STEWpendous!

If you have lived in Roxboro or any surrounding counties, you at some point in your life have probably eaten some Brunswick Stew. And people are down right serious about how it is done. If you are from up North (ya'll do it different I hear), or just moved here, I am so sorry. You just may not understand. 

Churches around here are famous for stews and the absolute best in the county is hands down, Mt. Zion!!!!! Seriously, it is perfectly proportioned for all ingredients and it just makes my mouth water thinking about it. Whenever, we get stew from Mt. Zion UMC in Hurdle Mills, I won't eat anything that day until we go pick it up. I like to work myself up for it. BUT, I missed the boat last time they made one and I forgot to go pick it up. BIG MISTAKE!
 Even though Mt. Zion UMC is my favorite, it is also perfectly acceptable to consume some Austin family stew. Just another perk to marrying my hubby (most of them can cook!)

Having "a stew" or "doing a stew" or "cooking a stew" can be tradition in some families or simply a good time of friends and fellowship. Once the word gets out, you will have some visitors when it's ready to eat!
 

So, right now the Austin houses are plum out of this famous winter staple. So, what better weekend than to cook a stew? It was cold, wet, and down-right STEWpendous weather for breaking out the stew pot. 

I consider myself a connoisseur of such stew concoctions and I am here to tell about it. I LOVE sugar in mine...and salt and extra black pepper. Pair it up with a grilled cheese or saltine crackers and you have got one banging good meal. It's perfect to pull out for last-minute company and even better for cold, rainy days! This weekend was super-fun-filled with plenty of In-laws, hearty ingredients, and kissing on babies. What could be better than family togetherness time and a bowl of hot steamy stew????  Not much.  

Here is my photographic journal of how it went down:

The In-Laws - makin' the magic happen!

GA - overseeing the operations

The stew pot: This pot actually belonged to Sean's great grandfather who purchased the stew pot for 50 cent off a train wrecked railroad car. It had a 6 inch crack in it due to the train wreck in which his grandfather repaired. Now, we cook a stew in it every year!

My daddy even came over to help stir.

GA did it the best! Such a good helper! 

Here are a couple other photos from the weekend that I love!

I can't believe my girl is getting so big and absolutely beautiful!

If you want to make a stew, here is my favorite recipe! (differs slightly from the one we just cooked) -

What you need: 

#40 size pot (approx. 30 gallons)

8 lb. choice stew beef (cook in lots of water and save the broth)

3 Large hens (save broth, debone, & throw away skins)

10 lbs. potatoes diced

1 gallon white corn (straight from the garden is best!) 

9 lbs. onions, diced

1 gal. frozen or canned green lima beans

4 lb. dried baby lima beans (soaked and cooked)

6 gal. tomatoes (we used crushed and 1 can paste)

6 lb. margarine

3 lb. sugar

black pepper and salt, to taste

4 red pepper pods

- Begin with frozen lima beans and potatoes in chicken and beef broth. Cook in black pot until done. Add chopped onions. Cook a few minutes, stirring. Next, add margarine and other ingredients, stirring constantly. After adding corn and dried beans, it will stick easily. If necessary, add additional water at beginning along with broth. Season with sugar, salt, and pepper. 3 hours total cooking.

Get ready for lots of work and some good family togetherness!

Oh Yes - the time has COME!

It has been coming for quite some time now. Yes, it's a new year, a fresh start, WHATEVER. Remember when I shared my Not-so-Resolutions here? Well, I have not been doing real good so far on some of those "making life better plans."  Passout. I blame my attention span.

Anywho, my biggest challenge has been weight loss / exercise etc. Yeah, I know, another passout moment. And by Passout I mean Big Surprise (for you who may not catch my sarcasm). So, it was tonight when I dropped a generous chunk of my red-velvet pudding cupcakes on to the floor, and proceeded to call the 5-second rule (on to perfectly and recently mopped floors) that I realized....what am I doing? Can I not actually miss out on that chunk and spare myslef those few calories??? I think yes. hello reality check.

So here is my dilemma; when I am exercising I feel GrEaT!  I even want to eat better. BUT, once I stop for a while it's kinda hard to start back. Kinda like missing church for a few Sundays to sleep in, and then it's so hard to get back in the grove. Same thing for me in exercising.  I am off track and unfocused and I have been since October. So, I'm pulling out the reinforcements. Meet Stormie...

CIRCA 1980's 

Me and Stormie go waaaaaayyyyyyyy back...Like to my middle school days. I lost like 20 pounds when I met her back-in-the-day. I know. Now, Where has she been? In the attic....chillin!

Now, let's get down to the brass tax. Stormie can come over whenever I want her to. ZUMBA and JAZZERCISE are off limits right now due to Sean working ALL THE TIME and I can't get home and to exercise class and get all my chores done. I know you moms out there are feeling me!

And as an added bonus, her and her spandex-drenched posse, 80's bangs, and leg-warmer friends get their workout on to some Jesus tunes for the perfect blend of aerobic worship.   Ahhhhhhh heaven. Only problem is, I gots to go buy a blasted VCR. It is not available on DVD. You will not believe that there are 4 available as "used" on amazon starting at $36. So, you know it is good when the price is inflated!

Wouldn't that be fun with a group of church ladies on the big screen in the fellowship hall? I'm gonna say - YES!

Just for fun I you-tubed it for you- for a little preview. Some idiot added in his own "clips" of some other crap but you get the point when you see Stormie and the girls. In middle school, I always wanted to be the girl in the blue and pink with the banana clip ;) Just sayin......

Just in case you are wondering: Here is how I made those little red velvet babies:

- One Box red velvet Cake Mix

- One box Cook & Serve Jello Instant Pudding (Vanilla) - Sugar FREE and Fat FREE
          - 2 cups milk for pudding mix

- One small package of chocolate chips

- Whipped Cream Cheese Icing (whipped is the best!)

- Sprinkles :)

By using the pudding you can eliminate the oil and eggs completely from the directions on the cake mix. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Begin by Mixing the 2 cups milk (2%)  and the package of pudding mix. Blend well with a whisk and cook in the microwave for 2 minutes (just enough to get warm).

Then add the red velvet cake mix and stir until lumps have dissolved.

Place about 1/8 cup of cake mixture into baking cups / muffin pan. Then add a FEW chocolate chips into the batter in the cups. Then, add more cake mix into the baking cups/muffin pan until they are about 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 19-22 minutes!

Cool completely and then ice and sprinkle! You save calories and fat by using pudding and they are super moist. They are my new fave treat. Good snack for Valentines Day parties! :)

Too bad Stormie up there would not agree :(

Ode to the Newton's

This weekend really was one of those delicious ones full of family, friends, babies, and children (crying cause they had so much fun they don't wanna go home), and some classic down-home girl activities on the Rox.....

Seriously y'all a delicious weekend with the fam....and speaking of delicious, can I just say that I am oh so proud of my attempt at a classic Newton family recipe.. Proudly brought to you by.....

A very special old school measuring cup from Gma Newton's...I wasn't lucky enough to ever get to cook with her or even know her really well at all, but I've heard so many inspiring stories about what a great southern lady,  wife, and mother she was. She was apparently a FABULOUS cook which my M-I-L totally takes after... :) Luckily, she shares recipes and secrets with me!

Um yea....pretty much the backbone to all Austin, Newton, Batten, Allen, and other Various Clement family cooking....It is a must-have for your kitchen!!!!!

So, as any true southern girl would do for their husbands who love jelly and such, we will stock up for the winter. So I spent a lovely Saturday morning heading out to the Brooks Farms in Timberlake with my fave M-I-L (mother-in-law for y'all that aren't in the loop) to pick my own strawberries. Now, my hubby loves to get down on some delish strawberry preserves that his Mama makes (and his lovely Gma made before her). So I attempt Grandma Newton's recipe and get down with my first round at canning things this year! Wooo hoooooooo...Hey it's what we are supposed to do................

 Let me just stop for a minute and pay tribute to this right here.....

"I'm an old southern woman! We're supposed to wear funny hats and grow things in the dirt! I didn't make the rules!"

Gotta love the classic verses from Steel Magnolias....

 So Anywho...., nothing made me more excited than the pop...pop....pop......pop..pop of the lids sealing so that I knew my canning adventure was a fo' sure success....Now here's what we got....... Wooooooooowheeeeeeeeeeee

You daggone skippy this is some good stuff!

Not only did I concoct a classic newton Recipe on Saturday......I got to actually get down Sat. night with some of my fave Newton/Austin "hostages." 

The two newest hostages.....and oh how we love some football.....good day for representin' our teams via super comfy T-shirts

Most of us ladies deemed ourselves the hostages over Christmas this year.....we are married to the Newton men...lovers of all things fried, battered, canned, jellied, or made by their Mama's.....Hey...we love em' anyway! Other than losing Grandma last year, all the times I have spent with the Newton family have been extreme fun! 

So naturally, when we get together we do it RIGHT!

Beginning with some seriously good groceries.............then some real life...on the Rox...activities! 

A little Corn hole Action.........

check out my super-hot hubby gettin down to some corn hole.....

brotherly love....this is serious stuff

 Some lightnin' bug catchin'.......

.....And some FROG catchin'......

Who knew my baby would be such a lover of 'God's Creatures'? ...and amphibians for that matter...and she loves bugs....it's this planet we are on ...i swear it is.....;) 

 All I gotta say is...at least we can say these children grew up doing the same things we did....chasing lightning bugs, catching frogs, and crying cause you had so much fun you didn't want to go home.... Seriously, the most precious thing about families is children and babies...which is why we like to squeeze them as shown here.....

what a widdle sweetie pie!

"Auntie (that's me) you seriously need to go get my paci...and some bug spray....thanks"

Q-T-PIE! Eden capturing lighting bugs!

Mimis... as shown in this photo are of the special kind....they think everything we do is shweeeeeeet! We need more of those.....

 And finally....we have the "men folk"............most of which sit around catchin' up (cause they are too full to get up and actually move.....) or, they wanna get in on the action and skunk their son in some corn hole

Exhibit A.....to the right...Wayne Austin......actually smiling.............enough said.......

catchin' up? or waiting for round 2 with the dessert table?

So, as you can see...... as long as you keep us well fed and well entertained we are quite the happy crew. There gives me no greater joy than sitting around, sharing stories, and making new memories with new family. I love to hear them tell stories about Mr. and Mrs. Newton and the lovely memories they all have of them. I think they would both be proud of how this family has turned out and they would be so proud that we are all still hanging out and having a good ol' time. So here's to you Newton family.... <3 XOXOXO