Going home is always such a treat. I just love my parents and they have always, always been my rock and are to this day. Mom still cooks up a storm and last weekend was no exception. She whipped up this meal of fresh veggies for our lunch last Friday and man, oh man, was it good. Fresh tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, along with green beans, potatoes and dumplings, sauteed squash and that dish in the middle is fried eggplant. She uses Panko Japanese breadcrumbs for those and it is delish! I came home with a pile of veggies myself and cooked it up this week. I still can’t fix my veggies quite like my mama does though! She’s had years of practice.
Mom taking out the cornbread from the cast iron skillet. She can make some mean buttermilk cornbread.
Mom sent us home with some of her homemade pepper sauce. The best on turnip and collard greens, which Peter hopes to grow at our house this year.
This is the house I grew up in from the time I was 16. We lived in the house next door to this one originally (a 3 bedroom brick ranch) and then my dad built this house when I was a teenager. The cabinets are painted blue and my mom still has plenty of blue and mauve around. She is NOT into decorating, so I have no idea how my sister and I got so much into it, but we did. She cares not a whit about keeping up with trends, much less with the Jones’s. They live a simple and frugal life and that’s no doubt why they are so blessed with good health. It is not a fancy house at all, very basic, but it’s home to them and they have no desire to move anywhere else. Many a fabulous meal has been cooked in this tiny kitchen over the years.
As I mentioned, we celebrated my day’s 82nd birthday over at my sisters. I forgot to take a pic of the food, which was pork chops with side dishes (got too excited and dove right into the food), but I did take a pic of the pound cake I made. Here are my parents sitting on the deck enjoying the good weather we had that day. It wasn’t too humid for a change. Buster’s getting some attention from my dad. Buster is a lap dog.
I made this pound cake again (only this time I substituted cream cheese for the cream), a good Paula Deen recipe. My mom made a churn of homemade peach ice cream and we all pigged out.
I sliced up fresh peaches to go with it and it was absolutely a perfect summer treat. We grew up making homemade ice cream with a hand-cranked churn (I always sat on it to keep it from moving) and I have some very fond memories of eating that homemade ice cream, usually vanilla.
(me, Beverly, and my sister, Renee)
This is Beverly, an old friend of our family, and we invited her and her hubby over for our celebration. It was great to see her again. You see, we go way back with her big, extended family in Marietta, since her daddy and mama were one of the original families in the church when we moved to Marietta in 1963, the summer before I would turn 7. My dad became the pastor of the small church that he led for 27 years and her parents and mine have remained close over the years.
There are 7 siblings in her family, so they are a big bunch and here’s a fun little tidbit for you. She’s Travis Tritt’s aunt. Yes, the grammy-award winning country singer. Travis’s mother and Beverly are sisters and we know all of their extended family. Precious people. Travis grew up in my dad’s church as a little fellow, singing and playing his guitar in church. He had such a great talent, but we didn’t dream he would make it as far as he did, but he certainly did make the big time in country music. We’ve stayed in touch with this wonderful family over the years and after Beverly’s parents both passed away in the last 5 years, her daddy just in the past couple of months, my dad officiated the funerals for both of them, as well as Travis’s own father, who also passed away very recently. A finer family you will never find and it was great to catch up with her and hear about the rest of the family. The last time I saw Travis was over 4 years ago at his grandmother’s funeral and he was just as friendly as he’s always been, hugging each of us and catching us up on all he’s been up to since he became a country star. We have fond memories of Travis growing up as a small boy singing in church.
In fact, he wrote a song later on during his career called Bible Belt, which was written about a scandalous time in our little church involving a sordid affair with some youth leaders, when Travis was in the youth group choir which was traveling and singing that summer. It all came to a head during that trip while they were in fact, in Alabama at a church on a Sunday morning and the incident left an indelible mark on all of those young people, I’m sure. When the song came out and we heard it for the first time, we had to laugh all those years later at how awful the whole thing was at the time. That was just one incident that my dad had to deal with as a Pastor. Ahhh, the life of a Pastor is not easy. I was away at college during that time and my mom filled me in on the phone of all the goings-on.
Now, here’s something I’m going to put on here that I’ve never done before. My mom likes to keep busy during the winter months and has always done some sort of needlework. She got this set of 7 dish or hand towels out when we were home recently and showed me what she had been working on over the winter. These are all angels, all hand stitched by my sweet mama on a white cotton pique dish towel. She just does it for fun and had never thought about selling any of these, but she really didn’t want to keep them, so I told her I would put them on my blog to see if anyone would like to buy them.
I figured a fair price would be $42 for the set of 7 towels and I’ll even offer free shipping. So, if you are interested in buying these towels, please let me know by leaving a comment OR by emailing me. The first person to let me know will get them. That’s $6 each.
She did a great job with them. Neither me nor my sister or niece really collect linens like this, so none of us wanted to particularly keep them, so I hope one of you would like them for your collection. Especially if you love angels.
Thanks for going home with me!
See you Sunday afternoon for Thrifty Treasures.
Gwen says
I have never had fried eggplant and that looks sooo good.
My mom isn't such a great cook and she likes to experiment on us when we go there. So I try to stay away during meal times:)
mary'smom says
Those dishtowels are beautiful! My grandmother used to make those types of towels…If I had the extra money right now, I would love to have them.
Runner Mom says
Hey, Rhoda! This post was precious! Your Mama looks so much like my mother-in-law! I did a double take!!Those towels are lovely! What a fun weekend! THanks for sharing it with us! My Hubby's dad is a retired minister, so we've heard stories as well!! Never a dull moment in the Bible Belt!!!
I plan on checking out your pound cake recipe!! That's my favorite dessert!
I will be back to link up with you again on Sunday! I DID run this morning and yard sale at the same time!!!
Hugs!
Susan
Jessica says
first YUM!
second, do you happen to know of a way to create/make an inexpensive built in for a side of your fireplace???
thanks!
Anonymous says
OMG I WANT YOUR MOM!!!! What a wonderful feast! Your parents are just awesome and I know you are very very close to them. My folks have been gone for years and I sure do miss them!
Sugar's Mommy says
Oh, girl! That food looks so good. Love me some Southern cooking.
Carmen says
This is a great post. Your mom and dad are too cute! The food your mom prepared looks DELICIOUS! The towels are precious too. I have no patience for stuff like that. Very cool that you know Travis Tritt. What a funny story about the scandal too. Amazing how things like that stick with you.
Ashford Chase HOA, Inc. says
Sweet post, but what do you mean your mom didn't care about decorating? Look at that kitchen. It is totally decorated. Not new of course, but totally decorated just the same.
Terri says
What a sweet, wonderful post, Rhoda. Treasure those moments with both parents cause one day they'll end. I lost my dad in January of 2008. My parents had been married 65 years and my mom is still lost without him. I miss him dearly, not a day goes by that I don't think of him.
grannyann says
My grandmother used to do some similar sewing. Enjoyed the tour and the food looks fantastic.
Linda C says
Thanks for taking us along on your visit with your sweet family! Your parents are just precious- and the pictures of your mom on the porch- she just looks like a sweet pastor's wife- just like ours was when I was growing up:)
What an interesting story about your favorite foods- yum!- everything looks wonderful! — and your connection with country fame! Wow!
That is so cool!
Have a great weekend:)
Linda C
nanc says
The pictures and descriptions of your mother's cooking look and sound delicious. Isn't it amazing how she can whip up all that food without a 'show' kitchen. I have friends with unbelievable kitchens who wouldn't even attempt any homemade cooking. i just found your blog recently and find it so interesting.
Sue says
Yummm… the food looked good, as did your parents! Thanks for sharing the fact that you value your family and their way of life. So often, people look beyond where they came from. See ya Sunday afternoon!
🙂 Sue
KayEllen says
wonderful post and family time:)
Darling towels!!!
Have a safe trip home,
kayellen
imjacobsmom says
This was a fun read! Thanks for the trip back home, your meals look and sounded devine! You have the cutest parents. I think you are my brush with fame – growing up with Travis Tritt and all. ~ Robyn
Blondie's Journal says
Rhoda,
You made me get that warm, fuzzy feeling when I go to visit my dad (he is 82 also) and am in my childhood home. It seems nothing chages there. But I always have that special feeling, like a small part of myself is still there.
And, oh my, all that food. I am getting a great idea of what you Southerner's like to cook up. And it is diffent than us in the Midwest. I would love to serve a veggie lunch like that and I think I will!!
Love the towels!! I am a little late to make a bid for them though..
Have a great day, dear friend!
And hey, would you mind passing along your mother's recipe for buttermilk cornbread. It looks marvelous and my cornbread always turns out dry!
xoxo
Jane
Shauna says
What a sweet post. The food looks really good! Thanks for sharing!
Sandra says
Aw, what a fun time you had with your family. I feel nothing but hominess (is that a word? hee hee) at your parent's house. So much love.
blessings,
Sandra
marmielu says
This was such a nice post to read. Thanks so much for sharing your family with us.
Mary Lou
Joan@anythinggoeshere says
I always work on my Monday post for your party over the weekend and then make sure my link works. This gives me the added fun of seeing what you're up to. Do you parents want to adopt me. They look and seem like the nicest people and your mom can cook up one great meal and is crafty too. What a treat for a Saturday afternoon.