New Year's Eve - Hoppin' John

On New Year's Eve I always look forward to taking time to reflect on the past year.  On my blog I focus on the blessings that we count.  It's so much more productive (and can be more challenging) to count your blessings. 

Not long ago, I received an email with a quote.  I loved the quote and sent it on to several people.  David IV replied that it is from the first CD that he ever owned and is from a song by Will Smith called "Just the Two of Us": 

"Throughout life people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume you too."     Will Smith

The truth is revealed in so many ways.

Each New Year's Eve I remember John Boggs' sermon at Central Methodist Church.  John had set up a big bowl of water at the front of the sanctuary and there were other bowls with rocks of all sizes available.  He invited everyone to come pick up a rock, assign it something that needed to be let go from our lives and to drop it in the water. 

Some of us had to go back several times.

Last year we threw our negative thoughts into the lake.  This year we are at home so we will write them on paper and watch them burn in the fire.  Better to burn negative thoughts in the fire than to let them burn in your heart.

We'll toast the old year with all it's experiences and look forward to a fresh New Year.

Happy New Year's Eve!
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The following recipe is a repost (December 2010) from Katie Lee on the Early Show. This is similar but a healthier version of the way I learned to cook Hoppin' John. The main difference is seasoning with pork instead of with olive oil. Happy New Year's Eve!

Hoppin' John (Katie Lee)

Serves about 6 people

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil (Mama Crowder would use bacon or fatback grease)
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced (I use garlic powder when I don't have fresh garlic)
2 15-ounce cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water (We would use water or ham broth)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
Cooked rice
Shredded white cheddar
Hot sauce (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add onion, red bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in black-eyed peas, broth, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low; cook 10 more minutes. Stir in green onions and parsley.

3. Serve on top of cooked rice and garnish with cheese. Add hot sauce, if desired.

Christmas 2012

As Christmas approached I was excited to have David IV coming in on a sleigh from Dallas and Jay coming in a sleigh from Atlanta.  This year we would have four days together and we were grateful for every second.   

  

 

 

Jay and Devin took a beautiful carriage ride in Uptown Shelby.  They invited us to come along and join them for dinner.  It's a fun way to spend a Friday evening and way cheaper than a trip to NYC! 

 

 

 

GWU played several home basketball games before and during the holidays.  One night before all the students left they held a Silent Night.  This is when the entire gym is totally quiet until the 8th point is scored and then they break out into wild, loud cheering for several minutes.  It was hilarious and it worked too.   When the 8th point was scored and the cheering broke out GWU went on a 17 point scoring run! 

 

Coach Holtman and the team won their game against Spaulding and then all the boys went home for a short break.  They are already back from the holiday and practicing for regular season.

 

Mom, Dad, Sister and Gene got together at the Cabin for the Company Lunch. How precious is this?

 

I love the landscape at the cabin any time of year.

 

Dad says that Gary has the cows in the best shape they have ever been.  They really are pretty and there are sweet new babies dotting the pastures.

 

Harry and the Elves came to the cabin to fix the Company Lunch.  Fried Catfish, fresh cut french fries, homemade hush puppies and banana pudding.  Nobody does it better.

 

David thanked everyone for their contribution to the company and for what they each mean to him. 

 

Mary Elizabeth's vase decked out in Nature's Christmas beauty.

 

Some special things that always show up on the kitchen windowsill at Christmas.

 

 

Christmas Eve at MawMaw's with the Mabry Girls.  Sister makes Oyster Casserole, Layered Salad, Beef Tenderloin and all kinds of goodies.

 

 

 

We missed the Roaches, Burgins, and Saleebys but even when everyone isn't able to come on Christmas Eve the Mabrys and Roysters can fill up a picture.

 

 

 

Christmas Morning in Lattimore started out with a little (or a LOT) of picture taking! Then breakfast casseroles, livermush, sausage and gravy, grits, oranges and, of course, Ham Biscuits.

 

 

Mama and Brycen enjoying Christmas morning.

 

 

We played the Christmas Game and Hanse drew #1.  He quietly picked the ribs and dashed back to his seat.  They were stolen but he worked a deal to end up sharing them with Hayes and Jackie. 

 

 

Elizabeth came up with something homemade in a jar but she didn't wind up with it.  I'm sure Rachel was very happy about that!

 

 

David and Jay were the official statisticians and had to consult the document several times.

 

Kai and Paul watched carefully but I think Melia may have doubts about the present game.

 

 

 

Dad wanted to play two counting games this year including how many people were in the family.  With all of the weddings, engagements and babies we can't even keep count.  He finally gave a prize to everyone who guessed 34 or 35! 

 

 

Dad's other counting game was for everyone to guess how many Knock Out Rose bushes there are on the fence line around the farm.  Mary Beth came closest to the stated correct answer of 156.  I may have to make a special trip out to count them myself.

 

 

 

After Christmas Eve and Christmas Day fun, we had one more night with David IV home so we decided to do something different and throw a pizza party.  The first step in a great pizza party is to ask Brian to bring over his pizza-oven-on-a-trailer.  Brian can make a pizza party happen. 

 

The second thing to do is watch the weather and if it looks like 100% rain call Lloyd for help.  They helped by arranging the perfect tents and then we set out all kinds of toppings.  Susan was helpful with toppings advice, Beth was helpful with chopping and Carol was helpful with clean up! 

 

Add in a whole bunch of cousins and neighbors and let the pizza roll!  It's a fun thing to do and as David IV observed it's very conducive to a variety of conversations.  

 

 

"The best Christmas gift of all is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up with one another!"

 

Merry Christmas Everybody!

The Power of Love - Dad's Graduation Day

 

Dad graduated again this week.  At the age of 90 he's graduated several times already. 

 

He graduated from Lattimore High School in 1939 and there are stories galore of those early school years with 'Fessor Blanton.  And schoolboy pranks with Carl and Donald.  And singing in the school play  'I'm a lonely little petunia in the onion patch'.  I've never seen a picture of him as the petunia in an onion patch but the visual in my mind's eye is pretty hilarious.

 

He graduated from Wake Forest College in 1943 with a Batchelor of Science Degree.  He has always loved the sciences and the medical community.  There are plenty of stories about those years at the old Magnolia Campus.  And his version of "War of the Worlds".  And hitch hiking all the way over to Raleigh.  

 

Then he graduated from Emory University Dental School in 1946 following in the footsteps of his father to become a dentist. 

 

But Dad's a life long learner and has gotten an education along the way in many other ways.  Like serving as a Major in the Army and serving in many capacities in the NC Legislature, and serving on all kinds of boards and committees.  And starting the Round Up Store and running a dairy farm and raising cows.  When you live to be 90 there's a lot of ways to learn. 

 

For sure he's gotten an education by being married to Ruby for 66 years.  Ruby is a very good educator.

 

No doubt he's learned a few things from having five daughters, eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.  Because we all learn from being challenged and I'm pretty sure there have been a few children challenges.  I might have even been party to a challenge or two. or three.

 

He's taught a good bit too.  To family, friends, politicians, farmers, co-workers and just people he meets standing in line at the DMV office. 

 

I have a lot of favorite lessons he's taught over the years.  Like 'nothing good happens after 11:00 at night'.  Followed by 'and be home on the 10:30 side of 11.'  Mama sometimes has to reinforce this one even to this day. 

 

And 'don't look at the world through a peephole in the fence'.  And of course the one his father taught him about facing challenges, learning, and moving on -  "Tiz what Tiz and can't be no tizzer." 

 

But his all time favorite is that 'when the Power of Love overcomes the love of power, the world will be a better place'.   

 

The power of Love.  A lesson of a lifetime.

 

This week Gardner Webb University conferred to Dad the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree.  A well deserved honor.   His Wake Forest and Emory degrees focused on the natural sciences - the physical condition.  The Humanities focus on the social sciences  - the human condition.  For 90 years Dad has served people and loved people and worked to improve the human condition. 

 

Congratulations Dr. Dr. Hunt!

 

 

 

 

Mom and Dad on the way to Graduation.  We joked that he looked like a cross between Harry Potter and The Wizard of Oz. 

 

Graduation at age 90 at GWU.  The choir sang a song based on Psalms139 - "Search Me O God and know my heart".  An appropriate reflection at any age.

 

It was touching during graduation to see young ladies take turns signing and singing with this young man so he could experience commencement.

 

Friends and family gathered in the Tucker Student Center to celebrate Graduation Day with

 Dr. Dr. Hunt.   For graduation and his birthday we gave Dad his very own iPad.  And the life long learning continues! 

 

 

 

 

Katherine and Ian - December 1, 2012

 

 

 We celebrated the marriage of Katherine and Ian on December 1, 2012.  And what a celebration it was. 

 

I love the way wedding plans begin and evolve and then truly take on the personality of the couple.  Katherine and Ian have fun together.  They wanted a small wedding with a big wedding party and they really brought the party with them.  

 

Both Katherine and Ian have large extended families.  And they have a lot of friends.  When Katherine and Ian make friends it is evident that they make friends for life.   So the wedding party itself was full of friends and family who have loved them throughout the years from childhood, through school, college and in the working world.

 

I took a lot of pictures and wish I had taken more because it was such a happy occasion in a beautiful setting.  The entire weekend was spent with everyone gathered together at the Berry Hill Plantation in South Boston, Viriginia.  Being at the Berry Hill was like coming to the old family homeplace for a reunion.  And even though we were meeting many of the people for the first time everyone was united in joy for Katherine and Ian.  

 

 

 

The weekend was kicked off with a bridesmaid's luncheon in the historic Berry Hill mansion that was built in the early 1800s.  Here is the beautiful bride with her equally beautiful mother-in-law, mother and grandmother.   Someone at the luncheon pointed out that, with this group, the Berry Hill hardly needed decoration.

The luncheon hostesses paused for a group picture with Katherine and Lynn.  As a hostess from afar, I wasn't much help with details and planning, but friends from Raleigh helped in a big way and the luncheon was a great start to the weekend.  Betsy provided a thoughtful devotional and then each guest toasted Katherine with a Bible verse that Jeannie had written on each placecard.   It was a very sweet way to include everyone in wishing Katherine well in her new journey.    

 

Ian's parents hosted a really fun BBQ, Brew and Reggae party after the wedding rehearsal.  It was a fun way to get together.  The reggae band came up from Charleston and they started off the night with Share the Shelter.   Which is possibly the most perfect of all reggae tunes for a wedding -  "I wanna love ya - every day and every night."    Many personal and sweet toasts were made from friends and family and then Will presented everyone with a commemorative Kat and Dogg Wedding Tradition Scarf sported here by Sister and David. 

The grandmother, brother, nephew and father of the bride at the rehearsal party.  I loved it when Tommy presented Katherine with a special pair of pjs for her honeymoon. A onesie! 

 

 

It was wonderful to take a picture of David, Lynn and Sister at such a happy occasion.  The wedding was held in a pretty methodist church in South Boston and was a beautiful and holy ceremony. Lynn and Tommy hosted the wedding reception at the Berry Hill with elegant flowers, tasty food including shrimp and grits and of course a really good band if you happened to have happy feet. Which most of us did.

 

It was fun to celebrate the weekend with Quinn and Wil.  They had let MK and Robert spend the weekend with family in NC.    Our boys were not able to come to the wedding either and I'm thinking Quinn and Wil may have missed their sweet children as much as we missed ours. 

Love this picture of Julia, Sister, Katherine and Quinn. 

 

Will, Anna, David, Laura and Thomas at the reception.   With Tradition Scarves!

 

 

.It was a touching moment when the groom danced with his mother.  I loved the song they chose - "I Hope You Dance".  After getting to know this family a little bit over the weekend I can see why this was a special song.  They are a fun family and a joy to be around.  When given a choice to sit it out or dance there's no doubt the McCullen family will dance.

 

 

Katherine, backed up by Thomas, surprised everyone with a song at the reception.  She has a powerful voice and nailed it with her rendition of Angel of Montgomery.  She is just pure joy in this picture.

.Sparklers were a festive send off at the front of the BerryHill.   It was a spectacular weekend and as Lynn quoted from Ephesians 3  "immeasurably more". 

 

Here's to Katherine and Ian for a lifetime of joy and happiness!



Daddy's 90th Birthday - A Southern Season Brunswick Stew

My Dad's birthday is always near Thanksgiving.  That's appropriate because we are so thankful for him.  I would say he celebrated his 90th birthday on November 27, 2012.  And that would be true.  But he celebrated days before and he is still celebrating.  I like his style.  Birthday celebrations should not be closed up in a single day.

 

My sisters and I discussed many thoughts for how to celebrate Dad's 90th and we came to a decision that there should not be one big party but a celebration that really had no beginning or ending. 

 

So Happy Birthday Daddy!   We love you and we'll just keep celebrating every chance we get!

 

 

 

Daddy's Thursday night "Board Meeting" members surprised him with this cute cake last week.  We thought they hit the nail on the head with this.   Daddy really is the King of Hearts.

 

 

Libby made this apple cake for Thanksgiving Day at the Cabin.  We considered turning the 9 upside down for David Martin's 60th Birthday which was the day before Dad's 90th. 

 

 

Daddy spent his actual birthday in the house he grew up in Lattimore.  How amazing is it that?  Talk about coming full circle.  Dad was born in 1922 and his family moved into the Hunt House in 1929.  He enjoyed remembering and we enjoyed hearing story and story after story....  especially the one about renewing his driver's license!

 

Wendell literally dropped out of the clear blue sky to wish Dad a Happy Birthday.  It was a nice surprise for everybody and I especially loved it when he said he would be back in 10 years to celebrate the really big one!

 

One story Dad told about his childhood the other day reminded me of this picture of Simba hiding in the back of Jay's jeep.  Dad was remembering being a little boy in the Hunt House and wanting to go with his father on a sales call.  Dr. R. L. Hunt was a dentist by trade but he also ran a small business and traveled about selling fertilizer to farmers.  Dad was a little boy and he wanted to ride with his father so he hid in the back of the car.  Simba tried the same trick with Jay the other day.  Dad was more succesful than Simba and got to ride with his father that day long ago.

 

Judy had wanted to make Brunswick Stew at the Hunt House ever since she found a great recipe from A Southern Season in Chapel Hill.    The recipe makes about 5 gallons of stew and is a combined effort with various people contributing parts of the recipe.  We gathered all of the ingredients at the Hunt House and then put the stew together to simmer all day long.

 

Brunswick Stew simmering on the stove at the Hunt House.  This is a fun thing to make when you don't know who might be coming over or when they might show up! Judy had some quart jars ready to send home with everybody but this stew is so good there wasn't much left. 

 

 

A Southern Season's Brunswick Stew

 

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. Brunswick 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 make for a fun gathering. 

Thanksgiving 2012 - Cranberry Relish and More

Thanksgiving 2012 was a diverse mixture of travel and home and food and people. 

 

It was a combination of super fast pace mixed with slow resting pace.  I found myself watching both the skies and the highways with people flying in and out of our Thanksgiving holiday. 

 

David was home recuperating with his foot surgery so KC drove back and forth from Georgia a couple of times.  It was a good opportunity for David and KC to take some cooking lessons from our family.  They observed Sister making layered salad as well as Mom and Dad making Sage Dressing.  At our house they learned to use a sausage grinder to make cranberry relish and several other dishes.  Most of the dishes turned out great.  We did try Mama Crowder's Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (recipe posted Feb 24, 011) but they didn't set up so it turned into Chocolate Oatmeal dip for David Martin's 60th Birthday party.  Sometimes you have to improvise.

 

Finn came from Georgia with KC, and Simba was a happy boy to have a big puppy to play with.  Mr. Cat and Dingo enjoyed having Simba gnawing on someone else's ears for a change. 

 

Jay and the GWU basketball team traveled to Illinois, Iowa, Cancun, Home on Thanksgiving Day and then back to Illinois.  They had some exciting games with a big win over DePaul,  a near win over Illinois, and a tournament victory in Mexico.   We kept up through texts, Facetime, radio and television.  When the plane touched down on Thanksgiving Day, I got a text from Jay saying the team was on their way for Thanksgiving Dinner.  "And we are very hungry."  No doubt.

 

One of my very favorite things about Thanksgiving is that it really is all about gathering together.  Sometimes you have to sharpen your focus and remember that fact in the midst of all the grocery shopping and planning and cooking.

 

I like that Thanksgiving comes after election season and especially this one.  We were happy with some of the outcomes and  unhappy with others but it is an amazing election process we have.  I am thankful that we have elections that may be rough and tough and messy but at least we do it without war.  And when it's all over we can work on coming together with all of our diversity and moving on.

 

We spent Thanksgiving Day at the Cabin in Lattimore first for lunch with family and friends and then for supper with the Gardner Webb Basketball team.  It was a tricky thing to get it all together in one day but it all worked out and we actually enjoyed ourselves in the process. 

 

It's always good to share our favorite Thanksgiving food, but the best part of Thanksgiving 2012 is  time spent with diverse groups of people.

 

 

Judy, Penny, Libby, Cindy, me, Mom and Dad.  I am grateful that we could all be together on Thanksgiving at the Cabin.

 

 

 

It was like old times in our den when Rhett, Tucker, Jay, Elliott and David got together this Thanksgiving.  As young as they are, this crew has a lot of history together.  I'm not sure who enjoyed the visit more  - the boys or Mama and Papa Roy.   

 

 

 

Simba loved that Finn came to visit.  Sometimes puppies just need each other.

 

Finn and Simba dresssed for the occasion and then crashed after a long day of play.

 

 

There was a good bit of rest and recuperation going on over Thanksgiving. 

 

 

David may have had a broken foot but he definitely could grind Cranberries and Oranges for Thanksgiving.  We made Mama's Cranberry Congealed Salad (recipe posted Nov 27, 2010).  Then Dad and Judy walked in so we made another batch without the jello.  It made a great Cranberry relish for Turkey and Cheese Paninis for lunch that day.    (recipe posted below)

 

 

David and KC went to Sister's house to observe how she makes that awesome Seven Layered Salad.  (recipe posted April 21, 2011).   This salad takes three days to make.  Sister speeds up the bacon bits process by cutting up her bacon with scissors before frying - a fact David shared with a chef at Cowboy Stadium.  There is nothing better than your grandparents cooking tips.

 

Mom and Dad shared some sage dressing cooking tips with David and KC (recipe posted Nove 21, 2010).  It's all about cutting up the celery and onions into the perfect uniform size.  And about the sage.  And the right amount of liquid. And not packing the dressing too tight.  And then there are the other stories that are told around the chopping block - like how Mom and Dad met Itzak and Leah Rabin in Israel.  And how Mrs. Rabin gave them some homemade fig preserves.   And how Daddy wanted to show off the preserves one day but couldn't find them.  Because Mikey (Mom) had eaten them.  Oh the stories that are told in the kitchen.  

 

 

I brined turkeys and David cooked them in the big cooker.  We took two 20 pound turkeys to the cabin for lunch.  And there were some BBQ butts and Ribs in the cooker for the GWU dinner Thanksgiving night. 

 

Mom and Dad with Happy on Thanksgiving Day at the Cabin. 

It was fun to have a visit from Scott, Susan and Allyson at the Cabin on Thanksgiving night.

 

Sister and David at the Cabin on Thanksgiving. 

 

 

We are thankful for KC and all of the other sweet people who work on Thanksgiving day.  We shared  some Cranberry Relish with the ER in Georgia.

 

We didn't travel with the Bulldogs but David froze this shot on TV from the Big Ten Network.  Gardner Webb was ahead by two points when in the last second the Illini hit a three.  A heartbreaking loss but a truly exciting game.

 

Mom, Dad, Ivan and Happy celebrated the joy of being together.

 

 

 

The Gardner Webb Basketball team was a welcomed sight on Thanksgiving night.  Unity in diversity is always a winning combination.

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving 2012!

 

Cranberry Relish

1 package (12 oz) raw cranberries
2 oranges - peeled and quartered.
1 cup sugar (or a little bit less)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped pecans

In a sausage grinder, grind oranges and cranberries.
Add Sugar, pecans and celery and mix well. 
Enjoy as side with Turkey, on Paninis or other sandwiches or just on a spoon straight out of the bowl!Healthy, colorful, crunchy, salty, tart and sweet.  Diverse flavor and textures. So satisfying for the body and the soul.