December 13, 2012

December 13, 2012

Tonight we are having Texas Soul Food for dinner.  I was up at 7:00 to start the pinto beans cooking in the Crockpot.

A package arrived from Lori.  There were presents, cookies, fudge, two kinds of bread, and Christmas ornaments.  She had woven both of the ornaments, one a snowflake, and one a Christmas tree decorated with beads and a sequin star on top.  They are both very clever...keepsakes to add to our family ornament collections.

For years, when our kids were growing up, my Aunt Laura would send us a box of homemade goodies.  It was one of the highlights of the Christmas season...the day Aunt Laura’s package arrived.  There was lots of sampling going on.  

One year, Laura’s health failed and she was in a nursing home.  We made cookies to send to her, complete with Christmas plates and napkins so if she had visitors she could share.  That was her last Christmas.  Now the girls have taken over and are keeping the tradition going.  It is very special in our family!

Brent and I gathered items for a “thrift store run” this morning.  It was in the area of Sam’s Club so after making our donations, we went to Sam’s for some supplies.

Now I will tell you about Texas Soul Food.  It consists of pinto beans with chow-chow, pan fried potatoes, and cornbread.  Chow-chow is a type relish my grandmother use to make.  It has been about 20 years since Lori and I made a batch.  It goes really well with pinto beans.  We have missed it when we’ve had Soul Food.  Well, a friend of Lori’s ask if she had any use for green tomatoes, which is one of the key ingredients for chow-chow.  Lori got busy and made several jars for all her siblings and us.  It was a really good batch.  We had such a good dinner tonight!  Yum, yum!