Did someone say breakfast?

So I’ve become a little smitten with this blog I ran across called Simply Breakfast: the art of breakfast. Miss Causey doesn’t mess around in the morning, serving up pretty pictures of her breakfasts, coffee always included. So I wanted to include a breakfast of my own that looked awfully pretty and tasted even prettier.

A delicious bowl of vanilla yogurt swirled with homemade pumpkin butter, with crunchy granola on top. My coffee was nearby, too.

Deviled Eggs

I’m such a southern girl when it comes to my favorite foods.

My heart skips a beat when I see pork barbecue piled on a plain white bun, covered with red slaw, and doused with vinegar based sauce!

Or a pumpkin pie simple, no frills and its slightly chunky so you know it was made with real pumpkin and not the baby-food stuff from the can!

What about hot biscuits and apple butter!

Or, or a jar of pickled okra just opened! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

And then there are deviled eggs, my oh my!

Curried Chicken Salad

So I had this chicken, an awfully pretty chicken at that!

But, that’s a lot of chicken for one young woman.

Garden Update

Remember my garden? The one I was jumping out of my pants to get started?

Well, turns out God decided to teach me about the uncertainty of gardening this winter.

My garden turned into somewhat of a tragedy.

Cider Makin’

Its Fall, for real now. The mountain sides are dappled, you can smell fires in the air, and I’ve had to pull out my warm cloths from the back of closet. One thing I’ve learned since living in the mountains of NC is that you know its fall when everyone starts bringing apple desserts to the potlucks – apple cakes, apple pies, apple turnovers, apple crumbles, apple crisps, baked apples with ice cream, apples with yogurt and granola….you get the idea.

I mean really I don’t understand  how I could ever catch a cold eating so many apples all the time.

Cuba!

Cuba: cars and buildings that haven’t changed since the 50s;

a land of revolution, Hemmingway, and mojitos;

organic agriculture, perserverance, and resourcefulness;

diverse people and beliefs.

Black & Blue(berry) Pie

So it seems to be high season for the wild blackberry vines in my backyard, and the little blueberry bush is weighted down by all the berries its branches are carrying. It seemed fitting that the first pie I make in my new place come right from the yard.

Birth of a garden

I recently move from one semi-rural small town to another to start graduate school. There’s just something about passing by open fields, quaint farmhouses, and waving neighbors on my way home that puts my mind at ease.

My new home came ready for all things domestic from a garden space that was once a horse manure pit covered with cardboard waiting to be planted, a space for chickens, a honey bee hive, and a big freezer. I took an inventory off all the fruit bearing plants growing wild: two apple trees, two black raspberry bushes, several blackberry vines, and a blueberry bush. All within the yard! Its like a dream come true actually.

Feast from the Sea

I’m not much of a fisher woman. However, I definitely see the value in catching your own food from the water, and I love love love to eat the harvest. I just don’t seem to have the patience for fishing though.

I’m more of a gatherer than a hunter I’d have to say. But every once in awhile I try my hand at fishing (with some persuading from my darlin!) and this most recent visit to the beach  was the most fruitful attempt yet!

Summer Squash Casserole

Summer squash casserole is a family tradition. There is never a table lacking a beautifully yellow and golden hued dish. And for me its doesn’t feel like a real holiday without it. Although its a staple for the family two distinct divergences in its preparation have occurred between my mother and her sister. Luckily the differences are slight and mainly cosmetic so there is no great threat to the balance of the holiday dinner table.