Fast forward...

Fast forward 2013.........a few nice dinners and lunches with friends......some special outings to hear music by great local musicians...a mid-morning week day Circus Parade...a fun evening with a couple of friends viewing a cooking demo at The Cook's Station by the Lee Brothers presenting their new cookbook, 'Charleston Kitchen'.

The back yard menagerie has ebbed....gone is Inez, my beloved best friend of 15 years since her birth, and the great orange tabby, Rocco, meeting his demise on one of his great hunting expeditions. He was the best feline friend ever.

Working to get a daily rhythm in sync of long work days, routines, sorting, creating, care taking...balancing the scales

Losing friends in reckless abandon, and the menagerie grows again, as lovable Richie comes into our fold. Adding great purpose to our days.

Clearing cobwebs to focus on what really matters.

Vacation is in sight....days of contemplation and rest and loving friendship.........the things that really matter.

photo by Sarah Hammond

Bird Season

It's just around the corner, well actually, it's always bird season here at Claude's Cove. Whether we're watching Herons and Hummers or Cardinals and Crows or the phenomenal Pileated Woodpecker, there always seems to be an abundance of bird life to fancy our bird-watching pleasures. We have a breathtaking natural habitat that invites those who will to stay with us year round if it suits their nature.

Although you know that what I'm really getting at is the big bird of the year. I've been racking up points to get the Thanksgiving turkey to share our thanks with the family. I've been poring over page after page of the latest Bon Appetit's Thanksgiving special issue and testing recipes for sharing later. My autumn treat to me was the Lee Brothers' 'Simple, Fresh, Southern' cookbook, a valuable addition to my cooking library. Last year I served the Pimento Cheese Potato Gratin, which I think rocks and have made a few other times. This year I will harvest some of brother's collard greens from the great greens patch and make Collard Greens with poblano chiles and chorizo. We've already tested that one and guess what, it rocks too. It is a new spin for me on greens and southern food.

The Lee collection of recipes accentuates good vibes of the south and they don't seem to have any qualms about admitting that this is a vital part of their background.

Easing in to my favorite holiday time of the year, best wishes to everyone for Peace, Prosperity and Comfort and safe travels to your destinations far and wide.


painting- Golden Winged Decalia


French Hens

You say tomato..

I say, "Let's Eat!". Let's eat them now on fresh white bread and as John T. Edge said, "Standing over the kitchen sink with the juices running down your arm."

It was my pleasure to discover a program on South Carolina ETV this last sweltering Saturday afternoon while escaping the heat. At the end of the regular Saturday food shows line-up, Dr. Walter Edgar hosted a symposium on Southern Food featuring speakers, John T. Edge, Matt Lee and Ted Lee. It was an eloquent review of historical reflection as well as an observation on where we have arrived in present day respect and honor of our culinary heritage. (Re-airing July 12th at 7 pm)



Our summer suppers at Claude's Cove, and breakfasts and lunches for that matter, have been laden with fresh garden vegetables. Nice, juicy tomatoes and bushels of beans, also squash, eggplant and peppers.

In inspiration from viewing Dr. Edgar's review of Southern fare, I pulled out my best kitchen knife and cutting board and chopped up my first summer batch of Gazpacho. Gazpacho is a cold Spanish tomato-based raw vegetable soup originating in the region of Andalusia...it is also said to have been a product of Southern kitchens generations ago, called Gaspachi.

Gazpacho

2 cups tomato juice
1 cup cucumber, peeled and diced
1-1/2 cups chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 TBS olive oil
1 TBS red wine vinegar
2 TBS lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp hot sauce
dash of worchestershire sauce
2 TBS white wine
1 TBS chopped fresh basil
1 TBS chopped fresh parsley

Combine all ingredients and allow flavors to blend for several hours or overnight. Serve in chilled bowls and garnish with your choice of fresh herbs. Serves 4.



In my kitchen which IS the heart of my home, I chop and stir and simmer and create in the space where my grandmother made many meals and creations for her loved ones. Her spirit stands beside me and comforts me. When I can do nothing else, and life feels all out of sorts, I go into this sacred place and sometimes, magically, rewards come out that soothe my heart and soul.

In my quest to re-create my life, my career, in soul searching and daily inspirational reading, Sarah Ban Breathnach cinched it. My life path did not come to me as a ready made mix in a box. It has been made from scratch, one ingredient at a time, year by year. One might think that we would be nearly ready for the feast by now. I think I may still be short an ingredient or two.

I was also inspired as I recently viewed a video interview of a sculptor. She said she found her sculpting 'Muse" at age 55. That made me feel much better. Many great creators have found their niche at that awakening time in life.