I hope everyone had a happy Easter weekend! Our weekend was busy but fun. On Friday night, we met our friends TJ Cochran, Matt Blinn, Cory Wilson and John Clark for Mexican food at Viva Mexico. We also ran into our friend and neighbor, Pat Gold, and her son, Michael. After dinner, we went over to TJ and Matt's house for cocktails and egg dyeing. We had a great time, and I enjoyed foraging their yard to find the ingredients to produce a natural, grass dyed egg.
Saturday was filled with projects at One Britt. Jeff and a few helpers spread a truck load of mulch in the backyard beds. It looks great, but we are going to have to get another load delivered for the front yard. I spent the day doing several loads of laundry and changing the bed linens. In the afternoon, I ventured over to Cherokee Market for some fresh produce and local pork. Unfortunately, they had sold out of pork chops, but I found some great cabbage, baby spring Vidalia onions, potatoes and brussel sprouts. If you have not been to this great little farm stand, you should give it a try. If you go on Thursday through Sunday, treat yourself to some awesome local BBQ at the food truck outside. Grab an A&W root beer or Nehi soda along with some chips inside to go with your pulled pork sandwich.
On Saturday night, we enjoyed a delightful gathering at Harry and Rebecca Johnston's home to celebrate the Spring visit of their daughter, Ann Johnston Cloud. As usual, the hospitality, food and conversation were all first class. We had a great time chatting with many friends and getting to know Ann. Afterward, we attended our second party of the evening to celebrate Jennifer Dunn's birthday. A lot of our other friends were there, and we all played a hilarious game, Cards Against Humanity. It was a lot of fun!
I got up early on Easter morning to bake a carrot cake to take the gathering at the Brown Family Farm in Jasper. Although it was a bit rainy, the fun, food and fellowship were heartwarming. We hid eggs for the kids between showers, and after lunch, there was just enough time between the rain for the kids to hunt the eggs. They were not phased by the damp grass and mud, and everyone had a good time.
We arrived back to One Britt late in the afternoon, and I began to prepare tonight's Sunday Supper. I decided that a rainy Easter Sunday was perfect for a little soul food, so I prepared some smothered pork chops, mashed potatoes, stewed cabbage, baby spring Vidalia onions and cream biscuits for dinner. For dessert, I made an upside down skillet peach cake. The main course was delicious and satisfying, and the weather cleared long enough to allow us to enjoy supper on the Side Porch. Cory and John brought a nice Old Vine Zinfandel and an exquisite Cabernet from Argentina. The pork chops, cabbage and peach cake recipes came from the new Lee Brothers Charleston Kitchen cookbook. As usual, their recipes and stories are divine.
After we rested for a while after the main course, I went inside to prep the upside down skillet peach cake. Jeff had turned it out onto a cake stand prior to dinner, but I decided the top needed to brown a bit more. I must have been channeling my mother, so I decided to place it, cake stand and all, into the oven under the broiler while I made the whipped cream topping. I checked on it a couple of times, and the progress was satisfactory. As I was adding the finishing touch to the whipped cream, a little syrup from some canned organic peaches, I heard a heart-wrenching noise from the oven. You guessed it, the glass cake stand had shattered in the hot oven, and the cake and pieces of glass were everywhere. Deflated and embarrassed, I scanned the kitchen for a Plan B. I returned to the Side Porch with some Cadbury Eggs and Lindt Chocolate Carrots from Jeff's Easter Basket. My dinner companions were gracious, as always, and even consoled me with compliments on how well the chocolates went with the Argentinian Cabernet. At least I got some good photos of the cake before the disaster ensued, but after all, isn't that what Easter is all about: disaster and recovery? None of us are perfect, but I am blessed with dear friends and family that laugh at my mistakes and love me anyway.
My shattered glass is always half full, and I wish all of you a healthy and hopeful Spring awakening!
The Menu:
- Smothered Pork Chops
- Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
- Stewed Cabbage with Locally Smoked Pork Necks
- Roasted Baby Spring Vidalia Onions
- Simple Cream Biscuits
- Upside Down Skillet Peach Cake with a Substitute
of Easter Basket Chocolate
The Recipe – Roasted Baby Spring Vidalia Onions
Ingredients:
- 15 baby Vidalia onions or other large-bulb spring onion, ends trimmed and halved lengthwise
- 1 teaspoon(s) fresh thyme leaves
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place onions in a baking pan. Sprinkle with thyme and season with salt and pepper. Add butter in slivers, especially around bulbs. Roast onions until tender, browned, and caramelized, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a warmed platter, and drizzle with pan juices.
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