Mermaids in the Kitchen

All is good in my world tonight. All our guests have checked in for the week ( including another soldier’s family celebrating his safe return home ), we had some rain which all our flowers and frogs just love, we’re all stocked up for the next groups of arrivals this weekend ( another full week- thank you to all our visitors!) and the dogs are back home after their day at the groomers. A year or so ago , Sarah who used to work for us and now works for Paula Deen, told me about how Paula and Michael have their black lab shaved for the summer heat. I tried it and am hooked . Now my 2 labs get shaved about every 2 months. Those of you who live with dogs and understand about dog hair will appreciate the freedom of now not having to vacum on a daily basis! The dogs have crew cuts, love the cool feeling and I love the lack of hair bunnies which used to float everywhere in whatever home I was in! Max is sleeping on his dog bed ( Maxie! found already monagramed at the LL Bean outlet store) after licking clean the peanut butter jar, Danny is sound alseep on the sofa laying on his back with his legs up in the air

But there’s even more good news about today! My kayaking friend , co owner of Bobaritaville ( along with Bobby) and all around very, very smart woman Suzanne Everett had told me about this great new carry out cafe on Whitemarsh Island ( the island where Wal-Mart lives and the closest island to Tybee) called Thrive. Thrive is a must for anyone who loves freshly prepared carry out dishes , using mostly organic and mostly local food products. And even more special – the carry out containers they use are materials that will actually decompose in our landfills unlike plastic which will take years to go away. Today I had for lunch their chicken salad made with free range chicken, almonds, cranberries and red grapes. Dinner ( I stocked up) was their spinach quiche with puff pastry….. and butternut squash and sweet potato soup!!! Their website is coming soon, in the meantime visit them at Whitemarsh Plaza or call 912 898 2131.

So after dinner I turned on the TV and Fried Green Tomatoes was on!!!!!!!!!!!! This movie is worth it just to hear all those wonderful southern accents and hear the sounds of summer. If any of you has never had fried green tomatoes, the movie will still make your mouth water. Here’s the classic receipe for this delicious dish…. and two pictures to make your mouth water even more.

Ingredients
1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/2 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided 1/2 cup cornmeal 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 3 medium-size green tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch slices Vegetable oil Salt to taste
PreparationCombine egg and buttermilk; set aside.
Combine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or pan.
Dredge tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup flour; dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.
Pour oil to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in a large cast-iron skillet; heat to 375°. Drop tomatoes, in batches, into hot oil, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels or a rack. Sprinkle hot tomatoes with salt.
Yield
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Source:

Southern Living, JULY 2003
and here’s a little tid bit

Novelist Fannie Flagg modeled her book Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café after Birmingham’s Irondale Cafe, which her great-aunt operated for nearly 40 years. Owner Jim Dolan says his crew cooks about 135 pounds of fried green tomatoes a day. The book and movie helped the dish’s popularity-visitors come from all over the country to sample this Southern specialty.