Saturday, August 24, 2013

Draped in Dog

Dog days of summer
motorhome lumbers
Buckshot scared
in my lap
head on my shoulder 
legs braced on mine

'tis better parked
at start finish line
Lafayette Springs Dirt Track
front row seats
Grandaughter Bertlee
agrees

a good time was had
by all
2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Awesome Southern Pecan Pie






















My friend Evelyn gave me this old Southern recipe:

Have all ingredients at room temperature

1 9" unbaked pie shell

1 cup halved or chopped pecans
1 Tablespoon flour
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt
1 cup of Green Label Karo Pancake Syrup
1 stick, 8 teaspoons, of butter

Place pecans in the bottom of the unbaked crust
Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the pecans
Bake pie on a cookie sheet
350 degrees for 45 minutes.

This was my first attempt at Southern Pecan Pie. I made four Friday and gave away three They were a hit. .

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Sunday, August 04, 2013

Feet and Food on the Track

Our neighbor said I could have all the figs I wanted from their tree. I picked one and smelled it. It felt Middle Eastern, rich, exotic and reminiscent of ancient lands drier and hotter than MS. Sweet, seedy fruit melted in my mouth. Sigh! I could have eaten a dozen, but I knew what that'd do to my system. I gathered all I could reach, a mere twenty. Emeril Lagasse's recipe called for a cup of sugar. Mine were so sweet, I added half a cup to a rough pound and a half of fresh figs. Simmering shrank them. Their sweet fragrance had me sniffing the kettle often. The whole batch fit in a pint jar, well, almost, I tasted one  . . . or maybe it was three; the jar would have been too full. I think I'll save them for a special occasion. The jar rests at the back of the counter with my four and a half pints of pickled okra. Mom and Grandma would be proud I remember what they taught me about preserving.

I love soft, still, Southern mornings with dew on everything. Saturday morning I carried my "Our Corner Cottage" bag from Wahoo, NE to the Farmer's Market in Lyon, MS anticipating fresh veggies, canned jams and jellies and possibly a peach cobbler or some rare dessert I wouldn't make because I'd have to eat it myself. Just before the railroad crossing hump, I made a right turn beside the tracks. Shoppers were already coming away with bags and baskets; I hoped I wasn't too late.

Speckled butter beans were on my list. They are the size of a large Lima Bean with lighter flesh and spots. I think they have a more rounded flavor. Locals say they're so close to the ground they're hard to pick. I paid premium price for a pint. Purveyors had fresh jalapenos, green and red tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, sweet rolls, fig and peace jams, shelled purple hulled peas and more. I don't understand why some buyers prefer their peas in the shell rather than shelled out. They're the same price. ??? I bought two bags of speckled butter beans and left.

As an afterthought, I turned back to see if the bakery lady from TN had arrived. No. Then I noticed something odd. Have you ever seen a table backed right up to a railroad track? Bold, isn't it. The lady behind it had one foot on the rail. I don't remember ever hearing a train. I surveyed the second track and discovered a separated, bent out rail no train could use. Vendors are making good use of an abandoned location.



2013 Red Convertible Travel Series