A bit of southern life

So, as a family from Alaska there are a  lot of new things, ways of life, weather and food here in the south that is not so common or familiar to us.   I am very grateful that Tyler's mom, who grew-up in TN, had a few southern recipes that she so graciously taught me and that has helped to make me feel more "at home" here.  I can make good old southern sweet tea, and I know how to enjoy fried chicken (making my own fried chicken is too much work for me).

My little kitchen helper 

I have slowly tried to incorporate some more southern foods into our meals.  I have learned to make cheesy garlic grits (not as delicious as mashed potatoes in my opinion but still not bad).   One of my favorite new dishes is skillet cornbread, it's not a sweet cornbread but with the crispy edges it's a winner.   Okra you see a lot around here.  I have heard it is even really good to blend up in cakes. This southern veggie however has intimidated me for awhile.  I tried it for the first time about a month ago as a baby food for the boys.  Okra does not work well as a pureed baby food, lesson learned. It was slimy and pasty and not at all pleasant to look at or feed to someone.  However, the boys didn't seem to mind the taste but the texture was to much for me to handle.  We won't be serving that again, at least not in the pureed form.

Okra baby food

I do know that I have had fried okra and pickled okra in restaurants, both delicious.  So I though why not try making my own pickled okra?  I finally got around to making some of my own and it is a winner!!!   So good!!!  I could sit and eat a whole jar or two on my own, I am definitely keeping my eye out for okra and making this as much as possible, delicious!!   I am planning on trying some plain frozen okra in a chocolate cake here soon, so I'll let you know what I think.

Pickled Okra

The other things that have taken some getting use to, and I'm not sure I will every really get use to them, are tornado warnings, ticks, the difference between a BBQ and a Cookout, and snakes.    The other day I was out trying to be productive and do some yard work and this little guy startled me as I leaned down to pull some weeds....

Now I know he is quite small and is a harmless black snake but seriously, I screamed and threw in the towel on the whole pulling weeds idea.  No Thanks!!!!  I don't care how small or harmless the snake is I don't want to be anywhere near it!  Tyler and the kids loved seeing it but I happily stayed on the other side of the yard and just listened to their stories about it.

That is just a brief look at some of the things that we are trying and adjusting to here in North Carolina.  It's fun to be somewhere so different from AK and yet similar in ways.  It is finally starting to feel more like home here and I do LOVE the spring weather and the huge selection of parks to go to.  The warm sunshine and the crisp cool mornings are truly ideal (and it's fun having a neighborhood full of kids that love to play together).

Neighborhood playdate in the cul-de-sac

I'll be back with more family updates soon, cause the kids are growing like crazy and life is getting even more crazy around here as the littlest ones are on the move!