One of Mamma’s and Daddy’s favorite places to go on a dinner date is Canyon Road Steakhouse in Clarksville, Tennessee. A tiny, Asian lady always greets them with a giant smile, hug and a joke. Everyone lovingly calls her Big Mamma. She co-owns this little place that sits on The Red River bluff, with her husband Larry. Her personality is almost as big as her hair! Each autumn she brings all of her beautiful, patio plants into the downstairs bar for the winter. She graciously offered Mamma ... continue reading...
Blending of Roots
Mona is Pank’s mom. She was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Her hair is both a noun and a verb. She jokes about fluffing her fluff. She is a very petite woman with a ton of energy, love and cheer. I love hearing her tell stories of Pank’s family. A lot of those stories are steeped in Mexican culture, due to their Houston surroundings. Pank was somewhat bilingual from a very early age. One of his elementary school teachers was frustrated that he wasn’t using his spelling words like ... continue reading...
My Go-To
My Go-To I love coming home to a house that smells like home-cooking. What’s more, I love my crock pot! However, you will never see me using a recipe that calls for a can of “cream of” anything! In fact, one of the few canned items I use is hominy. While I plan to channel the spirit of Edna Lewis sometime this year, by making my own hominy, I have not yet learned how to make it from scratch. What better than hominy to go with pork, than peppers? My crock pot “go-to” recipe for Pozole ... continue reading...
Summer
Summer 1/24/2013 Peaches are Pank’s favorite! I bet I bought up every peach the Farmer’s Market could spare last summer. Luckily, I have a freezer full of those juicy gems to remind us of warm, summer days on a long winter’s night. Tennessee summers yield such a bounty of fruits and vegetables, that our local farmers are eager to share the love. If you have not visited a Farmer’s Market in a while, you are missing out. Most of them run weekly from May to October, but a few go year ... continue reading...
Fruition
Fruition I get a call from my friend, Betsy, one afternoon last fall saying she had nominated me for an article series by Jennifer Justus in The Tennessean called “Nashville Cooks.” I was overwhelmed with excitement. I have always been thankful for Betsy’s friendship, but what an honor! I couldn’t wait until Pank got home that evening to tell him the news. I love it when he tells me “Way to go Babydoll!” and he certainly did that particular November evening. What in the world should I ... continue reading...