I couldn’t resist passing this along again! Now, I know there are some wonderful fathers and others who have taken the time to be wonderful role models for our children! Would love to hear about them! You’ve got to know by now, I love a good story! Wishing all the significant men in our lives a very Happy Father’s Day! Love y’all, Camellia
This is one of my favorite ‘Southern Daddy’ photos- the man is not the daddy, he is the great uncle admiring his great niece! This child is dearly loved, has wonderful parents and all manner of loving kinfolk . The reason I love this photograph is- the man’s expression tickles me…the way he is holding the child makes me smile. There are all kinds of Southern Daddies… fathers, uncles, grandfathers, stepfathers, adoptive fathers, and ‘friends who are the fathers we choose for ourselves’ – men who choose to step in when other men can’t or won’t. On Father’s Day, it is important to recognize that everyone does not have a father- a birth father, who chose to be involved and be a good influence in the life of a child.
The man you see in the photo- presided over 1000’s of adoptions in his tenure as Judge of Probate. The old name was ‘The…
View original post 235 more words
Unless you were raised in a thicket of Loblolly pines by a passel of possums- as a Southerner you’ve eaten your fair share of casseroles. I cannot recall the first time I tasted a casserole, though I do recall the first time I ever watched a casserole being made. I was about four years old, our neighbor cooked for her aging mother on Fridays- she let me ‘help‘. My feet didn’t reach the floor of her kitchen table- yet we always started the morning drinking a cup of coffee- yes, you read that right. My coffee was full of cream and sugar- which to this day I would rather prefer to drink black! Still. I was polite and didn’t make a fuss because when the cooking got under way…well, it was an amazing thing to watch. Her kitchen was fully equipped. Her freezer held an enormous amount of fruits and vegetables she had put up in containers right beside those aluminum ice cube trays that had a lever to release the ice. Miss Margaret, also had a pantry lined with lacy paper edging the shelves- there were rows and rows of pickles, preserves and an enormous amount of canning jars full of tomatoes and other fine things. Her living room might have been filled with doodads, even a Kewpie Doll her husband won for her at the county fair, an upright piano with a crocheted scarf across the top with even more doodads- but her kitchen ran like a well oiled machine. When Margaret was making a casserole, I remember how much I liked the word, I even said it under my breath until I could pronounce casserole just like she did. From then on, my ears perked up when I heard the word and saw an oven proof baking dish. Did I make a lot of them as a kid. Not really, but as an adult, I’ve made my share and eaten even more.
Folks will be grinning like a passel of possums when they see a Summer Squash Casserole! I suspect Southern Casseroles will be around for as long as folks like to gather for Sunday Dinners, Reunions, Decoration Days, Homecomings or Homegoings! Bless the cooks who bring casseroles! And as always…
Pickling is certainly not new, it’s hard to even figure out the origins of pickling and preserving for it seems humans have been trying to preserve their food …well forever. Maybe. Some of the finest pickles I have ever eaten aren’t Southern at all, though my first taste of them might have been. Long gone, Browdy’s Delicatessen in Mountain Brook, Alabama gave me my first taste of a real Kosher pickle- cucumber and green tomatoes were pickled with such skill that I can still recall how wonderful they were… Carnegie and Katz’ Delis in New York City came close though. Still. What is unique to Southern Picklin’ isn’t about how to pickle but what we pickle in the South. Everything you see on this plate, for instance can and has been pickled!
It’s not unusual to see this type of pickle on our favorite vegetable or lunch plates- even a Bloody Mary with a pickled green bean, a large shrimp, pickled okra, brown sugar bacon and a hot pepper is a simply gorgeous drink- spiked or not! So refreshing with spicy tomato juice, a generous amount of lemon juice and rimmed with salt! Probably our all time favorite refrigerator pickle here at Camellia’s Cottage is Pickled Beets! Almost no cooking at all. A variation is made with the addition of fresh cucumber slices, the flavor is subtly changed, but is just as delicious. Here’s how to make:
Camellia’s Pickled Beets 
I’ve put this off for 7 years. I don’t believe in jumping in headfirst. I stuck my toe in the water yesterday- it’s almost Open Toe Season in Alabama- I went and got a pedicure, with red polish- of course. The classic summer toenail color in the South is red, I chose ‘Big Apple’ because truth be told I’d rather be headed to New York City than on a Beach trip where I’ll actually be expected to go in the water. Oh lord, those are scary words. Shopping for a Bathing Suit is painful, especially for a woman of a certain age and stature. My whole demeanor, posture and bearing change in a dressing room full of bathing suits. Let me make this clear- I live in Alabama, her coastline is one of the most beautiful in all the world- I’ve been going to the beach since I was a child and love it.
Weddings have always been a big deal in the South, so you have to know Southern Mothers are reading everything they can get their hands on about the Royal Wedding…You see, we crown our daughters for everything known to man. It’s that royalty thing, I guess…
I have not read one word about the royal bride’s going away outfit! Why would any bride in her right mind give up an excuse to have another outfit? Are Going Away Outfits out of style? Surely not! If there’s no Going Away Outfit to round out the write up in the paper… ‘The Bride and Groom have planned a honeymoon to Chattanooga.. ( Atlanta, New Orleans or Jekyl Island). The bride wore a worsted wool suit that matched her bridesmaids dresses, the groom wore… after their honeymoon, the happy couple plans to make their home in…’ Do you see what I’m talking about? With no Going Away Outfit, there isn’t a decent way to end the write-up in the newspaper! Whatever happened to good write-ups anyway?
She married in mid March, so she wouldn’t graduate before her wedding- now, really can you imagine, planning a wedding and making the outfit and all of the rest of it? A dear friend and member of the wedding party, found the perfect two tone leather shoes to match at Kessler’s in downtown Birmingham. Ultimately, she had an orchid corsage and matching handbag to boot! She blushingly recalls that her wedding night peignoir set was white- okay, what other color would it be? So was mine! High neck, lace insertion- literally the whole nine yards…but I’m getting off on a tangent. Another friend married close to Valentine’s Day so her Going Away Outfit was American Beauty Red, she’s been married 35 years and still has her Going Away Outfit- okay…not the skirt but the jacket! The other smiling bride wore a medium green linen suit, while her new husband was decked out in striped shirt and casual pants! Now, why, may you ask was this Going Away Outfit considered necessary?
The bride has been trussed up in her wedding gown…endured photographs, the receiving line, the reception- perhaps the toasts, the cutting of the cake, the first dance and made the rounds to meet and greet the guests.
A box of wedding cake, cheese straws and toasted pecans is handed through the window. The happy couple smiles for one last photograph. Etiquette dictates the guests should stay until the couple leaves for their honeymoon… Sighs are heard among the crowd… ‘I thought they’d never leave!’
