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Grandmothers' China

4/30/2015

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PictureJorjanne
Mother’s Day is just around the corner, which has me reminiscing about my grandmothers. (Stay tuned for memories of my mother!) I have been fortunate to have such strong and beautiful examples in my life as these women have been. 

I dearly loved my Granny Zorn, although I have been told she could be difficult to get along with because she was brutally honest.

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 I am pretty sure I was Granny’s favorite; whether that was because I was the youngest grandchild or because we both loved the color red, I don’t know. 
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Granny and her brother, Uncle Ab, lived together and would come over for dinner almost every evening. They were my babysitters when I was little, which was before the time of car seats. I remember sliding around on the big back seat of her big ol’ red car - told you she loved red! 

My Grandma Tucker always amazed me with her humility. She had very little and nothing was fancy in her home, but she shared everything she had.
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 You could never leave her home with an empty stomach or empty hands. She put up fruits and vegetables by freezing and canning all summer, just so she could put a jar of something in your hand as you walked out the door. 
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Her heart was abundantly full of grace and love, but she never realized just how great an example she was. At the time, I didn’t appreciate her sacrifice as much as I do now. She accepted me as her own, even though I was not biologically hers. Her son was my sisters’ father, but my mother remarried after his death, then had me. I never felt a difference in her love. I hoped that my children would get to know her as well, but she passed away when they were very young. 

Nanny (my mother’s mother) has always had a full table - both the food on it and the company sitting there!
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 She worked hard to have lunch prepared for my Papa, uncles, and all the men who worked on the farm. In the summer, you could also find my sisters, cousins, and me filling our plates. Even now, there is usually at least one “stray” in attendance for holiday meals - anyone is welcome to join us at any time. There is no need to worry about whether there will be enough; she hosts such a feast that all of our extended family takes home leftovers and there is still more! Although she is blind in one eye and can hardly see out of the other one, and we are up to about fifty in our family, she still has to fix everyone’s favorite dishes. We have tried to simplify, but she just can’t stand it. Her spirit of hospitality knows no bounds!

I have inherited sets of china from my grandmothers who have already passed away, and I love to host family gatherings using my grandmothers’ china mixed with my own Lenox Federal Platinum. It brings a touch of nostalgia that my guests can appreciate, while adding some whimsy to a formal place setting. 

You can achieve the same look with china, stemware, or silverware from your own family members, or even china found at thrift shops or yard sales. Choose patterns that have a similar color scheme or design and use solid-colored linens to show off the patterns on the china. This will give a playful but cohesive look, instead of appearing thrown together. 
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Mother’s Day is a perfect time to incorporate your mother or grandmother’s china with your own. Host a lunch to celebrate the women in your family or to honor the memory of those who have gone on. How sweet to reminisce together over a meal served on beautiful dishes belonging to beautiful women!
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Angel Biscuits

4/23/2015

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PictureTara
Biscuits and gravy, fried salmon and biscuits, biscuits and cane syrup...the list of love for biscuits goes on and on.  Perfecting the craft of biscuit making is an important step in becoming a southern cook--as you can see, my mom started teaching me at an early age.

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While working on my Granny Honey’s house (where I now live), I found an old newspaper clipping of a biscuit recipe taped inside a cabinet door.  I needed to refinish the outside of this cabinet door, but you better believe I did my best not disturb the clipping.
It is simple treasures like this that make my home come to life.   I have decided to share this treasure with you--I hope these biscuits are as sweet as an angel.
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Angel Biscuits
1 package dry yeast
1/4  c. warm water
2  1/2  c. flour
1/2  teaspoon baking soda
1  teaspoon baking powder
1  teaspoon salt
1/8  c. sugar
1/2  c. shortening
1  c. buttermilk

Dissolve the yeast in warm water and set aside.
Mix the dry ingredients in the order given, cutting in the shortening in as you would normally do for biscuits or pie dough.
Stir in the buttermilk, also the water-yeast mixture.
Blend thoroughly and the dough is ready to be refrigerated in a large covered bowl or made into biscuits.
When you are ready to bake the dough into biscuits, turn dough out onto a floured board and knead lightly as for regular biscuits.
Roll out and cut with a biscuit cutter and place in a greased pan.
Let the biscuits rise slightly (if the dough is cold, it will take a little longer for the dough to rise than when first mixed), and pop into a 400F oven until lightly browned.  
*helpful hint:  I used Rapid Rise dry yeast, so I followed the packet's instructions when it told me to add the yeast in with my dry ingredients rather than mixing with warm water.  
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For more biscuit love, check out Southern Biscuits by Nathalie Dupree.
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Last Minute Dishes

4/17/2015

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PictureJorjanne
Southerners love a gathering - whether it’s family, church, or community - people, food, and laughter will be involved! Holidays, church suppers, weddings, funerals, family reunions, any reason will do. In many cases, guests are expected to bring a “covered dish” (usually a casserole, side dish, or dessert). Sometimes, these events are unplanned or just slip up on me. In those moments of panic I stare in my pantry and refrigerator, wondering what I am going to fix. This has happened often enough to me that I now have a few items I always keep on hand.

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Photography by Clark Jones
  1. Frozen vegetables, cream soups (cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, cream of celery, etc.), sour cream, shredded cheese, and crackers - You can throw together almost any casserole with these items. Thaw your veggies, mix the can of soup, sour cream, cheese, and seasonings. Add chopped onion, celery, and/or carrots. Place filling in glass pyrex dish, top with crushed crackers, and bake! (Note: I have known my father-in-law to improvise with cheez-its or goldfish crackers in a pinch!)
  2. Canned beans and/or corn, rice or balsamic vinegar, olive oil - Drain the cans, add chopped onion, tomato, and/or bell (or jalapeño!) pepper, salt & pepper, herbs, oil, and vinegar. Instant salad!
  3. Deviled eggs are super easy to prepare, and go with almost any meal. Read this recent post for a traditional deviled egg recipe, or join The Southern Mercantile’s Recipe Club for delicious Blue Cheese and Bacon Deviled Eggs!
  4. Make a relish tray with sliced pepperoni or salami, rolled pieces of ham or turkey, pickles, pepperoncini or banana peppers, pickled okra, mixed olives, and sliced or cubed cheeses. Add crackers or toast points to the side or in a separate basket or tray, so they won’t get soggy.
  5. A box of brownie mix makes a simple start to a delicious dessert. Mix up the brownies as directed, then add chopped nuts, coconut, mini marshmallows, white chocolate or other flavor chips, even candies or chopped candy bars! Bake as directed, then enjoy the ooey-gooey goodness!
  6. You can never go wrong with a fruit or veggie tray. Just be sure to have the ingredients on hand for a simple dip to go with the healthy treats. I like to make a veggie dip using sour cream, mayo, and powdered Ranch dressing mix. My favorite fruit dip is cream cheese and marshmallow fluff.

Here’s hoping that the next time you find yourself wandering around your kitchen thinking, “What in the world am I going to take?” these tips will help you answer that question quickly!

Visit our Kitchen Category for great casserole dishes and cook books to go along with these great tips!
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Alder Street Renovation - The Floors

4/8/2015

9 Comments

 
PictureRoxie
After purchasing our “little” project the first step was to deal with the termite damage!  Our little jewel is totally wood, inside and out.  Ugh.  When we bought the house I knew there was damage, but like most projects, the more you rip out, the worse it gets!  I was on a very tight budget, so I feel very blessed to have found two super talented fellows that came every weekend for a year to work on the house.  I will never forget the Saturday that they called me at work to let me know that it was “worse than they thought”.  The kitchen floor was so rotten that it just started falling out when they started jacking up the house to replace the floor joist.  There were three layers of rotten floor, many years of just covering up the problem

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The next major problem was a rotten wall in the kitchen.  When we first looked at the house I wondered why one wall had the ugly 70's paneling. Surprise!  It was hiding a wall that was half eaten by termites!  This wall was one I had wished I could remove but didn’t want to go to the expense. Guess what? We took out the wall! One positive outcome to the termite damage: a beautiful open kitchen space. 
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The next problem to solve was finding an inexpensive flooring option for the kitchen, dining and living area.  I really wanted the look of an old farm house wooden floor but of course could not afford tongue and groove.  I decided to use 1 x 8 boards for the flooring, even though I was strongly encouraged not to by my local hardware store and my weekend warriors.  I decided to go with my gut (I am known to be a bit stubborn) and ordered all the wood from my local hardware store.  I must say that these floors turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the house.  This is a good lesson in why it is sometimes good to go with your gut and not listen to those that say “it can’t be done”! Kyle, one of my weekend warriors, did a beautiful job installing the boards for me.  I spent about $500.00 on materials and even had enough to put in the bathroom.  I think it turned out absolutely perfect!
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Since then, my guys admitted that it turned out much better than they thought it would.  The fellas from the hardware store have been over to check out my progress and also admit that the floor looks great, despite their initial concerns.  My little inexpensive flooring project has caused quite a stir!
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With a little sanding (o.k. maybe a lot of sanding), some stain, and help from good friends, my inexpensive floors are quite a masterpiece! 
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​Check out more Alder Street Renovation stories here!
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How To Create an Easter Table Arrangement

4/2/2015

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PictureRoxie
Easter is right around the corner and many of you will be entertaining family and guests in your home.  I thought it would be fun to share my tips with you on creating a beautiful centerpiece for your Easter table using things you can cut from your yard.
First you will need to gather some beauties from your yard.


You will need a small bucket with water and some garden snips.  It is best to harvest your clippings early in the morning or late in the evening.  Your flowers will hold up longer if you follow this tip, rather than cutting them in the warm afternoon sun.  If you don’t have many flowering plants in your yard, don’t worry!  Your arrangement can be just as pretty by using fresh greens and shrubs or by clipping from your dogwood trees!  For this arrangement I chose to use: Holly Fern, Spirea, Dogwood, Pittosporum, Japanese Magnolia and Loropetalum.
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 Keep in mind that things cut from your yard may not hold up as long as items that you order from a florist.  You may want to make your arrangement the night before or the morning of so that it is fresh.

Next, you can prepare your work space and gather your tools.  You will need: Floral Snips (I prefer a smaller pair of floral snips but you may need a pair of garden snips for your woodier materials), Scissors, a Knife, Oasis floral foam and Oasis tape (both of which can be purchased at your local craft supply store).   

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You can create your arrangement in any container that you like to use on your table.  Just keep in mind that you will want to keep your creation low enough to see over at the dinner table.  You also need it to hold water as you need to keep your flowers hydrated.  I keep a collection of vintage white containers available, just for purposes like this.
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You will need to soak your Oasis floral foam in water for several minutes so it has time to totally saturate with water.  When the foam is completely soaked, you can hold it up to your container to decide what size it needs to be.
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You want it to tightly fill the container; this will help your arrangement to be sturdier.  I always press my foam down slightly on the container to help me judge how much to cut off.   Press your foam firmly into your container.  The top of the oasis should be at least at the top of the container.  I like mine to stick up ½ inch to an inch above the container.  You will now need to secure your foam to your container using a little oasis tape.  Attach the tape to one side of the container and then pull it tightly over the foam and attach the rest of the tape to the other side of the container.  You don’t want the tape to be loose.
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I like to set parameters for the finished arrangement so I have some guidelines as I am working. I am making this arrangement for a long table so I am starting with the ends.   If you are making a centerpiece for a round or square table, you can make it the same length on all sides.  I hold up the greens to the container to judge how much of the stem I need to remove.
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Save the pieces you cut off because some of them may be suitable for filling in later. I filled in my first layer with the Holly Fern.  Next I used the Pittosporum to fill in the next layer. 
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Feel free to cut your larger branches of greens into smaller, more user-friendly pieces.  Strip the leaves and flowers off the ends of the stem to make it easier to stick in the foam. 
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You can see from the pictures that I just work my way around the arrangement with each layer to slowly fill in.
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I like to save the larger blooms for last, so I finished up with the Dogwood and the Japanese Magnolia.
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Don’t be afraid to move something that you have already placed; you may need to make a few adjustments as you go.  Keep working your way around and you will have a beautiful Easter arrangement in no time! 
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Want to dress your table up like this for your next special occasion?  Visit our Entertaining category to purchase your favorites!
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