Let's Read Like Southerners!

The Wedding Dress

A year or so ago I read The Wedding Dress for the first time. I remember enjoying it ... and I wanted to read it again. To savor it this time.

So, just before my "24 days gone out of 36"--and so much time on a plane--I opened the front cover of the book and dove in for a second time.

Was it better the second time than the first? OH YES! And I thought it was wonderful the first time!

Set in Birmingham, AL and spanning over a hundred years, this is the story of one amazing wedding dress and the four women who wore it on their "most special day." Rachel Hauck, within the pages and words of this work, shows why she is a master storyteller and why this book not only was nominated for several awards, but also won several awards.

Highly recommended.

Links:

Amazon:  The Wedding Dress

ChristianBook.com: The Wedding Dress

Barnes and Noble:  The Wedding Dress

Rachel Hauck: Official Website

Let's Eat Like Southerners

Molded Banana Cream Salad

You will need:

1 8-oz pkg cream cheese
2 TBS mayo
2 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 c crushed pineapple
1/4 c maraschino cherries
1/2 c walnuts
3 medium-sized bananas
3/4 c heavy cream, whipped

What you will do:

Soften cream cheese. Add mayo, lemon juice and salt. Beat until creamy. Add fruit and nuts; fold into whipped cream. Chill until firm. Can serve on a bed of lettuce.

Let's Learn to Talk Like Southerners!

Yes, it's annoying, but it's also true. Southerners know everybody by their first name. Of course, we only have 3 we really go by:

Honey (Hunny...)

Darling (Darlin')

and

Sugar (Shug-ah)

And we really don't care how old you are, what sex you are, or where you came from. To us, those 3 names do just fine.

And that's your lesson for talkin' like Suthenahs for today. 

Let's Eat Like Southerners!

Or, in this case, drink!

Coffee Punch

Pour 2 quarts hot coffee over 3 quarts vanilla ice cream in serving bowl.

Stir until partially melted.

Sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon.

Makes 16 one-half cup servings.

Let's Read Like Southerners

What do Southerners know better than sweet iced tea?

Or... is it "sweet ice tea"?

Actually, it's either/or.

Another thing Southerners know well is how much they LOVE Jesus. FAITH is an integral part of Southern life.

That and football.

And barbecue. (But I digress...)

Check this book out. God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea is the premier book by Rose Chandler Johnson.

Description: Life is full of challenges that keep us from spending time with God, and hinder us from discovering his presence in our day-to-day activities. But He is always there, ready to pour out His blessings. If you desire to experience the reality of God in the everyday moments of life, this devotional journey is for you. God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea will help you find the strength you need to weather every storm and experience new mercies every day.

God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea is an excellent choice for reading on an early morning--whether you live in the North or the South, the East or the West. Find a spot while the sun is rising and read a little. Find a spot in the late afternoon while the sun is starting its descent, and rest in the promises of God. 

Whatever you do, bring along a glass of sweet iced tea!

Let's View Life Like Southerners

Rolled Hay

from ecoglimpse.com 

Don't ask me why, because I don't know the answer, but the sight of rolled hay bales always makes my heart leap. Maybe it's the look of work having been done. Maybe it's the continuity of the hay bales. Maybe the reason I'm often found glancing to the right and left of the road while driving through my homeland is because I see the farmer's artistry.

Southerners work hard. We always have. We believe in a good day's work, a hard week's pay. Most of us--sadly, not all of us--are honest when it comes to putting our "hand to the plow."

We've been known to play hard too. Some Friday nights you'll find us out and about, though sometimes we're just too blame tired ("tard") to do much more than head over to the local pizza joint. Or maybe we'll go out and get us some barbecue. Lord willin'.

But Saturdays are a whole different story. Saturday is for going to the river or the creek ("crick"). Swinging off ropes tied high to a tree and dropping down into the water. Saturday is for heading over to the beach or the lake. Water sports or fishing.

Of course we'll get too much sun, so on Sunday you'll find us sitting in our favorite pew, sun-kissed and trying to stay awake.

Of course that whole scenario changes in the winter months.

Now Sunday ... Sunday is about meeting with God. Singing His songs. Greeting one another in brotherly love. Family dinner around 1:00. Afterward, the game. Whatever game that is. And if there isn't one, we'll make one up in the side yard. Or take a long nap. Or watch an old movie. Or maybe go see a new one.

So maybe that's why I like rolled hay. It reminds me how blessed I am to have been born and reared in the South.

American by birth. Southern by the grace of God.

Let's Eat Like Southerners!

Grapefruit Dip*
Perfect for an afternoon tea, a BBQ ... or anytime!


Ingredients

6 oz cream cheese
8 drops Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 grapefruit

Directions

Mix cream cheese, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice together until well blended and fluffy.

Remove sections from grapefruit, cut them into small pieces and add to cheese mixture. Spoon mixture into grapefruit shell.

Garnish with paprika and parsley.

Place shell in dish and arrange raw veges and/or cold shrimp around shell.


* Dip will keep several days in the fridge. Yields about 3/4 cup.