I missed last’s week’s Sundays in the South installment. For the first time in over a month my mister had a Sunday afternoon off – so we enjoyed that time together. I usually don’t get on the computer when he is home – because I want to be about doing life with him, not blogging. So, what I need to get better at is writing blogs and posting them to be live on those days that he is off – that way I would still be posting regularly.
The Fall is always a time of celebration for our family and this time we are including a family vacation and the boys and I are taking a trip to Little Rock. With celebrations comes food.
And today, Sundays in the South is brought to you by a new food for me: I just finished reading my latest edition of Southern Living, and I saw a Dutch Baby (which is an oven pancakes). I have everything – so I am going to head on into the kitchen to make it. We will see how it turns out!
Since I’ve lived all around the South my entire life, I thought I would share with you just a few of my favorite places in each of the states I’ve lived in. This will definitely give you the travel bug – and I hope you can live it out to the fullest! Enjoy the Around-the-South tour and dream on this Sunday – that God would enable you to see more of the world He created!
Florida: The Sunshine State
Hontoon Island was a relatively new find for me. Traveled there last year. Your littles will love the little ferry ride over to the island. There are also good hiking and biking trails – but most of these trails aren’t conducive to strollers. Moss abounds!
If you are looking for a hole in the wall seafood restaurant – you need to come here. My Dad has ties to the owners and I love their fried grouper sandwich.
The best chicken and yellow rice and cuban bread – EVER. My first trip I remember to this Florida (chain) but staple, was in high school with my Spanish class after going to the Salvadore Dali museum. A must EAT!
And one of my favorite places in the city that I being an adult in – and one that I love and could retire in forever because I love it so – Barnacle Bills. Only thing you ever need to get there is the Datil Shrimp. Enough said.
I attended this private school most of my schooling years (except for half a year). I loved the principal then and my teachers. Some of the ministries I got to be a part of and friendships made still impact my life today.
The college I went to was in the heart of St. Augustine. College for me turned out to be different than I though mostly because we had no football team.
North Carolina: The Tarheel State
Oh, this could be a while. I love it here and consider it home more than any other place I’ve lived. Its where I fell in love with the Word, ministry, college students, the ocean, my husband, and where I became a momma for the first time.
I went to seminary here. The first time I saw the campus I knew I was going to love it there. Arrived on campus 4 months after my initial introduction.
I fell in love with missions, college students, and brooklyn tab while doing ministry at The Summit.
Had my first road trip with my husband and our first random stop was to one of the older cities. Loved it.
Kentucky: The Bluegrass State
I wasn’t here for a long time, and the seminary I worked for became home – and I loved the ability I had at the time to travel all the time and see people and things that I never would have otherwise.
Where I grew to love this ministry and all that is stands for. And Dr. Mohler spoke in our Sunday School this morning – and this ministry will have such a vital role in the church in the coming years (maybe even more so than before). Owen and Courtney – you and your teams have my prayers as they always have!
And how I fell in love with gospel centered preaching was by listening mostly to this man at this church.
Arkansas: The Natural State
I was here the briefest and made some really sweet friends. It is also where I fell in love with my second little boy!
ARWB – thank you Stephanie and Debbie and all of you other bloggers. Yall were a great community! Hopefully we will have that in GA soon!
Georgia: The Peach State
I’m growing to love this state more and more. I’ve always had ties to this state and now my husband and boys are here. Lovely combination
This is the church we get to be a part of. Thankful for faithful preaching each week.
This is the bestest place in the state for me. I’ve been going here since I was a kid and get to go with my family in 2 weeks.
I can count a few years since being a believer (as an adult) where Sundays were partially for church and partially for resting and chilling. Some of those years were during my time in Louisville. I worked at Southern Seminary and went to a church (mostly) that met at night. So, during the day, I could enjoy a day where I didn’t have to rush out the door and get ready.
I enjoyed a meal.
I went for a run.
I went to the farmers market.
I watched football.
All of these good things that God gives us to enjoy.
Then I prepared myself for worship. I loved ending my day like that – singing, hearing the Word preached. They were good days.
For this week’s edition of Sundays in the South, I am featuring I recipe I finished up this morning.
I am definitely from the South. And if there is any dessert that is commonplace in the South, especially the Deep South, it is pound cake. Unfortunately, pound cake might rank right up there in my just-never-asked-for-desserts. Unless you are this one particular pound cake found at a tiny bakery in a tiny town off I-40 in North Carolina.
Ketchie Creek Bakery serves an amazing Five Flavor Pound Cake with a rich and smooth buttercream which I would take over most any dessert in the world. You get a huge piece and need to split it with about 4 friends, but man, it just melts in your mouth.
But, this pound cake features two of those flavors…lime and vanilla. I made it today for our family reunion and my Dad’s comment “Its dense and moist.” Exactly what a pound cake should be.
I tweaked How Sweet Eats recipe of this – I thought it was too lime-y, so the recipe you see below makes that adjustment. Also, I didn’t have a vanilla bean, so I upped the amount of vanilla. The end result was still tangy and smooth.
Vanilla Lime Pound Cake
Recipe Type: Dessert
Cuisine: Pound Cake
Author: The Charming South Kitchen
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8-10
Tart and warm…a Southern vanilla lime pound cake
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
3 eggs
3 T whole milk
1 1/2 T REAL vanilla extract or paste (don’t use imitation as this is a huge taste of your pound cake)
1 T lime zest
1/4 cup lime juice
For the glaze:
1 tsp vanilla
1 T heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar
juice of two limes
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.
Put parchment paper in a loaf pan and spray with cooking spray.
Mix dry ingredients. Sugar in this recipe is a dry ingredient. Reminds me to always read directions before starting a new dish.
Mix wet ingredients and combine with dry.
Bake for about 60 minutes or until done.
Let the cake cool.
Mix the glaze, adjusting the sugar and lime juice to your consistency liking. Drizzle on top of the cake.
Sundays…when you wake up, you may know your schedule, but you may not know how the day is ultimately going to go. You may wake up and do your normal thing: dress the kids, dress yourself, hop on over to church, come home to a quick meal and put the kids to bed.
Some Sundays you get to live wildly. Maybe throw in a walk or a picnic. Throw in an afternoon nap or a trip to a movie theater. You may jaunt over to a park and swing in the air with your feet out in front of you – capturing a moment on film that is as fleeting as the sun.
Whatever your Sundays bring, always think of your days as a blank canvas…just like this unbaked tart crust. Cooking is such a metaphor for life. You’ve got your ingredients – but what you choose to do with them is your decision. God’s got a great plan for our lives. For me, it might be a blueberry Italian cheese tart. For you, it might be baked lasagna and a dish of blueberries for dessert.
It is just starting to drizzle here in the ATL metro area. I love it when it rains here. We’ve had several days this week of thunder and lightning and pouring down rain. I’ve loved it.
Our older son loves to stand at his window and look out at the rain and explain “whoa” or “wow” or “oh” every 10 seconds. He must be fascinated at the creation of God. I love how God is so in charge of the weather! Every rain drop falls at his bidding. Amazing.
And, in God’s amazingness – He gives us chocolate and marshmallows and heavy whipping cream.
