Forest Grump

This blog starts with a bad mood.

I had to get out of dodge to get this one under control, so I just started walking. Out the back door. Towards the garden. Which keeps flooding... sorry early spring dreams. On my way I noticed some ripe wild blackberries under a tree. Yum! After I stuck a few in my mouth I remembered a (rainy) trek in the backyard a few months back.

The hubs noticed the large number of wild blueberry trees on the pathway, so I decided to go see how they were progressing.

Jackpot!

Not only did I score some great berries - I also introduced my legs to the 2014 mosquito population. When I shared this fact, friends graciously told me about Shea Butter and Vitamin B12 as bug deterrents and Orajel as a soothing relief. Who knew?! These facts may take my foraging dreams and my pancakes to a new level.

An afternoon in the woods and an antioxidant-full breakfast-for-supper turned out to be just what I needed.

Seafood Edition #2: Oysters

I feel cozy in paradox.

While I may shy away from raw oysters, one of my absolute favorite foods in America is a char-grilled oyster from Drago’s in New Orleans. So, upon our family outing to the Original Oyster House on the Causeway for my mother’s birthday, I decided to try a similar dish-- the oyster sampler.* It was a lovely arrangement, including 3 different varieties of oysters: fried, baked with Parmesan cheese, herbs & butter, and the house specialty. (Marinara sauce and ham were involved.)

Any time I have ordered oysters at the O.O.H., I have ooooooh-ed. They are delectable. Not sure what they bathe the little bottom feeders in before they are cooked, but they are quite nice- especially the fried ones. The baked versions were nice too, but it’s a shame to compare anything to one of my absolute favorite foods in America. I was so enraptured by my pearly feast and the rowdy family conversation that I did not realize that I had an amazing sweet chili sauce to dip with. My plate was clean when I discovered it, so I had to borrow a few of J’s leftover shrimp and other samples from around the table so I could enjoy the sauce more fully. In conclusion: next time I go to O.O.H. I must be in the mood for fried food. And I’m asking for a gallon of the chili sauce.

Also, a very Happy Birthday to my unique and inspiring mother; and to my grandmother who did all the work. 

*I am aware of the old saying that one shouldn’t eat oysters in months that do not contain an “R,” but my grandmother assures me that farm raised oysters have created a cozy paradigm shift to year-round oyster eating. Your thoughts?

Let Them Eat Cake

Can we all just agree that we are tired of eating cupcakes? 

...Ok, now that we are all in agreement, let’s go back to eating cake. This cake: Dean’s (slap-yo-mamma) 7-Layer Caramel Cake  from Andalusia, Alabama.

I bring this up because J and I are doing a juice fast this weekend in an effort to reset our taste-buds. So, naturally, my daydreams are vacillating between bacon cheeseburgers and my favorite store-bought cake in America. Ugh. Yum.

Aunt Dean’s got it down, y’all. She recognizes cake for what it really is: a skeleton for its muscle, a frame for its drywall, a blank canvas for its Chagall, a set-worker for its Madama Butterfly. What I'm trying to say is: the true star in Aunt Dean’s cake is the icing. Oh, the icing! Her caramel spread has a contrasting sweet and smoky bite and that will make you wonder if there was an epic battle for good and evil fought in its fruition. Holy moly, it's good.

I admit, I'm so in love with the caramel, I've yet to venture out and try her many other cake flavors. Aunt Dean's website says her cake business all started with a Sock-It-To-Me accident. (How’s that for intrigue?) It also includes all the local places you can pick them up. I usually get mine at Allegri Farm Market in Daphne.

So tell me... what's your favorite cake?