New Orleans always makes me smile. Walking down Bourbon Street in the 60's with four children my dad and mother, can you imagine. I remember momma shuffling us down the street with Daddy and Malcolm sauntering along peering into the houses of ill repute. Having breakfast at Café Dumont with the most divine tastes, Beignets and Chicory coffee, I squeal with delight at the thought.  At that time Jax Beer was still being produced and the smell of the waterfront, chicory coffee and Jax Beer all made the aroma unbearably stinky. I remember as we ate our donuts at all hours of the day the horrible smell but that's the way the real world is.

As adults the four children took momma to New Orleans, Daddy died in 1979. It is a bittersweet memory because it was the last time the four of us were together. Malcolm was murdered in 1983.We went into Felix Oyster House ordered five dozen with beer. The waiter stopped by, scooped up the trays of oyster shells and Malcolm spun his finger to say do it again. Gluttony at it's highest, but there are no permanent sins in New Orleans.

I took Momma and my children to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.  We went to parades on Canal a week before Fat Tuesday. I didn't want to be in New Orleans with all the crazies.  We went to a parade known as Barkus, the actress Delta Burke was the Grand Marshal which celebrated the animals of New Orleans who were dressed accordingly. It was such fun shooting in New Orleans but I never published anything although I got great images.  It always seemed the headlines were about four murdered so a story about children in New Orleans didn't seem appropriate. We rode the Street Car Named Desire. Of course, the Aquarium was part of the trip and although we didn't go, the zoo is suppose to be fantastic.  Riding on the Paddle boats up and down the Mississippi was a treat. Just wandering through the streets was an adventure.  I loved the Print Gallery which had Fine Art Photography on Royal Street. We went into an antique shop where David became mesmerized by a coin collection of pennies.  We bought him two Indian Head pennies and said if you are interested we will help you with your collection. Never did I think he would stick with it but I  spent the rest of his growing up at Coin Shops.  I would leave him and come back two hours later when he was still pawing through giant stacks of pennies.  I cursed not buying him that collection we had seen.  He did complete the collection much to my pocketbook's horror minus one.

I have or perhaps thought I would include the images shot from the New Orleans trips. I went to my files of slides (nobody can figure out what a slide in now but I digress). There are about twenty five three ring binders filled with  page after page of favorite images. I pulled out my light table dusted it off and found my loope I paid $90.00 for and began searching for the page of slides I know have my favorite New Orleans images. Page after page I searched to no avail. Still haven't found them. I did find two card boxes filled with slides that have favorite portfolio quality images just sitting there.  Memories flooded.  I do have enough New Orleans to have scanned and put on the blog so I decided to have those scanned and continue on my way.  I called my favorite Photo Shop, Wolf and they closed yesterday the man from corporate told me. What????? Being the Google Queen I asked for camera stores in Birmingham.  Nothing anymore.  Yipes!!!!! Where is Dennis Womack or Bill Trotter? Not to be denied I started to explore where I can get images scanned. Someone said Costco or Walmart so I called but it takes months and the slides must be send away and I do not trust sending my images away through Walmart.  Some of my best experiences in life have been at Walmart but not my photographs. Then I decided I would get out my scanner with the slide feature and hey I am an intelligent woman right. Nothing, only black images appear.  I just can't seem to get these gizmos.  Not to be undaunted I remembered a photography shop in Montgomery I used when I lived in Auburn and was a real photographer not caregiver/photographer. Just got off the phone with them and they can scan slides. I am headed to Montgomery! I still have not located my Binder with my best New Orleans photos but sadly you  get my seconds. Enjoy! I told my dilemma to a friend and she told me Perry Computer might scan slides.  They do! I went back to look for the very best of my seconds and pulled a sheet from the stack in the tub and magically the sheet I had looked for appeared. Poof Magic! I took them to Perry Computer and after I give them $41.00 then Vestavia you will be able to enjoy the First picks from my New Orleans shoot.

 

The gumbo recipe made me think of New Orleans. Oh New Orleans! Momma and Daddy were married March 12, 1942. They had their honeymoon in New Orleans the year Pat O'Brien created The Hurricane, a real hurricane had just passed through. Somehow they were at Pat O'Brien's and of course they ordered the new drink.  Momma said they sat on the stool and the room began to spin, the next thing that happened was she began  to spin. What a night! The cab driver took them out to a black part of New Orleans and he told momma and daddy to stay in the cab. The cabbie brought them a sandwich made with French Bread, it smelled divine and she took a bite of an oyster poor boy.  
For spring break we fentured back to New Orleans as a child.  I remember going to a lovely restaurant called Galatoires. Money was always an issue so momma would give us an amount we could spend. Galatoirs was a white table restaurant with waiters running everywhere. Water was provided and we were treated with great respect although there were four very wiggly children and momma and daddy. I believe we could each spend $2.00. It was the early 60's so that was almost doable. They provided French bread in baskets with butter which we gobbled up. Momma ordered Clear Oyster Soup. Momma was so charming she asked the waiter for the recipe which is included in the blog. I made it one time but it did not taste right not sure what I did wrong.
One time we went we also had a French foreign exchange student with us. We stayed in a beautiful inn on Royal Street called the Cornstalk Hotel. Momma met a film crew from the local TV station and we were featured on daily news.

Clear Oyster Soup

5 dozen large oysters
4 green onions or shallots
2 spoonfuls of flour
1/4 cup of butter
3 sprigs of parsley 4 bay leaves
the liquor of or the juice of the oysters and 6 pints of water

Put the butter in the soup pot, let melt add the onions parsley with two spoonfuls of flour and 2 bay leaves let brown Then add the oysters and the juice of same and water. let cook for one hour Season. Suit to taste

Sorry about the condition of the scanned recipe Momma used it to prepare Clear Oyster Soup for us and alas spills happened.  Another favorite was the Gumbo Shop. Enjoy the prices!

Gumbo

January 1, 2017

Well I was a bit of a coward last night.  I was going to the dance, just made sure all was well with Edah and drove home.  I had a slew of toasted pecans and a dozen devil eggs that are sitting in my refrigerator. It was a little past nine and I had visions of me  looking while everyone was embracing with kisses and the shutter made me drive home curl in bed with the cat. At 12:02 I awoke noticed the time, rubbed the cat, and went back to sleep.

This morning the service at church was devoted to change for the new year. There was a time of prayer. I got through praying for the Lord to get me through the estate settlement and perhaps returning to love for my siblings and then another minute went by POP in my mind the blog and the gumbo recipe which I prepared just this past week.  It was too greasy, nothing worse so I have shifted the recipe.  Here I am suppose to be praying but rethinking my gumbo recipe. I am nothing but sinful.

All gumbo must have the trinity, that is onions, peppers and celery. I had sauted and bagged, and froze some vegetables  for a future gumbo. Freezing can make vegetables a little limp so I like to begin by sautéing fresh onions and peppers and celery with bacon. This was my flaw in my last gumbo which can easily be remedied.  Cook the bacon and remove. Dump all but a little of the bacon grease. Saute vegetables for about three minutes. Use a cast iron skillet for best results. At this time I add gumbo seasoning that I chuckled when I bought it at Walmart but it is really tasty, Slap Your Momma, also garlic. Put in  the frozen vegetables. Slice some sausage, Bratwurst is good, add to skillet. You can add tomatoes canned or fresh. Let simmer about ten minutes. Add sliced frozen okra unless you can get fresh.  Do not buy okra larger than your index finger. Stir and turn down heat to low.  Add about a 2 cups of chicken broth. Let simmer about thirty minutes. I have good success with frozen shrimp. Do not buy cooked shrimp. It is tough and not good in soups. Peel shrimp and add to gumbo. when the shrimp are pink they are done.


Serve over rice or in the bowl alone. Enjoy!

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.