Stranger Things – Southern Edition

Our friend Marleah and her pal Patrice started a podcast. And the second we heard the subject matter, we were in! If you love good storytelling and are looking for a funky, uniquely Southern hub that talks about some of our region’s own “stranger things,” then The Strange South Podcast is for you. One fan called it “a haunted chicken coop for your soul.”

Sample stories shared so far…

Sweet Snake Serenity (live from Podx in Nashville)

The Devil’s Horses

The Mysteries of Bear Creek Swamp

Dead Under the Bed

The Outlaw Mummy Hazel Farris

Please tell them the D’Avanzos sent ya. 😉

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The best little rib joint in Alabama

For 10 years now, we’ve been chowing down on Cooter Brown’s Ribs — the best in the land IMO. It’s just plain luck that this rib shack is just down the road from our place. Friends coming over and no time to cook? Call Cooter’s. Honkey Hawg Memorial Day Weekend around the corner? Better order ribs early. Wet or dry (we say dry!), you may never bite into a better tasting rib. And p.s., writer Rick Bragg thinks so too. We could go on and on about their ribs, potato salad, Hillbilly Eggrolls, Cooter’s Cob and (my go-to) the Bourbon Peach Iced Tea, but you just need to get on over to Hwy 204 in Alabama and try for yourself. ‘Til then, read about our “neighbor” from AL.COM…  The story behind Cooter Brown’s Rib Shack, a classic Alabama BBQ joint. 

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Your Happy Place

A handy little guide to being (and staying) happy. So many good tips in here – we read it twice…and then bookmarked!

A Happiness Guide (NYT).

Spend time in nature.

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Our garden has given us big, beautiful tomatoes this summer. And we are thankful. 🙂 We’re now sharing lots of them with friends and looking up ways to cook/store/freeze these ‘pommes d’amour’ to make them last just a little longer.

More tomato goodness:

10 Fun Facts about Tomatoes from The Chef’s Garden

Our favorite Tomato Pie can be found at Wildflower Café in Mentone. Moon, the owner, is one of a kind!

 

Here's a recipe we created inspired by Wildflower's...

SUMMERTIME TOMATO PIE

You’ll Need:
4-5 Fresh Garden Tomatoes (Red & Yellow), Sliced Thick
1 1/2 cups Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 Baked Pie Shell
1/2 cup light Mayonnaise & 1/4 cup light Sour Cream
3/4 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
3/4 cup grated Mozzarella Cheese
2 tablespoons fresh chopped Basil

To Make:
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Marinate sliced tomatoes in vinaigrette for 30 minutes and drain
3. Layer tomatoes in baked pie shell and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Combine mayo, sour cream, cheese and basil in separate bowl and spread on top of tomatoes.
5. Bake 30 minutes or until lightly brown. Let cool for a bit. Cut into slices and serve warm with a fresh green salad on the side.

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Busy-ness…

A Philosophy of Nothingness.

We get it. Everybody’s busy. And making that claim sometimes just helps us feel justified that we’re contributing and doing important things.

But today, Olga Mecking, writer for The New York Times’ “Smarter Living” column, encourages us all to do more of, well, less. And to help make her case, she draws lessons from Niksen. a practice started in the Netherlands to help manage stress. It literally means to do nothing. Or as some might like to think, to do something but with no purpose at all.

“…daydreaming — an inevitable effect of idleness — ‘literally makes us more creative, better at problem-solving, better at coming up with creative ideas.’ For that to happen, though, total idleness is required. – Sandi Mann, Psychologist

So stop whatever you’re doing, put down your phone, get up, stretch, smile, take a walk. Stare at the sky. Mindlessly cuddle your dog or cat. Whatever “nothing” you choose to do…permission granted! 🙂

Photo by Andrew Neel

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