Southern Living. A staple of a southern girl's life. Every month I receive a sweet reminder of why I love living in NC--flowers, froo-froo decorating and food, food, food.
This month as I flipped through the pages, I decided that I wanted to try every recipe in the May issue. Maybe I'll even blog about it like Julie and Julia. There's only one problem. I do LOVE to eat, but I really, really don't like to cook. No...that's not quite true. I really, really don't like to go to the grocery store. I'd rather scrub a toilet. Honestly.
So it's a problem that I want to try all these recipes. My dream is to be as rich as Oprah. I want to give away big gifts and also to have a personal cook. Is that so wrong?
As I peruse the pages of SL, the tension always builds until I get to the last page. My favorite. They always put some author with a razor-sharp slice of southern life on the last page. This month after all the salivating over squash casserole, potato salad and pound cake recipes, I had to laugh that my soul mate wrote the article for the last page.
Amy Bickers says, " I'll say 'ya'll' all day long. I'll say 'git' instead of 'get' and turn 'nine' into a two-syllable word. But I will never, ever eat a soggy tomato sandwich."
(Note: We have not gotten to the soul mate part yet. A tomato sandwich is something my very southern husband introduced me to and it one of the delicious delights of summer. Amy B. must have never tried it with Duke's mayonnaise.)
"Before I get carted across the Mason-Dixon Line, I might as well confess a few more Southern food crimes. I don't have a clue what's in a mint julep. I don't make pimiento cheese (the pimientos weird me out). I've never made a pound cake, and I wouldn't even attempt pralines. I also don't have the urge to fry anything. I do love bacon, but I often cook it in the microwave."
Ahhh....a girl after my own heart. How could Southern Living embrace such a girl, though? Well, here's how she finishes: "What my mother taught me--and what I can teach my own children--is the delicious joy in sitting at the table and talking....Because the most important part of the meal is not the food that's being served but the stories being told. There's nothing more Southern than that."
Amen. I've got some stories. Anybody want to come over to my house and cook tonight?
Friday, April 30, 2010
Recipes and Other Dilemmas
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5 comments:
I'm in!
I love this blog post. I love Southern Living. I love being a southern gal, with a southern accent planted and grown here in NC. But I won't eat a tomato sandwich! :)
What I loved best about this entry and what came home to me in the sweetest heartfelt way is sittin' a spell around the table. It's been a tradition in my family literally as far back as I can remember.
Thanks so much!
"A person doesn't have to live in the South to want to share good food with friends at the end of a warm day when the breeze is just right or to bask in the rewarding afterglow of a hard day's work in the garden. Southerners didn't invent these sorts of simple pleasures - we just refined them."
~ Carlton Riley Smith
I love this post! No matter what part of the country (or world) you are from, the most important part of any meal is the conversation. Carla
Amy,
I too love that magazine, but I prayed very specifically before getting married that God would give me a man who LOVED to cook -- God is good.
But if you find someone to take you up on the cooking part, could you send them to my house when you're done? hahaha
Thanks,
Kristy
Thank You, finally another woman who doesn't like to go to the grocery store or cook. I do cook, but I hate it. It's a dreaded time for me every day. I pray for God to make me enjoy it.
Shari
Hello Amy!
I'm originally from Texas. I live 1200 miles away from there now - but my Mama buys Southern Living and brings them to me when she visits. I LOVE it. The pictures. The recipes. The stories. Awesome.
Have a wonderful week!
- Kate :)
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