Southern Living

I love living in the South and there is a magazine that is dedicated to just that called Southern Living. The magazine features a decor, recipe, and travel section. My mom has been a subscriber for years. I would flip through the pages of the magazine and imagine one of my recipes being featured. I am excited to announce that one of my recipes is featured in this month's issue of Southern Living magazine. It is my black eyed peas with okra and andouille sausage recipe. I am even more thrilled though to share with others in the pages of the magazine, a recipe in my family that is over a 100 years old. My great grandmother was one of my cooking inspirations. She taught me about cooking and hospitality. I learned how to make her famous biscuits, roast, gumbo, and more. One recipe I never learned how to make from her was her tea cake recipe. I had tasted her tea cakes as they were served on her table at various Sunday lunches and special occasions but I never made them with her. At her 97th birthday party, I had my great grandmother share with me again the story behind her tea cakes. She learned how to make them from her mother who learned from her mother. After she was done sharing with me the story, she said I needed to come by her house that week to learn how to make them. Unfortunately, I did not get that chance. My great grandmother passed away early that week.

I did however get to have a special moment with my grandfather one night after my great grandmother passed away. My great aunts, great uncles, and other family members were at her house. If I was going to learn how to make her tea cakes, then I needed to learn from those who not only watched her make them but who had made them with her. I asked my grandfather, great aunts and uncles for their guidance while making the tea cakes.

My grandfather stepped in and demonstrated how my great grandmother, his mother, would form the tea cakes in her hands and then make an imprint with her fingers in the dough rounds. My grandfather was the first to taste the tea cakes out of the oven.

He said they were delicious!
I am so glad to have the memory of this special moment with my grandfather who has recently passed away. I strive to make every moment with my family special because I never know when it could be the last.
Psalm 100:5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

In Loving Memory

Mary Strahan (my great grandmother)