I am at the library on the exercise bike doing my blog post, 36-24-36  is soon to be.                  

Christmas Eve I attended the choir party and my contribution to the party were deviled eggs. Deviled eggs conjure all kind of memories. Momma's mother, Mimi died of breast cancer in the early 60's. Momma was in her forties and completely devastated because my grandmother did not want to be a burden and let it proceed without telling a soul.  This was the early fall near my mother's birthday October 26. Aunt Jennie created a picnic for momma and our family. We drove to the country to visit Raymond in St Clair County.  Raymond did not have inside plumbing and had to draw water from a well nor did he have toilets. We had to go to a privy with a crescent moon on the door. He had the Sears and Roebuck catalog for toilet paper. We got our pumpkin from his garden. The most fun about the visit was pretending we were driving a stagecoach from his wagon in the barn. The reins were still there and we would yell at the horses and our imaginations ran wild with each crack of the whip. After a day of fun we were called to have our picnic which always had deviled eggs, potato chips, and chicken salad sandwiches using white bread purchased from Savages Bakery.

Making deviled eggs Aunt Jennie's way is really very simple and always gets rave review. First put the eggs in a pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and let boil about five minutes.  Turn off heat and let sit in water until things cool to your touch. Of course you can submerge in cold water if you are in a rush.  Peeling the eggs requires you to tap either end of the egg firmly on the counter to break the egg membrane.  Once the membrane is broken the peeling will come off very easily. Put the egg shells in paper towel then toss in trash. After you have peeled the eggs rinse each one in faucet to make sure all the egg shell is removed. Nothing more horrible than crunching egg shell. Slice each egg and dump the hardened yolk into a boil.  Put about a tablespoon of butter and salt and pepper and mash with a fork. Add enough Hellman's Mayonnaise so that the yolk mixture is the consistency of toothpaste. Using a fork scoop the yolk mixture back into the white.  At this point I put the two together and put the whole egg back into the egg carton if you are transporting them.  If you are putting them out for guest put them on a plate. I sprinkle a bit of paprika on the top to make them look more festive.

Christmas Memories
Just asked Jennie one of her memories. She and Josh are here in Birmingham visiting me for Christmas. It is Christmas Eve.  When the children were small we would drive to Charlotte, NC to visit my brother for the holidays.  They would come for Thanksgiving and we had many joyous years together.  Momma was always a featured guest.  Jennie just told me her fond memory of awaking at Robin and Holly's home before anyone else was up.  Of course Momma was up and in the kitchen.  She asked Jennie if she needed anything and Jennie's eyes twinkled and she said Cheesy Grits. If ya'll want to make Cheesy Grits here is the recipe.

Cheese Grits

Prepare grits for about six people. To avoid lumpy grits I stir using a whisk. Start with cold water and let it come to a boil, slowly pour the grits in and start stirring. Watch out because things are very hot. When things start to boil again turn it down and cover. Every now and then stir again to prevent sticking and lumping. When the grits are done it is time to start dumping in the ingredients. These go in first, about one tablespoon of garlic and 1 teaspoon salt, the minced garlic works fine. Stir. Use very sharp cheddar cheese about 8 oz. Grate the cheese. I use a hand grater over a paper towel, grate cheese onto the paper towel and throw hand fulls into the grits until all the cheese is used up. Stir.  Let cool. The grits need to cool because you will now add three eggs. Stir grits after each egg is put in. Prepare a casserole by spraying cooking oil on all the sides. Cook grits casserole at 350 degrees for about one hour.  To add an extra treat sauté shrimp in butter with Slap Your Mama Seasoning sprinkled on the shrimp. Serve grits and put shrimp on top.

Thanksgiving with Jennie and Josh and David

Hello hello!

I’ve been visiting my children who went and grew up.  Actually I’m glad they did but sometimes it leaves a void in my life thus THE BLUE TOWEL RECIPES BLOG.  A while back I noticed in the library an exercise bike with a large desk-like-structure on the handlebars and there was a lady typing away and cruising nowhere on the bike.  I thought aha kill two birds with one stone, exercise and work on this blog.  So I dusted off the lap top my sweet son-in-law gave me but could only use it in the parking lot at Starbucks because I do not have access to internet at my home. Too complicated to explain.In the backseat of my car was my camera equipment, the lap top, and my pocketbook. Crooks stopped by my house, searched my car, and stole the afore mentioned items.  Called police and reported it. The fools used my credit card at the Target and were videoed. Police found them and my camera equipment but not the lap top or my purse. Never go to the airport without a hard copy of your driver’s license because the girls at TSA get to do a full hand search of all your private parts and then they take your yogurt and then they search every bit of everything and then after about an hour they decide just because you had your credentials stolen and had not received your proper id you were not a terrorist and let me proceed to the proper gate. I then flew to Phoenix where Jennie lives with her husband, married August 20, 2016.  We then drove to San Diego to visit his brother and celebrated Thanksgiving with nine wonderful people. I was going to cook but got cold feet because all had been planned and I didn’t want to get in the way. I felt like I had visited The Jetsons because every modern device was available, lights that glowed in any shade imaginable, three stoves, it was far more than this humble girl from Alabama could digest.  Then they said go up to the new model homes being built. So Jennie took me to homes that even The Jetsons couldn’t imagine.  Fancy, fancy, fancy! Being with Jennie and Josh and his family was a real treat.

David teaches in Goldsboro, NC. After a wonderful visit with one of Momma's childhood friends I drove to Raleigh to visit with a friend I met on the St Andrew's C&C trip to Israel, Greece, and Rome. Imagine a 17 year old flying to JFK to meet 28 other people for an adventure that no one could imagine. Beth and I talked and remembered and truly I treasure each memory. Drove then to David's where I was blessed with enough laundry to keep me busy the entire day while he taught.  That night I took him to Kinston, NC to the Chef and the Farmer restaurant for an exquisite dinner. Sixth grade Social Studies is his field and he is doing so well.  He is off to Europe for Christmas. 

The first Sunday in Advent has just past which makes me remember Aunt Jennie and her nut cake. This was an annual experience which took two days to make. At about ten years old I would watch my Great Aunt Jennie make her nut cake.  The first thing that happened was Daddy had to get the whiskey for the nut cake. Because it had liquor in it we were not allowed to lick the bowl.  Aunt Jennie would sit in the car while the liquor was purchased, a lady did not go in such places. She would hand Daddy three crumpled dollars and say Mac get the cheapest whiskey you can because it is just for the flavor.

You might think of Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory although Aunt Jennie never sent cakes to presidents only her dear friends. One-year momma said Truman Capote was reading A Christmas Memory at UAB.  There he stood swaying a bit tipsy and began telling his story. As he proceeded through, “child of seven whiskey on her breath” and other quotable portions of his story. He got more and more sober and I wonder if his drunken stupor was an act. By the end, which left me in sobs of tears, and he was weeping as well but very coherent.  That evening was sheer magic, Truman Capote reading A Christmas Memory.

I have looked for the Nut Cake recipe to no avail.  Still looking so hopefully I will find it for the next blog recipe. Sorry. 

Squash Casserole and Dressing

 With Thanksgiving right around the corner I will give two recipes we had every Thanksgiving, this was momma’s:

 Squash Casserole

Feeds 8-10

12 small yellow squash

Slice the squash in thin slices boil in chicken broth with some sliced onion. You can boil in water but flavor better with the broth.

When soft drain all but a little of the water/broth out of the pot. Put in grated onion, two hand full of grated sharp cheddar cheese . Add one pack of crushed Waverly Wafers or an uptown pack of crackers. Stir in two raw eggs.

Bake for about 1 hour in a 350 degree oven or until the top is brown.

Aunt Nell’s Dressing

Bake corn bread in a cast iron skillet.  I use the recipe on the side of the corn meal package.  Instead of using the milk I use a 14 oz can of creamed corn which makes the corn bread light and fluffy. If it is too dry add milk till batter will drip off the spoon.  Let the corn bread cool.

Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and cover with water and boil about 15 minutes.

Aunt Nell always used three cans Swanson's Chicken broth.  Dice a the outside stalks of celery finely and dice a large onion. Saute the onion and celery in one can of the chicken broth

 Dry two slices of white bead (let the bread stay out and get good and stale or toast it) either works. Hard boil two eggs.

Crumble the corn bread in a large bowl.  Pour the celery onion mixture into the corn bread, Drain the neck and giblets and pour the broth into the mixture. Grate the toast and the hard boil eggs into the mixture. Stir and Stir till all mixed up.  Pour in another can of Swanson's broth. The mixture should be soupy, if it is too dry add the other can of broth. Bake 350 degree oven about 1 hour.  If the turkey is finished take the drippings and add them to the dressing for more yummy flavor.

To this day I can see the pot Aunt Nell used to boil the neck and giblets.  Beat up but worked.  Aunt Jennie could not abide the smell or taste of onion so she had a special knife that was used to cut the onion for this recipe. She would cover the knife in aluminum foil and then wrap it again so the foul odor would plague the kitchen.  Aunt Nell loved to cook and treasured her time in the kitchen.  Neither of the sisters married although Aunt Nell's was a deep tragedy with her beau dying during the depression. He was a haberdasher at the Tutwiler Hotel on 20th street, Porter Westbrook Aunt Jennie on the other hand chose to never marry but stayed with her career working for the Progressive Farmer Magazine in circulation.  She was named Miss Progressive Farmer the year I was born, 1954 and given a silver bowl for her accomplishment. She used say I'd be walking on easy street if I had married that man. She would drop them like a hot potato if they held her hand.  She is who my Jennie is named for.

Country Captain Yummy!

November 9, 2016

My first real blog log, sounds a bit like a rap song.  I have been going to the library with my handy dandy Lap Top given to me by my sweet new son-in-law because I do not have inter net at the house.  Too many trees and I am not cutting trees when I can go to the library and my phone for email.

Boy do I feel like an up town human.  I just figured out how to put a file on a flash disc.  You see you have to take it from the Documents Folder and then transfer.  Of course everybody knows that but not me.  It is sometimes difficult to go from point A to B in my shoes but here I go.

My vision of writing on my blog was to have the lap top in the carrier at the library exercise bike and type away but alas last Friday night all my camera equipment and purse and my lap top were stolen .  The thieves opened the back door of my car and took them while I, exhausted pumped gas.  Before finalizing and replacing my stuff the Hoover Detective has seen videos of the mongrels who stole my things so perhaps I will get my things back.  Keep fingers crossed.  Real life Law and Order.

Please forgive the appearance of the first log in but I could not figure out how to download my stories and newspaper article so I printed the story then scanned everything at the library and  transferred it to my flash disc. When my new best friend, the librarian teaching me how to blog, saw what I had done  had to take a picture with her phone and transfer it that way.  Look carefully at the newspaper story because Lemon Chicken is divine and so is Chop Suey.

The next recipe I will give you is Country Captain.  My father served with General Patton and rumor had it someone would bring him Country Captain in a metal pail.

Country Captain  This will serve 6

Cooked rice about two cups

4 chicken breast I prefer on the bone with skin but boneless works as well

Flour to dredge the chicken in a plastic bag about ¼ cup

Salt and pepper

Cast Iron Skillet is best to use

Wash the chicken and drop them into the bag after you salt and pepper them good

Use a vegetable oil because you want the skillet to get hot medium high 

Olive oil cannot hold the heat as well

While you are getting the skillet hot begin preparing your vegetables

One whole green pepper sliced in strips, one large onion diced and three large tomatoes fresh or  large diced canned tomatoes work fine

Note: I use a Cutco knife called a Trimmer and that is the only knife I use.  It is absolutely the best knife you will ever have and the only one.  I use a small cutting board so I can hold the board over the skillet and put the prepared vegetables in the skillet. You will have trash from the vegetables which should be left on a towel under the chopping board . When you are finished preparing the vegetables scoop the trash in the towel and toss it outside in what will become the compost pile  Find a close place to the front door.

Back to the recipe:  Hot skillet which I put about two T of curry powder in .I put the chicken breast skin side down.  Watch out don’t get burned.  I use the tip of the knife to turn them when they are brown on one side.  Take them out quickly they do not need to cook all the way through. Take the skillet off the heat. Put chicken in a nice casserole dish because this is what you will be serving them in. Put skillet back on heat  Using the oil from the chicken put in onions and peppers and tomatoes and let them cook till wilted about 7 minutes but eyeball them. Take the casserole over to the skillet and put the onions, peppers and tomatoes on top of the browned chicken breast.  Bake about 45 minutes at 350 the last 15 minutes Open the oven and throw on a handful of golden resins or plain whichever you’ve got in your pantry.  To this day I can hear momma say, “ Let the raisins plump”  Serve over rice  I usually cut the breast up since a whole chicken breast is a lot to eat. If you choose to serve the entire breast prepare six to serve six.

Blue Towel Recipes

Welcome to my blog. Don't have a heart attack I am really getting spiffy with my new friend from Vestavia Library, you know the one in the Forest.

The way I learned to cook involves a blue towel. My mother was a librarian and after work she would come home take a warm shower and wrap in a big blue towel. At the top of her lungs she screamed out things for me to do in the kitchen and thus I learned how to cook and how to prepare various recipes which will be included in this blog. You see I have experience. Born July 30, 1954, a baby boomer they say, I have had the privilege of experiencing life which I will share with my new blogger friends.

Add caption

I was featured in Martinsville,Virginia newspaper

 as Cook of the Week.