Hash It Out

I received my new issue of Garden and Gun yesterday, and I was tickled to see an article exploring South Carolina hash.  I had just gorged myself on plates of the stuff Sunday on the way back from Charleston.  I begged hubs to stop at the Piggy Park in Columbia.  He obliged (although, reluctantly, due to cross-Carolina barbecue controversy).

Seriously.  he does not like yellow barbecue.  Nor, in my opinion, does he like sauce.  According to him, he does, but likes it Western NC style where your pork is dry as a bone and the sauce is added by the eater, and served on the side. So interesting how each region of the South has different styles.  Like Alabama white sauce?  Yum!  Remind me sometime to tell y'all the story of Emory Law's attempt at serving barbeque.

At Maurice's, like joints all over South Carolina, the sauce is mustard based.  I love it.  I'm not a big ketchup person, but I love mustard.  Look at all that yellow pork on Hubs' plate.

 My favorite part is the hash.  It's normally served over rice, but I like to mop mine up with a hushpuppy.

And mix it with a little slaw.  I don't know how they make the stuff, not do I want to know.  I have a feeling it involves a lot of salt and fat.

Hubs had a second plate of butter beans, potato salad, brisket, and mac and cheese to balance out the fried chicken and pork.

I ate most of it. 

Butter beans are my weakness y'all. Along with fried chicken, greens, beans, and hash.

Oh, and hushpuppies and coleslaw mixed with my hash.

Y'all Make Me Want to be a Better Woman

First of all, I love that some of you actually considered that I made the slipcovers.  Ha!  If I could sew like that, I would show y'all shit I make all the time! 

The slipcovers are a work of art, made by a slipcover lady.  She has put both her sons through college, and now grad school, by sewing slipcovers.  How cool is that?  If any of you are in the area, and need slipcovers, leave me a comments and I will e-mail you her info.  Warning- she's on a three month waiting list.

Anyhoo, the last time I used a sewing machine was in Home Ec freshman year of high school.  I made a plaid flannel mini-skirt (it was fall of 1995- grunge, baby).  I thought it looked easier than the boxers or Hammer pants (aka "jams") which were the other options.  So sewing covers for these pillows, as simples as they are, will be an experiment.

However, this weekend will be full of projects- painting a hutch for my dining room, sewing pillows, and planting pansies.  Let's see how much actually happens before I get ahead of myself.

The only domestic art I truly feel comfortable with is entertaining.  Cleaning and organizing aren't my thing, but I like to cook and decorate.  Gardening skills are going to grow (hee) now that I have a yard.  How about y'all?

The Sound of Wedding Bells and Music

It was a glorious wedding weekend in Charleston- perfect to get a last blast of summer before coming home to rain and gloom.  I sadly did not get any pictures of the glowing bride, as I was too busy dancing and checking on the Dawgs.  Hmmmpphh.  Dancing became the better idea.  At least UT won.  Barely.  In double overtime.  Against UAB. 

Sigh.

In more cheering news, I get to see all my Georgia gals in 3 short weeks for Lisa's wedding!  Hurrah!

Also, mark your calendars!

"The Hills are alive on "The Oprah Winfrey Show!"

The cast of Oscar-winning "The Sound of Music" will reunite for the first time in 45 years, Harpo Productions announced Monday. Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and the rest of the stars' appearance is scheduled for Friday, October 29.
Andrews, who had non-cancerous throat nodules removed in 1997, will not sing. The von Trapps (including both the actors who played the kids in the film, and the real von Trapp children who travel the world performing the movie's songs) will perform, likely their classics "My Favorite Things" and "Do Re Mi."


I am a long time Oprah uber-non-fan.  However, exceptions will be made for my favorite movie!  I wonder if I can set my DVR this far in advance. . . .

TA- DA!

 Before:

 A hideous, yet supremely comfortable, sectional which was quite pricey in 1977, and the host to all my childhood and teenage sleepovers, as well as my best naps.

After:

I'll put this in the words of my father, "Hell, I want it back!". 



I'm recovering the pillows as well, but I'm sewing those myself.  I'm planning on getting them done next weekend, but seeing as how I'm not busy or anything. . . .huh.

Okay, I'm off to Charleston for Rachael's glorious wedding weekend!  I'll be back with lots of pictures and stories, I'm sure.  Y'all have lovely weekends!

Summerstrone

This is a super yummy veggie soup.  I made a huge pot a couple weeks ago, when we had an illusory taste of fall.  I ate the entire thing in a few days (with Hubs' assistance).  The recipe is from a great cookbook called The Family Chef  The recipes are healthy whitout being full of artificially slimmed down and processed ingredients, yet everything tastes truly delicious.

Celery, slivers of garlic, and onion.  Mmmm, the smell of this sizzling away in some olive oil?  Heaven!  I wonder if I could get a perfume to smell like that?  I would be beating off men with a stick!

Chicken broth.

Cannelloni beans, which we ain't really got up here. So I got some of our hometown favorite instead.  According to this article, when using canned it's NBD.

Four chopped ripe maters.  Get 'em while they're good.  I am dreading the end of tomato season.

Add that to the sizzling pile of your aromatics.

Chop up some Italian flat leaf parsley- don't substitute curly parsley- it's a different flavor and too strong.

Cook it for a while- the longer it sits, the better it tastes!  Enjoy!



3 cans (15 ounces each) cannelloni beans , drained and rinsed
6 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
2 cloves garlic , sliced
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion , chopped in a medium dice
2 ribs celery , chopped in a medium dice (I used 4)
4 ripe tomatoes , cut into small pieces
1 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
1/4 cup fresh parsley , roughly chopped
1 cup Parmesan cheese , grated

Directions

1. Place beans, stock and garlic in a large pot on the stove. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is warm, add the olive oil and sauté the onion and celery for 5–6 minutes until soft and translucent. Next, add the tomatoes and salt and continue to cook another 3–4 minutes.
3. Add the vegetable mixture and parsley to beans. Cook another 15 minutes or so to meld flavors together. Serve with Parmesan cheese.
Jill's Smart Ideas

1. If you don't have any fresh tomatoes, chop up some canned tomatoes instead.
2. Add pieces of leftover roast chicken.
3. Add some spice by throwing in 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper when cooking the vegetables.

Recipe from The Family Chef by Jewels and Jill Elmore, courtesy of Celebra Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA).



Oooh, I have such a surprise for y'all tomorrow regarding the makeover of this thing-

Stay tuned!

Guilty Pleasures

1. Any sort of television program or movie set in a high school environment.  This started early with my Saturday morning Saved By the Bell fix, and has run unabated ever since.  Monday night was an all-star as it included a viewing of Easy A (go see it!) topped off with Gossip Girl.  Heavenly!

2.  Warm chocolate cake (the really rich kind which makes my teeth hurt) mixed with cold milk.  Together, all mixed up in the bowl and eaten with a spoon.

3.  Lauren Conrad's series of books.  They're so juicy y'all!  I download them to my ipod, and listen while exercising or cleaning.  Sigh.  I really do feel embarrassed about this one.

4.  Blogging and twitter used to be a guilty pleasure, but now I feel pretty aboveboard on the whole social networking thing. 

5.  Hmmm, what else?  Oooh, this one is super country, but I love a saltine with a dab of butter.  In college, an acquaintance who's own father described as "dumb as rocks, but he sure can haul stuff", busted me eating my cracker and butter treat.  When he started laughing at me, and teasing me about East Tennessee I knew that my snack was redneck as all get out.  I still love it though.

6.  Going home during lunch and taking a quick power nap.  I am a huuuuuggggeeeee napper.  It is one of the things in life I miss most of high school, college, and law school.  Time for napping is integral, and should be incorporated into the American work week. 

So your turn!  Alert me to some new things to enjoy and feel guilty about.  I promise I won't judge!

Football and Hunger Games

First, a brief pictorial history of our Saturday.  Tailgating with Smokey.

My patent orange loafers in the stadium.  Note to self, orange plastic shoes do not breathe when it is about 90 degrees outside.

Shelby cheering hard.

The full stadium.

And defeat consolation at our localing watering hole.  Ha- can you see how much Hubs wanted his picture taken here?  I just couldn't help it.  Personally, I'm okay with the loss for the Big Orange to Florida.  They played hard, and they are a rookie team with a rookie coach.  Someone was complaining that we are "amateurs".  Uh, well yeah.  That is the definition of a non-professional team.  (Aren't literal lawyers, like myself so fun to be around?)

Anyway, I was more depressed about the Dawgs.  So depressed that I am I going to leave it at that.  Sigh.

So I know a bunch of y'all on the interwebs are reading The Hunger Games.  I listened to your advice and started reading.  Once I realized that the protagonist is from Appalachia I was hooked.  I have this weird thing about things set in the future.  I refuse to see any movies about space, aliens or post apocalyptic worlds.  However, my initial reluctance vanished once I got into it.  Just started the second one last night. 
If anyone wants to discuss, please feel free!

How was your weekend?

Eating Tail

Y'all look at all that orange.  It's a bit terrifying.

So I have been a bad little Vol fan, and have not attended our previous couple of games.  However, we have the true mark of the beginning of football season here in Big Orange country- The Florida Game (dum, da, da dum!). 

Check out what's cooking this week in the Knoxville paper-

Gator poboys and gator gumbo?  Yes, please!  One commenter on the online site queried whether Florida fans would be eating grilled coon dog, which is disgusting and unnecessary!  Not Smoky!

Anyway, should any of you have a desire to try this culinary delicacy here are some recipes:

Cajun andouille gator gumbo

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 cup onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 garlic clove minced
1 teaspoon oil
1 1/2 pound alligator meat, cut into pieces
1 1/2-2 quarts water
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Cayenne, to taste
1 pound andouille sausage, cut into pieces
File powder, to taste

• Melt shortening in large skillet or Dutch oven. Add flour and prepare a roux, stirring until golden brown.
• Add pepper, onion, celery and garlic to roux. Cook on low heat until vegetables begin to sweat.
• In separate skillet, heat oil until hot. Add alligator and sear on all sides. Remove meat with slotted spoon and place in roux mixture, stirring well.
• Drain grease from pot in which the gator was browned, leaving only the brown drippings at the bottom. Deglaze pan with 1 cup water.
• Pour this over the gator meat, along with 3 cups more water. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne.
• Bring to boil, then lower heat and let simmer for about 3 hours, adding more water as needed.
• Add andouille sausage during the last hour of cooking.
• When ready to serve, sprinkle gumbo with a small amount of file powder. Serve with rice, if desired.

Personally, I'm being lazy, and concentrating more on what I'm going to wear, opposed to what I'm going to cook (I did attend University of Georgia after all- game-day outfits are of utmost importance!).  I will be attending a party tonight where the host makes the best smoked alligator tail in the Big Green Egg.  It is on time!
 
Have a wonderful weekend!  I hope all of your respective teams win (unless of course you are a Hog* or a Gator).  And (in proper dialect)  Goooooooooooooaaaaaaa Beeeeeg Ouuuraaaaannnnje!
 
*To be honest, I would prefer to be eating a rack of ribs opposed to alligator tail, but a girl's gotta do what she's gotta do!

Friday Night on a Thursday Morning

So, I am a latecomer on this- but Friday Night Lights! I am obsessed.  Hubs and I watched several episodes of the first season this weekend, and I am in love with the Dillon Panthers.

Especially this duo- possibly my second favorite TV marriage (after the Huxtables of course.  They set the standard forevermore).  Kyle Chandler went to Georgia like me.  Therefore, we are meant to be.  Of course, I really have a crush on Coach Taylor, and would never want him to break up with Tami Taylor, so TV crush it remains.  (Hubs is rolling his eyes at this point).

It's a perfect show for the two of us because it combines the teen soap aspects which I adore, and the football lingo which my  North Carolina record-setting former high school quarterback husband digs.

There's also some eye candy which reminds me of a certain high school quarterback played by the hot London twin in one of the greatest 90's movies of all time-

Hello Tim Riggins! 

I sooo would have had a crush on this guy in high school.

It's so funny.  Hubs is as preppy as he can be, and is college my taste veered to frat types who went to a lot of Panic shows.  However, in high school it was straight long haired trouble all the way.  MOH will remember this, I'm sure. 

Hmmmm.  I fear for the day when I am responsible for a teenager. . .