Cornbread Festival

Yesterday, Hub, Baby Boy, Rachel, and I attended the Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. South Pittsburg is where Lodge makes all those iron skillets to cook cornbread in.

I think the festival is twelve years old, and this was our third time to attend. It was an almost-perfect day.

Rhonda Vincent and the Rage put on a good show, and their sponsor, Martha White, was generous with gifts and samples.

Cornbread Alley lets you sample many different kinds of cornbread, including some with chocolate chips and pecans. They were all good, but after all that sampling, I was thinking it might be a little better with a pork chop to go with it.

With more than sixty vendors with real art, it was hard to choose what to take home.

I especially loved the bird houses.

It was hard to miss this one-man band clown. His doll had eyes like Chucky and it kinda scared some of us.

Then the clouds started churning, and we left a little sooner than we had planned to. We were in Scottsboro when the rain began. We drove the rest of the way home in the rain; thankfully, we didn't encounter any bad storms.

It was excellent kick-off for the festival season, and I can't wait until the next one.

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Amish in Stantonville, Tennessee

Last week, my sis and her hub went with us to the Amish community near Stantonville, Tennessee. It was a beautiful day, and we love driving to new places and finding new treasures. We enjoy these mini-trips we take together, where we giggle a lot and get caught up on everything. Also, the squirrels ate all our tomatoes, so we needed to find some to buy. You know the food you are buying is fresh when they bring it from the field while you are standing there waiting for it. Here is part of what we brought home, and it was all delicious. Stantonville is located in McNairy County, Tennessee, northwest of Shiloh National Military Park.

Holy Smoke Pie

I think it was in the late seventies that I first had Holy Smoke Pie. It was at a party at Debra Morris Harville's house. After we ate, Debra had to give the recipe to everyone there. I came home and made it for my family, and it has been a favorite since then. I always make it at holiday dinners, because I believe tradition is important. It has become a favorite of our granddaughters. I've heard it called Chocolate Delight, Four-Layer Chocolate Dessert, and other odd things. We call it Holy Smoke. Here is how I make it: Chop us a cup of pecans; set aside. Add a stick of softened butter (NOT margarine) to one cup of self-rising flour. Cut the butter into the flour. Add the chopped pecans, and work it all together. Save two tablespoons of the pecans to sprinkle on top. Pour into a 9" x 12" pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Spread it over the bottom of the pan. It helps to use your hands (or hand, if you have t

Cedar Trees in Cemeteries

If you ever wander in old cemeteries, and I know many of you do, you are bound to see some cedar trees. The tradition goes back to the early days of the United States and even earlier in Europe. Cedar trees were not always used, but some type of evergreen trees were planted because they were a symbol of everlasting life. Some Cherokees believed that cedars contained powerful spirits, including the spirits of the departed buried beneath them. Perhaps because they are known as burial trees, there are many superstitions that surround cedars. My grandmother told us in no uncertain terms that if we planted a cedar tree, we would die when it was large enough to shade our graves. Some others are: Never transplant a cedar tree; it will bring bad luck. If you transplant a cedar and it dies, you will die shortly. Planting a cedar tree in your yard welcomes poverty. Some say Christ was crucified on a cedar tree, and will bring bad luck if you burn it. If a cedar tree com

Faith, Folklore, and Friends

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