I love community cookbooks. The great and broad recipe collections gathered together by Junior Leagues, Junior Auxiliaries, symphony groups, historic homes, garden clubs. I have a large and ever-growing collection of these treasures. Some of them are quite professional nowadays, with editors and trained photographers. But I particularly love the old-school … [Read more...] about Fire and Ice Tomatoes
Vegetables
Succotash Salad
I know. Frankly, it’s just fun to say. Succotash. I could go here with Sweet Summer Succotash Salad. Sunny Season Succotash Salad. Or the trite but amusing Sufferin’ Succotash Salad. But more than being a pleasure to say, it’s a pleasure to eat. Crispy corn, creamy limas, crunchy bell pepper in a sweet-tart Vidalia dressing. It screams summer. And it looks like a big bowl … [Read more...] about Succotash Salad
Garlic Scape Beef Satay
This year, for the first time, I noticed vendors at the local farmers market selling garlic scapes. Garlic scapes are the greens that shoot off the top of a variety of garlic. They have a milder, garlicky flavor. They are long, green, and have a bulbous head at the top. I had heard of scapes, but never used them and as I am intrigued by anything garlic related, I bought a … [Read more...] about Garlic Scape Beef Satay
Pink-Eyed Pea Pepper Pot
I love Southern field peas or of all kinds. Crowders, lady, purple hulls, cream peas, black-eyed, pink-eyed, you name it. And at the beginning of summer, when they show up at the farmer’s market in abundance, I grab them up. I stand around with all the kids, watching them shoot out of the big shelling machine, ready to scoop into paper bags to carry home. This recipe, in … [Read more...] about Pink-Eyed Pea Pepper Pot
Southern Girl Butter Beans
Butter beans, lima beans, whatever you want to call them, good, fresh butter beans are a real treat. When I start to see these fresh little green gems at the farmer’s market and produce stand, I load up on them. And I love to cook them in the Southern manner – with pork. Here I use bacon and add a simple, old-fashioned sauce. These would be great alongside a pork chop … [Read more...] about Southern Girl Butter Beans






