The Southern Mercantile
  • Home
  • Getting Acquainted
    • OUR STORY
    • MEET OUR MAKERS
  • blog
  • Shop
  • Recipe Archive
  • Events

Don't Forget the Deviled Eggs!

3/31/2015

0 Comments

 
PictureJorjanne
Here in the South, no Easter meal is complete without deviled eggs. In fact, most meals are not complete without deviled eggs. And, they must be sprinkled with paprika. Growing up, I never saw my mother use paprika for anything other than to garnish deviled eggs and potato salad.

Although I am not much of a fan of deviled eggs - or eggs in general - somehow, I have become the official “deviled-egg maker” for Easter lunch at my grandmother’s. The first time I was asked to bring the deviled eggs, I had never actually made deviled eggs before. Since then, I have not only learned to make traditional deviled eggs, but also some delicious variations. I have even found a deviled egg recipe I like to eat - Blue Cheese and Bacon Deviled Eggs!

Picture
I have also discovered that some people are quite purists when it comes to their deviled eggs. “Why in the world would you put olives on a perfectly good deviled egg?” is a question I have actually had to answer. Alas, I now know to bring two plates of deviled eggs - with labels to warn my brother-in-law, among other purists.

Now I'll share with you my simple Southern classic recipe:
Traditional Southern Deviled Eggs
6 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
1/4 cup of mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons pickle relish
1 teaspoon yellow mustard

Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Scoop out yolks into a medium sized bowl. Use a fork to crumble and mash yolks. Add mayonnaise, pickle relish, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir together. Scoop yolk mixture into empty egg white halves. (For a prettier presentation, use a piping bag and star tip to pipe mixture into egg white halves.) Sprinkle paprika on top.



If the Blue Cheese and Bacon Deviled Eggs sound delicious to you, join our Recipe Club to receive that recipe card in your inbox!
Click HERE to join The Southern Mercantile Recipe Club!

If you are in need of a beautiful way to display your Deviled Eggs, we've got you covered!
Picture
Click HERE to purchase this fabulous egg plate!
0 Comments

Strawberry Pretzel

3/26/2015

5 Comments

 
One of the Cafe’s most-requested sides is our Strawberry Pretzel Salad. We send out many pans of this delicious salad around the holidays, particularly Easter. There’s just something about the sweet, creamy, salty combination that gets everyone excited!

The bottom layer of crushed pretzels, brown sugar, and butter bake together first. Feel free to release any pent-up aggression using a rolling pin to crush the pretzels in a plastic bag!
Picture

The middle layer of cream cheese and sugar are spread over the sweet-savory crust. I find it easier to spread by placing dollops all over the crust, then connecting them.
Picture
Picture
Picture
The last layer of frozen strawberries and strawberry gelatin are poured on top. 
Picture
Refrigerate overnight to allow the gelatin to set up. Serve as a side dish or dessert - or leave it up to your guests!

To receive this and other recipes as a free printable recipe card, sign up for The Southern Mercantile Recipe Club!
Picture
5 Comments

Alder Street Renovation

3/19/2015

1 Comment

 
PictureRoxie
My husband and I have taken on quite a project!  We bought a 980 square foot bungalow that is in desperate need of some tender loving care!  This home was built in the 1940’s and was a rental property owned and rented out by the owner of the local lumber mill.  There are many of these little mill houses around town, many beyond repair but for some, there is still hope and great potential.  This house also happens to be next door to my parents!

Picture
Picture
When I left Ocilla and headed for college I never dreamed I would find myself back here.  I really never dreamed I would own a business in a building that I helped to remodel in our tiny downtown.  
Picture
I never, ever thought I would live next door to my parents!  My parents bought the house I grew up in in 1977.  Their house was built in the nineteen teens and was a fabulous place to grow up.  It has a big front porch and a huge back yard.  My brother and I spent hours outside in our yard, but also roaming around the neighborhood.  When we were kids we rode our bikes all over town, met up with friends, and pretty much went wherever we wanted.  Our neighborhood is conveniently located just two blocks from downtown.   ​
Picture
​In more recent years our neighborhood has suffered.  The rental houses on our block have fallen into disrepair and with that have come less than desirable neighbors.  When the little house next to my parents came up for sale, my husband and I jumped at the chance to snatch it up.  Thus began a new life and a new vision for our street!  We rent a little house just around the corner from our new house, so it couldn't have worked out better for us to stay where we are while we take on this project.  We have been looking to buy a house for several years, but nothing ever seemed to line up and be the right opportunity at the right time.  Our town is very small, so I know this will sound silly, but I was really hoping to stay in the neighborhood I grew up in. For years I have felt a passion to stay there and to contribute rather than flee and let the homes fall apart.
Picture
Closing Day! Fun fact, my real estate agent once lived on alder street and gave me my first haircut!
Once our little purchase was official, my auntie decided she would like a little project of her own.  Until now she has divided her time between Tennessee, Colorado, and Texas.  She has joined us in our mission to change our neighborhood and purchased two little bungalows on the other side of my parents.  Not only are we thrilled that she will be spending more time with us, but we are so excited that the revitalization of our neighborhood continues! Things are looking up! 

I wanted to share these before pictures with you so you will be able to fully appreciate the magnitude of work it has required to save this house.  It has definitely a labor of love!  I can’t wait to share pictures of our progress and share my tips of how we managed such a big project on a small budget!
1 Comment

Book Wreath Tutorial

3/12/2015

2 Comments

 
While in the spirit, we're going to get a little creative with book pages!  Our friend, Melissa Dark, has a wonderful tutorial for making a book page wreath.  We asked if she would like to teach all of you, and she has graciously accepted!  Take it away, Melissa!
Picture
What's that?
You want to know how to make your own book wreath?
Well, let's do it!
Picture
First you will need a straw wreath form and burlap cut into approximately 2 inch strips. For a 24 inch wreath, you will need about a half yard of burlap.
Picture
Wrap the burlap strips around your wreath. Secure ends with hot glue or straight pins.
Picture
Next, you will need an old book. You could just as easily use a new book, but the yellowed pages of an old book give the wreath more interest. Carefully cut, or gently tear, the pages from the book.
Picture
Roll each page into a little scroll and secure with hot glue.
Picture
Tie each scroll with twine. I mostly tied singular scrolls, but I also tied a dozen or so multiple bundles (2 or 3 scrolls tied together). It will take about 75 scrolls to cover a wreath.
Picture
Use strait pins or hot glue to secure the scrolls to the wreath. Here's a helpful hint...I glued my multiple scroll bundles (2's and 3's) to the wreath first in even increments (think of a clock- tie bundles at 12, 3, 6, and 9) and then filled in between those.

Glue a small loop of twine to the back of the wreath as a hanger.

Hang. Enjoy. Admire.

- Melissa Dark
http://melissadark.blogspot.com/

2 Comments

Cold Sassy Tree

3/6/2015

3 Comments

 
PictureTara
I picked up this novel during finals week of my last semester in college.  I knew I’d be moving home in a couple of months, so this piece of nostalgic southern literature was just what I needed to remain sane during my last few tests.  I love reading a good book,  a happy book, a funny book, a book about love, a book about life--and that is just what I got.  I was taken back in time to a life that seemed simpler, but was it really?  This book was set in 1906, but no matter what year it is or what the newest technological advance is, the fundamental struggles of life seem to remain the same.  Life, death, faith, love, money--these things shape who we are and who we will become.  If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading this delightful novel, I won’t give too much away.  

The narrator of the story, Will Tweedy, is fourteen and he lives in Cold Sassy, Georgia. This town was modeled after Commerce, GA, as that is where the author, Olive Ann Burns’s father grew up and pulled colorful stories from. Will’s grandmother has just passed away and he finds himself dealing with death for the first time.  Will is especially close to his grandfather, Rucker Blakeslee, a confident man who teaches Will about the important things in life.  Adventures and heartbreaks during this pivotal time prove to be influential in who he will become. The ways of this silly, small, Southern town lighten the weight of the more dramatic parts of the story.  In Cold Sassy, gossip spreads like wildfire, age is not just a number, bright colors and bold prints are for floozies, and you should only socialize with your “own kind”.  Some things have changed over time, and sadly, some have not.  In the end, it’s the wisdom that pours out of Rucker’s mouth, the fun filled adventures of Will Tweedy, the importance of family and the emphasis on true love that make Cold Sassy Tree a book to remember.

I think this book had such an effect on me because of a few reasons 
other than my Southern roots. One month after moving home from Athens, my Papa passed away. 

Picture
 I was and still am very close to my Nana--much like Will Tweedy and Rucker Blakeslee.  My Nana has taught me many things over the years, but most importantly about my faith.  
Picture
This is one of my favorite quotes from the book (notice the language--the way in which you read this in your mind could be my favorite thing about this book):

“Well’m, faith ain’t no magic wand or money-back gar’ntee, either one. Hit’s jest a way a-livin’.  Hit means you don’t worry th’ew the days. Hit means you go’n be holdin’ on to God in good or bad times, and you accept whatever happens.  Hit means you respect life like it is--like God made it--even when it ain’t what you’d order from the wholesale house. Faith don’t mean the Lord is go’n make lions lay down with lambs jest cause you ast him to, or make fire not burn.”  -Rucker Blakeslee

Thanks to the words of Olive Ann Burns, Will Tweedy, Rucker Blakeslee, Miss Love and all the other characters of Cold Sassy Tree will forever hold a special place in my heart. Maybe they will in yours too.
3 Comments

The Help

3/4/2015

1 Comment

 
PictureJorjanne
One of my favorite books in recent years is The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Because I was raised in the South, I can relate to many of the stories told in this book. Like so many books about life in the South, racism is certainly a predominant theme, but this book is about so much more.

I relate so well to Skeeter Phelan, who publishes the stories of the black maids. She feels pulled in so many different directions - by her mother, her friends, and society, but also by her intellect, her ethics, and her love of her maid, Constantine. She feels trapped by the way things are supposed to be. Something inside her realizes that things could and should be different, both for herself and for the black maids she befriends.

Fortunately, my experience has been much more positive than what is portrayed inThe Help. James and Melvine (Mel-VINE-uh) Bryant were like grandparents to my husband, Chris, and his siblings growing up. In fact, they were given seats of honor along with our biological grandparents at our weddings!

Picture
There has always been a mutual respect between the two families. The Paulks were not only their employers, but also their friends. Countless times they would invite the whole family over for celebrations. Both families helped each other out in times of need. And, throughout the years, even more Bryant family members continued to work with the Paulks.

Melvine was the person who taught my father-in-law how to cook, and our family is grateful for that every Sunday! So many times, I have heard someone remark about a dish, “I just wish I could do it like Melvine!” She may have been “the help” to others, but to us, she was family, and an example to whom we should all aspire. I can still see her ironing clothes or standing at the stove, laughing at the silly antics of Chris, his brother, and their high school friends or watching Chris’s little sisters dance through the house or shaking her head at yet another one of Gary’s jokes. Those memories and more are so precious to us all.

Mr. James was in charge of the vending machines used by all the farm workers. As he grew older, Chris would drive him once a month to Sam’s Club to purchase all the snacks and drinks to fill the vending machines. Chris has such sweet memories of the fun they had and their talks on those trips. Mr. James passed away a few years ago, and he left those vending machines to Chris. At his funeral, the church was packed full of people - black and white, young and old - who came to pay their respects to a man whose life taught respect.

Skeeter’s love and devotion to Constantine resembles the love that the Paulk family continues to have for the Bryants. There is a connection between us all that rises above the color of our skin. Our families are intertwined because of our own history and positive experiences. And, for that, I am grateful.
1 Comment

To Kill a Mockingbird

3/2/2015

1 Comment

 
PictureRoxie
This week in honor of the NEA’s Read Across America program that is promoted nationwide, The Southern Merc girls thought it would be fun to highlight our favorite southern books by southern authors.  When we were all choosing which books we wanted to write about, I did not hesitate to choose “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee.  It not only is my favorite book by a southern Author, but it just might be my favorite book, period. 

I didn’t read “To Kill a Mockingbird” until I was out of college and had just moved back to my small hometown.  It’s one of those classics that I always felt I should read but since I never had to read it for school, it just hadn’t made it to the top of my list.  My brother, an avid reader and an overachiever when it came to knocking out classics, sent me a copy of the book as a birthday present with the sweetest inscription: “Hope this will always remind you of home.”  His words absolutely sum up my feelings about this book.  I poured through the pages and couldn’t get enough of Scout’s accounts of being a kid in her small southern town.  I was definitely able to identify with both Scout and Jem as their story reminded me so much of growing up with my brother in our small, southern town.

Picture
Yes, I do realize that “To Kill a Mockingbird” is so much more than a tale of two kids growing up in a small town.  The discussion of the social and political problems of racism, civil rights and women’s roles most certainly is what hits the hardest in this story, and unfortunately, while great improvements have been made, all are still relevant topics and problems today.   With that being said, there is something magical about growing up in a small, safe environment, where everybody knows everybody else.  Scout states that “Maycomb was a tired old town” where people moved slowly and took their time.  “There was no hurry for there was nowhere to go.” When reading this I instantly visualize the sidewalks of my own tired old town.  To me, this book is somehow a frozen time capsule of my own childhood memories.
Picture
When my brother and I were kids there literally was nowhere to go, except to ride our bikes to the gas station to buy a coke.   Our house was just two blocks from downtown so we were allowed to ride our bikes or roller skate wherever we wanted to go.  Jem and Scout had “summertime boundaries” that were in calling distance of their maid, Calpurnia.  Troy and I had similar boundaries, we had to be within whistle distance of my dad, and he has the loudest whistle of anyone I have ever heard.  I have tried and tried to replicate it but am afraid I do not possess that talent.  My friend’s dad owned an appliance store downtown and sometimes we would venture down there to claim a refrigerator box.  I would give anything to have a video of the three of us walking home with a box that was bigger than all of us put together! Those boxes provided hours and hours of backyard fun.  Life really did seem so simple then.  If we weren’t in school, we spent most of our time outside. We spent hours acting out dramatic scenarios, like escaping from an orphanage on a boat made of lawn chairs.  We made up our own games like obstacle kick ball and “Miss Geronimo”, a game we made up to play with our very energetic dog Neva. 
Picture
I could, and can still, relate to other things mentioned in the book, such as not really being “from” a place unless you have proof of many generations of ancestors there.  Or things like the mystery surrounding Boo Radley.  All small towns have their own version of Boo.  Folks just need something to talk about.  Mysterious secrets and rumors to keep the good townspeople entertained.  Harper Lee had such a brilliant idea, to tell the story of growing up in the south through the eyes of a child.  Though both the good and the bad aspects of growing up in a small, southern town are represented here, this book will forever remind me of being a child in a small town in South Georgia.  I have such happy memories of rambling around town with my brother.  Some days, how I long to go back to those simple times! 
1 Comment
    @thesouthernmerc



    Categories

    All
    Alder Street Renovation
    Beauty
    Beech St. Bungalow
    By Jorjanne
    By Roxie
    By Tara
    Childhood
    Christmas
    Curated Collection
    Decorating
    Easter
    Events
    Faith And Community
    Fall
    Family
    Free
    Gardening
    Getting Crafty
    Get Togethers
    Gift Ideas
    Meet Our Makers
    Organization
    Printable
    Recipes
    Renovations
    Showers
    Southern Summer
    Spring
    Style
    Thanksgiving
    Traditions
    Travel
    Tutorial
    Valentines Day
    Video Tutorial
    Wedding
    Words From Fellow Southerners

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

    Subscribe to our mailing list

    * indicates required



Home



About



Contact

Pinterest

instagram

Facebook

Picture
Copyright © 2015