Friday Show & Tell

Pam Asberry

Dacula, GA

Karen White and Eloisa James
at The Chocolate Bar in Decatur, Georgia

Thursday I got to hear two amazing romance writers talk about their journeys and their friendship.

If you haven't read their work, go straight to your nearest local book store and treat yourself.

Mmmmm....Cobbler

I can't exist without recipes that bring me joy and remind me of days long passed with family who lived on the farm instead of in the city, who knew the benefits of reaping from the land not the grocery. One of my favorites is cobbler.

Now, you must understand that cobbler may be experienced year-round but seasonal fruits are still seasonal. That said, I encourage you to get creative. In this same basic recipe I have used: rhubarb and strawberries; blackberries, raspberries and peaches; and peaches alone. I challenge you to come up with a combination that works for you and your family. For this recipe I will use Georgia Peaches and  Rainer Cherries as they are in season.

PEACHES AND CHERRIES
© Aliced | Dreamstime.com

Lindy's Peach Cherry Cobbler

1/2 cup salted butter
2-1/2 cups fresh Georgia peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
1-1/2 cups fresh Rainier cherries, pitted and chopped
1cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
a pinch of salt
1 cup milk
1 tsp of pure vanilla extract
vanilla ice cream

Pre-heat the over to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a large baking dish (I prefer a cast iron skillet) for five or so minutes. Mash the blackberries (or your choice of fruit) in a large bowl to release some of the juice. Keep in mind that you can include a teaspoon of sugar with the fruit if the fruit you are using is tart. I tend to do this when I use rhubarb. In another bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the sugar, milk and vanilla and blend until smooth. Take the skillet out of the oven and pour the melted butter into the batter and mix well. Pour the batter into the hot skillet then dump the fruit right in the middle. Don't stir it. Leave it be. Bake the cobbler for about an hour or until the crust is golden and a toothpick inserted in the batter comes out clean. Serve with your favorite vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Enjoy!

What might your favorite seasonal combination be?

Life in Penned Perspective by Lindy Chaffin Start
www.unstoppablestart.com

Towanda!

The Actresses of
Fried Green Tomatoes
L to R: Mary Louise Parker,
Mary Stewart Masterson,
Kathy Bates and the late Jessica Tandy.

If you’ve spent any time at all in the South, you support GLBT affairs, live in or around Juliette, Georgia, read Fannie Flagg or for that matter watch movies, then you are probably quite familiar with the term – Towanda! Who knew one screwball word like that could become the battle cry for the fearless.

Well friends, I say to you, “Towanda!”

"I hear they've got an assertive training class for southern women. Of course that's a contradiction in terms." - Missy in Fried Green Tomatoes

The amazing and talented Pam Asberry and I launched WritersLi.P.P. this week (This is meant to be your introduction to my half of the partnership. Oh boy!). To that I say, “Towanda!”

I’m 39 years old and more aware of who I am and what I want out of life than I EVER have been. “Towanda!”

I’m in the middle of a divorce, raising a three year old, and made the decision to risk a lot in order to ensure she gets through this transition with her mom close by. “Towanda!”

There are many passions in my life not the least of which is writing. I am a writer and reader, chef and gardener, painter and singer, and have proven to be a really big flirt who embraces her sexuality. “Towanda!”

"I can't even look at my own vagina!" - Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates)

To me it doesn’t matter what you believe or how strongly you believe it. If your opinion differs from mine, I will welcome yours with open arms and respect you for offering it. The best part is that I will still love and admire you and happily coexist despite our differences. “Towanda!”

The South is my home. I was born in Macon, Georgia and have lived from Macon to Decatur and many places in between and beyond. I have the right to take my place as a Daughter of the Confederacy because my “greats” fought in a war a long time ago that I had nothing to do with. I might not approve but I embrace my history. “Towanda!”

I have friends who range in age from twenty-six to ninety-six and in nationality from American mutt to Canadian to Persian – I love each of them equally. “Towanda!”

This laundry list might be off-putting to some. I’m okay with that. I’m not looking for anyone’s approval. My dream is to get to know you and be part of how you embrace who you’ve become and stand with you with sledge-hammer in hand as you yell at the top of your breathless lungs, “Towanda!”

Enough about me; join the conversation. What inspires you to yell “Towanda”? What would hold you back? What draws you into a blog about love and life written by two writers?

Thanks to Fanny Flagg and Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café for such an amazing story and the fearlessness that should inspire us all.

"It's all right, honey. Let her go. Let her go. You know, Miss Ruth was a lady. And a lady always knows when to leave." - Sipsey (Cicely Tyson)