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Zach and April went foraging for pawpaws, a fruit native to our area, but one that not many people know about due to its short shelf life. They got more “fruit” than they bargained for when they collected something that they thought were pawpaws, but were definitely not pawpaws. They’ve since figured out what the mysterious fruit is. Do you know what it is? Would you have made the same mistakes? Let us know!
Last Christmas Brittany pulled my name in a Secret Santa exchange and part of her gift was a mushroom growing kit. From start to harvest it was under two weeks. After I cut them off the box I put them in my Ninja Foodie and used the dehydrator setting to dry them out overnight. The next morning I put them in a bullet blender and ground into a fine powder that makes for a good umami kick to many dishes.
Whenever I eat chicken wings I save the bones to make a quick and easy chicken stock. This stock isn’t going to make the best soup, but its good enough to use as a substitute for water in rice or grits to give your dish an extra boost of flavor.
Along with the bones, I also saved the carrots and celery that came on the side. Then I went to my freezer and grabbed my bits for broth box, a box where we always throw skins and chunks of garlic and onion. I put everything plus a few peppercorns in a slow cooker, covered with water, and set on high all day. At the end of the day I threw it on the stove and reduced it down a good bit and stored in an old pasta
sauce jar in the fridge (labeled and dated of course.)
The stock scraps are ready to go in.
In go the scraps to the CrockPot!
Water is added, so they’re ready to go.
Now the flavors do their thing.
Now we have a quick chicken stock to flavor our grains or whatever else we want.
I’d like to be able to water my garden with rainwater as much as possible. I have long term plans for this, but in the meantime I want something that will be good enough. I used an old dryer exhaust a neighbor was throwing out to connect the downspout of the short gutter on the shed beside our garden to a cooler with a drain spout raised up on some bricks I hauled in the basket of my ebike from a different neighbor’s trash pile.
I did this all right before a storm following three of the most pollen heavy days I’ve seen in Columbia in several years, so I ended up with a good bit of pollen in the water. This could be a big problem if I was running a large system, but I think I’ll be fine with the small capacity and rapid turnover over the water in it.
By elevating it on the bricks I was able to fit old milk jugs that I had washed out and saved to collect some of the water. I’m storing this in my shed, and will probably move it to a darker place, as sunlight can promote algae growth fairly quickly.
While coffee holds a large chunk of my heart, hot tea has captured a section of it in the past few years. (I say, “hot tea” because as a Southerner, sweet iced tea has always been a glorious thing, though I usually only drink it now as a special occasion due to the sugar content.) Though I drank it semi-regularly before, after going to Laura’s Tea Room in the small town of Ridgeway, SC, my love for the beverage became more enthusiastic. There’s something about a tea party, the variety of teas, the little sandwiches and cakes, dressing up and wearing hats, pretending that you’re drinking with the Queen … or pretending that you are the Queen, that ushers in such happiness. Now, I often use tea to wind down my day, to signify that it’s time to stop eating, snacking, extending dessert and start preparing for bed.
I’ve recently become obsessed with the Republic of Tea website, so a lot of the teas on this list come from there. They have great teas and its just a fun web store. I’m not a paid advertiser for them, I just appreciate them. If you do get inspired to try some different teas, use my referral link to help me get more tea.
Here’s my list of favorite teas right now.
This tea has a rich berry taste without it being a berry focused tea. It’s a black tea, so I like to add a little bit of half and half or milk, which makes this already creamy tea (it doesn’t have lactose in it, so I don’t know why or how it feels creamy to me before, but it just does) divine. Get this tea.
I’m not usually really into the herbal teas, but this one is surprisingly wonderful. It has Thai ginger and lemongrass, so it has kind of a lemonade taste to it. I just add about 1/4 teaspoon of honey to it and it is quickly becoming my favorite evening wind down tea. Get this tea.
Cream Irish Tea from Metropolitan Tea Co.
The only tea this go around that’s NOT from the Republic of Tea, I can only find this specific tea at Laura’s Tea Room, which makes me sad. I’m down to just a little bit of loose leaf tea left in my tin and am clinging to the memories. This is definitely a tea to add cream or milk. It’s practically coffee. I’m also a fan of Irish Cream flavors, so it’s pretty perfect.
I love almond flavored things. I love vanilla flavored things. Put them together and it’s like the perfect marriage. These partners never tire of each other and I never tire of them. I don’t know what else to say. It’s delightful. Get this tea.
It’s seriously like drinking cake. Add some cream to it and you won’t even need to eat dessert. There are no calories in this tea, which feels nuts. When I’m really trying to curb my sugar intake, I drink this when I get a bad sugar craving. Also, funny story. This is also the same tea as the Downton Abbey Mrs. Patmore’s Pudding Tea. I did not realize that and ordered both of them once, thinking that I was ordering two different teas! I paid less and got more tea in the Caramel Vanilla Cuppa Cake tin. Not to say that I don’t enjoy my Downton Abbey tin, just know that you’re definitely paying for the name. Get this tea.
Mayonnaise. It’s something that I take seriously. It’s a polarizing ingredient because of its texture and sometimes misuse. I guess there are some people out there who don’t like the taste of it either, but those people just have misinformed tastebuds. Mayonnaise is versatile. Sure, you can use it plain as a condiment on your sandwich, burger, or with some fries. But it is so much more. You can bake with it. You can use it as the glue to bread your meat for frying. It is in sauces, deviled eggs, potato salads, and dressings. It can crisp up a piece of bread better than butter when you’re making that grilled cheese sandwich. I’d say that most Southerners value their mayonnaise, and when it comes to mayo, brand matters. Here are my top 5 mayonnaise brands.
1. Duke’s
Founded in South Carolina when Mrs. Eugenia Thomas Duke began selling sandwiches with her signature mayo to soldiers-in-training during WWI, Dukes has been a staple in households in the Southeast and beyond ever since. (read the whole story here: dukesmayo.com/stories/our-history).
The product has held strong for over 100 years, unwavering in its goodness.
2. Duke’s
This classic can be found at picnics, potlucks, cookouts, and family reunions all over the Southeast. It has just the right tang for all of your condiment needs.
3. Mayonnaise by Duke’s
What can I say?
4. Duke’s Mayonnaise
There’s no other mayo that can hold a candle to Duke’s.
5. Duke’s Mayo
Because Duke’s is the only appropriate mayonnaise for pretty much anything.
Honorable Mention
Blue Plate Mayonnaise
Founded in Louisiana and in 1927 after Duke’s, this one will do you all right if you can’t find Duke’s. Someone on the Internet says that it is the same as Hellman’s, but I don’t feel like researching that.
Chick-fil-A Mayonnaise packets
I’m down with the mayo that Chick-fil-A provides for their sandwiches. I also eat it with nuggets, strips, and fries. And sometimes, if I’m in a pinch and don’t have any Duke’s in the house, but need a few tablespoons of mayo, I’ll scour the kitchen for leftover packets.
I like crunching down on some Doritos or Pringles and taking down a sleeve of Double Stuf Oreos as much, if not more than the next person. However, I sometimes like to step out of the snack box and get a little fancier. I guess you can translate “fancy” or “bougie” to “healthier,” but that’s a whole other soapbox about how our systems are flawed because the artificial stuff is more accessible than then real stuff, etc. Needless to say, when I have my snacks that are a little different from the mainstream, it’s not uncommon to be accused of being “bougie.” So, here’s a list of my favorite “bougie” snacks right now.
Chomps Beef Sticks
The beef stick. You might associate it with convenience stores and truck driver snacks. Maybe you can still hear those Slim Jim commercials with Macho Man Randy Savage saying, “Snap into a Slim Jim, oh yeah!” It’s kind of beef jerky, but kind of not. It is likely not a snack that you would call “fancy” or “high class” or “bougie.” But Chomps makes a better beef stick and has elevated the game of dried, preserved meats. In the Chomps stick, you don’t get all of those preservatives and additives. Reading the ingredients list won’t make you want to hurl. So Chomps sticks are a great way to work in some extra protein. Get Chomps here.
Tony’s Chocolonely Bars
Maybe I’m using the term “bougie” liberally, but these candy bars fall into the category because they are usually around $4-6 in the store and aren’t available everywhere. I bought my last ones at Whole Foods and they were on sale, 2 for $7. This is not your 89 cents impulse buy at the checkout counter. They’re pretty big bars though and when I eat them, I usually eat them over the course of a few days. They also make me think of what Willy Wonka bars would be like if Willy Wonka really existed. Unlike Willy Wonka though, Tony’s is candy company that refuses to use slavery to make their chocolate. Apparently, slavery is a huge deal in the chocolate industry. Thanks to Tony’s, we’re now more aware. Get Tony’s here.
SnoFrisk Spreadable Cheese
I freak out anytime I see this stuff in the store. The only place that consistently has it is Whole Foods, and I don’t make it over there that often. The first time I tried it, it was a random, limited time item at Aldi. Just one spread, and I was in love. So was Brittany. We text each other about this cheese. It’s like a cream cheese, but lighter. It’s 80% goat’s milk and 20% cow’s milk. It’s Norwegian. It feels indulgent, but clean all at the same time.
Smart Sweets
One day I was going down a YouTube video hole and started watching a video of Antoni Porowski in his kitchen, talking about things that he liked in his kitchen. He showed off his candy jar and in that candy jar were Smart Sweets. I had never heard of Smart Sweets, but Anotoni explained that they are lower in sugar than regular candy, but aren’t artificial. I don’t think that he was paid by Smart Sweets, he just really liked them. So from there, I started my “researching” and discovered that these candies are plant based, only about 3 or 4 grams of sugar per bag (depending on the candy you get), are high in fiber, and are a women owned business. Even better, I learned that I could actually buy them at my local Target. I hauled myself down to the store and they were already scarce on the shelves, but I purchased what was available. I’m grateful that I did. They taste similar to other candies, but not as sickeningly sweet. Their texture is a bit different because of the natural ingredients used, but I think that they’re pretty dang good. And I don’t feel gross and regretful after eating a bag of them.
Topo-Chico
We need something to wash all of this food down. I don’t think that this was ever intended to feel bougie, but when “hipster” Millennials (me, kind of) brought it out of obscurity from the Mexican foods shelf of the grocery store, its value and price (sorry about that) went up. Glass bottles just feel more expensive with their weight and metal bottle caps that you have to pry off. To my dismay, Coca-Cola acquired it recently, but fortunately have not seemed to have messed with the product too much. Topo-Chico is the crispest sparkling water that you will drink. I mean, there might be something else out there, but if there is, it probably shoots completely off the bougie charts. Water sommeliers are a thing, so anything is possible. Anyway, when I want to feel extra fancy, I add some lemon or lime (or both) slices to my Topo-Chico and for a moment, all is right with the world.
A list for people who like the heat, but the heat doesn’t like them back.
I remember loving spicy foods as a child. I like the taste even now. The problem is, really spicy and foods that pack a lot of heat do not seem to appreciate my appreciation for them. So this list is for my fellow heartburn sufferers and anyone else whose body can’t take the heat.
I love, love, love this sauce. It has some heat, but mostly it’s just good flavor. I can put this on tacos, burritos, in beans, in rice, dip chips in it, whatever. It enhances a dollop of sour cream. It’s just one of my favorites because the heartburn is small, but the flavor is excellent.
This is another solid one. It doesn’t burn too much, but adds some good flavor. The original Valentina is a straight pepper sauce, so if you don’t want the infused flavors like the Cholula Chili Lime sauce, this is your jam. My tacos and nachos really enjoy this one.
There’s definitely a special place in my heart for the Rooster, even though this one burns a little more. I use it sparingly, mostly when I make ramen, but sometimes with fried rice too. If you find yourself eating cheap food, it’s not a bad “enhancer.” One time I took a bottle with me into Cici’s Pizza. Oh, and Sriracha salt has a nice little smokey flavor too.
Trader Joe’s Honey Aleppo Sauce
I love this one because it is sweeter than it is hot. This is not to say that it doesn’t have some kick. You get hold of a bit with a pepper chunk and you’ll still burn. This Honey Aleppo sauce goes great with Greek/Middle Eastern dishes since that is where the aleppo pepper is more abundant. Try it with charmoula chicken (link), or spice up your yogurt sauce (link).
Louisiana Hot Sauce
This is also one to which Brittany is partial. I like it with seafood. It’s great to add to your oysters or shrimp in particular. A squeeze of lemon, a few drops of Louisiana. I obviously can’t load it on because it’s from Louisiana and those folks like their heat. I’m not strong enough haha. But I appreciate the flavor and it gives you more of a classic hot sauce vibe.
Honorable Mention
Cholula Green Pepper Sauce
This one looks innocent, but has a bigger kick than the Chili Lime. I like the green though and I like to give it a few shakes over my tacos or nachos to add another layer of flavor. It doesn’t kill me if I have it with a bunch of fats. All the more reason to add extra cheese!
Regretsies
Trader Joe’s Truffle Hot Sauce
I want to like truffle hot sauce. It looks like a cool thing to like. I enjoy the funk of truffles. I like the orange of a classic American (I say “American” because it makes me think of Buffalo hot wings and Hooter’s wings … even though I never once entered a Hooter’s … and I don’t think I really support what the establishment was about … however, I always heard that the chicken wings were actually good and, for better or for worse, it’s a part of my childhood 90s pop culture that will likely forever be engrained in the memory bank) hot wing. This sauce almost glows. One dab on my tongue made me want to dramatically flail onto the floor though. I didn’t, I just coughed a bit and ate some bread. This stuff is HOT. However, I found that if I put a couple of drops in some ranch dressing and mix it really well, it makes a great flavor that doesn’t make me want to cry.
I kept getting these ads on Instagram for a “portable bonfire.” There were about $20 a pop and looked really simple. One even said that it used recycled paper and soy wax. I had a metal container from one of my favorite candles that had burned out, so that got me to thinking, “I bet I could make something similar for no extra money.” And then I did.
I will note that my end product is not as well put together and neat as the ones that you can purchase. I probably wouldn’t roast marshmallows over this one either because of the wax that I used. My goal was not s’mores though in this particular experiment. It was merely to see what was possible.
First, I needed to figure out how to make briquettes with paper scraps so that the fire would have something to light onto. I watched a couple of YouTube videos and figured out my method.
I gathered paper that I was planning to shred eventually and shredded it up by hand, just ripping into strips. If you have an actual paper shredder, this will be an incredibly faster process for you. Making these briquettes requires a lot more paper than you would think, so shred a lot.
Put all of the shredded paper in a bucket and cover over with water. I think I poured hot water over it. If you don’t have hot water, it’s not a big deal. I took a stick and stirred the paper around a good bit to help it all soak and start breaking down a bit.
Then I let the paper soak for a day or two. When I came back to it, it was a lot mushier, which was how I wanted it. I needed to compact the paper mush and get the water squeezed out, so I used a mini hamburger press that worked decently enough. I experimented with other shapes and even make a cube-ish shape with just my hands. Then I set the briquettes out to dry. This took roughly a week.
Once my briquettes dried, it was time to figure out the wax. I had a few candles with wicks that had met their end, so I collected all of the leftover wax into a glass jar.
I remembered that I had an indoor s’more kit that heats the marshmallows using Sterno cans. Perfect for heating wax! So I set the jar on top of the kit and let it melt the wax cocktail down. I used oven mitts to move the jar around and to keep it from getting too hot.
My waxes were from various candles with various scents, but that wasn’t a big deal for this experiment. I also didn’t bother straining out any debris because, again, perfection was not my goal.
I placed a few briquettes in the can and poured my wax over them. I didn’t have quite enough wax to fill the can entirely, but I made sure to pour wax over the tops of the briquettes and let it soak in a bit.
Once the wax hardened, I gave it a test by lighting up where the briquettes were. Success! Then to put out the fire, I just put the lid back on the tin.
While my version is not as clean as the $20+ portable fire that you can buy online, it did create a portable fire and I was able to use all materials that would have gone in the trash otherwise.
Late fall/winter season in South Carolina means oyster season. The general rule is that you eat oysters in months ending in “er,” but that rule doesn’t fully apply here. The weather has to be cold enough to produce a good oyster. You don’t want to eat a hot weather oyster. Brittany and I (April) had been wanting to have an oyster roast for over a year, but the first year we tried, we couldn’t even buy oysters overpriced. The weather had been tough that year and the harvest was small. This year we had colder temperatures and fewer storms, so January was an acceptable … nay, fantastic time for us to get oysters. If you’re not used to partying with the polarizing bivalves, here are some tips to make your party feel like an evening in the low country. And if you’re very inland, like, say Kansas, maybe oysters aren’t such a good idea, however, you can substitute foods and still have a great party. I’ll give some notes to that along the way too.
1. Getting the oysters
A good oyster roast starts with a good oyster. We went with some single select oysters, which were wonderful. We’ve had the oyster clusters as well, but the clusters are muddier and more of a challenge to open and eat. With your singles, they come cleaner (though you’ll still want to rinse them) and easier to open because you have one big oyster at a time. Though Columbia, where we live, is inland, we have some decent seafood suppliers. However, if you can get closer to the coast and buy, that’s preferable. This event had us traveling the morning of our party about an hour out to St. George, which is not coastal, but is closer to the coast than we are, the the Piggly Wiggly where Brittany “knows a guy.” We called ahead and got two 30 lb boxes of single select oysters. Man were we pumped when we saw how nice they looked.
2. Testing equipment
Even though we call it an oyster “roast,” the oysters are often steamed instead of literally roasted. We’ll get to that later. Whether you’re setting up your steamer or getting your grill ready, you need to check and test whatever cooking equipment that you’ll be using beforehand. I used a large pot on a propane burner. For those, you need to make sure that you have plenty of propane and those burners can get finicky. We ran a test earlier in the day and I was glad that I did because I had to troubleshoot a few problems with the burner and make adjustments to get it to work. It was way better to run into issues earlier in the day than run into issues once hungry guests have arrived.
3. Methods of cooking oysters
Speaking of equipment, this leads me to the method(s) with which you want to cook your oysters. I like to boil/steam them using my large propane burner because it only takes 4-5 minutes to cook a sizable batch. Similarly, you can steam them over a fire by laying them over a flattop and covering them with a burlap sack that has been soaked in water. You can also shuck them and put them on the grill on the half shell. For our last event, we took a few of the oysters, put them on the grill, and cooked them in some compound butter. Go here for Brittany’s compound butter recipe. No matter how you cook them, they don’t take long. You can also eat them raw, just make sure that you get a good quality one for eating raw.
4. Having food for non oyster eaters
Inevitably, you will have guests who don’t eat oysters. It’s understandable. Oysters look funny, they have a texture that some people don’t like, some are allergic, and some have religious boundaries. Consider it more for you and give your guests some other options! One of my favorite dishes to serve in the fall/winter seasons along with oysters is Chicken Bog. I also like to have some BBQ (if you’re in South Carolina, that means pulled pork) on hand. Another common option is Low Country Boil, also known as Beaufort Stew, also known as Frogmore Stew, depending on where you’re from. It’s a combination of shrimp, sausage, potatoes, and corn, cooked and seasoned together. It’s usually dumped out on a table and everyone has at it. Another easy option is chili. Your non oyster eaters and oyster eaters alike will enjoy having some of these options.
5. Cooking ahead
For your sanity and enjoyment, get as much cooked ahead of time as possible. The food for non oyster eaters (unless you’re doing a Low Country Boil too) should be simple enough that you can prepare it ahead of time and either keep warm or reheat. Chicken Bog can be made the night before. Put it in a pan and pour some chicken broth over it, cover, and stick in the oven at a low temperature to reheat. BBQ can be made ahead of time and reheated easily, or better yet, just order a few pounds of pulled pork from a local place. Chili can obviously be kept in the pot all day and even served right from a crockpot.
The oysters should be your biggest concern the day of your party. Rinse and clean them earlier in the day and an hour or so before guests arrive, start cooking them. Have a few disposable coolers available to store the cooked oysters. I had a few styrofoam coolers left from some food shipments, so it was perfect. The oysters stayed hot and we could continually supply guests without a wait. I had most of the oysters ready in coolers by the time guests arrived, so it allowed me to actually enjoy the party some instead of working like a catering staff the whole time.
6. Setting up stations
You’ll want to have several tables where your guests can stand and shuck oysters. I like to lay down some cardboard and/or some butcher paper, brown paper, or newspaper on the tables so clean up is easier. You’ll also want some areas for guests to sit and eat, particularly if they are not eating oysters. Since we had our last party in a pandemic, we set oyster tables spaced out apart throughout the backyard. Normally, we would have put the tables all together in a long line. You’ll want to have stacks of towels/rags for everyone as they are shucking oysters. It gets juicy. It’s also helpful for some folks to hold the oyster in the towel while shucking to avoid cutting their hands. Encourage guests to bring their own shuckers, but put some extras out if possible. Butter knives can also work (though not as well) if you’re in a pinch. Have some buckets or heavy duty trash bags nearby for people to discard their oyster shells. Set out condiments, saltine crackers, and bowls or little condiment cups for guests to use.
7. Condiments
Speaking of condiments, here are some favorites. Cocktail sauce is always good. Melted butter is a luxurious option for your guests. I like to have some lemon wedges to squeeze onto the oysters too. And then hot sauce is a must. Here’s a list of some of my favorite hot sauces. Be sure to put out some saltines for those who like something to counterbalance the texture of the oyster.
8. Ambiance
To do a proper Southern oyster roast, you don’t have to have the fanciest things, you just need to be warm and inviting. I like to have a fire pit going and to bring out some s’mores later on. String lights are a staple in my yard. It’s an easy way to make things feel a little magical. Keep the coolers full and create spaces that make it easy for everyone to interact. And don’t be afraid to give your guests some small tasks to help out either. When you’re hanging out with friends and family, most of them are happy to help you move something, take a turn at the grill or monitoring the boil, or replenishing food or drinks. If everyone has a part, then everyone will feel like they are a part of the family. It’s not about perfection, but about spending quality time with the ones that you love, making warm memories along the way.
