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Happy New Year

12/30/2014

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Here in the South, we have a lot of holiday traditions, most of them revolving around food. New Year’s is no exception. While many folks are contemplating how they can lose weight, exercise more, be more organized, and other resolutions, we are more focused on what we are going to eat!

New Year’s menus vary among households, but most include black-eyed peas, greens, pork, and cornbread. According to tradition, this meal brings luck, prosperity, and health in the coming year. Some say that the black-eyed peas represent coins, the greens represent paper money, and the cornbread represents gold. Others say the peas  are for luck, apparently because General Sherman’s troops left behind the black-eyed peas since they were considered animal food; Confederate families felt lucky to have food to sustain them through the winter. This leaves the pork, usually hog jowl, for health - not sure where that idea came from!

Whether we ate at home or my grandparents’ house, my mother and grandmother made sure to have all the components for a lucky New Year’s Day dinner (or lunch for you Northerners). I didn’t bother to learn how to cook such things as a teenager or in my early twenties. So, you can imagine my first New Year’s Day as a recently-married 22-year-old. I had no idea where to even begin! Instead of attempting to cook everything in our 700-square foot box of an apartment (of which, about 50 was the kitchen), my dear husband and I went to a restaurant called “Po’ Folks” - fitting, right? We ate our New Year’s lunch in disappointed, depressed, and embarrassed silence. Oh, how we wished we could just go home!

Although the New Year’s meal is very traditional, there are plenty of ways to creatively serve it. I am a much better cook now, even though I don’t cook greens - I don’t care for them or the smell of them boiling - I leave that process to my father-in-law. Instead of boiling mustard or collard greens, I like to sauté kale or spinach with garlic and bacon. I have served black-eyed peas as a salad or dip (called Texas Caviar). My boys and I love our black-eyed peas over white rice, called hoppin’ john. Some people even serve stewed tomatoes and okra with their hoppin’ john. When it comes to fashion, my husband is a simple man, but he certainly enjoys accessorizing his food: relish on his peas, pepper sauce on his greens, butter on his cornbread, honey or jam on his biscuits, etc. I try to be sure to have all the necessary accoutrements for such a meal. I can honestly say I have never cooked hog jowl (even my southern ways have their limits), but there is nothing like a spiral-sliced honey ham or stuffed pork loin.  

Whatever you do, just be sure to have family and friends there to share it with you! May you and yours be blessed with health, prosperity, and good luck in 2015. Happy New Year!

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Christmas Pajamas

12/24/2014

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I grew up in a house with four giggly girls, plus a couple more siblings who visited at various times throughout the year. I had a happy childhood, partly because I was the baby of the family, and everyone looked out for me. Many of my childhood memories center around the holidays and time spent with my family. We had a few traditions that really made Christmas special. 

A week or two before Christmas, my father would take us to Belk’s in Cordele, which was about 45 minutes away, to choose Christmas gifts for my mother from him. We usually picked out an outfit, complete with shoes and jewelry, and he always picked out a bottle of perfume, usually by Estee Lauder. We would take everything to be gift-wrapped in paper chosen by my sisters and me. When we arrived home, we would place those beautiful packages under the Christmas tree to wait until Christmas morning. Mama usually wore her new outfit on Christmas Day, or to church the following Sunday. Either way, she would spritz her perfume on her wrist and neck as soon as she opened the bottle. 

December 23 was my Grandma and Granddaddy Tucker’s anniversary, so we would celebrate Christmas with the Tuckers on that evening. Grandma would always have a feast of seafood, including oyster dressing, fried and boiled shrimp, scallops, hushpuppies, and all the fixings. Great-grandma Tucker presented each of the great-grandchildren with $1 bills - nearly a fortune for her. I didn’t appreciate her sacrifice enough as a child, or the fact that I had a living great-grandparent. 

On Christmas Eve, my sisters and I would open gifts of new pajamas from our parents. I don’t remember many of the pajamas, but one year the four of us received matching candy-cane striped footie pajamas in four different colors! I think the idea was for us to have cute pjs for cute Christmas morning pictures, but that doesn’t help with bedhead or ridiculously huge glasses! My sisters and I love this tradition so much, we are continuing to do it with our own children.
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Christmas Day meant Nanny and Papa’s for lunch. It was difficult to leave all that Santa had brought, but the chance to visit with aunts, uncles, and cousins, as well as the abundance of delicious food made it a little easier. As a child, I knew all the adults enjoyed “Christmas punch,” but I was in college before I knew it was actually “hunch punch”! After lunch, more gifts were passed out - between 4 grown children, their spouses, and their 13 grandchildren (plus all the strays who showed up!) - there would be a lot of wrapping paper strewn about. Rather than just gathering it all up in garbage bags, someone would ball up piece and throw it at an uncle or cousin, thus beginning the Annual Christmas Wrapping Paper War! My favorite memory of my Papa is of him wadding up a ball of wrapping paper and spitting into it before throwing it across the room!

I love having such wonderful Christmas memories. Celebrating with family during the holidays makes the time so special. I am grateful for the family I grew up with and the family I am building now; for the memories I have and for the memories I am creating. We would love to hear your favorite Christmas traditions and memories!

-Jorjanne
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So you think you don't like Fruitcake?

12/18/2014

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Fruitcake is a strange and wonderful mystery - a concoction of candied fruit and nuts, usually bound together with brandy or rum. Some, delightfully sweet and moist; others, dry and difficult to choke down. I have never been much of a fan of traditional fruitcake, but I enjoy both my father-in-law’s fruitcake cookies and my mother’s icebox fruitcake. Maybe you’re not a fan of fruitcake either, but I hope you will try one or both of these recipes!

My father-in-law makes fruitcake cookies every year leading up to Christmas. Although one batch makes about 8 dozen cookies, he makes multiple batches because he receives requests from so many people! My mother-in-law does all the chopping ahead of time to make the process much quicker. Don’t be afraid to use clean hands to do the mixing in this recipe!

Gary’s Fruitcake Cookies

16 oz candied pineapple
16 oz candied cherries (use red & green, if available)
7 cups chopped pecans
16 oz chopped dates
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk


Coarsely chop candied pineapple and cherries. Add pecans and dates.

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Sift together flour, cinnamon, and baking soda. Add to fruit and nut mixture. Mix flour mixture to cover fruit and nuts. 
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Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and milk. Mixture will be lumpy. Add to flour, fruit, and nut mixture. It will not look like there are enough wet ingredients, but keep mixing together.  Use a scoop or drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. 
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Bake at 300° for 30-40 minutes. Cookies will be crispy at first, but will soften if kept in an airtight container.
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Enjoy!
Click below for a printable version of this recipe.
garys_fruitcake_cookies.pdf
File Size: 137 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


My mother’s icebox fruitcake is really not much of a cake - no flour, no baking.  It is simple to make, but quite messy to mix up with your hands. If
you’re okay with it, this is a fun recipe to make with kids. If not, don’t even mention it to them!

Pat’s Icebox Fruitcake

1-2 boxes vanilla wafers
1-2 cans evaporated milk
1 jar red cherries
1 jar green cherries
1 quart chopped pecans
1 box raisins
(Optional: mini marshmallows)


Pour milk over wafers in a large bowl. Let stand a few minutes to allow wafers to soak up milk. Mix by hand until all wafers are crumbled.
Add cherries, pecans, raisins, and marshmallows (if desired). Adjust amounts as needed. The mix should be very thick and firm, not soupy at all.
Shape into loaves. Wrap in wax or freezer paper, then in foil or plastic wrap. Store in refrigerator.


Enjoy!
Click below for a printable version of this recipe.

pats_ice_box_fruitcake.pdf
File Size: 134 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

- Jorjanne
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Cookies aren't just for Santa Printable Tags

12/15/2014

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If you'd like to put together your very own cookie bags or boxes, we'd love to share our Cookies aren't just for Santa tags with you! We created these cute and clever tags for our signature cookie boxes (as you may have seen in our last blog entry).  We hope you'll print and use them to dress up your treats this year!  Merry Christmas!
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cookietagprintable.pdf
File Size: 8100 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Don't have time to get crafty?  Purchase our Cookie Box Kits HERE!
- Tara
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Cookies aren't just for Santa

12/12/2014

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I know it is difficult to find the time to make homemade gifts. That is why we have put together our Cookie Box Kits! You can purchase our kits to fill with your own cookies. Whether the cookies are homemade or not, is up to you! Even if you use store-bought cookies or slice and bake the roll of cookie dough from the refrigerator section, the presentation of the box wrapped with baker’s twine and the tag that says “Cookies aren’t just for Santa” will elicit oohs and ahhs from the person receiving your gift.
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You know how there are some people you just don’t know what to give for Christmas? Nothing really big, just a small token to show your gratitude and remembrance of them during the holiday season. Teachers, coaches, co-workers, hairdressers, postal workers, etc., work hard to serve you and your family throughout the year. Maybe you’d like to show your appreciation with a gift, but what do you give them?

What I have found to be the perfect gift for these people is something consumable that will not clutter their home or office or have to be dusted, causing more work. Most folks also love to receive homemade goodies, which shows thoughtfulness and a personal touch, even to those you may not know so well. Faces always light up at the sight of cute little boxes filled with cookies, tied up with adorable gift tags. 
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Click HERE to purchase a kit!

I like to put 2-3 cookies of 2-3 different types in each box. They look so cute stacked together, and with a variety, you are sure to have at least one of their favorites. Stick with traditional cookies, like chocolate chip or peanut butter, but be sure to have a showy cookie on top, like sugar or thumbprint cookies.

Depending on the size of the cookies, you can fit 6-8 in a box. Sometimes, I use tissue or wax paper to fill in the empty space behind the cookies to be sure you can see them all through the little window of the box.

To me, there is nothing more satisfying than finding the perfect gift for someone and seeing their reaction upon receiving it - except maybe cooking for someone and watching them enjoy the food I’ve prepared. Giving cookie boxes does both! I hope you enjoy preparing and giving cookie boxes as much as I do!

If you do choose to bake your own cookies, here’s one of my favorite recipes:


Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease baking sheets.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, beating to combine. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until combined. Add oats, white chocolate chips, and cranberries, beating until combined. Scoop or drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.


**A great tip: If you want to make this cookie dough ahead of time, scoop the batter onto a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Place baking sheet in the freezer overnight. Remove the frozen scoops of dough and store in freezer bags until ready to bake.
Enjoy!

Click below for a printable version of this recipe!
cranberry_cookies.pdf
File Size: 138 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

- Jorjanne
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A Vintage Christmas

12/5/2014

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While rummaging through my grandparents' barn last November, I found a long and skinny box busting at the seams with a sparkly something. Intrigued, I pulled the box out from under other various boxes to examine its contents. What I found was almost like a time capsule of joy.

Just two months before, my Nana’s husband of almost 60 years passed away. He was a precious, patient, honest and loving soul. Needless to say, my Nana was in no mood for Christmas. What I found, however, would change that.

I carried the box inside my Nana’s house, emptied its contents on the floor, and started putting together a 50 year old aluminum Christmas tree. My Nana lit up as she told stories of Christmas past sitting around that tree as a family. This was what her soul needed. She was being invited to reach back into those forgotten memories and feel those feelings of completeness again. What she now knew was that those memories would always be there--she could always feel complete.
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That year we had a vintage Christmas, reminiscing and celebrating the things of the past. It was tough upholding family traditions without our Papa there, but it was almost just as sweet looking at that tree and celebrating all those years we spent Christmas with him.

-Tara
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Click here to shop for vintage items of your own!
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