Recipes: Fried Okra

Fried Okra

Circa: 1870's

             

            Today I am bringing you a dish that is near and dear to my heart: my grandma’s pan-fried okra! I have loved this dish since I was a little girl and it is always my first request when I get to go home to visit my family in Paris. It’s a unique recipe in the sense that there isn’t necessarily a recipe. It’s a pinch of this, dash of that, and handfuls of a great southern staple:  cornmeal!

This year Chris planted a wonderful garden in our backyard and we have been enjoying fresh tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers, and this weekend, we harvested our first batch of okra.  We also had a wonderful “staycation” and spent the weekend in downtown Houston, Texas, including a visit to the OKRA Charity Bar for delicious cocktails and fried okra!  Of course, we could only be inspired to combine the two with our Sunday night dinner! I called my grandma to get her infamous recipe, pulled out the skillet, and went to work.  Even though our’s was delicious, it will never be as good as my grandma’s.  But I think that’s how it is supposed to be! So please enjoy our take on classic pan fried okra and our serving of a little history on this classic southern dish!

                    Like so many Southern staples, the origins of fried okra aren’t exactly clear beyond simply pan frying the fresh meat and vegetables growing right outside the door.  What is clear, however, is that okra itself is actually native to Africa and came to America early in the 1700s.  It is actually a member of the Mallow family and related to cotton, hibiscus and hollyhock.  While it was originally used to thicken soups and stews, people quickly caught on to its many delicious uses!  Even Thomas Jefferson, a master gardener himself, valued okra as one of Virginia’s best garden plants.

                     With regard to the southern tradition of frying okra, the earliest recipe I could find was from 1870, and simply says “cut them in thin cross slices, sprinkle meal over them, and fry crisp.”  Apparently, not much has changed! For our recipe, we prefer to fry our okra in a cast iron skillet for extra flavor and easy clean-up, but almost any sturdy frying pan will do. You may notice that I didn't include any measurements and to be honest that's because there really aren't any. It all depends on how many people are coming over for dinner; as long as you have enough cornmeal to coat the okra you are good to go!  Finally, everyone has their own preference, but if it’s not extra crispy and slightly burnt then it’s not real fried okra in our house!

  

Styled Shoot: Princess and the Pea

Princess & the Pea 

Circa: 1969 

Photography: Tara Swain Photography 

Hair, Makeup & Wardrobe Styling: Tiffany of Smokin Hot Makeup 

Props: Green Boutique

Styling: Jessica Avery

Well with summer coming to a close I thought I would end with a beautiful summer shoot that I had the pleasure of being a part of a few years ago. In a past life before my job at the museum and my blog I had the amazing opportunity to style several shoots for two of the most talented photographers that I now have the honor of calling friends- Tara Swain of Tara Swain Photography and Shalonda Chaddock of Chubby Cheek Photography. It was an amazing experience working with these two talented women, devoted mothers and wonderful friends. I cherish those opportunities and would love to have the chance to work with them again in the future!

                Today I thought that I would offer my own version of a Flashback Friday and showcase one of my styled shoots. This was shot by Tara Swain as part of her first photography workshop in Paris, Texas. When Tara first approached me to help I was honored but then when she told me the concept I thought it was brilliant and couldn’t be more perfect for my style. Those that know me personally know that I am a hippie at heart and love the 1960’s and 70’s… especially the music! I was raised on Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, the Beatles and my favorite Fleetwood Mac. I can’t express in words my love for Stevie Nicks. Her music, style everything is an inspiration! There is actually a little nod to her in the one of the photographs!!

                For this shoot we took the classic fairytale Princess and the Pea and transported it to 1969! I love the idea of taking something so classic and adding a wonderful and surprising twist. While all of the clothes, props and jewelry that you see are modern they transport you to a time of free spirits, peace and love! For inspiration I turned to one of my favorite books “Hippie” by Barry Miles. I found this book in college and have shared it with all of my favorite hippies at heart. The pictures are gorgeous and capture the essence of an incredible decade in American history! My other source of inspiration was the ultimate concert event… Woodstock. When Tara and I first began discussing this shoot I told her that there was one famous shot from Woodstock we had to recreate. See if you can the find the original below!

While this is a very styled shoot, it can serve as inspiration for your own personal style or home! It’s about finding inspiration from the past and bringing it into your modern life! If you feel you are flower child at heart bring in a few colorful pieces into your home in the form of a pillow with a peace sign, a beautiful bohemian table, vibrant colorful bunting, a framed vintage record and more. The possibilities are absolutely endless. Your home is your sanctuary and therefore rather than focusing on trends that come and go make it a space that reflects your passion and joy!

                I hope that you enjoy this colorful and beautiful shoot and it inspires you to bring a little love and peace into your own life. I look forward to bringing you more inspirational shoots in the future. Have a lovely weekend. Peace! 

My Loves: September 2014

 My Loves

September 2014 

       After a little hiatus I am able to focus my attention once again on the blog. As many of you know when I am not blogging I am the Education Coordinator for a museum. This August has been one of our busiest months to date with Summer History Camp, a battle reenactment, special boys only event, lecture series, walking tours...and much more! Thus, the job had to come first and sadly the blog remained quite for several days. However, with fall quickly approaching and schedule that is calming down... a little... I am ready to start again! This weekend I was blessed to have my family come to visit us for a few days. Our days were filled with cooking, reminiscing, shopping, laughing, eating and loving every minute we had together. I am very much looking forward to a wonderful holiday season and more family time! 

     With the beginning of a new month I thought that I would share a few of my current loves! 

  “The Vintage Tea Party: A Complete Guide to Hosting Your Perfect Party” 
by Angel Adoree

      I was blessed to receive this wonderful book from one of my dearest friend's mothers this weekend. I can only consider her a second mother for over the past 20 years she has picked me up from school, taken me to dance classes, let me spend many nights at her house and our families still take regular vacations together to this day. She knows me too well and this book couldn't be more perfect! I think that I actually gasped when I saw it! It includes everything needed to create a beautiful vintage British Tea Party with delicious recipes and beautiful illustrations.  Inside you will find delicious recipes, beauty and styling tips, vintage china, decorations and so much more! Where else can you find tea, roses, foxes, tops hats, crows and more all in the same book? At times it feels like someone took a picture of my thoughts and dreams and placed them into a book!!  Also, it doesn’t hurt that the author is a Ginger too!

http://www.anthropologie.com

Orange Blossom and Walker Tallow Honey

    
      My mother surprised me this weekend with a wonderful gift from Olive Paris located in my hometown of Paris, Texas. I received two bottles of their delicious honey-Orange Blossom and Walker Tallow Honey. I love using honey as a natural sweetener in my tea and on my buttermilk biscuits! They have a delicious variety of flavors including Walker Wildflower Honey, Walker Clover Honey, Walker Huajillo Honey and more! 

     I really can’t say enough about this wonderful new store in Paris. My husband and I use their delicious Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar on a daily basis. Nearly everything we cook is drizzled with our favorite, Garlic Olive Oil! Yummy! For those that won’t be able to visit Paris in the near future I have wonderful news… they ship! Please visit their website and like them on Facebook today!

https://squareup.com/market/olive-paris

https://www.facebook.com/oliveparistx

Alaffia GOOD Soap

       My mom introduced me to these wonderful soaps this weekend. We made a special stop at Whole Foods Market so my mom could restock on one of her favorite products Alaffia GOOD Soap! I fell in love immediately and had to pick up a few for myself. Lavender is one of my favorite scents...some would say that I have a slight obsession. They have a beautiful Lavender soap that I can't wait to use. I also couldn't resist their Fresh Mint scented soap! It's so bright and refreshing and a wonderful way to wake up in the morning! Alaffia GOOD soaps are made with certified trade shea butter and coconut oil and come in a variety of scents including Sweet Vanilla, Prairie Rose, Coconut and African Black Soap. 

www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Feather Quill Pen

        A few months ago my sister and her husband had the opportunity to travel to Switzerland and visit some of his family and take their honeymoon. I loved getting to see all their their gorgeous Honeymoon photographs and hearing stories from their journey. Knowing me all too well my sister presented me with this this beautiful feather quill pen as a gift and I couldn't be more in love!  It is a gorgeous piece they purchased in Italy!  I can't wait to  purchase some ink use it to write my thank you notes! 

Antique Trophy

        On Saturday all the girls went Antique Shopping while the boys headed to the brewery. We headed to downtown Rosenberg, Texas to visit a few of my favorite shops! One of my new favorite stops is D N S Crafts & Antiques. They have a large and varied selection of antiques and collectibles and their prices are great! I have so many great items in this store including two vintage cookbooks, framed prints for our home and this wonderful little trophy!  It will make a beautiful addition to our mantle...and hopefully be the beginning of a new collection! If you are in the area a stop at this wonderful store is a must! 

The store is located at 801 2^nd Street Rosenberg, TX 77471

In closing I leave you with this beautiful and delicious fried (baked) blackberry pie! While it may not be the prettiest pie I have ever baked it's simplicity and imperfections make me love it even more. I was so excited to learn that a recipe that I thought had been lost was found. My great-great grandmother's pie crust recipe is my favorite and I spent many hours in my grandparent's kitchens making countless pies with her crust! After a house fire I thought it was lost forever, however recently my sister discovered a copy I had made a long time ago. These weekend for the first time in over 10 years we made a batch of blackberry and apricot pies! The crust was just as delicious as I remember! 

On that very sweet note I hope that you have a wonderful day!