Toile. Again.

Posted by ginger On Friday, January 30, 2009

Toile.


My favorite fabric store in all of Alabama is closing - Fabric Jungle in Irondale.  It's exclusively upholstery/curtain fabric, not make-a-dress fabric.  They've always been a little on the expensive side, and they absolutely do not take anything other than cash and checks...  Oh, but they have the *best* employees who really-really do want to help and know what they are talking about.  And the fabrics are excellent quality.  They don't carry ultra-high-end like Brunschwig & Fils (you need a designer to purchase that anyway) - but really, very fine.

BTW, some designers are selling their overages of B&F, Scalamandre, and other $150+/yd fabric on eBay!

Anyway...I was told when I visited last week that Fabric Jungle is closing in mid-March.  They have already started enforcing a minimum cut of five yards.



I think I'm going to go once a week from now until they close just so I can visit all that fabulous toile...  Stocking up to make more headboard covers, too!

Miss Gracious Living, and Enjoying New Orleans Food Every Day

Posted by ginger On Friday, January 30, 2009


At the Southern Accents website, there's a new blog called Miss Gracious Living, and it's wonderful (plus one of the writers is Dawn, the Managing Editor there - hi Dawn!).  Last week, Karen, who is another contributor, even posted a short video about how to recreate at home the "Orange Thing" cocktail that's made at Highlands.  

What's funny is that one of the other posts was about poor customer service - it reminded me of a time I went to Hancock Fabrics and the same person wound up cutting the fabric I picked out as well as ran the cash register.  The whole time, the woman didn't say *anything* to me, even when it would have been very appropriate to have done so (like telling me how much I owed, rather than me seeing it on the cash register display).  I left thinking how nice it was that Hancock Fabrics employed people with this kind of disability.  I mean, she had no trouble doing her job if you discount the not-talking part.  What a great company Hancock is. 

The next week, I walked in, and the same employee was just gabbing-gabbing-gabbing on her cell phone!  I thought about telling a manager but didn't want to disclose how incredibly gullible/dumb I was!  hahaha!!  

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Anyway, just like in the pages of the magazine, they are posting some gorgeous pictures and it really is lovely...


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(this is a pic I took from our last lunch at Galatoire's)

YAY! I just found out this week that Tom Fitzmorris' radio show - The Food Show on 1350 AM - is streaming live on the web each weekday from 4-7pm. It's here.

Alabama Folk School

Posted by ginger On Thursday, January 29, 2009

This is a 'Star of Alabama' quilt that Bettye Kimbrell worked on

The Alabama Folk School is opening at Camp McDowell (close to Jasper).  This is some of the information that was sent to me about it:

The Alabama Folk School at Camp McDowell invites you to attend their “grand opening” session February 3-6, 2009. As a way to welcome friends to the new school, a limited number of adult students will be allowed a rare opportunity to *Sample the Arts*. Choose as many as three of the following classes during this one-of-a-kind workshop: quilting, carpentry, photography, pottery, and old-time music (classes for each: fiddle, banjo, guitar, and bass).

Beginning with a late afternoon wine and cheese on Tuesday, the workshop will feature nationally and locally recognized folk artists sharing the traditions of their crafts. Class instructors include *NEA National Heritage Fellow*, quilter Bettye Kimbrell; renowned musicians Herb Trotman & Kathy Hinkle (of the Herb Trotman Band), and Joyce & Jim Cauthen (of Red Mountain and Flying Jenny); potter Sandra Heaven; professional photographer Kenneth Boone; and carpenters Mark Johnston (Camp Director) and Clyde Pearce. 

Wow, how great would it be to learn quilting from Bettye Kimbrell!?!?!  There's more information about it here.

Beautiful Homes Of Eufaula

Posted by ginger On Wednesday, January 28, 2009

These are just a few of the gorgeous-gorgeous homes in Eufaula:


This is the 1895 Foy-Beasley-Hamilton home on N. Eufaula Avenue, and it was designed by George Franklin Barber:

1884 Shorter Mansion:

Sparks-Bennett Home (1909):

Some of these I don't know the name of - this one is under restoration:

1860s Kendall Manor:

This is a close-up of the top:



1907 Holleman-Foy home:

Hart House:

1850s Dean-Page Hall:

1853 Rhodes-Schaub-Winkleblack home:

1860 Fendall Hall:

1858 Cato-Watson home:

Each year, Eufaula has a spring pilgrimage, and this year it is April 3, 4, and 5.  

Eufaula has been called "the Natchez of Alabama" because of all the gorgeous homes.  This was just a small-small collection of the pics I took, and I left out all kinds of really great houses just because there were so many!  I think Eufaula probably has as many or more fantastic homes as Natchez.  Not as many of them have been turned into B&Bs or have restaurants inside them, but they are just incredible...

Fairview and Shorter Cemetery

Posted by ginger On Wednesday, January 28, 2009

After we left Union Springs, we went to Eufaula, and since we were there, we visited Fairview Cemetery.  


This monument is in the main section:

close-up:

After we left there, we went over to Shorter Cemetery.  

On this side is the family:

...and on the other side of the land is this section inside a brick wall - this is where some of the family's slaves are buried:

I could only make out one grave in the slave section that was marked - and it's hard to make out - it is lined with bricks:

Back on the family side, this monument is the one of John Gill Shorter - he was the governor of Alabama during the Civil War:

...and this is the monument for Rev. O.T. Hammond, and it reads: 
Died September 6, 1839,
in the 26th year of his age
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As a man, a husband, and a
christian Teacher his name needs
no epitaph

Outside the walled sections is this monument for Col. Daniel Morgan Seals, 1818-1883:

another view:

It's just beautiful there - it's overlooking the Chattahoochee, and the trees are all draped in Spanish moss:
Just waiting for someone to come along with a film crew for the next great Southern Gothic film...

Fantail Rolls

Posted by ginger On Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The February issue of Gourmet has a recipe for fantail rolls (they are also known as butterflake rolls) - the image on the cover includes them, and they look just the same as what's served with supper at The Bright Star in Bessemer.  I made them this past weekend - tweaked the original recipe only very slightly - oh, they turned out *fantastic*!  Everyone loved them.


Ingredients:
6 tbsp. butter, melted
olive oil
2 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105–115*F)
1 tbsp sugar
3 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup buttermilk

Directions:
I used a bit of olive oil in each cup of a muffin pan.  Set aside.

Together in the Kitchenaid, stir together the yeast, water, and sugar, then leave alone for five minutes so that it becomes foamy.

Into the bowl, add the flour, salt, buttermilk, and 6 tbsp. butter.  Mix on low with the dough hook until the dough is elastic and smooth, plus not sticking to the bowl, which took about six minutes (I *really* don't like to knead but if you're going for the original method, go back to the magazine's recipe).

In a large bowl, spread a little olive oil, then place the dough in the bowl and cover with Saran and a kitchen towel.  Let rise for 1-1/2 to 2 hours:


Now it has risen/doubled:

Punch the dough down, then onto a floured cutting board, cut the dough into two equal balls.  Roll each of the halves into about a 12" x 12" square, then cut the square lengthwise into six strips.  I brushed the strips with a bit of olive oil, but you could use melted butter if you like:

Stack those six strips, oiled/buttered side up:

Cut through that stack six times from top to bottom so that you have six stacks.  Turn each stack onto its side and into a muffin cup.  You can fan the individual pieces out however you like:
Do the same with the other half of the dough so that you've made twelve rolls ready for the oven. Cover the pan with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise another hour.

Preheat the oven to 375*, put the rack in the middle.

Bake at 375* for 20-25 minutes (mine were ready in about 23 minutes).  When they came out, I brushed the tops with butter:

They turned out so pretty and tasted even better:
Can't wait to have everyone over and make these again!

Joe Minter's Obama Assemblage

Posted by ginger On Monday, January 26, 2009

Joe Minter has a new assemblage in his yard - African Village in America - for President Obama:


On the left-hand side, it says: 
Welcome
To The White House 
Mr. President 
Barack Obama
G-d Bless USA

Form (sp) Sharecropper
To The White House
A 400 Years Link
Of A Journey
Praise The L-rd

On the right-hand side:
Bless Our Home
One Nation Under
G-d With Liberty
And Justice For
ALL

(Real) Mexican In The 'Ham, Part 2

Posted by ginger On Monday, January 26, 2009

Last week, I posted about the article in the B'ham News about authentic Mexican food, and so we went out and tried some of the places that were recommended.  Well, we had so much fun we decided the next week to keep going and try some of the others.  This is a carnitas from Cantina, which is one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in the city:

Pretty good.

Next we were off to La Perla in Bessemer (all the addresses and food translations, etc are here in the article).  They sold Cokes from Mexico - and Coke from Mexico never switched over to using high fructose corn syrup back in the '80s, so it's still made with just regular sugar.  If you're used to drinking American coke and you're old enough to remember "old" Coca-Cola, once you taste this you're like "oh yeah I remember now!  This is what Coke is supposed to taste like!".  Or maybe that's just me.  

Aand it's in a glass bottle which makes it somehow taste better anyway.

Around Passover every year, Coke makes a portion of what they ship with sugar rather than HFCS so that it can be served during the holiday (because corn is one of the foods that isn't consumed).  That Coke has yellow bottle caps.  

We also have the Dublin Dr. Pepper plant in Texas ship us some of theirs for Passover because they *never* switched their Dr.P over to HFCS and one of my friends loves it.  The shipping cost is a little crazy, though.  You can pick up Dublin Dr.P at the Fondren Beverage Emporium, though, if you're in Jackson.

Anyway - here it is on the bottle.  I guess they have to add the sticker because it's not mandatory in Mexico to put the nutritional information on the bottle:

So....what we had at La Perla was (from L-R) campechana (pretty good), carnitas (alright), cachete (okay), chiccarone (did not like that at all) - all on single corn tortillas:

The last place was called Girasol II.  Av said it was weird inside because it was a former Shoney's that still had Asian furniture inside from when the place used to be a Chinese restaurant.  We got two carnitas and a cuertos, each on two corn tortillas.  Not bad, but nothing on this part of town even came close to what was on Valley Avenue, particularly Gordo's.  
Next week: Part 3 - the end to the search for the best taco...

George Franklin Barber Homes in Union Springs, Alabama

Posted by ginger On Friday, January 23, 2009

I got an email last week from Chris (hi Chris!) who enjoys the architecture of George Franklin Barber - he graduated college from Tennessee but lives up north now - and was wondering if I was going to be in Union Springs any time soon.  I wrote him back that I was going to be in Union Springs later that day just by coincidence, and he called me with the addresses of two homes there that were built with GFB plans (I told him I was doing this in spite of the fact he was a Vol!)!


I didn't know the *first* thing about George Franklin Barber before Chris told me about him - it turns out that GFB was an architect who wrote Victorian house plans (I guess just like today, how you can go into a bookstore and buy a magazine full of layouts) from the late 1800s to the very early 1900s.  

He's also credited with developing Queen Anne style of architecture and one way to help pick out his homes is the use of towers with "candle-snuffers" atop them, and turrets.  Those are visible on the two GFB homes in Union Springs:

This is the other GFB house that Chris gave me directions to.  When we pulled up outside, I noticed that there was someone on the side porch, so I got up and told them that I really loved the design of their house:

It turns out that this nice person didn't own the house, but rather it functions today as a group home.  I was graciously invited inside, and met several of the residents.

This home was incredible!  All the fantastic mouldings and woodwork - the mantles, the pocket doors - there were these gorgeous built-in china cabinets in the dining room too...

Everything about this home was just exquisite, and although there was some disrepair it was beautiful.  It reminded me a little of the Robert Polidori: Havana book that we have, where the homes in Cuba that were just decadent years and years ago today still have this very worn elegance...  

Old Jake

Posted by ginger On Thursday, January 22, 2009

Tomorrow, Sotheby's is planning to auction off what their press release is calling "perhaps the earliest and most valuable weathervane to appear on the auction market in recent history" in the Important Americana sale and is expected to go for between $3-5 million.

There's a picture of it here.

It's a molded copper fireman weathervane called 'Old Jake' and dates back to around 1850. It's 73" tall and has been above the Charley Rouss Fire Company in Winchester, Virginia since just after the Civil War. The proceeds will be used to buy new fire equipment and possibly construct a new firehouse.

Charley Rouss's great-granddaughter made possible two exact copper replicas of the weathervane and one of them will replace the 'Old Jake' that's being auctioned.

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I've wondered so many times how much the Iron Man in Hartselle is worth. Okay, not $3-5 million, but still....

Beautiful Homes of Union Springs

Posted by ginger On Wednesday, January 21, 2009

There were so many gorgeous homes in Union Springs - here are just a few:




What do you think of these colors!?:









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