Fourth of July in the Country

On Friday night, I was still undecided regarding what to do for the holiday weekend, but at midnight-thirty I made the decision to spend the holiday weekend in the country. I grew up in Glenwood and Mother still lives there. So, I was up at 6AM on Saturday, packing and swearing because I wanted to sleep in, but the thought of leaving Atlanta (and interstate highways) behind for a few days was quite appealing and I was suddenly in the mood for my little road trip to "The Wood" as I call it.

I took a little detour along the way to get a couple of boxes of peaches for Big Brother Curt, who lives in Savannah and just might possibly love peaches more than I do. Well, my plan was to go to Lane Southern Orchards in Fort Valley, but Curt suggested I shorten my trip by dropping by the Macon Farmers Market, shaving a few miles off my trip (and to get the peaches to him faster). A visit to ANY farmers market is an exciting thing for me. As a bumpkin who grew up on "home grown" foods, I'm always thrilled to meet and talk with the vendors who actually grow their supply. My first stop was Michelle's for tomatoes...OMG how I love REAL tomatoes. I'll likely eat so many this summer that I'll be sick of them until next summer. Across from Michelle's was Cameron's who had beautiful, fragrant peaches and freshly picked UNSHELLED purple-hull peas. The story on the peas is quite short...Mother REFUSES to accept peas that are already shelled--she needs to shell them herself and at 81, let's just say she gets what she wants. I'll add with glee that she doesn't expect us to pitch in with the shelling, so we have a win-win situation. The thought of watermelon crossed my mind, but I decided to hold out to get a few from "the man at the light" in Glenwood (the light is the BIG intersection in "town" with our only traffic light). Now it's back on the road to the country and before I know it, I'm greeted by the familiar sights of home.

When I walk into the kitchen, the mixer is on the counter and I spotted a recipe for a Lemon Meringue Cake. Yippee!!! Curt's planning to bake a cake!! The ingredients list led me to believe that it would be absolutely divine...

...and it was. As a matter of fact, it was cheek puckering hyper-lemony goodness. It was so good that I'm proud to admit that I "stole" the recipe. I am definitely making this bad boy (after I lose 20 pounds) or when the lemon craving takes over--whichever comes first.

I walked around the backyard, eating a homemade popsicle (the healthiest thing of the weekend--strawberries, vanilla Greek yogurt a bit of sugar and lime juice) and admiring nature and Curt's various plants, ranging from purple and green hot peppers to peaches to okra. Here are a few photos of my little outing.





There's an unwritten code while in "The Wood" that simply states there is no such thing as being on a diet or eating when you're hungry. In the country, you eat because you can and that's exactly what I do each time--this visit was no different. I'm a little ill just thinking about all food I've inhaled since Saturday, so I won't give y'all a rundown. I'll simply post a few shots of Sunday afternoon's chowing.

"Real" Tomatoes, Grilled Asparagus & Pasta Salad:

Purple Hull Peas & Butterbeans with Okra (both with TONS of cured pork--please don't ask):

Grilled Corn & Pork Chops (I became a little engrossed in conversation, but the chops were still fabu):

Fried Okra & Hoe Cakes:


I enjoyed my holiday in the country with family and friends and I'm very pleased with my last minute decision. Escaping the city really does a mind and body good (well okay maybe not the body). The diet starts (again) right after another piece of cake.

I hope you had a safe and enjoyable holiday!!


Sheila Denise