Sweet Tea on the Veranda for January 28, 2010

For those few here that remember my previous Sweet Tea on the Veranda blogs-my has it been a while! For those of you who are new to my ramblings, welcome! Come on in, have a glass of tea and sit a spell.

I have to tell you the artist of the watercolor I borrowed for this blog is Cathy Khrons. She does wonderful work and encourage everyone who reads this to take the time to check out her work.

Previous blogs under this title generally had a central theme, maybe a small story or musing in the middle, and always ended with a recipe. I may at some point bring them over to this blog site, just to keep STOTV completely at one site. What I'm really hoping is the commentary participation my previous blogs had, giving this cyber space between friends that, "chatting and sippin' tea on the front porch feel".

I googled "front porch feeling" today and was really surprised to find there are actually support groups for people who grew up with large front porches where families gathered after Sunday dinner, at the end of a hard work day, where they visited with extended families and friends, and that was the central comforting/loving environment of their lives, and later in life no longer have a porch to retreat from the worries of life to seek that homey comfort. I suppose in a way, the "porch" becomes something of a symbol of home and comfort for many of us. The farm house I lived in with my Grandpa and Grandma Koger had a big front porch, and yes, Sunday afternoons with aunts, uncles and cousins were spent there, just like Sunday evenings were spent the same with on the front porch of my other set of Grandparents, the Drapers. That's the thing about front porches, it seems-typically positive emotions/feelings are always assoicated with them, a place for family and friends. A safe place to observe and comment on the world. A place to relax.

In reality, a lot of people don't have porches, but they still have family and friends. I don't have one now, though when we were building our house, we certainly planned on having that big porch the length of our house. However, mathematics pointed out the cost of such a luxurous thing as a grand front porch, hence the reason I now live in a porchless split-level house. (Or I suppose I could look at it as I'm sleeping on my front porch every night!) So, the porch then becomes the kitchen table, where coffee and a shoulder to lean on takes place, where events of the day are exchanged between family member over supper. But even in that, the kitchen table or dining room doesn't give people a sense of relaxation just to be there. It especially doesn't for the person(s) responsible for cleaning the table after the meal!

Then there's the gathering of chairs in the backyard, which is nice too. But only if the weather's permitting. Hard to have a relaxing conversation with a cold rain beating down on you. But on an 80 degree day and a slow, sweet summer breeze blowing, it's about a nice a life gets really. Still...the idea of that porch ...google sometime and see how many country songs reference front porches...

That is the reasoning I had in mind a couple of years ago when I first started the Sweet Tea on the Veranda blogs. I wanted a gather place for people to come to, to share, to exchange ideas, tips, books, to feel at home, relaxed and happy. I hope the ones who came there found it that way and I hope any new ones who read this feel the same way.

So, my ending question is...What do y'all think of when you hear "front porch"? Does it evoke childhood memories, or continuing family events? Anything?

The recipe I'm closing with is my own original recipe. I had an abundant crop of sweet potatoes a couple of years ago and needed to come up with something besides candied yams, sweet potato cakes and fried sweet potates.

Thus, after not finding a recipe to suit me, the following came together in the cauldron of the Flippen kitchen. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Be daring in your meals and kitchens!

Sweet Potato Salad

2 lbs of sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-in. cubes

Vegetable Cooking Spray of your choice

1/2 tsp.coarse sea salt-to roast on potatoes

2 celery ribs, thinly sliced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1/2 c. red onion, thinly sliced

1/3 c. seet red bell pepper, diced

1/2 c sea salt (for after seasoning sauce ingredients)

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp.white vinegar

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp chinese hot sauce, (or 1 tsp duck sauce or your favorite chili sauce)

2 tbsp. REAL maple syrup-not karo, not pancake syrup. if you must substitute something, then go with honey, but real maple syrup is a key flavor in this recipe!)

Dash of Texas Pete (to taste)

1 tsp prepared mustard

2 Tbsp fresh or 1 Tbsp dried sage

5 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 400 degree. Arrange cubed potates in an even layer in a 15/10-in jelly roll pan. Coat with cooking spray and spinkle with the coarse sea salt. Bake 40 mins or just until tender. Let cool slightly. While potatoes are baking, stir together remaining ingredients in a large bowl until well blended. Add cooked potatoes while they're still warm,tossing gently to coat thoroughly. Serve warm or at room temperature. If you manage to have leftovers, this reheats wonderfully in the microwave. You'll find that if you like baked beans, then you will love this recipe!.