Fried Chicken Saturday and Pancake Sunday

This has been quite a hap hazard week. I had good intention of visiting Granny's Attic, a local antique and crafter market  right here in Stuart. I thought I would have lots of fun pictures and interesting items to entice you with but with tiring work week and dead camera batteries when I visited Granny's, I am left empty.
                                                              but....
I do have a little something to share that may help someone out there who might have suffered from the same inability to cook decent fried chicken. My failures at cooking fried chicken have haunted me through the year. Fried chicken is one of those things that is expected out of every good southern woman. I have done very good baked version that almost would make you think it was fried but it still was not fried chicken.

My latest copy of Everyday Food had an article about top chef Carla Hall. She gave a very complete and uncomplicated recipe and direction to how she cooks good fried chicken. She said it was her granny's recipe and that's was the one for me. The basic problem I've had through the years is not using a lid. That's been all the difference in the world. My chicken came out great and was so close to her picture it was amazing. I wish I had got a picture for you but I'll be honest when telling you, there is none left.

                              And that about tells the story right there...

This Sunday morning the crowds request was pancakes. They have been a usual Sunday morning staple but with the old man(hubby) working almost every Sunday for the past year I've been slack on Sunday breakfast. My pan was out of condition and my stove eye was not level which made it crazy for me. The cakes looked crazy but they tasted fine. We enjoy a good dose of Marty Stewart. Sunday is served well with Marty's album Soul Chapel.

It all goes to show that when things are outta' wack good things are just around the corner. I  thank ya' for stopping by Southern Direction and wish you a truly blessed day.

Autumn Creek Vineyard

What beauty surrounds this hidden treasure. Autumn Creek Vineyard is nestled in between woodland and tobacco farms. I'm becoming surprised at the vineyards that are popping up all through our region. It's a wonderful transformation with big tobacco on the way out, the grapevines are glad to fill that void.

 

 

 

We're getting ready to check out the tasting room. We're already hearing some fairly laid back music.That's the best way I would describe our experience, comfort and class.

 

Beautiful wood, huge stone fireplace, soft leather furniture, picture window, and absolutely, good wine, surely that's enough to get your attention. Even the ladies room is above expectation, not only is it supplied with fancy soaps, lotion, an apple crate full of toilet tissue, they even thought to have complementary hairspray. I'm impressed!We chose a $9.00 tasting that was waived after we purchased a bottle.                               I'm not sure that is policy but it was a nice complement.

There is a wedding schedule today around 5:00. We're going to enjoy ourselves quietly and be on our way. The decorations and setting will definitely be a note for me and my sis considering we both have children that might be nearing wonderful bliss.

I think the girls in the wedding party are gathering under the umbrellas.

We decided to take a walk about.

Did I say..blessed?!

There's more places to sit and sip.

Here comes a beautiful, young girl in a white wedding dress and cowgirl boots.

She's not nearly a redneck but I think we'll take one good

and get out of here.

 

I've been blessed.

Here's a link.

http://www.autumncreekvineyard.com/home.html

I hope you are blessed too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Antique Fair in Mayodan

 

Saturday adventures brought me to Farris Park in beautiful Mayodan, North Carolina. The Festival was exclusively antiques. I had set myself a very meager limit for spending so mostly I was looking. Unless of course I saw that item I could not refuse.

 

There where so many wonderful items. Quilts, kitchenware, toys, trunks, and tobacco tins decorated the day.

 

So many great items. I could imagine this one in my kitchen.

nice mixing bowls

That's a lot of lard

There was a lot of really special stuff under the tent but one of the vendor

asked me not to take pictures in the tent. I thought that was a shame. After

all isn't a picture worth a thousand words.

 

 

Some friends for Jud

We had fun browsing and Sis bought a maddock handle but the day's young.

We're off to Autumn Creek Vineyard.

Come on you'll love it.

Saturday with Sis

What a wonderful way to spend the Saturday! Me and my sister visited the antique fair in Madison and then we rode over to Autumn Vineyards in Mayodan. We looked, we laughed, we sipped a little. What better to kick off the fall season? 

 

 

 

The leaves are starting to turn and there is so many festivals and fairs coming up. I hope to get to a good bit of them. I'll be sure to share my visits.

Are you like me? I'm a looky-loo.

You too?

Welcome Autumn

Welcome the Fall Season!

 

Mums and Merrigold and my one Little Pumpkin 

Have a Blessed Day!

 

 

Autumn Wreath Redo

Well, it's time to get some autumn decorating going on. I am being a bit sluggish when it comes to much of anything concerning decorating around the house. Usually I get excited but I've taken a melancholy mood about it since I went to the basement to bring up some things that were put away. My home is older and the basement is basically hand dug. Some concrete is poured on one side of a petitioned area but if we get much  rain, we get a wet basement. We even keep a pump down there for the real down pours and we have really had our share of down pours. Anything that is important at all has to be put up onto shelves. 

I bet you can tell where this is going...

Some person decided to through my decorations in the back corner of the floor to make room for their things. All my stuff was molded and ruined. I didn't have a fit but I really wanted too.

I've been trying to work on the fit taken

but Ooh... is it been hard lately......

My wreathes we're ruined too. So, I made these up today, I used the old wreathes on the door and just added  some of my hydrangea that was starting to dry out. I do love the colors that these flowers take on when they start drying. I put a antique white ribbon on this one. The other two I just used the flowers with no ribbon.

You can see I use the same Christmas tree hangers all year long.

My wreathes are often times not perfectly round. I think it makes them have a more natural feel.

I use things that are around me when decorating. When you use what is yours and what is around you to decorate it will automatically be and extension of yourself.

I hope you can look around your yard or your garden and find items to inspire you too.

Thanks for stopping by.

Have a very blessed day.

Surprise in the Mail

 

My daughter surprised me with this Bible Atlas and a very special note card. Isn't the unexpected gift the best of all? Often birthdays and mother's days have been forgotten. She has a very busy schedule so I try not to fret over such little thing. I have a love for maps. Maps of old and all kind of maps interest me. It may be because my Daddy is a truck driver by trade. To know that my daughter knows me so well is a wonderful feeling. I can't wait to dive into this book. It looks very well written.

 

I think good direction is a wonderful thing.

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed day.

Bundt Cake Blunders and the Hylton Get Together

Me and my son Louis

My Mama's family gathered together Saturday for food, fun, a little music and a lot of conversation. We always try to come together when Aunt Henrietta visits from Maryland. She has been spending the month with Mama and Daddy. This is always a potluck kind of event; everyone brings a dish or two. After getting the low down on what most everyone was bringing, I decided to bring my pecan bundt cake and chicken and broccoli casserole. I should blame myself for my misfortune because I very rarely will fix my dishes the day before a dinner even if it means I have to set the clock extra early. I was sure there was not going to be a problem with time, after all, I was told that we wouldn't be working on Friday. 

WRONG

My supervisor calls me Friday evening and asks if I can work Friday night. Of course I didn't think I would have a problem and to get to work a full week I was grateful for. 

AFTER

I get off on Saturday morning and I thought I would be best to take about a hour nap, I would get up, get my dishes made and be to Mama's. Well of course I was sleeping like a baby and no one in the house thought to give me a nudge. When my feet hit the floor I felt panicked for sure. I mixed my cake,  threw it in the oven, and prepared my casserole. No problem, until it was time to turn the cake out of the pan. 

You already can tell what happened

The cake stuck and most of the top of the cake remained in the pan. It was a awful site. I absolutely did not have time to do anything else. I ranted and raved a little while and figured there was no descent way to bail out of going ; so I toted my casserole and I stopped by to grocery store. 

Yes! I took a store bought cake. 

Am I ashamed??

Well only a little.

The only people that knew about the cake blunder was the ones that road in the car with me and my sister because I told her and quite a few people commented on the casserole. To think I almost didn't go that would have been the shame in it all.

Don't believe anything they tell you. 

They're full of it.

My Daddy

Henrietta, Mama, and the rest of the ladies 

clean-up duty

Here We Go to Nancy's

It's is almost impossible for me to go up the mountain without stopping and taking in the views. I never, never get tired of it. I thought you might enjoy some of the pictures on the way to Nancy's Candy Company.

Of course, the graffiti.

Do you really have to deface God's handy work to prove your love or that you were here?

Watch your step!

It's a steep trail.

Fog is hanging over Stuart.

Let's stop and get a bottle of pop before we head back down the mountain.

Starting to look like Autumn

What a wonderful way to spend a day!

Have a blessed day and thanks for stopping by

Southern Direction.

Nancy's Candy Company....Chocolate Heaven

I took a little drive up the road to one of my most favorite places to visit, "Nancy's Candy Company. Most the time we just call it Nancy's fudge because that's what she is so famous for. Nancy's is located in Meadows of Dan, Virginia just off the Blue Ridge Parkway; mile marker 177.1 or if you are coming from the town of Stuart it's about 14 miles up highway 58. If coming in this direction don't for get to make a right at the marker for Meadows of Dan or you'll be all the way in Hillsville before you realize you've gone to far. 

I was feeling a little down hearted on Thursday so I decided to soothe my soul with chocolate. I thought it would be a great place to share with you. This is not just a trip to a candy store. Nancy's is an experience. 

Nancy's fudge  and her story is an inspiration. She is the proof positive that good thing can happen to good people, hard working people. When I was a little girl, Daddy liked to take a Sunday drive on the mountain but back then Nancy was selling her wonderful fudge straight off her back porch. 

Even on a Thursday morning folks are stopping by.

Going inside! I am a kid again!

Can't you find anything you like?

Jelly Belly's...yum.

Tell yourself not to get distracted you ain't seen nothin' yet.

Chocolate covered almost anything.

Peanute brittle too!!

She has a wonderful sugar free selection.

I doubt you can tell much difference

but..I'm here for the real stuff.

 Oh yeah....

Life is full of hard choices!

She has lot's of wonder gifty items too.

"Too much of a good thing is wonderful," May West.

She has a glass window that looks directly into the factory. 

I love looking in at them. I can't helping thinking of "I Love Lucy."

 

Nancy's Candy Company...a winner.

Friendly Folks!

Well I hope I have totally tempted you But if the drive is too far Nancy ships worldwide. 

Nancy's Candy Company, will talke you to her. 

As always thanks for stopping by and have a blessed day.