During our Southern Sugar Expedition, (see previous blogs), we “scooped” a few finds along the way to share with y’all. First and foremost, we stumbled upon Garden & Gun: Soul of the South magazine. Angeleno eyes had never laid eyes on such a publication. Reading Garden & Gun from cover to cover was like the sensation you get when you exit a theater and declare, “That was the best movie I ever saw.” We were immersed in the magazine, and time flew by. Warning – do not read this before you go to bed. You‘ll delay shut-eye by two hours. But don’t take it from us. Read a friendly review below.
Dear Southern Friends in Los Angeles,
I have discovered a salve for our sore and lonely souls. Bimonthly the good folks out in South Carolina print up a new edition of Garden & Gun magazine. I know, the name brings out the heebie-jeebies in those of you who’ve been in LA a little too long, but hear me out.
Don’t you miss the refined southern tradition of great story telling? Don’t you long for the quirky blend of down home comforts and unapologetic elegance and grandeur? Gals, don’t you miss real men? Garden & Gun delivers artisans, singers, hunters, naturalists, horsemen, writers, bartenders, poets, and chefs, ahhhh the bar-b-q pit masters.
And don’t worry your west coast influenced, softy hearts, this is the new south. There’s civil rights stories, environmentalism (“The Lost Gulf “August-Sept, 2010), art exposés, and southern food finds. The hunting stories celebrate the noble, ancient, romantic version of the chase in which the prey is respected deeply and the pursuit is attended by men and women of valor. There isn’t even a trace of blood thirst. The guns are works of art, American treasures, and characters in their own amazing adventures. (The Legend of Bo Whoop, June/July 2010).
And the food. I’m only 3 issues into a two year subscription and so far I’ve ordered Bourbon bacon popcorn (below), Bar-B-Q hash, pecans and various cookbooks.
The writing is top notch. Each page teams with the essence of the south. If you are like me, you’ll savor each page and put it down reluctantly, like a too short visit back home. Go get your own. I’m not sharing mine. – Helen Hutchison
The bottom line is, the editor knocks this one out of the park. The Sugar Mommas subscribed immediately and we can attest to its consistently stellar content.
Bourbon Pecan Pie
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 3/4 cups pecans
1 ready-made 9” pie crust, unbaked
Preheat oven 350°F.
Place sugar, corn syrup, salt, flour, and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on medium speed until well combined. Stir in the vanilla, bourbon, and butter and blend well. Fold in the pecans until fully incorporated.
Pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell. Place the pie on a cookie sheet in the center of the oven. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the pie is cooked through. Insert a toothpick in the center to make sure it comes out “goo-free.” Recipe by Hilary White from Oct./Nov. 2010 Garden & Gun, adapted by The Sugar Mommas.
Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook
Edited by Sara Roahen and John T. Edge, Foreword by Alton Brown
This is a cookbook must-have! We read this cookbook cover to cover in one sitting and repeatedly laughed out loud. It reads like a collection of witty short stories with some of the finest recipes from the region. Besides the fried squirrel there’s some real old Southern favorite sweets in the CANE section. And bless these authors – they do get it – the mac ‘n cheese is in the veggie section.
So. Snacks
We came across Salted Caramel: Where Sweet meets Savory, and ate every kernel and crumb in the pouch of popcorn. If you’re bacon-crazed, try the Bacon Bourbon Caramel Corn variety. www.saltedcaramel.net
To Subscribe to Garden & Gun: Soul of the South, log on to www.gardenandgun.com
