Wednesday Hodge Podge

Click here to return to our hostess, Joyce!

1. Growing up, were you close to your grandparents? Tell us one or two specific things you remember about them.

Both sets of grandparents    were  country folk...  My mom's  parents  were dairy farmers and very hardworking no nonsense  types...their love was evident, but  to be honest  for a  child they were not  very much fun..  My most fun memory was  grandpa taking me to a cattle men's association meeting, sitting in a smoke filled room,  and  then  he actually  stopped my the  mart and bought me a fudgsicle.. the next day I was  up  with the   the sun   helping to hoe an acre of corn. 

I never knew my  granddad on dad's side. He died the year before I was born.  But  Granny was not as prosperous as  the other  side of the family,  but she was jolly.... and  fun spirited..When she'd come to visit  while mom and dad were at work,  she'd whisper to me.. come on  "Let's  sneak off to the store buy by something good"... like  a bag of Frito's or  some ice cream.  She made everything an adventure.  When we  stayed at her house  way down in the country,  I had to sleep with her..  She was a mountain sleeping on 2 pillows  and under  several quilts...there was no central heating at night...  the wood furnace she'd fire up in the parlor in the morning  and then the wood stove in the kitchen would  start roaring..so  the bedrooms were frigid in winter...  I remember jumping out of bed and  flying to kitchen  to warm up  in the mornings...  and kitchen smelled so wonderful..  she was an amazing cook...  doing it all on her  trusty wood stove!!! Oh,  and  you either  used the chamber pot under the bed at night, or  venture outside  ... after dark... it was  that  cold porcelain for me!!!!

2. What's an item you were attached to as a child? What happened to it?

Our Christmases  when I was  little   were  sparse..  It was  soon after the war and dad was   only working part-time  as he attended school...  One of my first Christmases  there was a large bag of oranges for  everyone  and I got a  push butterfly with movable wings on a stick.  But my aunt made me an octopus doll made out of  green  yarn  and  tied with I think pink bows.  I remember  loving that critter and carrying it around with me  everywhere.. I imagine   its tentacles were  probably  quite slobbery  and I  wouldn't doubt   that I  may had had a fur ball or two.

3. When you look out your window, do you see the forest or the trees (literally and figuratively)? Explain.

I will speak literally...  thankfully,  I see  mostly trees.. when we bought our house  there were so many trees, in fact you  could just barely see the house from the road....  but  that was mainly because  the previous owners had planted a row of  cedars across the front ... probably to  block the  sight across the road...  We live across from an elementary school and sometimes the  uproar  on the playground can be  diverting... but to be honest those cedars  were  hideous..  over grown and  ugly so we had them cut down  much to our neighbors delight  because he could barely see to back out of his driveway. It wasn't too long  until we  realized  how  nice it had been to  have  that  blind   before us...but we had  many  large trees  in the yard  and  we learned to live with  the sight and the  cacophony.Then  Hurricane Hugo took out  a couple more trees  and  so  we  decided to  replant  maples..  Thankfully,  they have grown and   are a lovely  blockade  about us.... this summer has been especially  peaceful.. our school wasn't the summer school facility!!

4. Do you like sour candies? Which of the 'sour' foods listed below would you say is your favorite?

grapefruit, Greek yogurt, tart cherries, lemons, limes, sauerkraut, buttermilk, or kumquats 

I  love grapefruit,   and especially ruby red ones, although  they probably don't qualify as  sour...funny, momma used to have to count  while I drank down my grapefruit juice.  I  eat Greek yogurt every morning,   I made lemonade yesterday and only used half the amount of sugar... so refreshing.  I like to  season  with lemon and lime juice..   I  like sauerkraut on my Reuben sandwiches but  wouldn't just eat a plate of it.  I used to love buttermilk,  but  don't care for it now..  so  when a recipe calls for it I make my own by  using vinegar in my milk!  I got sick off of eating too many tart cherries one day  while picking them..  yikes.. no more  for me!!!  I've never eaten a kumquat.

Have you ever eaten a kumquat? What's your favorite dish containing one of the sour foods on the list?

I love to make  homemade biscuits and scones.. again using  clabbered  sweet milk instead of vinegar...

Cranberry  Walnut Scones

3 c  Virginia’s best  self rising flour

1 T baking powder

½ c sugar

¾ c butter…slice in  tablespoon  slices  to make  working it in  easier

1 c fresh cranberries… I added golden raisins to make a cup

½ c chopped  English walnuts.. I used pecans

1 1/2 T orange zest

1 c buttermilk  I used  clabbered milk  ( 1 cup milk  with 1 table of  white vinegar)

To top  unbaked scones.

1 T cream or milk

1 T sugar mixed with ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Stir together all dry ingredients at top  of list..   Rub the butter  slices into the mixture until  only coarse crumbs form…   Like  cornmeal….  Incorporate the butter evenly.. no large  chunks….Stir in cranberries, nuts, and  zest. Add buttermilk and mix with a fork until evenly moistened.  I  didn’t  mix  it too much  and  as soon as I saw it coming together  I  poured it out on a floured surface and  shaped it into a  ball.   Pat the ball into a  ¾ inch thick circle.    Don’t work the dough too much…   it should be  fairly easy to  work with   you will have a lot on your fingers 

   As it will be moist. So  incorporate just enough flour     so not so sticky

   But  keep it   pliable.

Cut  rounds with a biscuit cutter and place on a greased sheet. Brush tops with the cream or milk and  sprinkle the sugar mixture on top.    Bake at 400 for 14-16 minutes or until  golden…  if you desire  lightly sprinkle with  powder  sugar.

 Cream topping:

8 oz  cream cheese.  I used mascarpone and thought it was much  better.  But  it is  much more expensive

  1 T  zest

  2 T honey  but I didn’t have honey so I sued 1 T of orange Marmalade.  This is a fine  spread for any  specialty bread!

5. July 1st marked the mid point of 2017. In fifteen words or less, tell us how it's going so far.  
2017 is flying by..  I can barely keep the tangles out of my hair!

6. Insert your own random thought here.
My daughter will be pleased that I filled  a bag of books and  old cd's  and   have culled out a box full of  old dishes and pottery  items  and a  large bag of  clothing and accessories  all to take to the salvation army store.  I reuse to  over stuff my  new  bedrooms  that are  being  refurnished this week following  the  floor  refinishing...  Now if only I could part with  my  Southern Lady, Tea Time ,and  Victoria Bliss magazines...  As well as,  my  Ireland/ Scotland  periodicals...  I just love to peruse them so much!!.  I guess I need to  cull out some more  cookbooks that  I never use  to make room for more magazines  that  are piling up in the den.  Oh, it never ends does it.