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Silver Queens…

I don ‘t understand retail therapy, it could be that I worked in retail most of my life; so  let me share some real therapy for real Southern ladies –

  • Taking care of the cast iron
  • Checking the baseboards to make sure they’re clean
  • Polishing silver is especially rewarding
  • Buying Silver Queen corn– the crowning staple of Southern cuisine

If there is ever an upset in the home or community- Southern women of my era have reliably turned to these activities for therapy– we calm our nerves this way, we settle down into these rhythmic, meditative, even ancient practices.IMG_1387

Cast iron is inherited- it must be taken care of…and the bonus is when something unsettling happens, you can always clean it out with salt, then fry some bacon in the pan to re-season it…a little spat with a husband can be cured just by frying some bacon…trust me on this one! He’s irritated, you’re unsettled and start thinking about your inheritance…you grab your grandmother’s cast iron skillet and start frying bacon…before you know it, he comes up behind you, tugs on your apron strings or eases his arms around your waist and says, ‘hey good lookin’ whatcha got cookin’?‘ You sort of give him the cold shoulder and just say ‘Get on out of here now, I’m just seasoning this skillet…‘ He keeps on hanging around…looking sort of sheepish…bacon will do this to man, he forgets why he’s irritated, hoping he’ll be the one who gets the crumbled bacon, instead of humble pie. white baseboardSouthern women have a great affection for their Baseboards…I have never heard women of other cultures quite so fascinated with whether or not their baseboards are clean. A friend told me recently that she wasn’t sure her housecleaning service was doing a good enough job. She shares the same cleaning service with another friend, who had called and said, ‘I’m not sure they’ve been cleaning these baseboards!’ My friend said, ‘Well I have to tell them to clean mine, they don’t think of it on their own, but Lord knows I asked them when I hired them if they clean windowsills, crown molding and baseboards, though I never asked about the chair rails.’ Now, if weeds are God’s invitation to pray in the garden, checking baseboards will get you on your knees in the home. It’s upsetting to be paying someone to do this – however, when life isn’t going all that well…get on your knees and get those baseboards clean– cleanliness is next to godliness, you know.

Polishing Silver is often group therapy in the South, we Silver Queens are sensitive about our silver, after all, we barely had it buried in the ground before the Yankees ran through all those years ago. Polishing ancestral silver is almost as sacred as putting Alabama Marble Monuments on the graves of our loved ones. It’s a little known fact that women start polishing silver the minute they hear anyone is getting married, christening a child, or Lord forgive, someone has died- women just start in polishing silver- you can hear the silver chests opening, the pleasant clink of silver and the distinct smell of silver polish. The most humble foods are elevated by silver trays; and one must be careful to make sure fine paper doilies are always on hand in several sizes to fit the silver trays. The high holidays call for silver trays, flatware, chafing dishes, candlesticks and even mint julep cups. Instead of fretting over the guest list, the menu or even the guests- start polishing silver; the mind sharpens and before you know it- all the ‘I’s’ will be dotted and all of the ‘T’s’ will be crossed off your lists.

Buying Silver Queen Corn is a summer infatuation- folks will say ‘We’re going to stop on the way to the beach and get some Silver Queen Corn’ or ‘I’m going to fry some chicken Sunday and if I can find some Silver Queen Corn- I’ll fry that to go with it.’

  • Fried Chicken.
  • Fresh sliced Tomatoes.
  • Biscuits.
  • Gravy.
  • Fresh Pole Beans.
  • Fried Silver Queen Corn.

If there is a more perfect summer meal on earth I do not know what it is. Yes, you read that right, fried corn. And it must be white Silver Queen Corn. Do not try to pull a fast one over on us on this… I have seen southern women make big corn fed farmers cry over this.

  • ‘Now is this field corn or Silver Queen?
  • You know when I start cutting it from the cob, I’ll be able to tell the difference right away.’
  • ‘Who do you think you are labelling this Silver Queen when you know full well it’s that new hybrid Silver King, I’m not having it, I’ll tell you.’
  • Then she insists on the farmer pulling back the shuck so she can make sure it’s not wormy!

You can tell a Deep South pedigree quicker from who buys Silver Queen Corn than you can on Ancestry. Com or that TV show ‘Who Do You Think You Are?‘. We prefer white cornmeal, white grits and blinding white Silver Queen Corn. If you don’t know what real fried corn is? Well, I might not be able to help you. This picture is the best one I could find and to tell you the truth? This Silver Queen doesn’t think the corn is cut as fine as it should be or cooked down quite enough!fried white corn

 Seasoning a cast iron pan, cleaning baseboards, polishing silver and cooking something fit to eat, are just a few of our Southern therapies- I know, I know- Southern people can get irrational and over emotional about some things…just thought you’d like to know how we make it through…

Love y’all, Camellia

http://www.ancestry.com

Posted on by Camellia's Cottage · 21 Comments

Loud…

loud print vintage dress

 

It occurred to me recently that if you are not from the South, you might not understand how we talk. Words that normally have just one clear meaning for other regions- may be couched in southern code- like loud. With that one exception of our yelling at SEC football games…we teach our children to speak kindly, softly and as quiet as possible. Even if you’re driving home an important point, use non-offensive language- please.

My favorite example, when I am challenged on this point- is my friend Linda. For years, Linda was the Director of a sizeable rambunctious group of kindergarteners… when she wanted to get the attention of one, a few or the whole bunch of wild Indians; Linda would lower her voice to a whisper instead of getting louder! So, yes- Southerners use the word ‘loud’ just like the rest of the country. But there is loud like talk radio- and there is loud like a printed dress and again there is loud- like perfume-here’s how we respond:

  • Loud Talk-‘Well, bless his heart, do you think he’s deaf or does he just talk loud because he’s coarse and common, or doesn’t know better?’
  • ‘Turn that music down, it’s so loud I can’t hear myself think!’
  • If we really want to get sinister, we say- ‘You’d better quieten down, you’re talkin’ loud enough to raise the dead!’
  • Loud Style-‘Now why in the world would her momma let her go out in that loud print? As pale as she is, she just can’t stand up to it- in fact, I’m not sure I know anybody who could wear loud prints effectively.’
  •  ‘That necktie the preacher had on was so loud, you couldn’t hear a blessed word he was sayin’. Bless his heart, his wife should’ve known better than to let him go shopping by himself.’
  • ‘The black dress was fine but those hot pink earbobs and matching high heels, well, it was a cryin’ shame- it was so loud it ruined the whole look. And the nerve…the nerve of her wearing her grandmother’s pearls with that outfit! Mattie Rae would roll over in her grave, if she could see it’. *The scarier version is ‘Mattie Rae’s is twirling in her grave!‘
  • Loud Odors- ‘Well, I guess we’ll know for a week that she cooked collards! The smell is so loud, somebody needs to crack the windows and doors open-now.’
  • ‘Now why, would anybody order those loud oriental lilies for a funeral blanket? By the time, the funeral parlor’s shut up all night, smellin’ up to high heavens. For a solemn occasion it’s roses, those lilies are so loud they just ruin the whole effect.’
  • ‘Honestly, we couldn’t taste the food for those loud cinnamon red hot candles she had burning, right smack dab in the middle of the table!’
  •  ‘If she keeps wearing that loud perfume, she’ll be sending the wrong signals- only a gardenia bush full of blooms or a streetwalker smells that loud.’ collage of fragrances

Since fragrance is one of my specialities- Let me help you out a little bit here… I worked for some of the finest fragrance companies in the world, Oscar de la Renta, Chanel, L’air du Temps, Bvlgari,Tiffany, YSL and more…  I worked for European fragrance lines, which still use real flowers and essential oils for the basis of their perfumes. Americans engineer synthetic fragrances so well you can barely tell the difference except for how it reacts on human skin.  Since I reeked of fragrance by the time I came home from work- I developed sensitivities to fragrance and hardly ever wear it except on special occasions, which I have come to believe is the appropriate use of perfume. Women no longer ‘layer’ their fragrance and shouldn’t…with powder, lotion and spray. Here is what most women want to know…how do I know which fragrance is right for me? First, my responses will be for European fragrances, the rules are unclear on synthetics.

  • First when choosing a fragrance you must understand that your nose cannot process more than 3 fragrances at a time. You can clear the nose by deeply sniffing coffee beans.
  • The best and most effective way to choose European fragrances is by your skin tone.
  • The rule is: the darker the skintone- the darker the color of the fragrance (in the bottle) you will be able to wear, without it getting too ‘loud‘.
  •  If you are very fair skinned and get ‘pink’ in the sun- go for a fragrance that is almost clear in the bottle. If you really love a fragrance that is darker than clear…do not buy perfume or parfum
  • For a lighter version of a fragrance you love, buy the eau de toilette or the even lighter cologne, each one has a descending amount of the actual perfume in it.
  • For an even lighter fragrance consider body crème, lotion or even soap.
  • The best perfumes have a top note, a middle note, this is the heart of the perfume and a base note– which has the most irritants in it.
  •  A perfume that smells good in the bottle reacts with the skin’s natural oils and will definitely smell different as body heat distributes the fragrance and causes the fragrance to bloom– or get ‘loud‘.
  • Buy the smallest version of fragrance available- European fragrances are perishable.
  • Store your fragrance in a dark cool place to extend the oils and the shelf life.
  • Speaking of shelf life- as you age, your skin is more delicate and thins out- you may need to adjust the strength of your fragrance or even consider a change. This is also true at various life stages – expectant mothers or change of life etc…
  • Know what you are allergic to! If you have seasonal allergies in the spring- florals may set you off, if you are allergic to live Christmas trees- fragrances with cedar, pine, bark or wood resins may not be for you, the same is true if you have allergies in the autumn- scents with patchouli (moss) or various leaves which we associate with fungus. Citrus scents are the least allergen producing. Allergens will usually be found in the base notes and will be listed on the box.
  • And if you cannot wear fragrance at all? One of my all time favorite scents is Jergen’s Lotion!  Just for heaven’s sake…don’t go cheap and don’t get loud!

Love y’all, Camellia

P.S. I met Oscar de la Renta once, he told me he loved Southern women because they are not afraid to be feminine! Gotta love a man like that! He walked around his mother’s garden in Santa Domingo and picked a bouquet of flowers and herbs – which became the classic Oscar de la Renta fragrance!

Posted on by Camellia's Cottage · 18 Comments

Marching Southerners…

For the Love of the Game-

“In a region where fans bleed their team’s colors- fall’s favorite game still takes our breath away. I know why I love it. It goes back to nights in Paul Snow Stadium, when the Fighting Gamecocks of Jacksonville State whipped Troy…We never looked away at halftime. With a great pounding of drums and sounding of brass, the Marching Southerners, in perfect step, would sweep onto the grass. They played music from our history…And the beautiful Marching Ballerinas, in red velvet, kicked those white boots high in the air. Why do we love football? How could we not?” Rick Bragg, Alabama author

In Alabama, football season is sacriligious-ly sacred. It is considered tacky and  inconsiderate, to get married during football season. If you feel you must ‘fly away’ – please stay on life support until after football season, otherwise please note: funerals can be delayed so as not to inconvenience football fans. If a southern lady is in the family way and told her due date coincides with football season, the gynecologist is made to understand that labor must be induced well ahead of the tailgate party. That’s just the way it is.

We teach our children to speak softly and courteously with one exception: ‘You can yell your heart out at football games!‘ In Alabama, our children know how important the Iron Bowl is and you won’t find it in the china cabinet!  We expect our children from infancy to love football, watch football and participate in football- whether it is on the field, on the sidelines or in the stands- and by that I mean:

  • Play Football, be a trainer or be a water boy
  • Be a cheerleader or in a pep squad
  • Participate in a Marching Band!

Everyone knows Alabama’s football teams spawn Heisman Trophy Winners and National Championships! But did you know that the ‘Best Band in America’ is right here in Alabama? Yes, it is. The band became famous on it’s own, then Alabama writer Rick Bragg extolled the JSU Marching Southerners in his book- ‘It’s All Over but the Shouting’ and continues to do so as a columnist for Southern Living Magazine. If you don’t think Jacksonville State’s football program- a recent National Football Champion in their division and the Marching Southerners are intertwined- just watch this:

I am a Marching Southerner parent- with 6 years of some of the most exciting performances I have ever seen on the field, at a Broadway Show or concert, I consider it to be a privilege beyond measure.  Even if the football team wasn’t winning- the Marching Southerners were! I was actually a band parent for 14 years- starting in junior high, high school and all the way through their college years. What marching band does for students is nothing short of amazing – they learn the life lessons of being on time, having your instrument and clothes in order, being prepared, working as a team, learning music– which will stay with them for a lifetime. Unlike sports, you don’t ‘age out’ as a musician. And- marching band students learn – Mathematics, Sociology, Foreign Languages, Physical Education and History! When my children were in high school, we first became acquainted with the power of the Marching Southerners at band festivals. The Southerners were the exhibition band- inspiring teenaged musicians to play and play well-watching stunning performances which were not half time shows! That’s what the Southerners do- their motto is ‘Changing lives one show at a time’. The current Director of Bands is Dr. Ken Bodiford, he started out at JSU playing a big tuba, called a 20J- these instruments weigh 55 pounds!droppedImage jsu 20j's

The drum line is legendary, and though never confirmed or denied, the movie, Drum Line- was reported to have used JSU Marching Southerners as one of their ‘reference’ bands! I could go on and on- the brass section, the clarinets, the Marching Ballerinas- all are precision based and these are the musicians and music educators of the future! Students from all over the region, the United States and beyond play for this marching band! The Marching Southerners will celebrate their 60th anniversary this year! So, to honor that and also to give you a wonderfully loud taste of the South- please watch as much as you dare of the 1999 Bands of America Grand Nationals performance- there are many more up to date- but only a few videos in which both of my beautiful daughters are on the field! Blow Southerners! Blow!  Love y’all, Camellia

 

Congratulations to Dr. Ken Bodiford, Director of Bands, JSU Marching Southerners on 23 years of directing the finest band program in America!

Rick Bragg Southern Journal – http://southernliving.com/community

‘All Over but the Shouting’ by Rick Bragg is available at Amazon.com and major booksellers

Southern Living magazine- http://southernliving.com

Drum Line- the movie is also available on Amazon.com

visit: http://www.marchingsoutherners.org

 

 

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Grits…

image

Grits. Simple. Unadorned. In the South, if you truly grew up here, there is a primal instinct to crave Grits. People don’t understand this outside of the region, in fact you may not even be able to find Grits on the grocery shelves in other regions of the country, much less the world. I have a friend whose daughter moved to Los Angeles a decade or so ago, who would whine so pitifully for grits that her mother bought and sent her a bag of grits from time to time. The same thing happened when a friend’s sister moved to New York around the same time frame- ‘Well, I guess she’s homesick, she wants me to send her a bag of grits.’ To be fair, some of the great chefs have taken a low class food like grits and have elevated them to a delicacy once known as breakfast grits for fishermen or laborers near the coastal areas of the south- to Shrimp and Grits, but if a poll were taken I would be willing to bet these same chefs in major cities outside of the South would never eat Grits for breakfast! In the South, field hands to fine gentlemen, get it- they want and expect Grits for breakfast! From nursery food, to sick beds, to hearty men’s breakfasts, and ladies brunches- you will always find Grits on the savory side of the menu, never the sweet.  I can’t say it any better than Alabama girls, Deborah Ford and Edie Hand in their ‘GRITS Handbook’ *-

‘Grits are eaten with butter, gravy or cheese- never sugar.’image

Y’all, trust me on this- true Southerners crave Grits from their bassinets to their deathbeds. Grits are the ultimate comfort food, considered a healing aid, a cure for the sick. I once heard my grandmother say, ‘I knew he was real sick, when he turned his nose up at a bowl of grits.’  Grits are like kinfolks, we sometimes take them for granted, they are the unsung companion to many a fine meal. Grits are the big-hearted, open-to-embellishment relative at the Southern table, it accepts additions graciously- butter, cheese, shrimp, crumbled sausage and bacon, even eggs have been poached in Grits’ Casseroles. Just remember, never sugar. There is a limit to even the most generous among us! You will never find Grits on a dessert table so why would you even think of adding sugar?  We southerners love our food, we talk about it- we pass recipes down and around; what we may have lacked in fortunes, was more than made up for on food laden tables, generously shared, eaten heartily without shame or daintily with lively conversation. Even when we’re eating out, someone will say ‘Here, try this’ – to say ‘No’ –is out of the equation you will just hear- ‘Really, you have to try this.’- as we put at least one bite over on the loved one’s plate. We can get downright biblical about food– someone once asked, ‘How many people will that pot of grits feed?’ The answer? ‘Oh honey, multitudes.’ Grits have served multitudes, down through Southern history- using the basic elements of fire, water, salt and that most ancient food- Corn. image

In my southern childhood innocence, there was no doubt Goldilocks interrupted the Three Bears’ breakfast of Grits, not porridge! Southern women have a distinct, almost unnatural fascination with ancestral food, like Grits. We rely on family recipes, our grandmothers’ ancient potions and mysterious cures. When prescriptions or modern medicine fail us- we offer Grits as part of a curative white diet, along with chicken broth, weak tea, ginger ale, soda crackers, rice, dry toast,mashed potatoes and scraped apple.image

When we cook Grits, we are communing with our ancestors; even when I am alone in my kitchen- the mothers, aunts and grandmothers are with me- informing me. Like taking care of a family- Grits have to be watched, tended to, kept moving- stirred gently with a languid patience, especially when they are absorbing the hot water of life. You learn to swirl the Grits into water that is at a rolling boil, then bring them down to a soft bubble- never stepping away from the simmer, taking the time to get it right, gently adding a bit of cool water if they start to thicken too soon- bring them to just the right consistency, turning off the flame, adding a bit of butter for richness; then covering with a lid almost like tucking them under a quilt. You learn this when you’re the cook, when you’re the nourishing caretaker of a husband, of a family or a community. You learn how much effort it takes to get it right, just from making a pot of Grits. The humble bowl of Grits-is proof that whether in a rundown shack, a double wide trailer, a lake house, a high rise beach condo or a country club- in the South we are all linked by a simple warm bowl of Grits.

You either like them or you don’t- but you can’t deny the allure of Grits- the generous big hearted food of the South is what culinary dreams are made of- in fact, I’m dreaming of having a Build Your Own Shrimp and Grits Party! We’ll top it with spicy shrimp, cheese, crumbled bacon, ham or Andouille  sausage- maybe some red eye gravy,  fried okra, bell peppers, finely diced purple onion and red tomatoes …what else? Well, my grits are getting cold…

Love y’all, Camellia

*quote from The Grits (Girls Raised in the South) Guide to Life by Deborah Ford with Edie Hand Product Details

Posted on by Camellia's Cottage · 31 Comments

Music City Guitars!

IMG_1191We’ve travelled a good bit in the last few months- in the Spring we flew Northeast to New York City, always a feast for the senses-to spend time with our friends, the Jacobs family was a real treat of the very best kind! Then we went way down as far as you can go- to our own beloved Orange Beach, right here in Alabama- white sugar sands and ate Alabama Seafood! Then Southwest to Santa Fe New Mexico, for a family vacation- a feast for the soul! Then to the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society in Music City- Nashville Tennessee, with so many musicians- was just icing on the cake! I shared some of the sights and sounds with you-truly thought I was done with personal travel blogging for awhile… then I found a sugary marvel on Twitter- made by Southern Girl Desserts @dessertdivas! It was like a sign… I knew I needed to share some of the ‘real’ guitars along with it! Let’s have our dessert first! Southern Girls Desserts made a cake in the shape of a Gretsch® White Falcon Guitar! guitar cake

Can you believe that is a real cake?? Look at the real Gretsch® Guitars…

Southern Girls Desserts White Falcon looks like the real guitars! And here are some folks who knew how to play Gretsch® Guitars!

Then there was Fred Gretsch, fourth generation of the family who began making Gretsch® Guitars in the late 1880’s in Brooklyn, New York! I wanted to take Fred Gretsch’s photograph, but Fred set up a photo shoot himself- I told him my husband has a Gretsch® Orange- Country Gentleman, not the White Falcon. Fred Gretsch positioned a chair for me to sit in with him standing behind me! I was nervous as a cat! I sat down, and over my shoulder I could feel Fred lifting a guitar over me and sitting it just perfectly in my lap! These are expensive guitars! I have never even taken my husband’s out of the case! I should explain- I love music…however, I cannot carry a tune in a bucket, I cannot play a note, fret a chord, much less play fingerstyle guitar! And there I am with Famous Fred, holding a Country Gentleman in a room full of people…Okay y’all, here is the deal…my talent is- I am what every performer needs…A. Good. Audience! I have putting my hands together and clapping like an idiot down pat! Take a look at Fred’s photoshoot…

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That is a look of shock, thrill and horror on my face; my heart was fluttering  inside that blue bandana print dress! And Fred Gretsch is looking adorable, pleased with himself– don’t you think?? He gave this ol’ gal the thrill of a lifetime! And that’s not the end of it…I posted this photograph on Instagram not Twitter…expecting basically my personal friends to see it- then up popped a tweet- ‘Looks good on you’ from the Gretsch®Guitar’s Twitter account! I almost went out of my mind with excitement! I’m not used to this sort of thing! Whew… I hope you will enjoy a few more photos of the CAAS in Nashville- New York handmade DiAngelico Guitars and Australian Maton Handmade Guitars in addition to Gruhn and Wallace Guitar Sellers… had a wonderful presence there, along with some of the guitarists who play them- Tommy Emmanuel, for instance plays Maton Guitars.  We thoroughly enjoyed his music and visiting with him briefly.

A big thank you to Fred Gretsch and to Southern Girl Desserts for inspiring this post!! Go visit their sites, they are amazing! I’m going to settle down and listen Chet Atkins, you’re welcome to join me! Mr. Sandman on a Gretsch Orange Guitar!

Love y’all, Camellia

Southern Girl Desserts  Gretsch Guitars   Maton Handmade Guitars   Alabama Seafood