Looking Back...

I'm smiling as I type this, because it is just so typical...
It's taken me 9 whole days of the New Year to get it together and write the first post.

The holiday was spent largely out of town, and almost wholly off-line. And once we returned, I thought that it would be nice to focus time/energies/etc. on the boy before he returned to school.
(and I was right, it was nice.)

But now he's back, and instead of diving back in the way I thought I would, I realized that I'd let a whole lot of stuff pile up here at The House That Crazy Built that needed dealing with.

But stuff has been, by and large, dealt with.
So here it is - the first of two posts: one looking back, the other forward.

(And might I just add my belated wishes for a very Happy New Year for us all???)

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2007 - the year in review...
First Lines of the Month:

January: I woke this morning to a brilliant blue sky, decorated with the wispiest, laciest, and whitest of clouds.

February: It doesn't seem like there has been a whole lot of "Work In Progress" this week.

March: My heart is breaking for the families of the Ohio college baseball team whose bus plunged off an I-75 overpass this morning.

April: Happy Easter!

May: It all started on Saturday, over a week ago.

June: Since I seem to be a big fan of both being a tourist in your own town and the pursuit of the free thing lately - this weekend I managed to combine the two with a trip to the High Museum.

July: Let's begin with the possum...

August: Too. Damn. Hot.

September: At one point, when I was still in my 20’s, I briefly considered continuing pursuing my Psychology degree further, perhaps going into the realm of counseling.

November: At Least *SOMEONE* Around Here Is Being Creative...

December: I swear, sometimes I feel like my kid is Calvin...

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There was craftiness in 2007. Not as much as I would have liked, perhaps - but more than I thought I had done!



There was also cooking and eating in 2007!
(Lots and lots of eating... that might be a topic best discussed in the part II of this post, in a few days...)


And, of course, there was Schecky...

Wow... look at the difference between the pics at the beginning of the year,
and at the end. It's amazing how much kids grow!

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It wasn't all gumdrops, and lollipops here at the House That Crazy Built, though. There were some rough times too. Things like:

• Bubba spending the first four months of the year in Albany
  (New York, not Georgia)
  
  
• lots and lots and lots of broken crap
  (dryers, and toilets, and footstools, oh my!)
  
  
• not one but at least two very obvious depressive periods
  (Funny that I wasn't wholly aware of them at the time, but in going back and reading? Man, oh man...)
  
  
• chemical burns
  
  
• SF killer viruses that wiped out my inner ear
  (and most of my summer.)
  
  
• Home invasions of the mammalian and avian kind

I originally started off linking the above bullet points to the appropriate posts in this blog, but you know what? I'm not going to do that.*
I'm really glad to have this blog - to have a source to go back and review upon the year as a whole: both the good and the bad stuff.

But I'm not going to dwell on the bad, not even to revisit it.
I got through it, and I'm moving onward now.

Onward and hopefully upward...

Which is a nice segue for the eventual Part II of this post, to be titled "Looking Forward."
(and it hopefully won't take me 9 days to write!)

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*OK, actually I am going to link to the possum story.
'Cause that was even funny at the time...

Random Nibbly Bits (that I'm loving)

In no particular order...

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• Last month, Amy (from 3 to Get Ready) and I had a fun girl's lunch out.
  There was much chatter, there was much Thai food eaten, and then there was much shopping at Knitch. A pretty fun way to spend a half a day, I must say.
  
  I think I bought a set of tapestry needles, as I had just broken the eye on the only one I owned. Such a glamorous purchase, right?
  
  I think that Amy bought something small as well, but mostly we were browsing and compiling/comparing our wish lists....
  
  One of the things that I saw that caught my fancy was a kit to make a felted poinsettia wreath. It was reasonably priced - somewhere in the $30 range, perhaps?
  
  But I don't spend money easily. I really have to mull and think over things. My typical shopping strategy is to make a note of it, and then go home. If, a few days later, it is still stuck in my head like a big shiny diamond, then I am allowed to go back and buy it.
  I guess that makes me the anti-impulse shopper.
  
  Anyhow - the wreath kit had kind of stuck in my head, like the proverbial big shiny diamond. I just hadn't had time to go back for it. But it was still in my mind's eye, twinkling away.
  
  So imagine my delight when I got an email from the Lion's Brand Yarn people, informing me of a sale at their site.
  
  Thought I'd check it out - and what did I find. A Felted Poinsettia Wreath Kit! Which looks exactly like I remember the one at Knitch looking...
  
  Regularly $24.95 - on sale for $19.95! WooHoo!!!!
  
  But it gets better...
  
  Did I mention that I don't spend money easily? Well, Bubba says I should tell everyone my "little online shopping trick." Personally, I don't think this is a trick, and I suspect that everyone does this, but Bubba says he disagrees... Anyhow, here 'tis.
  
  Before I buy anything online, I go to Google and I Google whatever the name of the site is + "Coupon Code."
  (For example, I ordered Christmas Cards from Shutterfly last night - and before I checked out at the site, I went and Googled:
  
  shutterfly.com, "coupon code"
  which sent me to a site with a 20% off code. WooHoo! I *like* saving money...)
  
  So I Googled and learned that the LBY people had just done a pod-cast, featuring the Yarn Harlot. And that if I listened to the pod cast, they'd give out a code good for 15% off any purchase through the end of December.
  (FYI - if you don't feel like listening to the whole podcast, they announce the code at the end of the podcast. Or, if you really, really don't want to listen, just e-mail me. I'll tell you the code... But it was very entertaining, so if you have time you should listen!)
  
  So, squeeee! I listened to the podcast, got my 15% off code, and ordered myself a discounted wreath.
  I see many days of pressing my face against the window wistfully - as I wait for the PostalCarrier to bring me my new toy - in my future....



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• Speaking of nice mornings out with good girlfriends....
  Yesterday, I got to meet the fabulous Sandy, aka HockeyMom Knits - for a chatter-fest over lunch. You couldn't ask for a nicer lunch companion!
  My only complaints? Seemed like lunch was over way too quickly...
  And I think that my face is sore from smiling, and my sides are sore from all the giggling and tee-heeing I did...
  (Sandy also scores big bonus points for not taunting me about my lunch order: a hot dog, with a side order of green beans.
  'Cause you know, green beans are healthy. And they're totally going to cancel out that hot dog, right???)



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• Last, but not least - I've been enjoying reading The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I like her writing style, and she photographs everything real pretty. I also like that she uses easy, readily obtainable ingredients - no matter where you live, you ought to be able to duplicate her recipes...
  
  Tonight - I tried her Punk-Ass Penne Pasta (I mean, c'mon... with a name like that how can you not want to give it a try...)
  
  Sweet Cracker Sandwich - that was some good stuff. Serious good...
  And that's even after I made some (ahem) "healthier" modifications to it...
  Basically, I cut all amounts of oil and butter by at least half, and I used 1/2 cup fat free half and half and 1/2 cup of heavy cream instead of the full cup of cream called for... It was still sinfully good!
  
  I highly recommend you give it a try!
  



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• The final thing I'm loving tonight? Newly washed flannel sheets on the bed. Which are calling my name....
  
  G'night!

Anthony Bordain Wanted Me to Write This Post, Y'all...

Actually, that's an utter and blatant lie...

Anthony Bordain doesn't know me from Adam and could not care less about what I write*.
Alas.
Alack.
and Sigh.

However, it seems there are some very mysterious forces at work in the universe...

Shortly after I publicly threatened to post a review of Hominy Grill, I sat down to (belatedly**) watch Monday's episode of No Reservations. In which Anthony goes not only to South Carolina, but to my new favorite restaurant.

Ah - two loves.
United together.

Now I ask you - could this be any better???

Oh wait - yeah! It could have totally been better....
*I* could have been invited to go, too!

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Let me just warn you: if you're not in the mood to read a swoony, "I'm utterly in love with this place" post - then you best stop reading. Because Hominy Grill makes me all swoony. And I'm utterly in love...

First off, Hominy Grill is cute, even from the outside. It's located in an old shotgun house, dating back to the late 1800's. It's pretty easy to spot, even though it's a bit off the beaten path in the neighborhood surrounding MUSC - the shocking pink color of the building guarantees that.

Oh, and the mural of the Grits Girl, too. That's pretty hard to miss...



If she's not the most photographed mural in all the Low Country, well, then she should be.



The entry is quite inviting; the interior space simple, but lovely. Lots of light; very clean and comforting.

Even though I appreciate a nice ambiance - what it's all about for me is the food! And that's where Hominy really shines...
Let's cut to the chase, shall we?

I had the "Low Country Omelet":



This was an omelet stuffed with Carolina Red Rice, and topped with shrimp gravy. I originally had my eye on something else - but Bubba had already called dibs, so I went with this as my Plan B.
(I don't like to order the same thing as Bubba and Schecky when we go out. I like it best when we all get something different, and then I get to share!)

I initially picked this thinking "That's a weird combination - it's so weird that it's either going to be amazing, or it's going to be a disaster."
It was most definitely amazing. I never would have thought to put these flavors together, but having tried them now all I can wonder is "why hasn't anyone done this before???"
Served with sunflower toast and home fries - this dish made it into the "Clean Plate Club" with ease.

Bubba called dibs on what I originally had my eye on: The Big Nasty Biscuit.



I mean, seriously. If something is called the "Big Nasty Biscuit" you're kind of honor-bound to try it, right?
No?
Hmmm - you and I think very differently then.

Fortunately, Bubba and I think an awful lot alike, and he ordered this. And even more fortunately for me, Bubba's an excellent sharer.

The Big Nasty Biscuit starts off with a gorgeous, gorgeous biscuit. I would have called it a "cat head" biscuit, but the menu claims it's a "high rise" biscuit. Whatever you call it, it's an impressively good biscuit.

But the goodness doesn't stop there. Nope - it's topped with a perfectly fried chicken breast, smothered with grated cheddar cheese and then liberally doused with an amazingly tasty sausage gravy.

I am drooling a little even as I type this... For real.

I know, I know - another unorthodox-sounding combination. But you really can't knock it if you've not tried it.

So. Unbelievably. Good.

I'm telling you, I could eat six of these.
(Of course, I'm pretty sure it would kill me... this is not a dainty meal. But what a way to go...)

---

Schecky ordered a pretty kick-ass version of Huevos Rancheros - which he dove into before our server even had the plate fully on the table. He was ravenous - as only nine-year-old boys seem to be.

There is no kid's menu at Hominy Grill - which wasn't really an issue for us, since the Scheckster loves breakfast foods every bit as much as his momma does. His ability to put away vast amounts of eggs, etc. is truly prodigious (and a bit scary if you accidentally get between him and his plate...)
I got the feeling, though, that our server would have worked with us to come up with a "kid meal" had it been an issue. The service there was wonderful - very attentive and responsive, yet never obtrusive, nor hurried. Very much in keeping with the comfortable vibe of the place.

Oh - and I almost forgot. You can't go to a place called Hominy Grill, a place that sells t-shirts emblazoned with the words "Grits are good for you"*** without trying these:



Perfection.

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Then came the desserts:

You've already heard me go on and on about buttermilk pie. So I won't repeat myself. But just look at how pretty:



Bubba ordered pecan pie.



Y'all this tasted just like my mom's - which is the highest compliment that a pecan pie can get!
There was one slight difference - my mom makes her version with unbroken pecan halves, this was made with pieces. So there was a textural difference. My mom's pie looks maybe a little prettier (you've got a pretty surface of entire pecan halves, so that it's very smooth looking) but I liked the almost chunky texture of this one. Hominy Grill gets the slight edge over my mom. (Don't tell!)

Schecky had the chocolate pudding.




He'd never had real, "made from scratch" chocolate pudding before. (Honestly, I'm not sure I've ever had anything but the box kind - but remember, I'm not a big chocolate girl.) He was in heaven...



That's Scheck sayin' "I've shared enough, the rest of this is MINE!

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So - as you can tell, I loved it all.

Ate the meal, bought the t-shirt. Even bought the cookbook, too!


You can find recipes for the "High Rise" Biscuits, the ButterMilk Pie and the Chocolate Pudding at the Hominy Grill website.

Bon appetit!

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*That's OK, Anthony. Really. I still love you, even though it's very difficult for me to continue to claim that you as my boyfriend, what with you ignoring me like this and all...

**Thank you, TiVo! I love my TiVo. Perhaps even more that I love Anthony. And now that I think about it... my TiVo at least loves me back....

***And yes, I bought one for Bubba. But you knew that without me even saying it, didn't you?

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood....

Actually, it's the third beautiful day in a row in the neighborhood - which is even better.

That's right - the incredible heat wave has finally broken, and life is ever so much better. I turned the A/C off for the first time in forever on Sunday, and haven't had to turn it back on since. And since I had a $400 A/C bill last month, being able to turn it off is making me quite, quite happy...

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Another thing that is making me happy about the cooler weather?

Starting to think about all our favorite "cool weather foods."

Applesauce; Chili; and Baking (oh my!) - pumpkin bread, cornbread, peanut butter cookies - and I know there are more that I'm just not thinking of yet....
I know that there's no reason I couldn't make these things year-round, but for some reason, they really only appear in the Fall here at the House That Crazy Built.

I thought I'd ease back into cooler-weather-cooking by making a pie.

And not just any pie. My new favorite pie, from my new favorite restaurant - the Hominy Grill.*

Over the Labor Day weekend, Bubba, Schecky and I spent the long weekend in Charleston. We were celebrating our 17th wedding anniversary. While there, we went to the Hominy Grill, and when I saw "buttermilk pie" on the menu, I knew I had to try it.

Now, I've been curious about buttermilk pie ever since Bekka of Potlikker wrote about it last year. Here's a supposed "Southern delicacy", and I'd never even heard of it???? I was intrigued.
I bookmarked Bekka's recipe - but, sadly, never did anything with it.

But back at the Hominy Grill, once I took my first bite of the stuff? I was hooked! Sweet Cracker Sandwich! Sweet Buttermilk Pie! Good, good stuff...

It's kind of hard to explain what it tastes like - it's got a custardy, slightly lemon-scented layer; topped with a more creamy layer that's somewhat akin to a cheescake flavor. It manages to be rich, and yet light, all at the same time.

I knew that I couldn't leave that taste behind - so I bought a copy of the restaurant's cookbook. (And believe me! - I'm really looking forward to exploring it in more depth in the upcoming months.)

But for now - I needed to recreate that pie!



I'm delighted to say that the at-home version lived up to my memories of the in-the-restaurant version. It was as every bit as good as I remembered it being, which is always gratifying.

And while I can't scan the recipe from the cookbook and post it here - as I am sure that violates all kinds of copyright laws - I've got some good news: you can read a much more eloquent description than mine, and see the recipe right here, in this nice little article written by the Brothers Lee.
Whom I also love....

Oh - and speaking of love? I found one more thing to love about this pie (As if being both delicious -AND- dead simple to make isn't enough...)

I got to use my egg separator. :)

And in doing so - I learned two very important things:

1. Autum is absolutely right - it totally looks like he's puking. Except he drools out the egg whites, not the yolks. Really, not his best look.
   
   
2. He's a really crappy egg separator - he left behind most of the white on the first egg, and broke the yoke on the second egg.

So I guess I'll just have to continue loving him for his pretty face...

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*I keep threatening to write a full blown post about this place, because it is my new favorite - but somehow while the desire is strong, my follow-thru is weak.

Butterfly Fries...

Hmmm - I feel like there must be another name for these,
but I'll be darned if I can figure out what it would be...

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Butterfly fries are when they take a potato and thinly slice it in one continuous spiral - so you get one long curly strip.
Which is then promptly fried.*

So - it's really more potato-chippy than French Fry-ish.

Thanks to the fabulous Jenny C. - now you, too, can see the glory and the splendor that is the butterfly fry!

butterfly fries, picture by ljc@flickr

Admit it, don't they look good????

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*Don't forget that the official family motto here at the House That Crazy Built is "If It's Fried, It Must Be Tried!"

Let Them Eat Quiche!

edited to add: I ate one of the leftover slices of this for lunch the next day.
It. Was. Awesome!
I think I like it even more cold on the second day! YUM!!!

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Crabmeat Quiche, originally uploaded by lla.

Today did not start off in a promising fashion... I desperately needed to go grocery shopping, as there was nothing edible in the house. However, I was feeling wildly uninspired. None of the usual meal suspects sounded appealing; yet I had no new ideas.

Just as I was pondering if I could get away with serving PB&Js for dinner for the rest of the week, I spied the recipe for Crabmeat Quiche courtesy of Kim at Vintage Pretties...

"Hmmmmm, " I thought. "This could be good..."

And it was

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Kim presented this recipe with the statement that she's never met anyone who didn't love this quiche. How can you go wrong with that? So decided to try it.

I'm glad I did - it really is quite good! Of course, I did mess about with it just a tiny bit, since it seems that I am incapable of preparing a recipe as it is written.

Instead of the called for can of crab (my grocery only had 6 ounce cans, and I didn't want to skimp) I used 8 ounces of claw meat that I found at the Seafood Counter. I also heaved a pinch of dried mustard and a few drops of Tabasco in there as well. Mainly because I think just about any savory egg-based dish tastes better with those two things.
(Oh - and in an embarrassing moment in which I reveal just exactly how WT I am, I must confess: I didn't have any mayonnaise. So I used Miracle Whip.* Don't judge me too harshly...)

It went together very quickly, and easily - and was a HUGE hit with both Bubba and Schecky. Kim, you are right - it's definitely a keeper.

I'll be making this again, for sure. But, me being me, I'm already trying to think of ways to guild the lily... As good as it was, I'd like to add something to it to make it more rustic, a little less rich. The wheels are turning.... what to add? what to add?

Asparagus seems the logical choice. 'Cept none of the three of us are big asparagus eaters.** Artichoke? Hmmmm - perhaps too assertive? That might overwhelm the crab. Spinach? Sun Dried Tomatoes? I definitely want to add some color, and some texture - just for fun...

It will be fun to see what this evolves into. Thank you, Kim!



I served this with just a simple salad that was tossed with a Cajun French Dressing and some blue cheese! Yum!
(Although, I took the above picture before I dressed the salad...)

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*As a side note - I think that part of my adult fascination with Miracle Whip is that we *never* had it when I was a child. My mother thought it was trashy. It always seemed somewhat mysterious and forbidden. And now - I pretty much always have some in my fridge. Again, don't judge... :)

**Again, for me, blame this on my mom. Sadly she didn't think asparagus was trashy. So she served it often and I hated it. There are some really traumatic recollections from my childhood that involve being forced to sit at the table, staring at 3 lone asparagus stalks, long after everyone else had been excused - only to be allowed to leave when I either ate them, or it was bedtime. If I didn't eat them before bedtime, they would re-appear on my plate at the next night's dinner. Ugh. Traumatic, I say. I *can* eat asparagus now, but I prefer not too...

I Spent All Week Cooking, And All I Have to Show For It ...

...is this*: the last 2 inch square of "Magic Cookie Bar" that remained from the giant 9 x 13 pan of them I made.

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Guess that requires a little explanation, doesn't it?

Well, last week was a flurry of not just cleaning, cleaning, cleaning - but cooking as well. For Bubba's 40th birthday, I rented him a cabin up in the Tennessee Mountains (Sewanee, for those of you interested in the details), then I strong-armed his three best friends from our college days to come from their far-flung corners of America and join him in Tennessee for the long holiday weekend. I love these boys, all of them, dearly...

Anyhow - two of the boys convened at our house on Thursday, to spend the night before making the trip up to Tennessee. Hence all the cleaning. And the beginning of the cooking...

Typically, I like to take people out to eat when they stop by Atlanta - but for some reason I felt like cooking. So we dined on Frogmore Stew, sourdough bread, and heirloom tomato salad. I also did something you aren't supposed to do: I made a recipe without trying it first...

I had planned on buying Bubba a birthday cake to serve for dessert, but the local paper had run an article Thursday morning about "Cooking with Coca-Cola" in honor of the opening of the New World of Coca Cola. And there was a recipe for Coca-Cola cake, which sounded pretty darn good.

Now, I've never made one of these before. Heck, I've never even tried one of these before, so don't ask me what I was thinking...
I had a particularly bad moment when I brought the cake out, and one of the guests cried out "I love Coca-Cola cake! It's my favorite and I've not had one in years!" Instead of thinking "yay - I did a good thing" I thought "Oh crap - he knows what this is supposed to taste like." Yikes!

I don't know if it is a fantastic recipe, or if I got a big old dose of beginner's luck - but it was fabulous. A total keeper, and one I will be making again...

The next morning, I packed up the rest of the cake - in order to get it out of the house (wishful thinking on my part. Thought that would keep me from overeating while Bubba was gone. Ha!) - along with a weekend's worth of "catering". In addition to the aforementioned Magic Cookie Bars, some of the other highlights were: baked beans, barbecued ribs, BBQ sauce, cole slaw, and breakfast casserole. I tell you, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen last week.

And photographed exactly none of it.

And then I let Bubba and the boys take my camera up the Mountain with them. So there are no pictures from Schecky and my's Big Weekend in Atlanta.

Which was a blast.
We decided to be tourists in our own town.
We ate out. A LOT! A lot, a lot, a lot, a lot. Like for every meal a lot...

We also did some sightseeing. We went to the New World of Coca Cola (short review: we loved it) We played in the fountains at Centennial Olympic Park. For hours. (Despite the return of the horrible smoke...) We wandered around CNN Center. We saw movies, we took walks. In short, we had a blast.

But, no camera**. Which was weird. I missed it dreadfully at first, but in a way it was nice to just live in the moment, and not worry about "capturing" it all. (but - oh! - the cool photos I could have taken... My heart hurts a little if I think about it...) I know Schecky appreciated not having a camera pointed at him.

So I might not have pretty pictures to share. And for that I apologize. But I've got some fabulous memories of a great weekend with my boy, Scheck. And that's hard to beat....

Although, cynically, that five pounds is going to be harder to beat, I bet...
Sigh.

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*Actually, that's not wholly true - I suspect that I have at least 5 new pounds firmly planted on my booty, as well. Because in addition to much cooking, there was much eating as well....
So, unless I get medieval on my own ass here in the next few days, there will be no free doughnut for me on Friday!

**I also decided to spend the long weekend virtually computer free, as well. Which was also strange, but kind of liberating. But if I owe you an email - that's why I am (even more) behind on replying!

Oh! Happy Day...

In which I share yet another made up "holiday" that makes me smile...

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Mark your calendars for this Friday, June the 1st.

FREE. DOUGHNUT. DAY.
I'm not sure those are the three most perfect words in the English language.
But I'm pretty sure they'd rank in the Top Ten...

Here's the 4-1-1 according to the email that the fine folks at Krispy Kreme sent me*:



I'm lucky, because "my" Krispy Kreme is one of the good ones - where they've it up so you can see the entire doughnut production process from start to finish. They call it "Doughnut Theatre" - isn't that wonderful??? Suffice to say, I'm a big fan.

All the steps in Doughnut Theatre are fascinating - but a particular high point is the "glaze waterfall." Cooked, but nekkid, doughnuts travel under a curtain of liquid glaze and come out the other side perfectly attired in sugary goodness. It's a sight to behold...



How many days until Friday???

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*Because you totally know that I'm on the mailing list...

Happy Day...

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Hope all you Mamas out there are having a simply fabulous day...

kisses!

I Don't Even Quite Understand This. I Just Know I Want One...

Kool-Aid Pickles.

I read about these today at Potlikker, darling Bekka's Southern food blog - and I couldn't resist passing it along, just in case you're not a regular Potlikker reader. Which, really, you should be, because she's fab and she knows her stuff...

My way of thinking is this: anything that sounds quite this wrong, has actually probably got to be pretty good.

Although, this line of thinking has gotten me in trouble before.

Oh well, if they're good enough for my boyfriend, who wrote the NYT article linked to above, then they're good enough for me...

Frogmore Stew...

While on her recent jaunt to St. Simons Island, the always delightful Bekka was thoughtful enough to send me a postcard:


And that was all it took to get the wheels turning...

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It got me to thinking about one of my good friends from college - a sweetie by the name of Loretta from Beaufort, SC. One of the biggest things that she anticipated about returning "home" during school breaks was a big meal of what she called "Frogmore Stew." She described it in poetic language; as nothing less than the world's most perfect food.

Alas - in college, I was not so very interested in food. So I filed her comments away in a dusty part of my brain, and didn't really give it much thought. Besides, with a name like that, it didn't really sound particularly appetizing to me.
I think I had a vague suspicion that there were frogs in it or somesuch...

But Bekka's postcard got me wondering - this "Low Country* Boil" sounded a lot like Loretta's Frogmore Stew???
Some research was definitely called for...

I immediately turned to The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook, which has been a real fave of mine lately. These boys can write, and they can cook, and they combine these two interests amazingly well...
If you enjoy cooking (or simply reading beautifully written cookbooks), if you are interested in the South and/or its cuisine, or if you just enjoy a good story (because its pages are peppered with them) then this book needs to be on your "Must Read" list. But I'm wandering off-topic... Shocking!

The brothers Lee did not let me down - they explained that "Lowcountry Boil" is another name for Frogmore Stew. And no matter what you call it, it is the ultimate one-pot meal. Ingredients vary due to personal preference, and what you have on hand - but almost always include: shell-on shrimp, sausage, crab, corn, potatoes - all of which simmer in a heavily seasoned broth.

Not only did they give me a great explanation - they gave me an amazing sounding recipe.

Unfortunately for me, as many of you know I've been indulging in the MoonPie habit a little too frequently these days. And, to put it simply, it's not been kind to me. So, a little research was done to see if I could find an alternate version. One that might not do too much damage.

I found a recipe at Cooking Light - and decided to give it a whirl...

One quick trip to the store to pick up corn and shrimp, and I was in business.

Into the big stockpot went 3 quarts of water, with lots of salt, red pepper flakes, cumin, thyme and mashed garlic cloves added. Add to that a couple of bottles of beer, some bay leaves and an onion, cut into large wedges. Once boiling - I added about a pound of diced red potato, half a pound of low fat smoked sausage, two ears of shucked corn and a pound of unpeeled shrimp. That's all there was to it... Very low maintenance - although I did have to keep an eye on it, because every few minutes a new ingredient would need to be added to the pot. (The cooking times vary, so you add the potato first so it can cook the longest, then the sausage, etc.)

It's not the prettiest looking thing while it cooks, is it?



In keeping with the easy-peasy theme of fixing up a whole mess of this stuff - serving it is to be a casual affair as well. Ideally, you serve it outside and just dump the drained contents of the pot directly out onto a newspaper covered tabletop. Since it's been cold here lately, and we were eating inside, I opted to drain it and then dump it out on a big communal platter.



Now - the real test. I plunked the platter down on the table, strew a few bowls around for discarding the shrimp shells and corn cobs, and waited for everyone to dig in.



And dig in they did! This was a huge hit with everyone. Bekka, Loretta and the Lee Brothers all know a good thing - and I thank them for sharing...

I can tell that this is going to be in heavy rotation at the House That Crazy Built this summer.

NOTE: The recipe ** was designed to serve 8. I halved the main ingredients, thinking that would cut it down for 4. However, with only 3 of us, I got two whole meals out of it - bonus! And, lazy me, I didn't even reheat it the second night, and it was still awesome served up cold.

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*"Low Country" is used to describe South Carolina's southernmost coastal counties (think Charleston, and the surrounding environs...)

**I'll provide this link, but am not sure it will work for everyone - you may have to subscribe to the magazine???

Oh Lovely MoonPie - I Can't Stay Mad At You...

From the very moment that I learned of the publication of David Magee's MoonPie: Biography of an Out•Of•This•World Snack - I knew that I had to read it.

I know, I know. I'm not normal.

And whoever heard of a snack food with its own biography?
Crazy, right?

But MoonPies are from East Tennessee, and so am I.

So I had to read it.

And that's when the trouble began...

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Now the trouble didn't begin with the book. No siree.

The book is great. It's cute, well-researched, entertainingly written. It lovingly details the history of the original chocolate-covered graham cracker and marshmallow sandwich treat.

I highly recommend it, if food biographies are your kind of thing.

You know, even if they're not your kind of thing I'd still recommend it. It's a fast, fun little read. And it has recipes. That's right: r-e-c-i-p-e-s, people!
And you've got to confess - doesn't some MoonPie ice cream, or a MoonPie Brownie sound pretty darn tasty???

So where did the trouble come in?

With the cravings.

Oh, the cravings.

My waking thoughts were filled with visions of MoonPie.

Now, this should not have been an issue. According to the book, MoonPie has distribution deals with both Publix and Target. That may very well be the case, but as it turns out they aren't in *my* Publix or Target...

This led to a Sunday afternoon trek to a Cracker Barrel. The less said about that, the better. Let's just say that even though I had not previously given a lot of thought to what hell would be like, my new personal vision has it looking a lot like a Cracker Barrel on a Sunday afternoon. Make that exactly like a Cracker Barrel on a Sunday afternoon.

Anyhow - traumatic experience aside, I got a box of gorgeous lovely MoonPies.
And one nice thing about the Cracker Barrel? They've got them packaged in a really cute retro-style box.



But once I had my hard-won box of goodies - I found myself hesitating. Perhaps the actual MoonPie wouldn't live up to my expectations? Should the foodstuffs of our childhood memories should stay in our memories?



Nah.
I decided to dig in.

Sweet (Chocolate-Covered-Marshmallow-and-Graham) Cracker Sandwich.

It was fabulous.
I loved it.

The marriage of graham/marshmallow/chocolate was spot-on perfection.
Every bite better than the one that preceded it.
It was like eating happiness out of a crinkly cellophane wrapper.

And that's where the trouble comes in.

I seem to be unable to stop eating them.
And my box is getting scarily low*.



I need to get over this addiction, and quickly.
Or else, I'm going to have to revisit Cracker Barrel.

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*Which is doubly scary - because I'm the only one in the house who will eat them.
In fact, Schecky has none-too-quietly pronounced them "gross".
(Whose kid is that, anyway??? Seriously. This is the kid who honestly believes that our family motto is "If It's Fried, It Must Be Tried"...
He eats everything!)

Bloggers are Just Nicer Than the Average Bear...

I've suspected this for quite some time - but I've decided to make it official. Bloggers are just nicer, more thoughtful (and more thought-provoking!) than the average person.
Remember, you read it here first! :)

Thank you so very much for your sweet comments, and the emails that you sent, in response to the last post that I made... I feel so lucky to be part of a community of such generous, and kind, people.

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Keeping that in mind - the general niceness and good-to-be-aroundness of the bloggers I've encountered - I've got the perfect segue into the non-sucky part of my laughably annoying day last week.

Yes, as I've alluded, it wasn't all trial and tribulations... Between my boring morning meetings, and my afternoon of auguring and plunging - I had a delightful lunch date with Amy, from 3 To Get Ready.

I had a lovely time. This was our second get-together, and I had every bit as much fun as I did the first time (I would have said that I had more fun, but I am not sure that's possible!)

Amy graciously allowed me to choose the venue, and I immediately chose The Flying Biscuit because I was craving grits something fierce (and their grits are fab! I might even smack my mama if I thought it would get me a bowl of them!)

Amy, her charming daughter Hattie and I chatted, and giggled like a bunch of schoolgirls! Once again, excellent company and excellent food. A very nice way to spend an afternoon....

And I really appreciate the tactful way in which Amy and Hattie ignored me when I did my "Randy, how does the piggy eat" impersonation in my attempt to get every last grit out of the bowl. Can't help it - those grits are seriously, seriously that good...

Amy comes into my neck of the woods ever-so-often to get her hair cut, and I'm already looking forward to the her next appointment! And, Amy - I'll let you pick the restaurant next time!

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Also on my list of things that I am just totally looking forward to? I've got an upcoming trip planned to the wilds of North Carolina to spend a crafty, girly weekend with Autum of Creative Little Daisy!

Autum was the first person that I didn't know from "real life" to comment on Bad Fortune Cookie over a year ago. I guess it's true that you always remember your first???
Over the past year, I've been truly amazed at Autum's many, many talents. She creates the most gorgeous things with her sewing machine, has such a knack for interior design (maybe she got my share of that gene, because goodness knows I don't have any of that!) and has just the biggest, most generous heart.

So I am thrilled that we're going to get to meet in real life... I predict a fun weekend filled with giggling, and craftiness! And I just can't wait!
Hee - Daisy and Cookie's Big Weekend o' Fun - coming up soon...

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And since I've been subjecting y'all lately to my latest passion for cute and small food - I can't finish up this post without sharing this:




One perfect, tiny, happy little jelly doughnut.

It's hard to get a true sense of scale, since it's sitting on a salad plate next to a stupidly large cup - but it's about the size of a persimmon? (Upon re-reading that I have to question how helpful that is. Does anyone really know the size of the persimmons that used to grow in my backyard in Tennessee? Probably not. Let's see - the jelly doughnut was smaller than a golf ball, but bigger than a quarter...)
I guess that technically, it's a doughnut hole, or a Munchkin, or whatever you want to call it. But I'd never seen a doughnut hole with filling before, so of course I had to give it a try.

Found the darling little doughnut at Happy Donuts in East Atlanta. It's no Krispy Kreme* (but really, what else is?) but I'd still recommend it. It felt like a neighborhood doughnut shop, and I liked that. Plus, the tiny doughnut? Very, very tasty...

(Upon re-reading this entire post, I have to marvel at the fact that I don't have scurvy. Since this blog makes it seem as if I eat nothing but nutritionally-devoid breakfast foods....)

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*As an aside - there was an article in the paper about Krispy Kreme's new whole wheat doughnut. I was telling Bubba about it, and he asked if Shecky and I were going to try them. I believe that my exact reply was "what's the point?"

But I blame that conversation for planting the whole idea of doughnuts in my head today. An idea which stuck like a big shiny diamond....