Ruby's Cookin' is a term that originated when Daddy wanted to have a spur of the moment homemade meal with friends in Raleigh. So I guess when he does a spur of the moment homemade meal at the Round Up, we ought to call it Jack's Cookin'. These two events have some similarities and some differences. The food at both events is homemade and consistently delicious. Both events really are spur of the moment. You're lucky if you get about an hours notice. This includes those who are helping with the cookin' when Daddy is in charge. Both events come with the rule that there is no agenda to be discussed. These are food and fellowship only events. Soliciting, lobbying, arm twisting or other agendas are not allowed. Just fellowship and appreciation of home cooking.
Both events require setting tables with real stainless flatware and real plates. And not just any real plates, but the blue plates. The blue plates and flatware are items that we tease Daddy about unmercifully, but he relishes the fact that we all love them. Daddy's typical response being, "it's almost sickening how I seem to be right about so many things". First the blue plate story. Years ago, Ingles grocery store had a special with blue willow plates, cups, saucers and serving dishes. You could buy a blue dinner plate for $2.99. Daddy thought they were pretty and a real bargain so he bought some. Then he bought more. He sent Mama out to get some. Pretty soon he had all of us scouring multiple Ingles locations adding to the number of plates and accessories. To this day he thinks we don't have enough. Which he reminds us of everytime somebody wants to borrow some. On many occasions one of us has loaded up blue plates to move from home to the cabin to the Hunt House to the Round Up and to Raleigh. He's right. We didn't buy enough.
The flatware he bought from QVC. He used to tease Aunt Burnette about buying things from QVC but soon enough he was doing it too. I have so much of this DNA that I don't allow myself to watch QVC. But, Daddy does and one day he decided to buy a box full of stainless flatware with accessories. They are attractive, have the right weight that he likes and are convenient to carry around in their box. Plus he thought it was a bargain. So he bought two sets. We all thought he was crazy. Daddy didn't think we had enough so he had me go online to buy a third set. The exact pattern wasn't available so he had to settle for a similar pattern. He was a bit perturbed with me for not getting four or five sets. Which he mentions every time one of us loads up a box or two of flatware to move from home to the cabin to the Hunt House to the Round Up to Raleigh. Right again. We didn't buy enough.
The similarities between Ruby's Cookin and Jack's Cookin' end about there. Mama always requires napkins, tablecloths, centerpieces and she wants all the chairs at any one table to match each other. Matching of colors is essential in all things for Mama. She is uber organized and everything is neat, tidy, comfortable and beautiful. Daddy flings things about and doesn't notice crumbs or messes of any kind. He wants the tables set with the flatware, plates and real glasses, but he could care less about chair colors. Or tablecloths. OR napkins. Paper towels are napkins at the Round Up.
So when Jack's Cookin', Mama may help a little at home with the advance preparation, but as she says, she is an observer at the Round Up. This is a self defense mechanism learned over the years. It may have saved her health and their marriage. Fortunately for Daddy, he has Chris, Philip, Abel and me to help handle what Mama can do all by herself.
Daddy has taught his sous chefs to make several items according to his specification. There is no overlap between who he allows to do what because only the appointed one can do it right. Like Mama, Daddy is a lot like Tom Sawyer sometimes. Phil makes homemade mashed potatoes and Chris makes several things including salad, dressing, and cornbread if that is on the menu. I am allowed to be an assistant and to arrange tables as Hines Boi used to say. Hines Boi was a German fellow that Mama and Daddy met in South America and brought to the states years ago. Another blogpost another day.
So, yesterday I walk into the Round Up to do a few last end of the year bookkeeping tasks and I find that Jack's Cookin'. He has several standard Round Up menus and on this day he was making Country Style Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Salad, English Peas and rolls.
I asked who was coming and he said, "I don't know. Whoever you can get a hold of." This was at 10:30 am. He serves at High Noon. Twelve Sharp. I arranged table for about a dozen and about a dozen longtime, old friends and Round Up regulars showed up. These things never fail to amaze me.
The conversation was interesting as always and one of the funniest things was hearing Daddy's oldest, best, Lattimore friend-since-third-grade tell about his favorite Christmas present. Not that we hadn't heard this story before, but Carl can make any story funny no matter how many times you hear him tell it. I know it will lose a little of the fun in just reading about it. But, try to imagine Carl talking with pride and wistfulness and with a sense of humor about growing up in Lattimore during the depression. Money was tight of course but it was what people knew and they managed with what they had. Many people used outhouses but he did have one Aunt who had indoor plumbing. He said along about August his Aunt would save empty toilet paper rolls and wrap them up for Christmas presents. Then another fellow who ran road equipment would start about August saving cats that had been run over. By Christmas these cats were flat and dried out and they got wrapped for Christmas too. Everybody listening to this story was giggling as Carl explains how excited all the kids were with their Christmas presents - Sail Cats and Toot Toots! Sail Cats being the early version of a frisbee and toot toots being a fine musical instrument.
Lattimore folks always have made up their own fun. And Daddy still cooks up his own fun at the Round Up.
Country Style Cubed Steak and Gravy
Buy choice cubed steak on sale. Dad emphasizes that on sale and choice grade are very important factors. Put flour on a plate and heat wesson oil in a cast iron frying pan. Dredge cubed steaks in flour and add to the hot grease. Salt and pepper meat in the pan. Fry on medium high heat but not too fast. Frying slowly is important for the best flavor and the best crispy crust. Turn over and salt and pepper again. Daddy uses a lot of salt and pepper. Fry until they have a very crispy crust and cover for a bit to let them steam in the pan. Uncover, fry a little longer to make sure they are good and crispy and then remove to a glass dish. Continue until all pieces are cooked. You can put the covered glass dish in the oven at low heat to keep warm while making the potatoes and gravy.
Brown Gravy
Scrape all of the steak crumbs and bits from the frying pan loose and keep them in the pan. Pour off excess grease but keep enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Daddy might salt and pepper the grease and crumbs. He likes a salty peppery gravy. Heat the crumbs and grease really hot and add a few tablespoons of flour for a roux. When flour is browned add water and stir constantly. Keep adding water a little at a time until you have the consistency of good gravy - not too thick and not too thin. Daddy uses a short handled spatula for stirring and makes sure to keep as many crumbs as possible for the absolute best crunchy, smooth, flavorful brown gravy.
Homemade Mashed Potatoes
Peel potatoes and cut uniformly. Put in large pot, cover with water and boil until tender but not falling apart. Pour off the water and add salt, pepper, butter and a little milk. Using an electric mixer, mix until creamed together but with a few bits of potato. Serve immediately with browned gravy or peas in the well.
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