled with cayenne pepper and lime juice.

Mary sent a recipe for Beet and Jicama salad. Tonight I tried it in a Chopped Salad. It is great in alot of different combinations with either fruits or vegetables. Here are a few ways to use jicama:


Chopped Salad with Jicama

I made this one up, so just use whatever amounts you prefer.

Lettuce from the garden
Radish - sliced then halved
Cucumber - sliced then halved
Sweet Red Pepper - chopped
Vidalia Spring Onion - chopped
Jicama - peeled and cut into shoestring strips

Toss everything into a big salad bowl. Sprinkle a small amount of red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and toss again.

Mary's Jicama and Beet Salad

(4 servings)

One 15 oz can sliced, marinated beets, drained
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fat free raspberry viniagrette dressing
1/2 cup diced jicama
4 cups torn romaine lettuce

In a medium bowl, combine beets, scallions and salad dresing. Refrigerate covered, until the flavors are blended - at least one hour. Stir in jicama. Place 1 cup of lettuce on each of 4 plates. Top with beet/jicama mixture.
52 calories, 0 fat, 0 cholesterol, 3 fiber, 2 protein, 237 mg sodium.

Mandarin Orange and Jicama Salad

1 jicama, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
1 large lime, juiced
1 lemon, juiced
1 11 oz can mandarin orange segments, drained, liquid reserved

Combine everything and add just a small amount of the reserved orange juice. Allow mixture to sit for 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste, stir just before serving.

Playing Catch Up - Chicken Salad

This week has just flown by. I had some catching up to do since I was gone last weekend. Also I had several volunteer board meetings at night this week. And I 'needed' to play tennis a couple of times this week - once for a team and once just for fun.

I actually do have a part-time job. Very part-time. I used to say that my hours were from 10 till 2 and I take a 2 hour lunch. But I just had to cut back on those hours to make time for everything else.

I do bookkeeping for my Dad's building materials business, The Round Up Store. The Round Up has a very colorful and interesting history and is still very interesting. The Round Up deserves it's own blogpost - maybe several.

For me to be doing bookkeeping is pretty interesting in itself, but that, in fact, is what I do. After working in the computer industry, and then doing some computer teaching at several community colleges, I realized that what I really wanted was to be a Mom. And I have never regretted that decision.

However, I enjoy the challenge and the experiences in the working world so the perfect fit for me was to do something that I could keep flexible hours. The Round Up needed someone to keep up with the bills, taxes, and other paperwork, so there I was. It has been so much more rewarding than I would have ever dreamed. I have done this for 20 years and I have always enjoyed alot of flexibility with my time. Now that I have a laptop, Quickbooks software, email, etc, I have even more flexibility and I am very grateful.

So this week, I played catch up at work, played catch up with housework, played catch up with my volunteer committments and I played tennis. The trick was trying to have something decent for supper that didn't require alot of time.

With both boys away at college, David and I do not eat huge meals at supper. So, tonight we had Chicken Salad, Saltine Crackers and Fresh Watermelon. We love chicken salad alot of different ways. David's mother makes a great chicken salad that she seasons with dill. Carol makes a great Fruited Chicken Salad that I will post one day. But tonight, with all the playing catch up and then needing to catch up in the garden too, I made the easy version of Mama's Chicken Salad. Actually Mama usually uses Turkey - so it's Turkey Salad. She cooks a Turkey breast really often. It is like so many of Mama's dishes. I don't have real exact amounts. But one of the most important things is to cut everything up uniformly. Another thing is when you are cutting up the chicken, you should not include any gristle or fat or other icky things. Mama's rule is "Don't put anything in that you wouldn't want to eat yourself". So here is how I made Mama's Chicken Salad tonight:

Mama's Chicken Salad

Cube chicken, taking out anything that you wouldn't want to eat yourself
(tonight I used a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store to speed things up)
Make sure you cube it up uniformly - We like it fairly chunky, but not so chunky that it will fall off of a saltine cracker!
Several stalks of Celery - diced. We like alot of celery.
Sweet Salad Cube Pickles. We like alot of pickles too.
Mayo, Salt and Pepper to taste. Remember "You can add more, but you can't add less"

Sometimes Mama adds thyme to her turkey salad and probably some other spices now and then. But, it can hit the spot just to make the quick and easy way.

May Garden Update - Tomato stakes and suckers

I just checked on the garden. Everything is growing well and looks green and happy. I mean everything. Including the weeds. I see some serious weeding time in my near future. The cucumber plants are holding their heads up, sending out little tentacles and looking for places to run. The squash and eggplant need more water, but look pretty healthy. The peppers love hot dry weather so they haven't minded that I have been gone alot. Same with the herbs. Herbs love to be hot and dry.

The tomatoes are growing fast but were starting to lean over, so it was time to stake them. I have used various methods to do this. I used to think the best way was with a tall wooden stake and nylon hose cut into strips to tie up the plant. The nylon hose expand and won't cut or damage the plant when you tie it to the stake. But, last year I bought some of the tomato rings and so that is what I am using again this year. One thing you have to do if you are using rings is to train the tomato plant as it grows by adjusting it up the rings. If you get too far behind with this, you can break the plant or damage the tomatoes. Tomatoes need to be tended to a little more than some plants.

So I have staked the tomatoes and I have picked off the suckers. Suckers are non producing branches that grow between the producing branches.

Suckers are alot like bad habits. If you leave them on the plant, they will use up alot of the energy and nutrients of the plants and the tomatoes on the producing limbs will not grow to their full potential. You can spot a sucker right away when they are little, but it gets harder to tell as they mature. When you notice which have the yellow flowers and which do not, alot of the damage is already done. It's important to 'nip those suckers in the bud' before they hold back a producer.

We sure could learn alot from plants.

Clearwater Beach

Our friend, Mary, invited Carol and me to visit her home in Clearwater Beach, Florida. She mentioned that Allegiant Air usually had some good flights out of GSP airport in Greenville, SC. That was an understatement. A one-way flight to St Petersburg, Florida was $27.99! They did add some fees for things I could have declined, but we still got a great rate for a very convenient way to get to Florida.

Mary is an avid scrapbooker and we have known each other a really long time. A big part of the fun of this trip was going thru her scrapbooks of our childhood and then watching videos of past trips and reunions. Our lives were literally flashing before our eyes and we both realized how much fun we had growing up in Shelby. She had a scrapbook page with the invitation to a party that my parents had at their house in Lattimore when we were in high school. It included a picture of me dancing with my dad. And she had a get well card that I had given her with little kittens on it. The funny part was that I had written on the card that I knew she wasn't sick, but I thought she'd like the card because she liked kittens! We were always kind of silly like that and had alot of laughs over the years.

That part had NOT changed. We had a ton of big laughs during this trip.

The first thing you notice about the Tampa Bay area is that there is alot of water - bays, rivers, the Gulf of Mexico - and there are alot of bridges connecting everything together. The second thing you notice is that there is a tremendous cultural diversity in and around Tampa. By the end of the trip, we felt like we had visited alot of different countries.

We started out visiting Tarpon Springs which was originally settled by Greek sponge divers. We had lunch at a restaurant called Hellas. We sampled spanakopita, then hummus, tzatziki and feta dips. We tried something called sagnaki which is a baked cheese that you spread over bread. They recommend that you wash sagnaki down with a summertime greek white wine from a grape called Moschofilera. All I can say is "Oopaaa!"

Then we had a great American/Irish hamburger at the Fitzpatrick's home with really good homemade potato salad and deviled eggs.

David had encouraged me to try and find a Cuban restaurant that his father loved in Tampa, so Friday for lunch we headed to the Cuban district called Ybor, and found The Columbia Restaurant. The Columbia opened in 1905 and is the oldest Spanish restaurant in Florida. It is beautiful with old dark wood, lots of great photographs, beautiful spanish tiles and furniture. There is alot of history at The Columbia and the food was outstanding. It's no wonder 'D' loved this place. Carol discovered that she did like Cuban food after all.

We wandered around Ybor where the Tampa cigar factories were headquartered. The old Tampa cigar factories have been redeveloped and there was a cuban coffee shop roasting coffee beans. The smell in the air was wonderful.

Next, we drove around Tampa, sometimes knowing where we were and sometimes not, but we eventually got to the University of Tampa which was originally an old Russian style hotel. We felt like we had been from Greece to Cuba to Russia all in one day!

But it didn't stop there. Saturday we headed to a Florida state park called Honeymoon Beach which is a wild undeveloped area with palm trees, sea grapes, and with signs that say 'watch out for rattlesnakes'. When you get to the beach, you see beautiful turquoise blue water and white sandy beaches and no development. We could have been on an island in the Bahamas. The beach was fun and we had a picnic, watched kite surfers and enjoyed good conversation. Then we headed to Clearwater Beach to watch the sun set over the Gulf of Mexico. For North Carolina natives, we are used to seeing the sun RISE over the ocean. To see the sun SET is an unusual sight and, in Clearwater, they have made this into a party. Every night at sunset, they have live music, good food, lots of people all waiting for the big event. The sun did not disappoint us.

We headed to an Asian Seafood restaurant (Islandway Grill) for a late dinner and definitely the best Sushi I have ever had. It had really fresh ingredients and it was wrapped in soy paper so it wasn't slimy and tough to chew. Mary discovered that she did like sushi after all.

We all learned that we like jicama and gobo. But the day was still not done, because Mary wanted to take us to Dunedin which was originally settled by Scottish people. They have alot of Scottish restaurants and traditions, but we were on a mission to see the Peacocks in the Scottish cemetery. Never mind that we were running out of steam and it was close to midnight. We drove slowly around the cemetery and then Carol started talking about 'haints' and the hackles started rising on our necks. We saw a rabbit and a 'possum, but no peacocks or haints. We made a quick and hilarious exit from the Scottish cemetery.

Recapping the trip, we realized we had experienced the cultures of Greece, Cuba, Tampa Bay, Russia, the Bahamas, Japan, Scotland and the Fitzpatricks Irish home!

We had an early Sunday morning flight and while talking with another passenger, we learned he had booked his flight for $9.95. I don't know how they do this, but it's like you can't hardly afford NOT to go. I'm just saying.

Cast Iron Pans - Mama's Pot Roast

Saturday's homecooking menu was Mama's Pot Roast, Lettuce and Onions from the garden with Carol's Fantastic French Dressing, Sliced Tomatoes with fresh basil, Fresh pineapple and strawberries, Corn from the 2009 garden and Cornbread. This was a really colorful meal which made Mama happy because it was pretty and healthy. Mama always tells us to 'eat something of every color'.

Jay was home from NC State and was going to a wedding Saturday night, so we decided to fix homecooking for late lunch/early supper at 3:30. At the last minute, we called my parents and David's mother - who everyone calls Sister. You can imagine how confusing that is when he introduces her, "This is my mother Sister." But they all came last minute and we had a pleasant afternoon meal and visit.

There are two important things to Mama's pot roast. 1) Get a shoulder roast. They usually don't have these in the meat section for some reason so you have to ask the butcher to cut one for you. They aren't that expensive but they make a huge difference. 2) Brown the roast well on all sides before putting in the oven.


Mama's Pot Roast

3 lb Shoulder Roast
5 potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 large onions, peeled and quartered
5 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

Liberally salt and pepper shoulder roast. In cast iron pot, brown roast in a tiny bit of vegetable oil. It is really important to brown it well on all sides.

Cover roast with lid and put in 350 degree oven. After 15 minutes or so turn it down to 300 degrees. Cook for two hours. Cook longer if you have a bigger roast. You don't have to add water or other liquid to the pot, but I did anyway. I added about 1/2 can of beef broth so it would steam a little while it cooked.

Add the vegetables and cook for one more hour.

Cast Iron Pans - Roasted Chicken

Homecooking in cast iron pots was the order of the weekend.

Friday night's menu was Greek Roasted Chicken, Mama's macaroni and cheese, sliced tomatoes with fresh basil, fresh lettuce and onions from the garden, homemade mashed potatoes and garlic toast.

The great thing about this menu is that even though it sounds complicated it really isn't. It takes about 1 minute to prepare the chicken. The thing that takes the time is that the chicken needs 2 to 2 1/2 hours in the oven. But, while the chicken is cooking, it's pretty simple to make mac n cheese, mash potatoes and slice tomatoes.

The most important thing is to have the right deep cast iron pot. I used my deep 10 inch chicken fryer pot. I used a 7 lb chicken sprinkled with Cavender's All Purpose Greek seasoning. My UNC-CH roommate and friend, Lee, introduced me to this spice in college and I still use it all the time. Every time I use Cavender's Greek seasoning, I think of a restaurant from days gone by in Charleston, SC called 'Olde Towne'. You could walk down the sidewalk and look inside the 'Olde Towne' windows and see chickens turning slowly on a rotisserie. I'm sure they made up their own greek seasonings, but Cavender's is pretty close to the 'Olde Towne' flavor.

Roasted Chicken in a Cast Iron Pot

1 6-7 lb chicken
Wash, remove giblets
Sprinkly liberally with Cavender's Greek Spice, you really don't need anything else

Put chicken and giblets into a deep cast iron frying pan, sprayed with a little Pam vegetable spray. No water, oil or anything else
I do not cover the chicken so the skin comes out really brown and crispy
Bake at 350 degrees - about 2 - 2 1/2 hours.

It really doesn't get much simpler than that. You can use whatever spices you want, but I really like the greek flavors. And, you can roast chicken in other pots, but the even heat of the cast iron makes a difference.

Cast Iron Pans - Mama's Cornbread

Last weekend we needed some real home cooking and for real home cooking, you need a cast iron pan. Or several.

People who are into cast iron cooking can be fanatics. We qualify. We have alot of cast iron pans. We have one pan that is just for cornbread. Mama told me that if you use 'the cornbread pan' for anything else there is a better chance of the cornbread sticking to the pan. Mama's cornbread starts on top of the stove, then goes into the oven. When it is done you flip it over to cut and serve. If there is just one little imperfection on the smooth surface of the cast iron, it will stick and you don't want that because then it isn't pretty. So, we have 'the cornbread pan'. We use it for the cornbread and nothing but the cornbread.

'The cornbread pan' is a 10 inch cast iron pan with a handle. We baby this pan. We take it on vacations and trips. I learned this from Mama. I have seen her take several special pans when she knows she will be cooking 'in a strange kitchen'.

Caring for cast iron starts with seasoning it properly and then keeping it seasoned. There are several ways to season a pan and you will find that there are alot of opinions on how to do it right. We season ours by using a paper towel to rub very thin amounts of vegetable oil all over the pan and then heat it in the oven. When it is cooled we rub another very thin coat of vegetable oil on again or sometimes spray with Pam. Always wipe off any excess oil. Thin coats of oil and heat are the key to keeping cast iron in good shape. It's like so many things, tending to the daily detail will make the difference.

After using cast iron, wash it really good with a stiff brush and very hot water. You can use a tiny bit of soap, but not much and NEVER soak cast iron. Then dry it immediately and rub oil on it again.

Once I watched Mama and Daddy take a really old, crusty, rusty cast iron pan and put it in the fireplace to burn off all the residue. When it cooled, she washed it and oiled it with vegetable oil. I have read that burning in a fire can crack the iron so don't do it unless you don't care if the pan accidentally cracks. If your pan is rusty or has something stuck to it, you can use a scouring pad, hot water, then oil, heat and oil again.

You can cook alot of different things in cast iron. Fried squash, fried chicken, pot roasts and roasted chicken are favorites. Mama Crowder used one to make pineapple upside down cake. Recently, we went to a fairly upscale restaurant and they brought out the appetizer in a small cast iron frying pan. I make hot chicken wings on a broiler pan and then transfer to my square cast iron pan to keep them warm and serve right out of the pan.

But the best thing of all in cast iron is a cake of Mama's Cornbread. Mama makes a CAKE of cornbread. It is not a pone or a loaf. She started with a recipe on the corn meal mix bag, then tweaked it a little as always. The most important thing is to heat the oil in the cast iron pan before pouring in the cornbread mixture. Mama and Daddy say that the oil needs to be hot enough that when you pour in the cornbread mixture, "It needs to say ssshhhhh!"

Mama's Cornbread

Heat oven to 450 degrees.
Pour 1/4 cup oil into 'the cornbread pan'
Heat the oil on the stove

Cornbread Mixture:

2 Cups Buttermilk cornmeal mix
1 egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Mama Adds a pinch of baking soda AND a pinch of baking powder, but she does NOT add sugar to her cornbread

Sometimes I add jalapenos for a kick but I don't think Mama ever does

When the oil in the cast iron pan is hot, pour in the mixture and let it sizzle for just a minute. Then put it in the oven and bake at 450 for 20 minutes. Put a spatula under the cornbread and flip it over so the browned side is up. Yum. Honestly, a cake of cornbread makes any meal better.

The Garden is in (Bruschetta recipe)

The garden is in! Okay, I bought a couple of things yesterday that still need a place to grow. That's how it always is with a garden.

In the garden, there are tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, 1 eggplant and 1 squash plant. Lettuce is still growing but won't last into hot weather. I pulled out the last of the onions to make room for everything else.

In the herb garden, there is freshly planted basil, cilantro, and parsley. Rosemary, lavender, oregano, spearmint and chocolate mint come back every year. We have a meyer lemon and a persian lime tree planted in pots. I move them into the kitchen during the winter, and back outside now. Last year we had at least 6 lemons and 4 limes. The flower on the citrus trees smell so sweet I always hear the song lyrics 'lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet'.

We have 2 varieties of tomatoes, plus the tommy toes called Sweet 100s that I found yesterday and still need to get into the ground.

Tommy Toes are good just to pop off the vine and eat right then and there. Or slice in half and put in just any kind of salad or pasta. Better boys are best for tomato sandwiches, hamburgers, or just sliced and sprinkled with basil and olive oil. A tomato sandwich can heal a broken heart. I love them on white or wheat bread, but there is nothing better than to put a fresh tomato slice in one of Mama's homemade biscuits.

Romas are best for most italian dishes. Next to Southern comfort food, I love Italian food best. I have always loved Italian flavors and, after several trips to Italy with cute high school students, anything Italian brings back a flood of happy memories. Bruschetta is my number one favorite Italian dish and thankfully David and the boys love it too.

I don't remember the first time I tasted bruschetta, but I remember the first time I made it at home. David's dad, we called him 'D', loved to cook and loved to eat. We talked recipes alot. Over the years, he gave us numerous cookbooks, newspaper articles and cooking magazines that broadened my horizons about cooking. My favorite is an Italian Cookbook that he gave us called 'Cucina Amore' by Nick Stellino. Cucina Amore means Kitchen Love. Couldn't be a more perfect name for this cookbook.

'Cucina Amore' came with a cd of Italian songs that said 'music to dine by'. I used it as 'music to learn to make bruschetta by'. It includes some Italian songs and singers that I had never heard of, but they are some passionate folks, those Italians. You really don't need to understand Italian to get the jist of the songs. They did throw in one that most every American has heard - Dean Martin singing "That's Amore!" It can really create an atmosphere when you are listening to the Italian songs and the kitchen is smelling like garlic, olive oil and fresh tomatos with basil. I love this cookbook. It transports me to Italy, and it also makes me think of 'D' and his passion for food and for sharing cooking ideas.


Bruschetta Al Pomodoro E Basilico
From 'Cucina Amore' by Nick Stellino
(translation - toasted bread with tomatoes and basil)

Recipe says it serves 4, but that would be a stretch at our house! I really don't measure these things anymore, but you might want to starting out.

6 Roma tomatoes, diced (romas are important because they are firm and not so juicy, but I have used other kinds and it works if you strain off some of the juice)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 more garlic cloves, whole, but peeled
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (buy the best, most fruity you can get)
2 1/4 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
8 Slices Italian bread, sliced 3/4 inch thick
2 Tbsp grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (if you are going to the trouble to use fresh ingredients, get real cheese and grate it yourself)

Toss tomatoes, chopped garlic, oil, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper. Mix well and let stand at room temperature for at least 20 minutes to let the flavors mingle. You can store in fridge for up to 3 hours, but after that the tomatoes will be too soft.

Toast bread slices, then remove and rub with the whole garlic cloves until the cloves are too small to hold with your fingers.

Put bread slices on ovenproof serving dish (I usually use your basic cookie sheet) and top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and then broil until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

Like quiche and quesadillas, you can put most anything on top of toasted garlic bread and it is bruschetta with whatever. My friends, Becky and Ginny do a great asparagus bruschetta. So, it is always okay to branch out, but there's something about classic bruschetta with fresh tomatoes and fresh basil. I'm just saying.

April 17th

April 17th is my grandmother's birthday. Nanny was born in 1888 and she lived to be 101 years old. She was still hoeing in her garden and making pecan pies well into her 90s. I hope I got that DNA!

April 17th is also the date that I use as the "magic planting day"; when we think it is safe to plant our spring vegetable garden. We typically don't have to worry about frost in late April and that is important to the vegetables.

So, yesterday, David and I bought our tomato plants - Better Boys and Romas. We are still looking for tommy toes (cherry tomatoes). We bought cucumbers, a variety of peppers, a few herbs and 1 eggplant.

We have a fairly small garden plot, so we will set out our plants there and in various places around the house. These plants will need at least 6 hours of sun and easy watering by hose, so that has alot to do with where we can plant.

Currently, in our garden plot, we have lettuce and onions growing. Last night, we pulled several onions and cut a mess of lettuce to make Mama Crowder's Wilted Lettuce and Onions for supper (see March blogpost). A mess of lettuce is kind of an unknown quantity, but how ever much you cut from the garden, it will shrink ALOT when it is wilting in the frying pan!

The smell of fresh spring onions and lettuce cooking in the kitchen brought back all kinds of memories of Mama Crowder and Granddaddy's house. We always had alot of fun there. One of our favorite games to play at Mama Crowder's was 'chicken'. She would sweep up the kitchen floor (it was immaculate); all the grandchildren would get down on the floor and pretend we were chickens. Mama Crowder would have a bowl of candy corn and broadcast it around on the floor like it was chicken feed. All the while she was calling "chick chick chick chick chicken!" She would be laughing out loud and all the grandchildren would be scrambling about clucking and 'pecking' the candy corn. It was so funny at the time and so funny to remember that in Lattimore in the 60s, people sort of had to make up their own fun and games. I hope I got that DNA too.

Well, last night for dinner, we had Wilted Lettuce and Onions. I did make it with olive oil instead of bacon grease and it was great. I also used buttercrunch, arugula and mesclun lettuce mixed together and that was great. We had blackeyed peas with Rotel Salsa and cornbread with real butter. It was a perfect Saturday night meal for David and me.

Today, we tilled up our garden area and by tomorrow morning, all the vegetables and herbs will be in the ground. And I have spent a weekend grateful to have memories of two inspiring grandmothers.