Sticking Together - Lattimore Stickys

February has been full of friends. Many of those friends have been four legged and furry. We are really grateful for all of our friends - four legged and two legged - because friends stick by each other in tough times and enjoy each other in good times. As the saying goes, friendships double our joy and divide our grief and February has had it's share of both.

It's been fun to watch the four legged ones become friends with each other. Simba is still all puppy and we have loved watching how Dingo has settled in to her role as babysitter, playmate and big sister. Thank heavens for Dingo taking on these roles because without her, Simba's puppy energy would wear us out.

I love the picture on this post of David with Simba, Dingo AND Mr. Cat going for a ride on the golf cart. Carol said Simba's expression appeared to say, "I don't really know what's going on, but I am ALL IN!" Simba is a full time player.

It has taken Mr. Cat a little bit longer to warm up but he's caught on to the proper way to play with a puppy. Mr. Cat also knows the proper way to let a puppy know when playtime is over. Jay posted a video of such play on facebook and immediately friends weighed in on Mr. Cat's swagometer. Mr. Cat is well known for his swag.

Then it was Simba's turn to learn to play with a new friend when Scott came for a visit and brought Wilson - the 5 year old Greyhound. To Simba, Wilson probably looked about 10 feet tall. But they learned to play together too and Scott snapped the picture on this post during a morning walk. I laughed when Scott emailed the pic with the caption, "Simba going under the Wilson bridge."

It was great to have Scott back in Shelby for the first time since our 30th high school reunion. Time does fly but old friends easily pick up where they left off. Of course in this case that included lots of basketball, lots of visits and lots of meals. When you're only in town every eight years or so you have alot of catching up to do. Scott caught up with friends and relatives as well as livermush and bbq. We had a spontaneous dinner party of Cowboy Soup and Cornbread and it didn't feel like so many years had gone by. It felt like family. Old friends are like that.

We enjoyed more good friends with a trip in early February to High Point for basketball with the Staleys and a visit with Susan and Thomas for supper and the Super Bowl. As Thomas says, "we meet for a social event and a ballgame breaks out!" The first time I remember Thomas saying that was at a Charlotte Hornets game in 1991. Some things never change. Thank heavens.

On the other hand, when some things don't change it can be rather nerve wracking. Like Big South basketball games. The picture of the scoreboard on this post could be any number of games with the final score 57-56. Suffice to say that when attending a Big South Basketball game don't plan to leave early. These games can be rather sticky.

Yet another kind of sticky has been on my mind recently - the stickys that Nanny taught Nishie how to make.

Nishie and Nanny made Stickys with the leftover dough from homemade biscuits. The last bit of dough is rolled out flat and spread with butter, sugar and cinnamon and then rolled up jellyroll style and sliced. The slices are placed in a pan and baked until browned on top. There's a reason they are called stickys. When Nishie and Nanny made them, they were gooey with mass quantities of sugar, butter and cinnamon. When you picked up a sticky you knew how they got their name.

The other day I made two runs of Mama's Homemade Biscuits (recipe posted May 23, 2010) and decided to try my hand at Lattimore Stickys. It's been years since I made them and usually I don't make them because we do have to draw the calorie and sugar line somewhere. Sometimes I just draw the sugar line and make my own version of Stickys with butter, parmesan cheese and Italian spices.

But true Lattimore Stickys were on my mind so I gave it a shot. Just as I was taking the finished stickys out of the oven, Mama invited me out to Lattimore for a quick lunch. So I proudly took my stickys to Lattimore for a taste test by Dad, Mom, Libby and Penny - who quickly and unanimously critiqued that they did not have enough butter or sugar, they were not sticky enough, and they needed to be more brown on top. Somehow they were consumed despite these shortcomings.

Sticky ballgames, friends sticking together, and sticking my neck out with old family recipes. Can March madness be far behind?

Early Springtime - Sally's Vegetarian Chili

It's a beautiful early springtime in Western North Carolina and we're hoping that the groundhog up in Pennsylvania was wrong about six more weeks of winter. We've barely had one day of winter so far this year but we have often had snow in early March. It's wise not to make any bets on weather in NC.

Hopefully winter weather won't come in and damage all the buds on the dogwoods and camellias or the pretty daffodils that are springing up everywhere. Or bother the cute baby animals that are springing up in Lattimore.

On a ride around Lattimore this week, Mom and I noticed a lot calves in Dad's pasture. And in Tommy's pasture we saw lambs, baby goats and even a baby donkey. Tommy's pasture is always fascinating with classical music playing in the barns but even more so the day that Mom and I stopped by. Daffodil, the goat, had just delivered triplets and there were also three lambs delivered that day. It was so exciting that I took Jay and David back by the next day. Lattimore is just full of excitement.

Honestly, it was fun to slow down a little and just enjoy the sunshine, the daffodils and the beautiful animals.

We also enjoyed having the basketball team over for dinner one night to celebrate having some home games and also to celebrate Jay's 21st birthday. It's always fun to cook for a crowd of hungry boys and since some of their families were in town, we enjoyed cooking for them too. David brought out the big cooker for ribs and the charcoal grill for beef and pork tenderloins. I made mass quantities of mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn from the Lattimore garden and several other things. It was a fun and relaxing time together and they took no prisoners. I've discovered that it's pretty easy to clean up when there aren't any leftovers.

So, I don't know if it was the huge team meal or the zumba classes that I've enjoyed the last few weeks or the super bowl coming up or seeing all the cute baby animals, but I have been craving some healthy vegetarian chili recently.

Years ago when vegetarians were kind of rare in my world, I asked my one vegetarian friend how she made chili. She kind of grinned and said, "Well, I make it like you do. Except when you are putting in the meat, I am putting in chopped vegetables." How simple is that?

Last night I made vegetarian chili and she was right. Even David the meat lover liked it. I usually wing it when making chili, but I did try to pay attention this time. When it was time to put in ground beef, I added chopped squash and zucchini. This one's got a kick to it but we think it's a keeper.


Sally's Vegetarian Chili

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic (I use McCormick minced garlic in oil because it's easy)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow squash, cubed
1 zucchini, cubed
1 or 2 tablespoons oil to saute vgetables

Saute garlic and onion until transparent, then add celery, peppers, squash and zucchini and saute a few minutes to soften a little. Then add:

1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes (I used no salt added), not drained
1 can rotel, not drained
a Cup or so of Water

Season with:

1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon cumin
A shake or two of celery salt
Crushed black pepper

Simmer all together and serve with Mama's Cornbread (recipe on previous post). You can afford the cornbread calories and you need a little grease since there is no meat in there! Enjoy.

Mid January - She Crab Soup

Mid January is upon us and outside there are buds on the dogwoods and tulip trees and early blooms on the camellias.

Inside there are basketball games home and away and all of them have had nail biter endings. Some of them have been wins and some losses, but every single one has been down to the wire. One home game looked like the Dogs were going down and some of the crowd started to leave. With a few minutes left on the clock we were down by 7 points. The Dogs came back to tie the game when the buzzer sounded. Some of the folks who had left the game heard the excitement on their car radios and hurried back to the arena to watch the Runnin' Bulldogs win it in overtime.

David always talks about the parity of teams in the Big South conference because all of the games this year have been decided in the last few minutes by fewer than 6 or 8 points. We just don't see any scores like 90-50.

There are about six weeks left in the Big South basketball season and I am hoping my fingernails survive it.

In between ballgames and a variety of short trips up and down the road for ballgames and meetings and all kinds of things, I had my mind set on learning to make She Crab Soup. Our favorite place to have She Crab Soup was, in all places, the foothills of NC. The Water Oak Restaurant in Rutherfordton had the best anywhere, but unfortunately they closed recently. For years I had been trying to figure out what spice gave their soup that extra kick.

Over Thanksgiving as I was learning to brine turkey, Jamey brought over some star anise for the brine. When I gave it a sniff I immediately thought of the Water Oak's She Crab Soup. That put me on a mission to find She Crab Soup recipes with Anise. Which put me on another mission to find out what anise is. I knew that anise typically is described as having a licorice taste and since I don't like licorice I never felt compelled to use it.

Turns out there is a lot more to anise than a licorice flavor. Also there is star anise (used in Chinese spices), regular anise and then there is fennel which isn't really anise but is used interchangeably sometimes. Star anise is related to the magnolia so even though it is thought of as an Asian spice it sounded plenty southern enough to me. Star Anise is a little harder to find but anise seeds are plentiful in the grocery store spice aisle and I was happy to find that fresh fennel is in our local Harris Teeter produce section. Who would have known?

I googled She Crab Soup with anise and wonder of wonders a recipe came up that included fresh fennel AND anise seeds. And it was from a restaurant called the Aqua Star in Savannah, Georgia so I knew it was worth a try.

As usual I started out with the recipe from the Aqua Star but all the way through I was changing it around. If you want the original recipe you can google Lady Michelle She Crab Soup, but I'll share the way I ended up making it with one correction. Don't add salt to this recipe because the original didn't call for any and there was a reason for that. It is salty enough. Since I had added some salt we learned to cut the salty with a little extra sherry which is really good on a cold, rainy January night. Or maybe any night.

A funny story about crabmeat. Dad and I were driving to Raleigh last week for his Biotechnology Board Meeting when I asked him to tell me about Liston Ramsey and the soft shelled crabs. Liston was long time Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives and Dad served with him during those years as Rules Chairman and Speaker Pro Tempore. Liston was a populist and Western North Carolina mountain man who stuck to his roots and did not put on airs even with his powerful position. Liston was always himself. So he and Dad and several others went to the NC Coast one weekend for a political event and if you have ever been to NC you know that being in the mountains and being down east are like being in different countries. Different customs, different landscapes and different languages.

So the jist of the story is that Liston and Dad were with all these people from Down East who were proudly serving soft shelled crabs. Dad laughs when he remembers watching Liston picking throught the crabs and then commenting in his mountain drawl that it looked like they had left in the knees and knuckles and toenails!

She Crab Soup with Fennel and Anise

1/2 head of fennel - diced
(I saved some of the tops for garnish)
1 leek chopped (sister uses leek in all of her soups and she reminded me to be sure and cut in half and wash before chopping or it could be sandy)
1 red onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 1/2 sticks butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour, or a tad more

Saute onions, celery and fennel in butter until transparent and then add flour and brown to make a roux.

32 oz Seafood Broth
8 oz fish base (or crab base if you can find it. It will be in soup aisle)
1 cup sherry
2 cups whole milk
1 quart cream
1/2 tsp anise seeds
1 bay leaf
Course black pepper to taste
Parsley flakes

Slowly add broth to roux and whisk with wire whisk till smooth. Add rest of the above. Simmer for 20 minutes. I didn't add all of the broth at once but waited to see how it thickened. If you want it thicker you may not use that much broth.

At this point, I removed a few cups and blended with an immersion blender to make it smoother. If you don't have an immersion blender you can use a regular one. I don't blend it all because I like to have a little crunch in there.

Add Crab Meat. I didn't use knees or knuckles or toenails but did use two kinds of crab - Pasteurized Lumb Crab meat and Pasteurized Claw Meat - from a can.

3 oz pasteurized claw crab meat
5 oz pasteurized lump crab

Adjust seasonings and if you want it to be pinker, add some ground paprika.

Serve in a bowl with a little chopped fennel tops for garnish and a big splash of extra sherry.

2012 - "The Car Goes Where the Eyes Go"

January 2012 started off so different than 2011. In many ways.

In January 2011 the weather was cold and snowy. The cold and snow were fun for a while, but in January 2012 the weather is even better. It is sunny and 60 degrees - so comfortable to be outside. North Carolina is truly the variety vacationland.

In January 2011 David IV was getting ready for his last January Interim and his last semester of college and Jay was adjusting to mixing college with Division I Basketball. In January 2012 David was home to ring in the New Year and then flew back to Dallas to work at the Cotton Bowl. Jay was in Virginia with the Bulldogs at Radford and VMI. There were a lot of comings and going like ships passing in the night.

And then there were things that were the same. Like cooking Blackeyed Peas, Greens and Streak o'lean (hog meat) for New Year's Day. Last January I blogged about Hoppin' John and Collards (recipes Dec 31, 2010 and Jan 3, 2011) and how they are supposed to bring Good Luck and Health for the coming year. I couldn't remember what hog meat would bring but I thought it might be happiness since we are all so happy when we have it. This year several people have reminded me that the hog meat is for Progress because the pig always has his snout to the ground and roots forward.

Well I am all for progress. Sometimes it's good to look forward and not backward. Faulkner said that in the south the past isn't dead, it's not even past. As much as I love southern ways, there are some times that we need to just move on. Like Oprah said, "forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past will be any different".

In recent years, we have made it a point on New Year's Eve to write down a few things from that year that we need to let go. Usually we jot a thought down on a post it note or two.. or three, throw it into the fire and watch it burn away. Better to burn negative thoughts in the fire than let them burn in our hearts.

It was so warm this New Year's Eve that we didn't build a fire but we did let some negative thoughts from 2011 go. KC, David IV, David and I took a quick trip to the Lake and since the water was still down we could walk all the way under the bridge and around the island. We picked up rocks along the way and thought about things from 2011 that needed to be let go. Now and then someone would toss or skip or heave a rock into the lake and watch it disappear. It's an exercise that will lighten your load.

Simba was along for the New Year's Eve walk around the lake and he found an old tennis ball to play with. He had a big time. He dropped it in the water but it floated back. I guess puppies don't have a lot of negative thoughts to let go.

Puppies are such fun. It's impossible to be around a puppy without laughing. I think even Dingo and Mr. Cat would laugh if they could.

We learn a lot from our animals. Not long ago Susan recommended a book called "The Art of Racing In the Rain" by Garth Stein. It's a quick read and a great story. The book is from the perspective of a dog and what he learns from the humans in his life. His owner is a race car driver who is especially talented when driving a racecar in the rain. The dog learns that the trick to driving in the rain is to keep your eyes on the road in front of you. Don't spend too much time looking in the rearview mirror.

Because the car goes where the eyes go.

Here's to keeping our eyes on the road ahead.

Happy 2012 - good luck, health and progress!

Christmas 2011

Christmas 2011 was a blend of old and new traditions.

We gathered at Sister's with the Mabry's on Christmas Eve for David's tenderloin (recipe blogged March 24, 2011), Sister's Layered Salad (recipe April 21, 2011) and lots of other goodies. After dinner we had a surprise visit from Simba which I thought was just a much fun as a surprise visit from Santa. We laughed remembering Christmases past with Quinn and the Roach kids and then Jay and the Mabry girls re-enacted the game that the children used to play at Christmas - steamroller. Simba didn't quite understand the game but the rest of did and it was fun to remember good times.

Quinn, the Roaches and David IV weren't there to Steamroll this year because times change and they have new locations, new jobs, new babies and new lives of their own to manage. I loved and appreciated how David IV analyzed the situation. He said, "At first it bothered me that I had to work Christmas Eve and then I realized that I have been really lucky to spend 23 wonderful Christmas Eves with our family."

As much as we want things to stay the same we have no power over that, but we do have the power over how we respond to change. I was really proud of David's response and it also helped me to be at peace with our new reality.

A good airline crew and a jet were better than Santa's sleigh and eight tiny reindeer to get David IV home on Christmas morning. Driving into the ARRIVALS terminal to see him in his cowboy boots and black overcoat brought on that same happy excitement that I used to feel as a child when I would run down the steps on Christmas morning to see what Santa had brought.

David was running on about 4 hours of sleep and had texted before boarding that he sure would love a snack for the ride to Lattimore. This was a Christmas wish that I could deliver.

I packed up Mama Crowder's Tea Cakes (recipe Feb 13, 2011), Sister's Cheese Wafers (recipe June 13, 2010) and Mama's Homemade Biscuits that I had cut into heart shapes and stuffed with Honeybaked Ham (biscuit recipe May 23, 2010).

We arrived in Shelby in time to pull some ribs off the cooker, head out to Lattimore for Christmas Brunch and then to play the present game.

We have exchanged gifts in a variety of ways over the years and most recently have played the present game. It reduces the stress and the cost of exchanging gifts in a family as big as ours while preserving the fun of selecting and opening presents.

The present game is also called Dirty Santa, Yankee Exchange and a ton of other names and it can be pretty competitive and funny at times. As we started to play Jim Martin said, "I think we better discuss the rules before we start." Jim has always had a lot of common sense.

So we all started talking at once about the rules and then Dad commanded, "The HOUSE will be in ORDER!" Dad presided as Rules Chairman of the NC House for several years and he knew how to bring the chaos under control.

After much discussion, we established this year's rules and let the game begin. With 28 people it can take some time but it's interesting to watch the coalitions and strategies evolve and there is also some salesmanship going on to keep things interesting.

Over the last several years when the present game is done, Daddy introduces his counting game. Daddy loves to count. He also loves to play games. One year the game was to guess how many red birds were in Mama's house. Another year it was to guess how many cabinet knobs were in the kitchen. Daddy has always pre counted these things and knows the answer before we start. I'm sure that keeps him occupied for many an hour on long December days.

This year the game was to guess how many pennies were in a Quart sized Mason Jar. Lattimore is an interesting place. I have seen a lot of things in Mason Jars like Green Beans, Tomatoes, and Cherry Bounce, but I did not have a clue how many pennies would fit in there. Everybody guessed and Heidi came out the winner of the 2011 Christmas guessing game in Lattimore.

Still making up our own fun after all these years. The more things change the more they stay the same. Merry Christmas to All!

Jesus, God and Santa Claus - A Southern Season Brunswick Stew

On a Christmas Eve 16 years ago Jay, David IV, David III and I were gathered at Sister and Jack's home with our extended families. Jay was about 5 years old and wanted to say the blessing. He said a sweet short prayer and ended it with "Thank you Jesus, God and Santa Claus!"

I guess that about covered it for a 5 year old. Or maybe any age.

David IV reminded me of this the other day when he messaged a picture of a pretty decorated Christmas Tree in Texas with the caption "Thank you Jesus, God and Santa Claus!"

So today is Christmas Eve and we will gather again at Sister's house for dinner. It will be a smaller group than 16 years ago but we will celebrate the memories of Christmases past and anticipate the love and joy of the present.

It has been an unusual season of Advent this year. A mix of many activities and some time alone as well.

We enjoyed pizza at Jackson's house and then great music at Gardner-Webb when Mark Wood from the TransSiberian Orchestra once again came to town to conduct a big group of local high school orchestra students. Mark Wood, his wife, son and several others accompanied the orchestra and chorus performing songs from Kansas, the Beatles, Aretha Franklin and more. It was a fantastic concert and proof that young people really want to dig in and learn when they are interested in the method of teaching.

Beth, Papa John, Linda and I enjoyed the spirit of Christmas and more wonderful music from Jeff Renn and Friends at the Don Gibson Theatre.

Wandering through uptown Shelby another day, I saw Santa and snapped a quick pic. He waved but was busy hugging the 3 year olds from a local day care. There is nothing sweeter than a 3 year old's face as they run toward the open arms of Santa.

Later on we gathered at the Cabin for the company Christmas lunch. Harry and his elves prepared the food for everyone, Daddy stoked the fire and I arranged table with Mama's Christmasey tablecloths and a lot of poinsettias. The cabin is so easy to decorate because it is always so warm and homey. David thanked each and every one for what they mean to the company and to him personally.

After lunch, Jay and I wandered into the pasture to get a closer look at the calves. There are a lot of babies in the pasture at this time of year and babies are miraculous any time but never more than at Christmas.

We welcomed a new baby cousin a few days ago and can't wait to meet Mary Eden in person soon. Julia, Braxton and Maggie will probably teach her all about sports before we know it.

And we welcomed another baby. A furry puppy. Jay and teammate, Max, had rescued the puppy from a thorny bush on the campus at Gardner Webb. Since the basketball team played away at Wake Forest and East Carolina, it wasn't long before the puppy arrived at our house.

Yet another walk-on in our menagerie. Dingo and Mr. Cat were less than pleased with the new addition. But Jay reminded Dingo that when she walked on 10 years ago Sandy and Oreo had to put up with her puppyness.

Jay - who is very good at arguing a case - declared that the puppy should be named Simba. To represent the Circle of Life. We all love the Lion King movie and have watched it many times. We took a very special family trip to see the play in New York City several years ago. And we all believe in the Circle of Life.

We were toast.

Our friend and vet, Dino, proclaimed Simba healthy and happy. Dino said Simba was eight weeks old and suggested that he may be a mixture of German Shepard and Samoyed. I didn't know what a Samoyed was so I googled and found that they are a Russian Breed of REINDEER HERDERS.

Well you never know when you might need a good reindeer herder. Especially at this time of year. In fact, just a few days ago, I had seen 5 baby deer running across the golf course.

Simba is just about the cutest little teddy bear of a puppy we have ever seen. But then what puppy isn't adorable? The good Lord knew what he was doing with puppies. Even Dingo and Mr. Cat have warmed up to his cuteness.

Simba has brought new joy and happiness to our household. And isn't that what we celebrate this time of year? Joy, Love, Hope. Peace.

O the wonder and magic of Christmas. Thank you Jesus, God and Santa Claus!

A Southern Season Brunswick Stew
(from Chris Holloway, Executive Chef)

This is a really neat idea for a family gathering or any kind of gathering. Judy got this recipe from A Southern Season in Chapel Hill, NC which is one of the coolest kitchen store/cafes around.

The idea here is to have various people prepare different parts of the recipe and then get together and pour everything into a huge pot to simmer. As the pot simmers, everyone enjoys each other's company, maybe a brew or two, and then enjoys the stew. It makes so much that there is usually plenty to send home with folks.

I make brunswick stew various ways depending on what I have on hand. Typically I don't put beef in there but you can put whatever you want in stew. Like Greasy Sae said in the Hunger Games, "when I put it in the stew I call it beef!"

I actually haven't done this yet but it is on my short list of things to do. Here is the recipe from Chris Holloway.

Ingredients:

24 cups tomatoes
10 cups butter beans
10 cups corn
8 cups onion, 1/4 inch chopped
8 lbs potatoes, 1/2 inch diced
2 large hens (or 10 breasts and 10 thighs)
5 lbs Boston Butt
5 lbs beef

1 1/2 Tbsp red pepper
1/8 cup black pepper
3/4 lb butter
12 oz worchestershire
1/4 cup salt
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar

Day before:

Cover beef and pork with foil and roast fat side up at 350 degrees for 3 hours or until falls apart.

Cook chicken in water. Bring to low boil and cook until meat falls of bones (about 2 hours).

Let meat cool and pull. Store in fridge overnight.

Boil Potatoes and Mash half. Mash 1/2 butter beans.

Day of:

Put everything together and cook over low heat till deep orange color - about 6 hours. Brunwick Stew is NOT red!

Stir. Drink Beer. Stir. Enjoy.

Makes 17.5 quarts or 4.5 gallons. Send everybody home with some for the freezor.

The instructions say to serve with saltines. Mama looked this recipe over and everything was going along fine until she got to the part about saltines. She emphatically said, "No! not saltines. Brunswick stew is served with cornbread."

I'm with Mama on the cornbread, but this does sound like a fun gathering.