Tee Time!

Its the Masters week in Augusta.

 I love watching the Masters. 

 I still can't get over that year Greg Norman choked on the final round.  I loved him so much,

 loved everything about him...the total package. 

 I was brought to tears that year.   

Through the years I've enjoyed watching the careers of

Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and the wonderful

Payne Stewart, RIP. 

Will we ever forget his signature look?

When I was growing up, my Daddy always went to the Master's.

From the 1960's to the 1980's.

Do you know how many times he tried to get me to go with him?

Numerous...too numerous.

But, I was a dumb teenager, too busy with friends, dating, partying.

Dumb.

And, its a regret I'll always live with.

Its ironic now, how much I love Golf.  Love the game.

I don't play, but I sure love watching,

and just being around a golf course.

Its a wonder that I love it so much.

As a teenager, I caddied one summer at our local Country Club.

I got hit in the head that summer, by a wooden club.

Of course, I cried, and walked off the course,

swearing I would NEVER come near another golf club

or golf course, for the rest of my life....But I lied.

This weekend, as my family marks the death and resurrection of our Lord,

we'll also be enjoying a weekend filled with family...and golf.

May you be blessed with the knowledge, love, and grace of a risen Lord.

May you enjoy fellowship of family and friends...and of course, good food.

I'll be serving two traditional Master's weekend dishes...from the cookbook,

Tea Time at the Master's.

The "Now Famous" Cheese Ring

1 lb. of grated sharp Cheddar cheese

1 cup of chopped pecans

3/4 cup of mayonaise

1 small or medium onion, grated

1 clove garlic, pressed

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco

1 cup Strawberry Preserves

Combine all ingredients except the strawberry preserves, mix well, and chill.

Form into a ring.

Fill center with strawberry preserves (I like to put this in a small compote and set in the center)

Serve with crackers.

Sometimes its hard to find peaches this early in the season, but if peaches are available, I love to make the following cobbler.  If not, then early and mid summer is Peach time in Georgia.

Peach Cobbler

2 cups fresh, ripe peaches, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup sugar

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 cup sifted plain flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix peaches with 1/2 cup sugar. Let stand 30 minutes or until juice forms.

Melt butter in 2 quart baking dish.

Use remaining ingredients to make the batter.

Pour batter over the butter,

then pour peaches and juice over the batter.

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Of course, Easter dinner this year will be served with Arnold Palmer's tea,

much to my Daddy's delight.

In Like a Lamb

from Google images

March 1

came in like a lamb today.

You know what that means...

According to folklore, March will go out like a Lion.

"March. In like a lamb, out like a Lion."

I've always liked that old saying. 

The thing is, I've never remembered to notice how March "went out."

But one thing's for certain.

In Georgia, March brings both beautiful soft weather, and

roaring windy, rainy, and sometimes cold weather.

According to the Farmers Almanac,

this old saying is myth,

started by those who came before us.

People often believed that bad spirits could affect the weather adversely.

Because of that, they were often cautious about what they did,

what they did not do, and how they did it.

They believed in a balance between weather, and life.

So, if a month came in bad, like a lion,

it should go out good, or calm, like a lamb.

March is such a changeable month.

I think nowhere is this more true than in the South.

We will probably see warm, spring like temperatures...like today. 

It was 62 degrees at 7:30 this morning.

Or, we may see late season snow flurries, or cold driving rain.

Regardless, I'm anticipating spring...anxiously. 

And, enjoying a morning of sunshine, warmth,

and the hint of buds on my azaleas.

"See the winter is past.  The rains are over and gone.

Flowers appear on the earth.

The season for singing has come,

the cooing of doves is heard in our land."

~The Song of Songs~

Mardi Gras Tuesday

Its Mardi Gras today in the Crescent City.

I've always wanted to go.

I love NOLA,  but have never been during Mardi Gras.

But...its on my bucket list.

Today, in honor of Mardis Gras

I'm making Grillades & Grits for dinner.

I haven't made these before, so today will be a first.

And, what better recipe to follow than one from New Orleans' own...

Emeril.

I'm  using this one...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/grillades-and-baked-cheese-grits-recipe/index.html

BAM!

Happy Mardi Gras, Y'all!

This Is How We Do It

Winter in the South....

My daddy's camellias, in full bloom



                                          

Jonquils (or are they daffodils?) peeking up through the ground.

A bit of sunshine in my otherwise dreary brown garden.

                                       

And, this little fella. 

I think the bluebirds take advantage of the warm days,

not too often seen in February,

to flit around the field. 

When they fly together, they look like they are playing.



from Google images

I think February likes to tease those of us

who are lucky enough to live in the south.

Today, its sunny, and 60 degrees.

A hint of Spring is in the air.

But tomorrow...or next week...

Who knows what Mother Nature will send our way.

Groundhog Day in Georgia

An early spring for Georgia, says General Beauregard Lee!  Can I just get an "amen!"

I'm always hopeful on Groundhog Day, that General Lee will not see his shadow.  Spring never comes to early for this girl.  My southern blood is just too thin for cold weather.

This was on our local news website this morning, and I'm happy:

The South's iconic groundhog, Gen. Beauregard Lee, waddled out of his "Weathering Heights" mansion and failed to see his shadow on the Georgia red dirt.

The development bodes well for warm weather, since no shadow means an early spring. Hundreds of spectators were on hand as the prediction was made around 7:30 a.m. Thursday outside Atlanta.
The groundhog emerged to make the prediction moments after a crowd cheered, "Go Beau, Go Beau, Go Beau!"

Beau's caretakers at the Yellow River Game Ranch in Lilburn say he has a 94 percent accuracy rating, giving him a better record than Punxsutawney Phil, his famous Pennsylvania counterpart.
The ranch says that every year on Feb. 2, the Georgia groundhog wakes up to the ringing of an antique bell to forecast the spring weather.
(from http://www.accessnorthgeorgia.com/)


Hurry Spring!

Ahhhh, January

January in Georgia tends to be cold, and wet. 

Always, during this season, I find myself homesick for Spring in Savannah,
and on my Island....

And, the mysterious places.

There are places on my Island,

Magical...and Spiritual.

Where sometimes, the lines between reality,

and imagination, become blurred.

Where the scent of plough mud,

and salt water,

often unpleasant to others,

suddenly becomes a perfume to the soul.

A balm of Gilead.

Where it sometimes seems that time

really does stand still.

And, memories linger.....



This place, I dream about...

On a cold, wet January day.







Ain't Love Grand?

He told her he would not be home before Christmas.  The demands of school and work would keep him an entire state away from her until Christmas Eve. 

The weekend before Christmas, her best friend convinced her to go to lunch...at "their restaurant."  "That's our restaurant," she told her friend.

"Yeah? So?"  her friend replied, with a smile.

At the restaurant the waiter would deliver to her a scrolled message on parchment paper.  This message would send her on a scavenger hunt...to their favorite waterfall on their river, finally to the schoolyard, where it all began.  Where they met, and their love would blossom.

When she came into the schoolyard, there he was....

"But, you're suppose to be in Tennessee......."

"No, I'm suppose to be right here, at this moment, with you...."

Congratulations to our sweet girl, and her new fiance. 

It's going to be a busy year!

Images were provided by Paige, at Simple Thoughts. Visit her lovely blog at www.paigeknudsen.blogspot.com