Monday, April 5, 2021

A Lot Of Food Talk

 Before we really get into the swing of things here, let me discuss a little technical issue I am having at the moment. I would not bother except that it is affecting the quality of my photographs. 
When I got this new MacBook, I was thrilled to realize that the photos from my phone magically transferred themselves to the photo app on my laptop. This is awesome. However, sometimes for whatever the hell reason, the photos do NOT magically transfer or transfer in any way. For days. Obviously, I should research this as I am sure there are answers somewhere. 
This would not be such a problem except for the fact that when I send the photos via my email from my phone to my MacBook, the quality of them is not at all good. They look like I need cataract surgery which I probably do but that's not the problem here. 
But like I said, although I do not know what the problem is, I will try to figure it out. It could just be a matter of my internet connection which seems to be pretty sucky lately. 

Meanwhile, you get what you get because I am not able to access my most recent photos from my laptop photos app and that's just the way it is for right now. 

Here's a probably-crappy picture.


These are the mulberries which are ripening. They'll be ready to eat when they are dark, dark purple at which point they will be warm and soft and so very sweet when plucked from their stems. 

I admired them today as I was hanging the clothes on the line. Another perfectly clear blue sky day, good for drying laundry outside. The caterpillars are still raining down from above in vast numbers so I may well have brought in a few but life goes on. I had an easy day of doing what I wanted when I wanted and I enjoyed it. The laundry, the porch plant watering, a few plant pot transplants, etc. And then I went out into the garden and pulled each and every spinach plant because they are bolting and we need the room to plant our field peas. As I pulled the plants, one-by-one, I stripped the good leaves off of them and put them in plastic shopping bags and when I was done, I had two of those bags packed tight and one gallon ziplock. 


There is definitely a skillet spanakopita in our near future. Maybe two. That has become one of Mr. Moon's favorite dishes. 

The beans are coming up like the strong, bold troopers they are. 


Also- the potatoes are starting to bloom which means that soon the vines will die and it will be time to dig them up. They look absolutely amazing this year. Best ever. I hope that they look as good underground as they do above ground. 

The entire garden looks better than it ever has this year and that is all due to the hard work of my husband. Not having to go into the office every day has freed him up to spend time working on and in that space doing everything from chicken-proofing it to hauling in and spreading mushroom compost. And I have to admit that his rows are planted straight and fine, unlike the rows I plant which are, well, wavy. I also have to admit that there's a part of me that has been loathe to give up the control I once had over the garden but honestly- I needed the help. I am good at weeding and of course picking and it is also my joy to use what we grow and pick to cook, prepare, and process if need be. So it works out. And he always asks me my opinion on what he's doing,  every step of the way. 

All right. I've made a venison spaghetti sauce which is on low, low simmer and I have yet another loaf of sourdough to go into the oven. I think it is going to be a rather dense loaf. As I say- I am learning. 

I've just finished listening to a Fannie Flagg novel, a sequel to Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. The name of this one is The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop. Listening to Fannie Flagg read one of her own books is pure enjoyment and this one was no exception. It was nice to spend some more time with the characters that she brought to life in Fried Green Tomatoes. It's simple listening and all ends well (not exactly a spoiler alert- we're talking Fannie Flagg here) and a pretty perfect book to listen to as you're going about your day. It touched my heart that she finally addressed the relationship of Ruth and Idgie in one line in this book. In Fried Green Tomatoes, it was never stated that Ruth and Idgie were life partners, lovers, but it was sweetly obvious. In this new book, Idgie tells her brother, "You know that Ruth and I were more than best friends, right?" 
He said he did and that was that. 

So. Pineapple casserole. Here is the cookbook that Mr. Moon's dear Aunt Ann gave to me in 1992 that the recipe comes from. 


That was Aunt Ann's church. The cookbook is priceless to me. Sometimes I think I should just cook or make everything in it from Hot Fruit Casserole to Broccoli-Onion Deluxe. The recipes come from real, true, Southern women, Tennessee women, women who fed their families every night and who had their own special recipes for company. 
Here's the pineapple casserole recipe.


The first time I ever ate this dish was when Mr. Moon's daddy died and we all gathered at Aunt Ann's house in Nashville and people brought so much food that the desserts were laid out on the washer and dryer in the laundry room. 

It's a special casserole for special occasions. 
And Lord, it's good. Feel free to substitute butter for margarine but don't mess with much more of it. You just can't make it healthy nor should you. 

Love...Ms. Moon

24 comments:

  1. My sister-in-law’s Mama brought the pineapple casserole to a family dinner years ago. I’d never heard of it, but I got the recipe and have made it many times. It’s always a hit and now I want to make another. As for gardening, my hubby does two things SO much better than I: wrapping presents and planting gardens. My planting looks ‘wavy’, too, and my wrapping is atrocious.

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    1. My wrapping is awful too! And you know, the garden rows and wrapping may be related. I am terrible at spatial tasks. And Glen is so good at them.

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  2. Same thing happened here with the i-phone and my apple computer, but sometimes it works- total mystery. My I-cloud is full so unless they get some $$$ my photos no longer go to the cloud, I out foxed them though- I take photos with my camera instead so haha take that Apple!

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    1. I need to get my old camera out and see if it still works.

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  3. I wish I understood technology. I wish my fairy godmother were a computer guru. I wish I had a fairy godmother.
    When I was 2 years old, in my high chair at the dinner table, someone came to our front door. My parents left the table. My supper was in my dish and our dessert was in a bowl for after supper. Dessert was pineapple, a can of pineapple in the dish. I loved pineapple. While my parents were occupied with whoever came to the door, I ate the pineapple. I can remember this like yesterday. I picked up the pineapple slices one at a time, my index finger through the hole and my little fist around the slice. Oh, how those slid down my throat, and I reached for another, and another, and another. I was on the second or third slice from the end when my parents came back. Someone lifted me straight up from the chair and stood me on the floor. I remember them talking and laughing way up there, over my head. And then all the pineapple returned, all over me and my shoes (my white Buster Browns) and the floor. My dad picked my up, and carried me upstairs to the bath tub. Still straight up and down. I guess mom cleaned up the pineapple, but I don't know how. She was nine months pregnant with my brother. I never ate another piece of pineapple, in my whole life.

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    1. If you ever find a fairy godmother, let me know. I need one badly too.
      Okay. That story was so dang sweet and sorrowful. I can absolutely see the entire incident through your words, right down to your white Buster Browns. Oh, Joanne!
      Well, I don't blame you for never eating another bite of pineapple in your life. I can understand why. But I am sorry that you have been robbed of one of the best things in life, in my opinion. I honestly think pineapple is my favorite fruit.

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  4. LOL at Joanne's pineapple story. Alas, I can be of no help to you technologically speaking. I am useless in that regard. The pineapple casserole does not appeal to my senses, but I must say that skillet spanokopita sounds like something I should wander off to google this very minute.

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    1. I am in the midst of making the skillet spanakopita as we speak!

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  5. Yet another food item I have not heard of.....not sure if I like the sound of it , but I suppose we used to have cheese and pineapple chunks on sticks in the 50s/60s so not so far from that! I wonder if there is anything that we cook here that would be strange to you? I shall have a think!!

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    1. Oh, I am sure that you could think of a few things that I would shake my head in disbelief at! And I completely understand that this recipe could sound as if it would taste pretty weird. Somehow though, it all comes together and is lovely. To me, anyway.

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  6. It looks like someone wrote "good" next to the pineapple casserole recipe -- my grandmother used to do that with her cookbooks, too. That is a very Southern recipe. Sugar and fat and carbs!

    I will e-mail you about the photo transferring.

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    1. Yes! That was Aunt Ann! Such a southern recipe!
      Thanks for the photo help!

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  7. And there was me thinking that fannie flagg was a medical condition quietly endured by women of a certain age.

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    1. Fannie Flagg is one of our most beloved actors and she writes very nice books, too.
      I always forget that the word "fannie" has such a different connotation across the pond.

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  8. I bow to no-one in posting rotten pictures, best I can do with the materials at hand!

    And I'm amazed you actually get to harvest any mulberries. Around here the birds and squirrels get the lot, then poop them all over the decks and fences, not really improving them.

    Did you know that Nature doesn't like straight line growth? Your wavy lines are actually better.. really the reason for straight lines is for gardeners who need help identifying veggies from weeds. But Mr M seems to be happy with his garden, and it's well nourished with all that mushroom compost.

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    1. I have been quite surprised that the chickens don't seem interested in the mulberries. Maybe this year they will. We shall see. But yes- I am familiar with purple bird poop.
      My husband is just completely off-put by crooked lines. I now realize how much he has suffered from the way I've been planting the garden all these years!

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  9. You are so lucky to have Mr. Moon around to help with the gardening!

    A house we rented a long time ago had a mulberry tree, but I didn't know what the berries were and never ate any. Too bad!

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    1. That's horrible, Jennifer! All those mulberries gone to waste!

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  10. My garden needs weeding but I keep putting it off. It is a beautiful day today and I must get out to weed. I hope I can do it as I know I should and I want to but I delay...why?
    I will go right now as you have inspired me to get off my butt and go weed. Thanks, Ms. Moon!

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    1. We delay because getting started is the hardest part! I am terrible about that.

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  11. While not having quality photos might be frustrating to you, I wouldn't worry too much - I'm sure most of us have cataracts too! And I agree, I reckon there can be no better cookbook than a church ladies' cookbook!

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    1. The church ladies I've known have mostly been very fine down-home cooks. Someone should do a study to see which religions have the best and worst cooks.

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  12. That recipe sounds just fine and I am going to make some for my husband's birthday this weekend, we'll see how he likes it.
    Cannot grow spinach here (Los Angeles) it sprouts, looks you in the eye, and bolts right away.
    Jenny

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    1. Oh, I hope y'all like it, Beverly!
      I hear you about the spinach. Thankfully, we can grow it in the winter and early spring.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.