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.