December 2010

Volume 6 Issue 12

*** Random Thoughts

Every year I say this year I will not be rushed. I will not be stressed. I will enjoy the holiday season. I will bake cookies and I will sing Christmas carols and I will, by golly, enjoy it.

Being busy is part and parcel of the holiday season. I aim to be joyful and that usually works.


Failing that, I think about how some of the things I try to squeeze into Christmas I may can transfer to other times of year. Instead of trays of goodies for friends, maybe I’ll gift them with platters of chicken salad and pimento cheese this summer.

Here’s hoping we all can enjoy a quiet moment with family. Admire the tree. Sing “Joy to the World” and mean it. Eat well and laugh long.

Merry Christmas.

Best,
Keetha

You can follow my blogs! Just click “Follow This Blog” to sign up and you’ll receive alerts when new posts are up.


*** Great Quotes

“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.” - W. T. Ellis


*** Fun Food Ideas

Easy Side – Roasted Green Beans

Simple and tasty, Roasted Green Beans are the thing if you need a quick side dish.

Preheat the oven to about 400 degrees. Arrange fresh green beans (about one pound or so) in a single layer on a baking sheet. Top with a chopped onion, yellow or white, your choice. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Put in the oven and that's it! Stir a few times and let roast for 20 to 25 minutes.

Any leftovers can be folded into a pasta dish the next night.


**** Holiday Foods

If you need a gift for teachers or a hostess, something tasty from the kitchen is sure to be a hit.

Peanut Butter Fudge

3 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup (1/2 of a stick) of butter (do not substitute)
1 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
1 teaspoon vanilla
chopped peanuts (optional)

Lightly butter a 10 to 12” round dish and set aside.

Using a candy thermometer, cook sugar, buttermilk, and butter over medium heat until mixture reaches soft boil stage. Remove from heat and add the peanut butter and vanilla. Beat until the peanut butter is dissolved and mixture is slightly thick.

Pour into prepared dish. If you like you can sprinkle chopped peanuts and lightly press them down. Let set up and cut into squares.

http://kudzukitchen.blogspot.com/2008/12/peanut-butter-fudge-aka-best-easiest.html


*** More gift ideas from the kitchen

Some of the favorite presents I give are ones that come from the kitchen.

Two criteria: things that can be made ahead of time and things that are useful. Filling up the belly is useful, right?

-- Most everyone loves cookies. You can mix up a batch of your favorite cookie dough – sugar cookie dough, peanut butter cookie dough, Butterfinger candy bar cookie dough – and rather than baking the cookies, shape the cookie dough into a log shape. Wrap it in parchment paper or wax paper and label. If you want to, get creative with the label and have fun with it. Otherwise, neat print with a Sharpie marker works fine. Either way, the recipient will have a roll of cookie dough in the freezer, ready to slice and bake any time she gets a craving for warm, homemade cookies.

-- A batch of soup is also a great idea, because the giftee can eat it right away or can freeze it. Most soups (except cream-based ones) can be easily frozen. This is an ideal time of year to make chili or gumbo or beef stew anyway, so the next time you do, double the recipe and have enough for a gift or two.

Gumbo
You can label it with thawing and heating instructions. You could include bread (rolls, cornbread, garlic bread) for freezing along side it.

-- Toasted pecans are another welcome gift, and they are a snap to make. Toasting nuts – pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts – really brings out the flavor.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread out nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and dot with butter. Or you can melt butter and drizzle it on top – whichever you’d rather. You can lightly sprinkle nuts with salt, or leave it out. You can also sprinkle nuts with a bit of Cajun seasoning and a bit of dark brown sugar. Butter, salt, no salt, seasoned or not, slide the baking sheet in the oven and let nuts roast for about 10 minutes, stirring about halfway through. The minute you begin to smell the nuts toasting, take them out so they don’t scorch. Let cool completely. Pour them in a cellophane bag and tie with holiday ribbon. Attach a Christmas ornament if you want and you have a tasty hostess gift.



*** Hit the Highlights – a few choice posts from this month’s blog

We celebrate the holidays old school style
http://www.keetha.com/2010/11/opposite-of-fancy.html

My guest essay on the web site, Quest for Kindness:

Playing with watercolors

I love my little town.

Decked out.

I got in my car and drove over the Christmas gifts.





*** Shameless Bid for Commerce


I would very highly recommend "More Culinary Kudzu" to anybody who enjoys good food and good writing as well as to anybody who wants to find out more about the South. As for me, I only have one question left - how do I get invited to one of their family reunions?” – review by ReaderViews.com


*** Recommended Reading

A few weeks ago I read a collection of essays by Larry Brown, Billy Ray’s Farm: Essays from a Place Called Tula. What a great read. Two stories in, I was not believing – all over again – that Larry Brown is dead. Halfway through I began reading slower to draw out the essays.

All the books I read last month.


*** Adorable Thing My Child Said

He had a part in our church’s Christmas program. I watched him sing solo, I listened to him do the reading. He was self-assured and at ease. He didn’t seem to be nervous or teased to be in front of the entire church. The difference from last year is remarkable. Gulp. He’s growing up.


*** Mississippi Writers Guild

The Mississippi Writers Guild sponsors writer workshops, conferences, writer retreats and reputable writing contests. Membership dues are only $40.00 per year.

The Mississippi Writers Guild is a non-profit association of writers from all over the state and is a growing part of Mississippi’s literary art landscape.


*** Calendar

December 25th – Christmas

2010 © Pecan Street Press. All rights reserved.

November 2010

Volume 6 Issue 11

*** Random Thoughts

It’s unkind to play favorites but I think Thanksgiving may be my favorite holiday. For the longest Christmas was: time with family, Christmas carols, sugar cookies, the tree, the tradition, the food, and the Savior’s birth.

I still love Christmas. But as I get older, Thanksgiving has taken on more meaning. It’s a quieter holiday with such an earnest little purpose: to give thanks. I love that. I have more blessings than I could name. A day set aside to reflect on blessings and give thanks for them, that’s a good and wondrous thing.


From a more practical standpoint, Thanksgiving is hassle-free when compared to Christmas. It requires little decoration besides a pretty table. There is one day of cooking, one joyous day. It makes me appreciate the day more, having just the one to savor and celebrate.

Thanksgiving feels like a cozy, simple day. It puts me in mind of cozy houses perched on gentle hills with smoke rising from their chimneys, of men in warm caps running to the grocery store for one more can of pumpkin, of kitchens full of good smells and laughter.

Best,
Keetha

You can follow my blogs! Just click “Follow This Blog” to sign up and you’ll receive alerts when new posts are up.


*** Great Quotes

“Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life... a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year - and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God.” – Ray Stannard Baker

"A few days ago I walked along the edge of the lake and was treated to the crunch and rustle of leaves with each step I made. The acoustics of this season are different and all sounds, no matter how hushed, are as crisp as autumn air." - Eric Sloane


*** The Thanksgiving Table

The best turkey ever. I don’t mean to brag, but really, it is The Best Turkey Ever. We first made this last year for Thanksgiving. Two days later, my brother asked Jeffrey if he would roast another one for Christmas, and a tradition was born.

The recipe comes from the Food Network (Chef Alex and Aaron Sanchez made it). The brine includes honey, soy sauce, sage, molasses, and garlic. Besides brining, the recipe requires little else – just stuffing softened butter mixed with fresh lemon zest under the skin before roasting it.

Brown Sugar & Pecan Brussels Sprouts

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Praline Pumpkin Torte




Miniature Pumpkin Pies with Streusel Topping and Vanilla Buttercream



*** Weeknight Meals

Beef Ragu Over Spaghetti Squash

Loaded Alfredo, a healthy – really – and tasty version of the traditional favorite.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo



*** Hit the Highlights - a few choice blog posts from last month:

Meditation on morning coffee

Savor this time of year


I love the State Fair




Fall bridal shower



Freezer Reorganized




Finally, there’s this:



It’s a wonder that I’ve slept at all since then.



*** Shameless Bid for Commerce

“Keetha DePriest Reed's "More Culinary Kudzu: Recollections and Recipes from Growing Up Southern" is part cookbook, part collection of wonderful essays on food, family and growing up Southern and altogether great fun...


I would very highly recommend "More Culinary Kudzu" to anybody who enjoys good food and good writing as well as to anybody who wants to find out more about the South. As for me, I only have one question left - how do I get invited to one of their family reunions?” – review by ReaderViews.com


*** Recommended Reading


Tim Gautreaux’s “The Missing” is one of the finest novels I have read. A reviewer on Amazon said it best:

“... he takes us for a lengthy ride on a ramshackle entertainment steamboat, making music and discovering his personal depths as he searches for a stolen child and his long-lost family. From small children to rotting-alive villains, everyone is real; … This is, quite simply, as good as it gets when it comes to quality fiction.”



If you haven’t yet read “In the Sanctuary of Outcasts” by Neil White, probably you should. White taught a writing workshop I participated in this summer, when I picked up a copy. I started on it a couple of weeks ago and finished it within days.

From Booklist:
“White was a successful magazine publisher in 1993 when he was convicted of fraud and check kiting and sentenced to prison in Carville, Louisiana. He knew he was facing 18 months without his wife and two young children; he knew his enormous ego and ambition had landed him in prison; he knew he had to figure out a way to save his marriage and somehow rebound financially. What he didn’t know was that the isolated 100-year-old facility at Carville was home to a leper colony of 130 patients.”


Last month I read Ernest Hemingway’s “A Moveable Feast.” It’s a quick read with fascinating glances into 1920s Paris, as well as into the lives of the author as well as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, James Joyce.

Books I read last month are here.


*** Adorable Thing My Child Said

Him: Guess what?

Me: Chicken butt.

Him: MOM. That’s not even funny. Why do you think that’s funny?

(Not so much adorable as it is a sign of the times. When I was his age, my brother and I found “chicken butt” to be hysterical. Have things changed that much? I fear they have.)


*** Mississippi Writers Guild

The Mississippi Writers Guild sponsors writer workshops, conferences, writer retreats and reputable writing contests. Membership dues are only $40.00 per year.

The Mississippi Writers Guild is a non-profit association of writers from all over the state and is a growing part of Mississippi’s literary art landscape.


*** Calendar

November 13 – My son’s birthday! The last of the single-digits birthdays.

November 25 – Thanksgiving


2010 © Pecan Street Press. All rights reserved.

October 2010

Volume 6 Issue 10

*** Random Thoughts

I like to rake leaves. It’s one of the hallmarks of fall that I find myself thinking about during the hottest days of July.

After hibernating indoors to escape the heat, being outside again and moving around under a blue sky seems like a rebirth of sorts. The repetitive movements free my mind to wander while I do something productive. WIN-WIN

I love the way the leaves smell. Fall leaves smell the same, just as they did when I was a kid, jumping into a pile or diving to the ground while playing a game of touch football in the backyard.


Kind of like the sound of acorns plunking onto the rooftop at night, the way leaves smell doesn’t change yet takes me by surprise each year.

Best,
Keetha

You can follow my blogs! Just click “Follow This Blog” to sign up and you’ll receive alerts when new posts are up.


*** Great Quotes

"Autumn begins with a subtle change in the light, with skies a deeper blue, and nights that become suddenly clear and chilled. The season comes full with the first frost, the disappearance of migrant birds, and the harvesting of the season's last crops." - Glenn Wolff and Jerry Dennis


*** Fun Food Idea

Halloween Cupcakes! Click here for instructions.




Black & Orange Cookies - click here for instructions.




Easy idea for a fall “happy”:




*** Hit the Highlights - a few choice blog posts from last month:

My great-grandmothers probably thought they had it easy in comparison to their mothers.

Any reason to celebrate this time of year.

A big part of the movie version of “The Help” was filmed in Greenwood, Miss.


*** Shameless Bid for Commerce

“Keetha DePriest Reed's "More Culinary Kudzu: Recollections and Recipes from Growing Up Southern" is part cookbook, part collection of wonderful essays on food, family and growing up Southern and altogether great fun...


I would very highly recommend "More Culinary Kudzu" to anybody who enjoys good food and good writing as well as to anybody who wants to find out more about the South. As for me, I only have one question left - how do I get invited to one of their family reunions?” – review by ReaderViews.com


*** Recommended Reading


I finished Georgia's Kitchen by Jenny Nelson last week - what a delight! The book is a valentine to cooking, to life in New York City, and the joys of Italy.



Since it’s near Halloween, this may be appropriate: If you’re in the mood for grisly and disturbing, try “The Girl With the Dragoon Tattoo.” Have you read it? Had anyone warned you ahead of time how terrifically violent it was?

Books I read last month.


*** Adorable Thing My Child Said

He won two goldfish at the Tupelo Fair and was trying to decide on names for them.

Me: How about Elvis and Priscilla?

Him: Mom. I was thinking something more, you know, this century, not like the nineteen-hundred-whatevers.

Me: Thought but did not say out loud: “Fine. Come up with your own names. Justin and Britney. WHATEVER.”


*** Mississippi Writers Guild

The Mississippi Writers Guild sponsors writer workshops, conferences, writer retreats and reputable writing contests. Membership dues are only $40.00 per year.

The Mississippi Writers Guild is a non-profit association of writers from all over the state and is a growing part of Mississippi’s literary art landscape.


*** Calendar

Saturday, October 16 – National Book Day

Saturday, October 23 – Mississippi State’s Homecoming game against University of Alabama at Birmingham

Sunday, October 31 – Halloween


*** Reminders and Unsubscribe Info.

If you would like to unsubscribe from this newsletter, simply send an email with “unsubscribe” in the subject line to kudzuuu at gmail dot com - we’ll miss you but won’t harass you about staying or coming back.

2010 © Pecan Street Press. All rights reserved.

September 2010

Volume 6 Issue 9

*** Random Thoughts

This was the year of my first garden. When I say my first garden, I mean it’s the first one I’ve ever attempted. It’s certainly not Jeffrey’s first garden. It also is certainly not MY garden, as in I’m the one who did the work. Because I’m not; Jeffrey tilled the soil, got the plants and seeds. Jeffrey remembered to water and fertilizer the garden. Good thing, as those are the little bitty gardening details I tend to forget for days at a time.

It’s easy, then, for me to say how easy the garden was. I don’t know what I thought gardening was but whatever I thought, it has been way less trouble than I had imagined.

Given the state of the economy, anything that seems frugal, homespun, and an efficient use of resources also seems like a good idea.

As much as I’ve enjoyed having a garden – we’re already talking about what we’ll plant when and where next year – I can’t say it’s really saved us money. Its value has been in our eating more fresh produce than usual. I wouldn’t have gone out and bought grape tomatoes to add to our salads or to oven-dry to use in place of sundried tomatoes. Since we had an abundance of grape tomatoes, I used them.

Recipes I may not otherwise have tried, such as tomato tart, pesto, and roasted tomato sauce, I made because I had one of the ingredients – fresh basil – on hand. If not for growing fresh herbs at our doorstep getting fresh basil would mean a trip to a large grocery store 30 miles away.


It’s been fun, too, drying sage to use in Thanksgiving dressing and drying basil to add to hearty marinara sauces this winter. We’ve enjoyed clipping rosemary to use when grilling pork tenderloin or a sprig or two of thyme when we’re roasting a whole chicken.

When we grilled the two eggplants our plants produced, that was about the best grilled eggplant I’ve ever had, simply because it came from our garden. I was aware of that with every bite.


We had a late-summer bumper crop of bell peppers. They came in all at once, smallish, globe-shaped bell peppers that look little like the ones in grocery stores besides their color. We picked them when they were ripe, chopped them up, and froze. When we make gumbo this winter we’ll have fresh-frozen chopped bell pepper to use. They taste different, too: full of big pepper flavor, nothing like the ones in the grocery store produce sections.

I love these revelations, these tastes, and these flavors. The fun of digging hands into the dirt to plant, the thrill of watching them grow, the delight in preparing something and eating something from our garden…that’s where the value and the worth comes in.

Best,
Keetha

You can follow my blogs! Just click “Follow This Blog” to sign up and you’ll receive alerts when new posts are up.


*** Great Quotes

“If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job.” - Donald D. Quinn


*** Fun Food Idea

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Everybody liked this. If you have little ones who like strips or nuggets better, just cut the fillets to the size you need.

3-4 tilapia filets, depending on size
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pepper
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder in a pie plate. Or a regular plate, or any old dish that is shallow and big enough to hold a tilapia fillet.

Pour the lemon juice into another pie plate. Dip a fillet into the lemon juice, then sprinkle with a bit of pepper. Dredge fillet in the Parmesan mixture, turning to coat.

Repeat with the remaining fillets. Place each in an oiled baking dish. Sprinkle a little lemon juice over the fillets. Drizzle them with a bit of olive oil.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until fish easily flakes and edges are browning.


Other dishes in the Kudzu Kitchen - namely, a trio of cakes:

German chocolate cake

Coconut cake

Chocolate cake with coffee meringue icing


*** Pass It On

If there’s someone you think would enjoy this newsletter, please forward this issue in its entirety. Email me at kudzuuu at gmail dot com to subscribe.


*** Hit the Highlights - a few choice blog posts from last month:

Just think if they harnessed that thought power for good instead

Fruit of the day

Lots of stories from the Miss. Writers Guild conference in Vicksburg

Love that alligator



Be the first in your neighborhood to know when fresh blog posts are up! Click on “Follow This Blog” to the right, about midway down the page. You’ll be alerted when a new content is posted. It’s fast and no cost, of course.


*** Shameless Bid for Commerce

“Keetha DePriest Reed's "More Culinary Kudzu: Recollections and Recipes from Growing Up Southern" is part cookbook, part collection of wonderful essays on food, family and growing up Southern and altogether great fun…


I would very highly recommend "More Culinary Kudzu" to anybody who enjoys good food and good writing as well as to anybody who wants to find out more about the South. As for me, I only have one question left - how do I get invited to one of their family reunions?” – review by ReaderViews.com


*** Recommended Reading


Author Haven Kimmel has a new fan in me; I read A Girl Named Zippy and laughed – out loud – through much of it.



I also enjoyed Simply from Scratch by Alicia Bessette. "Newcomer Alicia Bessette has written a love-letter of a novel. There's enough warmth here to fill your house on the coldest night. You'll wish you knew these people, this world." - Justin Cronin, author of The Passage

Books I read last month here.


*** Adorable Thing My Child Said

The Husband and child were playing around, joking, and carrying on. The Child told him, “You’re crazy.”

I said, “Crazy like a fox.” We explained what ‘crazy like a fox’ meant.

A few days later they were talking and The Child told him, “You’re smart like a wolf.”


*** Mississippi Writers Guild

The Mississippi Writers Guild sponsors writer workshops, conferences, writer retreats and reputable writing contests. Membership dues are only $40.00 per year.

The Mississippi Writers Guild is a non-profit association of writers from all over the state and is a growing part of Mississippi’s literary art landscape.


*** Calendar

Thursday, September 23 - FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN. And not a moment too soon.


*** Reminders and Unsubscribe Info.

If you would like to unsubscribe from this newsletter, simply send an email with “unsubscribe” in the subject line to kudzuuu at gmail dot com - we’ll miss you but won’t harass you about staying or coming back.

2010 © Pecan Street Press. All rights reserved.

August 2010

Volume 6 Issue 8

*** Random Thoughts

A few weeks ago, my husband and I spent several hours hanging pictures. Since we moved in this house last September (10 months ago if anyone is counting) we have had three moving boxes of pictures stored in the hall closet. Every morning I’d see those boxes when I opened the closet to get out my exercise mat.

“We’ve got to get those pictures hung,” I told myself each time.

This winter I had the presence of mind to order prints of some of my husband’s family photos – pictures of him and his sister when they were children, black and white photos of hi s grandparents, a picture of his grandfather in front of the Pure Oil gas station he owned in Hollandale. A couple of years before we met, I had a wall of pictures like this of my family. I wanted to blend those with those of his families and combine them all with photographs of us together.

A couple of months ago, I made a bold step: I moved the boxes out of the closet and dragged them in the family room where I’d see them several times a day. I thought having those moving boxes sitting around, polluting the living space, would get on my nerves so much that I’d tackle those pictures right away.

That didn’t work.

Two weekends ago, for whatever reason, the mood struck. We replaced frames, replaced photographs. Moved photos to different frames, moved them back. Then the husband got out the tape measure, yard stick, and pencil. It took the better part of three hours but we now have a family wall of photos.




A photograph of my husband, child, and me is at the center with a mix of pictures of our families, past and present, surrounding us.




I’m finding that I wander through the room for no reason except to look at the photos.

I look at them and enjoy them.

Best,
Keetha

You can follow my blogs! Just click “Follow This Blog” to sign up and you’ll receive alerts when new posts are up.


*** Great Quotes

“He who does not get fun and enjoyment out of every day … needs to reorganize his life.” — George Matthew Adams

*** Fun Food Idea

School started last week (August 5th; can you believe it). Broiled salmon and roasted broccoli is an easy and really tasty weeknight dinner.

Salmon with Lemon and Maple Glaze

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 (6-ounce) skinless salmon fillets
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add fish to bag; seal. Refrigerate 10 minutes, turning bag once.

Preheat broiler.

Remove fish from bag, reserving marinade. Place marinade in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute.

Heat a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with salt and pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes. Turn fish over. Brush marinade evenly over fish. Broil 3 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

My current favorite side dish:

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli with Pine Nuts
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics – Ina Garten

2 to 3 pounds broccoli
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon or lime zest
4 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 tablespoon basil, julienned
Salt and pepper to season

Wash broccoli and chop the florets off. Save the rest for vegetable stock or what have you.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until they are lightly toasted. It takes only a few minutes so stay close.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Place the broccoli in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the broccoli from the oven and toss with lemon zest, remaining olive oil, pine nuts, and chopped basil.

Serves about 4. I add any leftovers to a salad the next day.



*** Pass It On

If there’s someone you think would enjoy this newsletter, please forward this issue in its entirety. Email me at kudzuuu at gmail dot com to subscribe.


*** Hit the Highlights - a few choice blog posts from last month:

Maybe now I can join a bowling league.

The first blog I ever read.

Real books v. digital books


Be the first in your neighborhood to know when fresh blog posts are up! Click on “Follow This Blog” to the right, about midway down the page. You’ll be alerted when a new content is posted. It’s fast and no cost, of course.


*** Shameless Bid for Commerce

“Keetha DePriest Reed's "More Culinary Kudzu: Recollections and Recipes from Growing Up Southern" is part cookbook, part collection of wonderful essays on food, family and growing up Southern and altogether great fun…


I would very highly recommend "More Culinary Kudzu" to anybody who enjoys good food and good writing as well as to anybody who wants to find out more about the South. As for me, I only have one question left - how do I get invited to one of their family reunions?” – review by ReaderViews.com


*** Recommended Reading


“Bone Appetit” is by Mississippi native Carolyn Haines. The 10th in a series of books that takes place in the Mississippi Delta, this one is set in Greenwood.


Katie Crouch’s second novel, “Men and Dogs,” is another one of my favorites. I’ll be looking for more by her.

Books read in July.

Some of my favorite books read over the last 12 months.


*** Adorable Thing My Child Said

The child and my mother were in Jackson the other day to see a movie. Mom needed to run in a few shops. Text I got from my son:

"Mom now we're going to bed baths. And beyond."


Another one:

Him: How old are you?

Me: Thirty eight.

Him: Great! You’re just one 10 from sixteen!

Me: I’m more like two 10s and then some from having been sixteen.

Him: Oh.



*** Mississippi Writers Guild

The Mississippi Writers Guild sponsors writer workshops, conferences, writer retreats and reputable writing contests. Membership dues are only $40.00 per year. This year's conference is August 6-7, 2010 in Vicksburg.

The Mississippi Writers Guild is a non-profit association of writers from all over the state and is a growing part of Mississippi’s literary art landscape.


*** Calendar

Saturday, September 4 – Miss. State season opener at home against Memphis.

Monday, September 6 – Labor Day

Tuesday, September 7 – Jeffrey’s birthday

Thursday, September 9 – MSU v. Auburn in Starkville


*** Reminders and Unsubscribe Info.

If you would like to unsubscribe from this newsletter, simply send an email with “unsubscribe” in the subject line to kudzuuu at gmail dot com - we’ll miss you but won’t harass you about staying or coming back.

2010 © Pecan Street Press. All rights reserved.

July 2010

Volume 6 Issue 7

*** Random Thoughts

My brother can’t tolerate the phrase “same difference.” It can’t be the same if it’s different!

That’s the way I used to feel about “youth is wasted on the young.” It’s nonsensical.

Isn’t it?

Especially when I was little, people would tell me that the older they get, the faster time goes by. This usually followed their explaining that no, you can’t have the ballet princess Barbie, maybe for your birthday; that’s ONLY four months away.

To a child, a child who wants ballet princess Barbie, four months was an impossibly long time.

When I tried to explain this to whatever adult had said that, she’d laugh and be cheery: “Before you know it, you’ll be older and time will get away from you like you wouldn’t believe.”

Or maybe it’d be a more wistful, “Let me tell you, child, the older you get the faster time flies. I just can’t believe –“ and the voice would trail off. Possibly I’d just stop listening. Either way, the impact was the same – sadness was afoot and more importantly, no one understood my need for the ballet princess Barbie!

I hear myself saying this – out loud, to myself – about time! Flying! It’s true that thing about youth being wasted on the young. All that time, what felt like big expanses of time. Days crawled by. They piddled and dawdled. Days took forever. I’d like one of those, please: a big, long day to pass as slowly as we wish.

As it is I can hardly believe it’s July. School starts in less than a month.

Best,
Keetha

You can follow my blogs! Just click “Follow This Blog” to sign up and you’ll receive alerts when new posts are up.


*** Great Quotes

“Summer makes me drowsy.” – Dorothy Parker


*** Fun Food Idea

Possibly the best thing I’ve eaten all summer: Tomato Tart.


And I don’t like tomatoes. Or I didn’t used to, anyway.

For Tomato Tart:

pie pastry
1 garlic bulb
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups shredded fontina cheese, divided
handful fresh basil leaves
2 to 3 tomatoes tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

For the pie pastry, make your own if you are so inclined.

The recipe I use is my mom's:
Combine a cup of all purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cut in 1/2 cup shortening (it's not a bad idea to refrigerate the shortening first) and add ice-cold water, one tablespoon at a time. Stir with a fork until the dough forms a ball. Roll out on lightly floured surface.

Or use a refrigerated pie pastry.

Either way, press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch square tart pan (the kind with a removable bottom although you could bake this in a 9-inch round pie pan, too). Bake for about 8 minutes or until lightly golden.

Cut off the top of a bulb of garlic and place it on a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle garlic bulb with olive oil and fold in aluminum foil to seal.

Bake for 35 minutes. Unwrap garlic and let cool. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves onto the bottom of the baked piecrust. Smear it around and moan about how good it smells.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup fontina cheese over the roasted garlic.

Slice the tomatoes and place on folded paper towels. Sprinkle the tomato slices with salt and pepper and let sit for 10 minutes. The tomatoes look so pretty just like that.

Arrange tomato slices over shredded cheese. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes or until tart is lightly browned.

Eat and enjoy warm or at room temperature. Good stuff!


*** Pass It On

If there’s someone you think would enjoy this newsletter, please forward this issue in its entirety. Email me at kudzuuu at gmail dot com to subscribe.


*** Hit the Highlights - a few choice blog posts from last month:

The Divining Wand interviewed me

then let me do a guest post!

Speaking of back to school, teachers are the best

Summer breezes, front porches

Honeybees

I am big enough to admit when I'm wrong. I now love tomatoes. There. I said it.

Be the first in your neighborhood to know when fresh blog posts are up! Click on “Follow This Blog” to the right, about midway down the page. You’ll be alerted when a new content is posted. It’s fast and no cost, of course.


*** Shameless Bid for Commerce

“Keetha DePriest Reed's "More Culinary Kudzu: Recollections and Recipes from Growing Up Southern" is part cookbook, part collection of wonderful essays on food, family and growing up Southern and altogether great fun…


I would very highly recommend "More Culinary Kudzu" to anybody who enjoys good food and good writing as well as to anybody who wants to find out more about the South. As for me, I only have one question left - how do I get invited to one of their family reunions?” – review by ReaderViews.com


*** Recommended Reading

If you haven’t yet discovered southern author Joshilyn Jackson, check out Backseat Saints. I read it in about four days. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year.


More of the books I read in June


*** Adorable Thing My Child Said

(Talking about a friend's mother:)

She's really nice and a good cooker, too! She's almost 'xactly like you. Only she's not quite so interested in books.


*** Mississippi Writers Guild

The Mississippi Writers Guild sponsors writer workshops, conferences, writer retreats and reputable writing contests. Membership dues are only $40.00 per year. This year's conference is August 6-7, 2010 in Vicksburg.

The Mississippi Writers Guild is a non-profit association of writers from all over the state and is a growing part of Mississippi’s literary art landscape.


*** Calendar

August 6 & 7 – Miss. Writers Guild Conference


*** Reminders and Unsubscribe Info.

If you would like to unsubscribe from this newsletter, simply send an email with “unsubscribe” in the subject line to kudzuuu at gmail dot com - we’ll miss you but won’t harass you about staying or coming back.

2010 © Pecan Street Press. All rights reserved.

June 2010

Volume 6 Issue 6

*** Random Thoughts

I had vacation head. We got in from Charleston, South Carolina around 8:00 p.m. on Memorial Day. The next day at work I was sluggish and slow-moving, like my mind was still half in Charleston.

My mind was here, kind of, but my feet were still walking down cobblestone sidewalks and side streets, on our way to a low country cooking class or to pick out a t-shirt to bring home to our son or ambling along, taking photos.

You know how you feel when you’ve been on a boat all day and you walk around on dry land and it feels…funny? And when you’re trying to get to sleep at night you could swear everything is moving, just the way the boat on the water did? That’s what I felt like.

That Tuesday morning before going to work, I made a salad and chopped up some strawberries for lunch. I felt like I was in a dream state, slowly slicing the strawberries. I was still on Charleston time. I was startled when I sat down with a bowl of cereal and saw it was already 7:25 a.m.

That was the difference – the time. For several days before, the only time we got in a hurry was on evening when we thought we may be late for our dinner reservations. Food at the Peninsula Grill was worth hurrying for.

Otherwise, we walked a lot, browsed, stopped and talked, ate when we felt like it, and slept until we woke up. All my routines and schedules that I crave and enjoy so much went away. It was a nice change of pace, one that I relished. But it’s so good to be home.

Best,
Keetha

You can follow my blogs! Just click “Follow This Blog” to sign up and you’ll receive alerts when new posts are up.


*** Great Quotes

"I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June." - L. M. Montgomery

"This is June, the month of grass and leaves . . . already the aspens are trembling again, and a new summer is offered me. I feel a little fluttered in my thoughts, as if I might be too late." - Henry David Thoreau

“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." - Margaret Atwood


*** Fun Food Idea

Years ago I was at some food conference a woman with the national turkey organization (whatever it was called) mentioned that more turkeys are sold in the summer than in other time of year. That little factoid stayed with me because it was so surprising. I would have thought most were sold around the holidays.

If you’re grilling, smoking, or roasting a turkey, have I got a recipe for you. This is a brine you marinate the bird – turkey breast, whole turkey, or hen – in overnight or for 12 hours.

The recipe is one we saw on the Food Network last fall.

The original recipe is for brining and cooking a 14- to 18-pound turkey. We marinated and roasted a hen using the same method. Below is the adjusted recipe we made this weekend:

3 quarts tap water
1/2 pound kosher salt
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons dried red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
Bunch fresh thyme
1 head garlic broken into individual cloves, unpeeled
7- to 8-pound hen, cleaned, innards removed
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 lemon, zested

In a medium pot, bring 1 1/2 quarts of the tap water to a boil over medium heat. Put the kosher salt in a large bowl and slowly (and carefully!) pour the boiling water over the salt. Stir to blend.

Add the molasses, honey, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, sage, thyme and garlic to the salt and water mixture. Stir to blend. Add the remaining 1 1/2 quarts of cool water. Pour the brine in a cooler or bucket large enough to hold the brine and the chicken.
Submerge the hen, breast side down, in the brine. Make sure the cavity of the bird fills with the liquid as you are submerging it. Cover and allow the bird to sit in the brine overnight or for about 12 hours.

Remove the bird from the brine and dry it thoroughly with thick (absorbent) kitchen towels. Take care to wipe inside the cavity as well. Discard the brine. Whisk together the butter and the lemon zest. Gently lift the skin covering 1 breast of the chicken and spread half of the butter right on the meat under the skin. Repeat with the other breast. The butter will add extra moisture and richness as the bird roasts.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Arrange the chicken in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Put on the lower rack of the oven and roast until the internal temperature of the bird taken from the thickest part of the thigh reads 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 hours. Remove the turkey from the oven to a cutting board or serving platter and tent with foil. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving and serving.

Photo here.


In the Kudzu Kitchen:

I linked to the recipe for Parmesan Roasted Broccoli with Pine Nuts from Ezra Pound Cake’s blog. It’s one of my new favorite side dishes.

Summer Citrus Shrimp is something Jeffrey came up with last year and we’re enjoying it again this summer.

Birthday cake!


*** Pass It On

If there’s someone you think would enjoy this newsletter, please forward this issue in its entirety. Email me at kudzuuu at gmail dot com to subscribe.


*** Hit the Highlights - a few choice blog posts from last month:

After our wedding anniversary trip to South Carolina


Happy anniversary



Twilight time (not referring to the vampire books or movies)

How the weather should be

Home is where they listen to your music



It can happen

Gardening 101




Be the first in your neighborhood to know when fresh blog posts are up! Click on “Follow This Blog” to the right, about midway down the page. You’ll be alerted when a new content is posted. It’s fast and no cost, of course.


*** Shameless Bid for Commerce

“Keetha DePriest Reed's "More Culinary Kudzu: Recollections and Recipes from Growing Up Southern" is part cookbook, part collection of wonderful essays on food, family and growing up Southern and altogether great fun…


I would very highly recommend "More Culinary Kudzu" to anybody who enjoys good food and good writing as well as to anybody who wants to find out more about the South. As for me, I only have one question left - how do I get invited to one of their family reunions?” – review by ReaderViews.com


*** Recommended Reading


I’m typically late to the party, which is how I’m just now discovering Barbara Kingsolver. I love her novel Prodigal Summer. I borrowed it from the library and will probably get my own copy. I’m already looking forward to re-reading.



If you have bored teenagers underfoot this summer, Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick is a good one. It’s a young adult title, which I don’t normally read. I enjoyed this book. It’s very positive without being preachy or boring.

Books I read in May.


*** Adorable Thing My Child Said

I don’t know how “adorable” this is but while watching a commercial for LifeAlert, he said:

“That’s what you need Mommy!”

I glanced and the screen and said, “Oh, no I don’t.”

“Yes, you do,” he insisted.

I leaned toward him. “Let me assure you of something. I most certainly do not need LifeAlert.”

He opened his mouth to respond.

I said, “Probably you should not say another word.”


*** Mississippi Writers Guild

The Mississippi Writers Guild sponsors writer workshops, conferences, writer retreats and reputable writing contests. Membership dues are only $40.00 per year. This year's conference is August 6-7, 2010 in Vicksburg.

The Mississippi Writers Guild is a non-profit association of writers from all over the state and is a growing part of Mississippi’s literary art landscape.


*** Calendar

June 14 – Flag Day

June 20 – Father’s Day

June 21 – Summer Solstice


*** Reminders and Unsubscribe Info.

If you would like to unsubscribe from this newsletter, simply send an email with “unsubscribe” in the subject line to kudzuuu at gmail dot com - we’ll miss you but won’t harass you about staying or coming back.

2010 © Pecan Street Press. All rights reserved.

May 2010

Volume 6 Issue 5

*** Random Thoughts

My word. This pollen. How much of it can be in the air? Answer: A LOT. A WHOLE LOT. Everyone in my house, pretty much everyone I know, is sneezing and carrying on.

Pollen, dander, and sneezing aside, I’m in a happy spring lull, enjoying the warm days and cool mornings. This here is what you call selective memory: I’m forgetting that summer is on its way, long white-hot afternoons that wrap you in hot, damp, wool when you step outside. Resolutely not thinking about that. I’m enjoying the blue skies and fresh strawberries, the ferns hanging outside the kitchen window and the sweep of green grass in the yard. Yesterday we planted a small vegetable garden that I am so excited about: eggplant, squash, peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers.

The Husband gave me a lucky bamboo plant for Easter and it is STILL ALIVE. So I'm totally ready for a garden.

Best,
Keetha

You can follow my blogs! Just click “Follow This Blog” to sign up and you’ll receive alerts when new posts are up.


*** Great Quotes

"The world's favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May." - Edwin Way Teale

"What is so sweet and dear
As a prosperous morn in May,
The confident prime of the day,
And the dauntless youth of the year,
When nothing that asks for bliss,
Asking aright, is denied,
And half of the world a bridegroom is,
And half of the world a bride?"
- William Watson, Ode in May, 1880

My wedding anniversary is this month; this quote seems especially appropriate for May.


*** Fun Food Idea

Because I know how good it is for me, I'm trying to eat more fish. For the longest, fish meant "fried catfish." Every now and then, it still does. More often, we grill, smoke, or broil salmon or tuna.

Fish is ideal for weeknight meals because it generally doesn't take much preparation and pretty much anything goes with it - white rice, brown rice, pasta, salad, green beans, broccoli.

This is my kind of go-to dish: Provided we have salmon in the freezer, this is an easy one to make as we usually have the other ingredients on hand in the pantry. Score!

Balsamic-Glazed Salmon Fillets

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon white wine
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
6 (5-ounce) salmon fillets
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray.

Add a bit of olive oil to a small saucepan and sauté garlic over medium heat until soft, about three minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except salmon and oregano, and simmer until slightly thickened, about three more minutes.

Put the salmon fillets on the prepared baking sheet. Brush filets with the glaze and sprinkle with oregano. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 14 minutes or until fillet flakes with a fork.

Serves 6.

Any leftover salmon can be flaked into a bowl of cream cheese and stirred well. Add a few capers, a bit of lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste for a dip.


In the Kudzu Kitchen:

We hosted supper club last month and served shrimp and grits over Asiago cheese grits with caramelized onion.

Yum and yum.


*** Pass It On

If there’s someone you think would enjoy this newsletter, please forward this issue in its entirety. Email me at kudzuuu at gmail dot com to subscribe.


*** Hit the Highlights - a few choice blog posts from last month:

They write the songs

House story: The Child’s Room



Back roads



World Catfish Festival. Love it!



House story: My home office



Be the first in your neighborhood to know when fresh blog posts are up! Click on “Follow This Blog” to the right, about midway down the page. You’ll be alerted when a new content is posted. It’s fast and no cost, of course.


*** Shameless Bid for Commerce

“Keetha DePriest Reed's "More Culinary Kudzu: Recollections and Recipes from Growing Up Southern" is part cookbook, part collection of wonderful essays on food, family and growing up Southern and altogether great fun…


I would very highly recommend "More Culinary Kudzu" to anybody who enjoys good food and good writing as well as to anybody who wants to find out more about the South. As for me, I only have one question left - how do I get invited to one of their family reunions?” – review by ReaderViews.com


*** Recommended Reading


Requiem, Mass. by John Dufresne



and The Swimming Pool by Holly LeCraw are two good ones.

All the books I read last month are here.


*** Adorable Thing My Child Said

Him: What should I be when I grow up?

Me: Whatever it is that makes you happy, that you look forward to each day.

Him: Okay, these are my options.

Me: Honey, you have tons of --

Him: Just...will you help me decide?

Me: ...

Me: Okay.

Him: Option 1 - a computer doctor; Option 2 - an electrician; Option 3 - cell phone maker.

Me: A computer doctor. I bet there are lots of sick computers that need your help.

Him: You think so?

Me: You bet.


There’s this, too.


*** Mississippi Writers Guild

The Mississippi Writers Guild sponsors writer workshops, conferences, writer retreats and reputable writing contests. Membership dues are only $40.00 per year. This year's conference is August 6-7, 2010 in Vicksburg.

The Mississippi Writers Guild is a non-profit association of writers from all over the state and is a growing part of Mississippi’s literary art landscape.


*** Calendar

Sunday, May 9 – Mother’s Day

Sunday, May 30 – Wedding anniversary




*** Reminders and Unsubscribe Info.

If you would like to unsubscribe from this newsletter, simply send an email with “unsubscribe” in the subject line to kudzuuu at gmail dot com - we’ll miss you but won’t harass you about staying or coming back.

2010 © Pecan Street Press. All rights reserved.