We Made It, Mama

We made it, Mama. Our first Thanksgiving and Christmas without you. It was quiet and might not have happened at all if not for the shining, hopeful faces of your four beautiful granddaughters. We carried on as usual for the girls. I know you would have wanted it that way but I won't deny that it didn't feel like Christmas without your laugh, your Victorian-decorated Christmas tree, your Rotel dip and the joy of finding the perfect gift for you. There was an empty spot in all our hearts on Christmas Eve as we looked around and it became more obvious of the horrible loss we had to endure. A loss we can only endure because we must. I put last year's Christmas card from you in a safe place for me to treasure always. It is the last one and I can't bear to part with it. Every night I end my prayers with the same request, "Please Heavenly Father, just let Mama be happy." I know you are, sweet Mama.

Birthday Wishes

Today is my birthday. I'm thirty-six years old. It seems hard to believe that I'm not in my twenties any longer. It has been a good day. Last night Clay and Mia took me to Macaroni Grill for dinner and it was fabulous. It has become a tradition in our little family to celebrate the night before the specific day. They gave me my gifts which were things that I wanted. I received the new Nora Roberts book Tribute http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Tribute/Nora-Roberts/e/9780399154911/?itm=1 as well as the newest book by my beloved Rita Mae Brown The Sand Castle http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Sand-Castle/Rita-Mae-Brown/e/9780802118707/?itm=1.

Today at work, a group of friends took me to the Olive Garden for lunch and it was delicious. They had the waitstaff sing to me which was fun. Then we went to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. I broke with tradition and didn't get a scoop of Peanut Butter and Chocolate for the first time in years. Instead I got a scoop of Cherries Jubilee. It is currently in the freezer in the break room as I am far too full to eat it right now.

I have a hard time asking for specific gifts even when people ask me, "What do you want for your birthday?" I thought I would post a few random objects that I absolutely admire, adore and let's face it, covet.

The Super Bottle Tree from the Bottle Tree Man. http://thebottletreeman.com/mambo/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=50

Wyatt Water's watercolor "A Step Up".http://www.wyattwaters.com/gallery/index.phtml?page=2

Alicia Paulson's "Kit" Tanglewood bag.http://rosylittlethings.com/tanglewoodkit.html

McCarty pottery Alligator Casserole. http://www.mccartyspottery.com/

DayDream Believer Necklace. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11728465

Seafoam Filigree Dragonfly Antique Brass Earrings. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11478047

Peacock Be With You Necklace. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5433803

All of these things are so beautiful. Even if I never own any of them, that's okay. Dreaming and wishing are the best parts of it.

Delta Tamales

On the Fourth of July my family had a Mexican-themed dinner instead of a more traditional cookout. Our menu included Chicken Enchiladas, Steak Ranchera, beef tacos, guacamole, white cheese dip, cheese dip with sausage, taco soup and the piece de resistance- tamales. My aunt and I have wanted to make tamales for a long time and never made the time to do it. I love tamales and living so close to the Delta, have sampled truly wonderful tamales many times. Memphis is home to a growing Hispanic community and the tamales offered at local Mexican restaurants are varied and unique. I am partial to the tamales that you buy from little dives all over Highway 61 in Clarksdale, Mississippi and surrounding areas. The following website offers a wealth of information about Delta Tamales http://www.tamaletrail.com/index.html. The Thursday night before Independence Day, we gathered our ingredients and embarked on our tamale adventure. This is the recipe we used although I reduced it by 65% http://www.tamaletrail.com/recipe_howto.shtml.

You begin by carefully washing the corn husks and soaking them until pliable.

Take the cooked pork and chop the meat. I prefer it to be chopped very fine.

Mia and I heated the chopped pork in a little vegetable oil with spices and pork broth until nice and seasoned.

Spread about 1/4 cup of the masa mixture on the corn husk and then top with a spoonful of the meat filling.

Roll the tamale nice and tight making sure that the masa completely encases and covers the pork filling.

We chose to steam our tamales because we only rolled twenty-seven. We froze the remaining pork mixture for a later date.

Here is the finished product. They were delicious. There are a few adjustments that I will make next time. Even though the recipe only calls for salt, I will definitely season the masa mixture more aggresively next time. I think I will boil the tamales instead of steaming to get some of that good, seasoned sauce to drizzle on top. For a first effort the tamales were delicious and everyone enjoyed them.

Happy Independence Day

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Independence Day this year.

My Favorite Breakfast (Lately)

Lately I have been craving something savory in the mornings for breakfast instead of my usual fruit and yogurt or oatmeal. What I can't get enough of is Pepperidge Farm mini bagels spread with a layer of Laughing Cow Original Swiss flavor cheese and topped with slices of small, seedless cucumbers and pepper. It is delicious.

A full size bagel is just too much for me in the mornings. Yes, I can eat a whole one but it sits there like lead for hours and I feel terrible. A mini bagel is very satisfying without overwhelming me. Laughing Cow cheese is incredible. Where have you been all my life!? I am a cheese freak from the very beginning of my life and I just discovered this stuff right before my 36th birthday. The 50% reduced fat (Light) version tastes just as good to me as the regular flavor. I split one little triangle of cheese in half between the bagel top and bottom. I peel and slice my little seedless cucumber on the diagonal in very thin slices and arrange them on the bagel and cheese. Top with black pepper and we're in business. It is light and refreshing and very filling. It makes me feel good to eat vegetables first thing in the morning instead of something sweet. I have noticed that I have more energy throughout the morning when I eat this kind of breakfast. Try this and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Hydrangeas

These are just a few random shots of the hydrangeas that I took one day after work. I pulled my car in front of the house and happened to glance over at the hydrangeas. They were so beautiful and mysterious-looking. Little bobs of French blue and petal pink combining to a dignified lavender. I grabbed my camera from my purse and proceeded to photograph.

Mia came outside and found me in the garden. She asked me, "Mama, do you always have to take pictures?"

"Of course I do. Look how the light is shining on the hydrangeas," I replied.

To me the hydrangea epitomizes the Southern flower. As a child I often pretended that the big, snowy blossoms were Southern belles in their fluffy crimolines and hoopskirts. It withstands our blistering heat, long summer droughts, hard relentless rainstorms and it blooms from spring to autumn. It disapears only when the frost comes and stays and retreats underground to sleep in preparation for next year.

If there were such a thing as a regional flower for the South, I would hereby nominate the hydrangea.

Watermelon Heaven

Memphis has been experiencing summerlike temperatures in the nineties even though summer is still over two weeks away. When that happens the only thing to do is crank down the air conditioning, pour yourself a nice glass of sweet tea and fix a nice plate of chilled watermelon. Some people like their watermelon sprinkled with a little salt. Not me. I like it sweet exactly as it should taste. So the next time it's a hot day and you don't feel like heating your kitchen up, slice up some nice, cool watermelon. Enjoy!

Creamed Collard Greens

I never used to be a fan of collard greens which is about as un-Southern as one can get. My uncle's wife started bringing them to Thanksgiving dinner several years ago and they looked pretty good so I tried them. Now I'm still not going to eat a big ol' bowl of them but I do like them in moderation with corn bread and lots of pepper sauce. As a rule I don't like mushy, drippy things so collards were never an option for me. My family certainly didn't agree. A pot of collards, a pan of cornbread and those folks were ready for supper.

A few weeks ago I caught a few minutes of the FoodNetwork tv show "Cooking with the Neelys". The Neelys are a couple who own a barbecue restaurant here in Memphis but their show is about Southern or Soul food. They were cooking creamed collard greens and it just looked so good. I made a big dinner for my Mama on Mother's Day and we decided to try this dish. I got the recipe from http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_131396,00.html. I made changes right away. The recipe calls for shallots which I omitted because I don't like anything in the onion family. I also had to add a lot more heavy cream than the recipe called for. I thought about how I make Creamed Spinach so I added cream cheese to the collards too. I know, just call me Paula Deen!

My whole family enjoyed this change to an old family favorite. We will definitely have this again sometime when we really want to indulge in something rich and decadent. 'Til next time.

Deviled Eggs...The Nectar of the Gods

What gathering in the South is complete without deviled eggs? None in my family. If I were to arrive at a family function without said eggs, let me just say that things would not be pretty. I've been making the deviled eggs in my family since I was fifteen or sixteen years old. Twenty years have passed with deviled eggs being expected at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and any get together in between. The night before any holiday just wouldn't feel right without me staying up and stuffing the eggs in the wee hours of the night.


One of the secrets to truly good deviled eggs is the timing. I like to stuff them the night before so the eggs can fully develop their flavors. The variety of ingredients used is purely a personal taste preference. The components of my favorite deviled egg is just a little Duke's mayonnaise, a little mustard, salt and pepper, a dash of Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning and lots and lots of chopped sweet pickles drained thoroughly. I don't like to use pickle relish. Too juicy even if you drain in a colander. I chop sweet pickles and then wrap them in paper towels to wring any juice out. The worst thing is a runny deviled egg so I find this step essential. I like my filling on the dry side so start out with small amounts of the mayonnaise and mustard. You can always add more. I over stuff the egg whites because I think it looks pretty. I like a liberal dusting of paprika on top for flavor as well as presentation.

I have a lovely deviled egg plate collection. I have my grandmother's plate, my aunt's, a Christmas one, a Peter's pottery one (http://www.peters-pottery.net/) and a myriad of others. I love them for their old fashioned feeling. Martha Foose writes in her cookbook Screen Doors and Sweet Tea that she always gives a deviled egg plate as a wedding gift. I think that is a lovely tradition that I'm planning to adopt.

Kelli's Deviled Eggs

*1 dozen hard boiled eggs
Duke's mayonnaise
yellow mustard
sweet pickles chopped and drained of all juice
Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning
Salt and Pepper
a dash of sugar if needed
Sweet Hungarian Paprika for the top

Split the cooled, peeled eggs lengthwise and remove the yolks to a bowl. Pat the egg whites dry if necessary and place in your deviled egg plate. Mash the egg yolks with a fork and add salt and pepper and Tony's seasoning. Add small amounts of mayonnaise and mustard and all of your sweet pickles until you reach the desired consistency. I like my filling as non-runny as possible. I have noticed that most people have much runnier fillings than mine. When you reach the desired consistency, stuff the egg whites with the deviled filling. Sprinkle paprika on top and chill overnight for maximum flavor. Eat yours fast because I promise they won't last for long. Alternate add-ins include chopped green olives, a little Worcestershire sauce, curry powder, dill pickles, jalapeno peppers, cooked bacon, the possibilities are endless. Enjoy!

Note:My method for the perfect boiled egg is to cover the eggs in a pan with cold water and a liberal amount of salt. Bring them to a boil and let boil uncovered for three minutes. Cover and remove from heat and let sit for ten minutes. Rinse under cold running water and peel as soon as possible. This method works every time with no nasty green on the egg yolk. Yuck!

In the South...

"In the South, the breeze blows softer...neighbors are friendlier, nosier, and more talkative. (By contrast with the Yankee, the Southerner never uses one word when ten or twenty will do)...This is a different place. Our way of thinking is different, as are our ways of seeing, laughing, singing, eating, meeting and parting. Our walk is different, as the old song goes, our talk and our names. Nothing about us is quite the same as in the country to the north and west. What we carry in our memories is different too, and that may explain everything else."
--Charles Kuralt in "Southerners: Portrait of a People"