It is good to be home!

Oh! What an adventure I have had!  And as sad as I am that it is over, I am also so happy to be home!  The loveliest things that greeted me, aside from Delores and Eloise, was my garden, and my morning ritual of playing in it while I have my coffee!  I was so excited to see how everything had grown in the 10 days I was gone.  Here are some pictures!!!!!

Verbena and Petunias

Tomatoes are getting bigger!!!!

Salvia, Basil and Mums

Bedside Table Boquet

Dining Table Bouquet

I will do a proper posting (more like multiple postings) on my adventure soon, I promise!  But for now, it is time to get to work!  So many exciting things coming up!!!!

My Planter is growin!

Some pictures of my front planter!  I love how wild it is!  Oh, summer is coming!!!

22 Cups of Blackberries!

This morning, my Momma, Mary and I drove out to a wonderful little spot on the beach in Ocean Springs to pick blackberries.  They were everywhere, and the scenery was beautiful!  

The shear number of ripe berries, brought out the OCD in me and I found my self unable to stop.  

When I got home, I had to figure out what to do with all of them.  I had some ideas when I headed out to the patch. 

The first thing I wanted to make was a Shrub.  I am growing a fascination with old fashioned drinks, and shrubs are definitely one of the staples.  Shrubs are a drinking vinegar/syrup, usually flavored with fruit and aromatics.  You mix them with soda or still water and booze if you so desire.  They sounded right up my alley. I will post this recipe after it is completed, that will be in about 2 weeks.  Until then, here is a picture of 8 cups of blackberries smashed with 4 cups of sugar!  This mixture will be sitting in my pantry for the next 2 weeks.  I will add some more stuff tomorrow... but... for now.... just sugar and berries. 

One of my favorite things to eat is home made black berry preserves.  My usual recipe for preserves is 3 cups of berries, 1.5 cups of sugar, and zest and juice from one lemon.  Boil for a while, pour into sterilized jars, and process for 10 min.   Some times I add things to my mixture, to spice it up..

I made 2 batches:
To the first batch,  I added a teaspoon of cinnamon, half teaspoon of nutmeg, and half teaspoon of black pepper
To the second, I added 4 bay leaves while it was boiling.  

I cannot wait to put these on toast!  

One Fence. Two Fence. Wood Fence. Wire Fence.

I am not sure if you know this or not, but I have a pup named Eloise.  She is amazingly sweet, and has the best personality, in the WORLD!! (Second only to Delores of course)  Well part of what makes her amazing is that she is so adventurous, and loves to explore the neighborhood.  She is also very thoughtful and brings me surprises from her adventures.  She has brought me stuffed animals, road kill jerky, shoes, roller skates, camellias,  and my favorite, the Sunday paper!
I have recently found out that she has several boyfriends (hussy!)  and has been eating breakfast with many of them on a regular basis.

Sweet Eloise, With a bone she found on one of her adventures!

How does she get to go on all of these adventures?  Well, She jumps the fence.... and goes.  This is obviously not ideal, as much as I love her spirit (and "my" Sunday papers).  She runs the risk of getting hit by a car or abducted (most likely, because she is so darn cute!)

So here is what I did!  I added two fences.... The wood fence first, and nicely, because it is what people see from the side.  Then I installed the wire fence, dividing the back yard into two, killing two  birds with one stone:  shorter distance to fence, and making an area of my yard for a garden... where the dogs cannot reach (and dig up).

The Wood Fence!

What it looked like before.... Notice all of the holes the dogs had been digging. cute, huh!

a tight spot to dig!

I used beer cans to protect the tops of the posts!!!

done! 

Of Course, I had to use the metal dog from the old fence!

The Wire Fence!

A salvaged door, found on the side of the road, to be used for the gate. 

the beginning of the garden plot

Fruit Salad with Mint, Avocado, and Ginger

A few days ago, I attended a boat christening (that post is coming soon) and I made a fruit salad from Eugene Walter's cookbook Hints and Pinches.   It was delicious.  It was made with basil, yogurt, honey, lemon, cinnamon and allspice. 

I didn't use all of the fruit I gathered for that dish because I filled up the bowl, but the basil was gone.  So, I went through my kitchen, inspired by Gene's recipe and developed a new one.  It was delicious! 

P.S. If you do not know who Eugene Walter is, please, I am begging you, look him up.  I would recomend any of his cookbooks, and his life story, Milking the Moon, is enchanting. 

Fruit Salad with Mint, Avocado, and Ginger
A heap of fruit, I used cantelope, strawberries and blackberries.
A handful of mint, finely shredded
1 ripe avocado, chopped
1/2 C  yogurt, I used Greek
 1/2 t ginger
1t agave syrup

Mix everything together and enjoy!!!!!!

Love is Good!

Love is good!  I am so thankful for it, in my life, with the love I give and receive between friends and lovers, and the love my friends give and receive between their friends and lovers.  I am also thankful for the love my neighbors give and receive between their friends and lovers.  I am thankful for the love that the people of this world give and receive between their friends and lovers. 

I think it is strange that there are people who fear others love.  I think it is strange that anyone can say a person's love one person is better than another's love for someone else.   Love is personal, intimate, and cannot be judged by anyone else.  We can only be thankful that it exists. 

Fear and hate are the opposite of love.  Even with tolerance, fear and judgment  exists.  We need to learn to accept and be grateful that love exists where it does.  It is special when it occurs, and never should be condemned or diminished by anyone! 

Let us, as the United States of America, join together and be thankful for the love that surrounds us, within our own relationships, our communities, and our country! 

Cornbread and Buttermilk Ice Cream

It is a old southern habit to mix your cornbread into a glass of thick creamy buttermilk.  I have always loved watching folks do this, but I never tried it.  I was not the biggest fan of buttermilk growing up.  I still have a bit of an aversion to the stuff plain, but I love what it adds to everything I use it in, like pancakes and biscuits.

One day, I was dreaming up southern ice cream flavors, and one I couldn't get out of my mind was Cornbread and Buttermilk Ice Cream!   

Yep!  I did it!  I went there! I also topped it with sorghum and cayenne.  So, you ask, how did it taste?

Well, It tasted great!  But, the texture of the cornbread was a bit of an issue for some people.  It was too much.  I thought it could have been a little soggier, but, this is how we learn! I have adjusted this recipe to make it better. 

So I started out with this Buttermilk Ice Cream base. 

Then I made my Momma's (really Granny's) Cornbread recipe.  In Momma's words:

Fry about 4 slices of bacon in a regular size iron skillet while preheating oven to 425 degrees.  Mix  a little less than 1 Cup of all-purpose flour, 1 full cup of good (stone ground if you can find it) yellow corn meal, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 egg and 1 cup (or more) of buttermilk.  Should be almost the consistency of cake batter.

 

When bacon is done, remove and eat. Pour bread batter into the hot bacon grease and put in the over for 20-30 minutes. 

 

If you already have bacon grease, put a couple of tablespoons of it into the iron skillet and put it in the oven to heat up with the oven.  Pour batter into the hot grease the same as above. 

  I have made this cornbread and realize that I really need closer to a cup and a half of buttermilk and I like my cornbread a little sweeter, so I generally add a bit of sugar, molasses, honey or sorghum.  Mom suggests adding jalapenos, or cheese, or cumin!  All delicious!

 

 

I poured the batter into the hot bacon grease!  This is how you make real cornbread!

 

Cornbread is done!  Mmmmmmm!
 

Ok, so back to the Ice Cream.  I put the bacon left over from making the cornbread in the ice cream before i chilled it.  I would not do that again! I would chop it up and use it as a topping.  

Also, I would add the crumbled cornbread to the ice cream custard, before chilling or freezing.  I added it to the ice cream after I froze it, thinking it would be good to retain the texture, but I think that was missing the point of the original concept.  

Another option would be to make the buttermilk Ice Cream and to serve a scoop on top of a hot sweet piece of cornbread.  

 

 

Buttermilk and Bacon

I added the cream, egg and sugar custard to the buttermilk and bacon. 

As I mentioned earlier, I topped the ice cream with a drizzle of sorghum, and a shake of cayenne.  

 

Since I made bacon and cornbread, it turned into an entire day of cooking.  I ended up fixing up some red beans and rice to go along with it all!!!!