Santa Rosa Sunshine

I’m desperately trying to re-adapt to the real world after a week on Santa Rosa Island (Pensacola, Florida). It isn’t easy, let me tell you.

My family has spent a week at the same condo (Soundside) for the last 13 years. It’s now like a 2nd home to us. We see many of the same people every year and seeing each other only once a year gives us plenty to talk about.

We look forward to this week “on the island” all year long. We'll usually walk across the street to the Gulf one or two days, we visit the local restaurants (Peg Leg Pete’s is our absolute favorite and Flounders is good, too), and, of course, we do some souvenir shopping. However, Ryan and Nicholas can enjoy the entire week without ever leaving the property. They spend hours (and hours!) fishing and crabbing off the long pier; they enjoy the swimming pool, too.

This year, the boys caught a good many crab the first night and one of our “yearly” friends, Wild Bill, cooked them along with the fish they had caught. It was a delicious impromptu dinner.

We also went shark fishing with Wild Bill and his family. Just after dark, we set-up camp on the Gulf-side. Bill and Ryan would wade into the surf, cast the line, then walk the poles back to the beach. Then it was time to sit and talk and wait for a bite. I was a little concerned about allowing my 15-year-old to walk into the water when they were desperately trying to bait shark, but I let him go anyway. This night, there was obviously no need to worry because they didn’t get a single bite. I didn’t know wether to be disappointed or relieved.

On Tuesday, Brenda cooked a delightful breakfast for all of us staying at the resort. Around 9 am we gathered in the lobby where she had a table piled high with eggs, pastries, fruit, and her famous Nassau Grits. All the food was really good, but the Nassau Grits were outstanding. So, of course, I asked her for the recipe. After we discussed cooking and cookbooks for a while, she reached behind the counter and handed me a copy of the recipe (obviously I was not the first to ask for it). She did, however, share with me the changes she made and the shortcuts she takes, so now we have the even-better recipe for Nassau Grits.


Brenda suggested that, in addition to breakfast, the grits were really good with fried fish. So, when I got home, I pulled out my favorite recipe for fried catfish and my favorite recipe for hushpuppies (both Harold Webster’s recipes as featured in our Game for All Seasons Cookbook) and we had a feast. Brenda was definitely telling the truth; Nassau Grits are a great side dish to fried fish. Try it, I’m sure you’ll love it too.


Recipes:
Nassau Grits
Deep-Fried Louisiana-Style Thin-Sliced Catfish
Pappy's Hushpuppies (I cut the recipe to 1/4 for my family)
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Sheila Simmons is Publisher at Great American Cookbooks and co-author with Kent Whitaker of the Hometown Cookbook Series

15... 37... and a Birth Day

June and July are big birthday months in my family. Maybe they are in most families; I don’t know. What's really hard for me to believe is that my oldest son Ryan has turned 15.

His 15th birthday is a big one for Ryan... A milestone. It means he can get his learner’s permit – the first step to an official driver’s license. Here, when you are at least 15 and have passed the written test, you get a permit that allows you to drive with a licensed driver in the car. In 6 months and after passing the driving test, you are eligible for an intermediate license that allows you to drive alone but only until 8pm. Ryan is already a very good driver and I’m looking forward to him driving Nicholas and himself to school each day.

Other June and July birthdays for my family include my Aunt Nedra, sister-in-law Frankie, niece Jenny, niece Brooke, Uncle Wayne, Pamela... and my birthday. I’m strange when it comes to birthdays. Roger (my hubby) is notorious for giving presents early. He gets so excited about giving it, that he just can’t wait. I hear some of you saying, “at least his gets you something; my husband always forgets.” You are right. I should be thankful.

 But... I like for the actual day to be something special. An early birthday present, to me, is a let-down when my birthday arrives. This year, however, Roger did not give me my present early. You could say that means he’s learning what I like best. Except... This year he gave it to me a week late!

We celebrated another birth day in June. My niece, Morgan Ryleigh, was born the end of May. We celebrated her birth with a Sip ‘n’ See in our home so that family and friends could meet her. I was not familiar with the idea of having the baby shower after the baby was born and calling it a “Sip ‘n’ See” until my cousin mentioned it to me. I immediately liked the idea. Baby showers are a terrific excuse for getting everyone together and a great way to help out new parents. The “Sip ‘n’ See” also allows everyone to meet the new baby and you know for sure if it’s a boy or girl which helps out with present-buying.

We had Mickey and Frankie’s (my brother and his wife) Sip ‘n’ See on a Saturday afternoon. We all gathered in my living room, passed the baby around (and around and around), visited, opened presents, and, of course, ate.

Around the time of the party, I was feverishly working to get our Tennessee Hometown Cookbook finished and off to the printer. So, it stands to reason, that the recipes I cooked came from that book. We had: Pineapple Chicken & Shrimp Bites, Hobo Sausage Kabobs, Sunday Brunch Monkey Bread, and Chocolate Eclair Cake with Graham Crust. The food was delicious, the company was good, and the baby was sweet... what more could you ask for?

--Posted by Sheila Simmons, publisher, Great American Publishers and co-author with Kent Whitaker of Tennessee Hometown Cookbook. Visit the website and enter to win a free cookbook.