A Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Collards are stewin', grits are simmering', fried chicken is poppin', and Christmas cakes, pies and tarts are baking.

Lemon tart all dressed up for Christmas is always a favorite. Recipe below.

Supper in the South is always a time to gather ‘round our Southern table for some mighty fine fixins’. Nothing more defines the heart and soul of a home than mamma’s cookin’.

My grandma had shoeboxes filled with recipes, some written on the back of church bulletins, grocery store receipts, and bank deposit slips, but mostly little 3x5 cards. Some were in her elegant script, others heavily splattered from years of use cut out of the newspaper and scotch taped to a card. Each card, dog-eared, splattered, and yellowed with age, is a cherished keepsake that links me to my mother, grandmother, and dear friends who cared to teach me what they knew.

We could always tell which recipe was “out of this world good” because the card wore evidence of the luscious ingredients like a badge of honor.