Out of the frying pan, into the shower ...

Hey there! Well, I just returned from 2 family reunions in both North and South Carolina. Boy oh boy, was it hot!!Can you see that? The car registered the outdoor temp at 104 degrees! I mean it was hot! Ever go somewhere so hot that you lose your appetite? That was the effect for most of the first day down in South Carolina, then we made a trip to a place I talked about on The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Hometown Favorites ...It's Duke's BBQ in Orangeburg, SC. I mentioned it on the show for it's legendary pork hash. It is just unbelievably good. Add to that the best fried chicken and what we call "cracklin'", but my guy was happy to call "chicharrones" ... it was a great kick off meal for my visit down south!
That's the hash ladled all over my rice. I also had more chicken after I cleared the mound. A guy came over from the other side of the dining room and said he saw me talk about coming home and making the stop at Duke's on The Best Thing I Ever Ate. He said it was nice to see I was telling the truth. I was and will carry on my dad's tradition for years to come, it has become my tradition. We left there and headed back to the room, but first made a stop at the gas station and that's when I saw something that made me feel like ... "Ok, it's hot, I had Duke's ... what else can make me feel like I'm in the south?" ...
OMG!!!! WORRRRRRDDDD UPPPPP like Cameo!!! RED VELVET Twinkie-like cakes!!!!! I'd just stuffed my face full of Duke's so I thought it best to just let a picture say a thousand pounds and leave it on the shelf. It was hard. A squeeze test proved them to be fluffy and moist. I felt like a bread aisle bandit. I have to look into getting some of those shipped up north when I get back to fighting weight lol. We did some family stuff with the South Carolina fam, then hopped on the highway and headed north. This was a trip we made almost every summer growing up because my parents would drop us off at the grandparents' so they could do all the moving business from city to city. When they came to pick us up after dropping us off a month or so earlier, we would head towards our new home. It was a pattern for many years, I'm sure military families know the drill. Here was the best part of the drive from South Carolina to North Carolina ...South of the Border! Pedro and his funny signs were the best entertainment as a back-seat rider growing up and as an adult, it was just as exciting. I'm pretty corny that way. We didn't stop, but that's ok ... I remember one time growing up begging my parents and they finally stopped there. Great marketing, I bet many parents get the same whining from their kids while making the drive. Hard to turn down. We drove during the day and it was still verrrry hot so when we got to my grandma's house, the one I always talk about on Cooking for Real, she had her version of water sitting on the counter ... It's her famous pound cake! I did a version of it on Cooking for Real called Apple Pound Cake. She always has something baked on the counter or is in the process of baking it. No joke and it was cool for my boyfriend to see what I'd been braggin' about to be true. She had no idea we were coming, I made it a surprise because she thought I was just doing the family reunion in South Carolina. I had a slice of her famous pound cake and headed off to sleep because the next day was the big breakfast day. Of course I asked if I could help and she said "NO, Me and Aunt Honeybunch have it all worked out!". To which my guy replied, "You have an aunt named "Honeybunch"? Yes, I do. And I also have an uncle we call "Uncle Bunky" ... one time on a holiday episode of Cooking for Real I said he was my drunk uncle, it was a joke, but he took it in stride. My late-grand-dad's brother actually calls me a "Wine-o" because all of my drinks involve alcohol. Lol, too cute. Anyway, my grandma is great she actually gets offended if you show up and you aren't hungry. The next morning a guest showed up to visit and was asked if he was hungry, when he said "no" the whole family erupted into a loud uproar and grandma promptly made a large plate of grits, eggs, biscuits, sausage, gravy and more! Too funny. He had no idea saying he wasn't hungry was the wrong thing to say. I'd show you his picture, but I'm trying to protect the innocent. Just know the look on his face is priceless when he gets his over loaded plate! I tried to get my grandma to take a picture, but she is quite camera shy, so I bargained and she gave me her arm in the stove shot ...

That' a southern breakfast in the making, then I took my left hand and lifted a lid to reveal the biggest pot of grits I've ever seen in a home kitchen!
Hard to tell the depth and width, but it was biiiiig! I just ate and ate and ate. It felt so good to be home. I couldn't stay for the entire time of either family reunions because they were scheduled at the same time, but I made the most of it and visited some of the old stomping grounds in North Carolina just like in South Carolina. Ever hear of penny candy stores? Well, I don't think I'm old enough to live through that era, but we had one around the corner from my grandma's house that was more like a 25 cent candy store. My grandma would give us a handful of change and we'd walk around the corner to this store and give it to the owner, he'd let us grab into a big bowl of candy and everything we grabbed was ours. As a kid the walk seemed like a mile, as an adult ... it was just around the corner...
My cousin Monique, said that it isn't always opened now and he doesn't do candy anymore :-( ... It was great seeing it again though. These are things you miss as a military brat. There are no frames of reference from my youth around me because my youth was all over the place. I wonder what it must feel like to live where you grew up. Lucky you, but then again lucky me, eh? We should all make good out of what is given. The next day we headed back up north for home, but not before some airport security comedy. It had me laughing at 6AM! Ok, so my grandma has a pie she is famous for and she never gives out the recipe. Even if she gives it to me, out of respect, I'll modify it so her real one isn't available. Why? Well, because she truly is the cake and pie lady in town and even a stranger/friend of a family member got on the phone to say hi to me, then had the nerve to ask me to ask my grandma for the recipe, thinking she'd give it to me, then I'd pass it on to her. Never! Is she crazy? lol ... so anyway, grandma made one for me to take home and covered it in aluminum foil. Here's where the joke starts ... As I put it on the belt to go through the X-Ray at the airport security line the TSA agent looked at it and said "What is that?". I said, "My grandma's pie, you aren't gonna take that from me are you?" but really I said it like "The Hope Diamond. You don't want to fight for it do you?" (with a smile of course, I was joking, but very serious). Then he replied with the funniest thing ever. He said very matter of factly "Well, it may be okay, but just incase I may have to run a EEEE -AYYY -TEEE test on it." I took a second and said "A whaaa?" and as soon as I'd said it, I realized he'd spelled the word "EAT" lol!! I busted out laughing so loud and he was actually very surprised I got it. He said many people don't get it when he says that. Ummm probably because the tense feeling at security, I mean, no shoes, no liquids over 3 ounces, etc. (BTW, unrelated, but not ... check www.3floz.com) Anyway, I giggled at the "E.A.T. Test" line all morning and even typing it now, brings a smile to my face. TSA industry humor, you heard it here first. Teeheehee ... Here's my secret pie ready to board a flight to LGA ...So that was the frying pan heat of the south ...
This is the shower that is Atlantic City!

I just got here this afternoon and I'm all ready for the AC Food & Wine Festival!! As usual. I'll do my best to take pics and share. If you are here, please say hi ... don't be shy. Someone said hi on the way out of a long elevator ride and I said while the door was closing, "why didn't you say hi earlier? We could've been talking!" ... The door closed before I could hear a reply :-(. Also if you are still on the way, the weather should clear up to a less humid 80. Bring a jacket though if you plan to hang out in the casinos, I found out on my visit a couple of weeks ago that the temp inside is pretty frigid! Gotta keep the gamblers awake!

Ok, check in for pictures and stories. Tonight is a kick-off party and the Next Food Network Star finalist's are the hosts! I'll let you know how it goes!