Country Living Archives - Southern Living with Chris

04/05/2017

Spring has Sprung

This has been a very mild winter for our region of the south and we totally are thankful for that. Now with daylight saving time and spring having arrived we are feeling the changes. We have experienced some powerful storms and wind damage has been the biggest problem for our neighborhood. We personally have lost three trees that were completely uprooted, and tons of broken branches are strewn all over the yard. The other spring arrival has been the rain, that has been more than generous up until now. I have been trying to cleanup my perennials, dividing of hosta’s and day lilies, and finding them new spots in the yard. We lost a mugo pine bush that I replaced with a small “lemon thread false cypress” which is slow-growing and will add some yellow to the front landscape. I have three large red knockout rose bushes in the same area so hopefully all will go well together and the Japanese beetles won’t kill everything.

The birds are also nesting all over the property, jays, mockingbirds, blue birds, and finch. I have a twig bow decoration on my front door that has a little bird nest and tiny eggs inside. The finch must have liked that idea and have also made a perfect little nest in the bow. Unfortunately the last wind storm blew it off the door and the birds have not returned.

We already have some lettuce, kale, spinach, and pole beans coming up in the garden. The tomato and peppers are on order and we are planning on strawberries this year. The blackberry bushes need to be moved to a sunnier location and then it should be time to sit on the porch with a cool drink in my hand and enjoy.

Hope you have a happy spring!

07/12/201607/12/2016

Paris Tennessee Farmers Market Open June Through August

The Paris Tennessee Farmers Market is a great place to get all your fresh produce, jellies, jams, relishes, and honey . The temperature today was hot, but the market had a festive feel with multi colored tents, visitors shopping and sampling ,and sellers doing a brisk business . We got there early and they still had a good selection of vegetables and goods.

Vendors were busily attending to customers and giving out samples of bread, jellies and salads. The farmers market is brought to the community from the UT Extension and the USDA. All vegetables are locally grown and today’s biggest seller seemed to be the sweet corn. The other variety of choices, were green beans, tomatoes, zucchini, huge onions, green peppers, jalapeno, and cucumbers. Vendors ranged in age from earlier 20’s to late 80’s and they offered homemade breads, relishes like zucchini relish, jellies like dandelion apple, which we bought, and local honey from the beekeepers.

paris-tennessee-farmers-market-local-grown — Locally grown farmers.

paris-TN-farmers-market — Bustling activity even though it was a hot humid day.

The UT extension had a table set up with samples of a delicious Tri-pepper salad and laminated recipe cards of the sample and a silicon large cutting mat just for stopping by.

Tri-Pepper Salad from the Institute of Agriculture at UT

This recipe is found at the Seasonal Eating Recipe Archives at the University of Tennessee Extension. — This recipe is found at the Seasonal Eating Recipe Archives at the University of Tennessee Extension Institute of Agriculture.

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons vinegar
3 sweet bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow, preferably 1 of each)
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 small red onion, peeled and sliced very thinly crosswise
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

In a large bowl, combine garlic and vinegar; let sit 15 minutes. Meanwhile, halve peppers. Remove seeds and white membranes. Cut peppers into bite-size chunks and set aside. Separate parsley leaves from stems; discard stems (you should have about 1 cup leaves). Finely chop leaves and set aside. Whisk olive oil, salt, and pepper into garlic-vinegar mixture. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Toss peppers, parsley, and onion with dressing. Add feta and toss gently. Serve at room temperature, or cover and chill for up to 2 hours. (Print the PDF of this recipe from the University of Tennessee here.)

More about the Paris Tennessee Farmers Market

Organized by the UT Extension , the Paris Tennessee Farmers Market is held every Tuesday and Friday afternoon from June 22 through August 31 at the corner of Ruff and Highway 641. The Paris Tennessee Farmers Market opens at 3 pm and ends at 5 pm. Each Friday visitors will be offered samples from a special recipe.

The corner parking lot is reserved for Farmers Market vendors only, but the city lot to the immediate west is available for customer parking. I truly enjoyed the short time we spent there and will be looking forward to next Friday’s visit. Hope to see you there.

07/03/201607/10/2016

July 4th Table Decorations with 8 inch Tapered Luminara Candles

July 4th Table Decorations: Candles and Bandanas

My July 4th table decorations are simple and inexpensive. This year we are having a simple cook out for our July 4th celebration. But I decided to elevate the occasion with some decorating fun. If you have dishes that are red or white, you can easily use them for July 4th table decorations. Just add a few other inexpensive decorative elements you already have around the house.

It’s no secret, I love Luminara candles. I also love baked beans and hotdogs, which is on the menu for today. The temperature is in the 90’s here today in Henry County, Tennessee. The humidity is way up there also. While you can use regular tapered candles for your July 4th table decorations, I think when the heat gets this high it’s best to stick with a battery powered tapered candle instead like the Luminara.

July 4th Table Decorations: Re-purpose What You Have

The trick is to think outside the box and to incorporate items you have in your color palette that can be easily re-purposed.

I thought a little candle light, and a few patriotic bandanas seem appropriate for July 4th table decorations. To do this, I am using my 8 inch tapered Luminara candles and my bandana print scarves. It’s a simple and inexpensive way to decorate my little dinner for two table without spending money on expensive place mats or a table runner that I’ll only use a couple times a year.

I have an insatiable love of these Luminara candles, because they look realistic and they are quality made and did I say they also have timers. A hot summer day on the porch is a perfect time and place to use them, because a wax candle would soften and melt in a very messy way in this heat before the Ambrosia salad is served. Unfortunately photos do not do the realism of the candle flicker justice, but they are remarkably realistic.

The Luminara candles also come in different sizes and shapes. Like the ones I am using today, the tapers are perfect, not just for July 4th table decorations but for every other holiday occasion. At Christmas I have used them for window candles and the safety factor is not an issue. The fact that they have timers that go on and off automatically is fabulous, you just set them once and watch them go on and off. For roving cats and swishing dog tails, these can be knocked over and there are no burned tails, or noses, or the messy clean-up of melted wax spilled on carpets and tables.

I hope you all have a safe 4th of July and happy fun celebrations.

01/27/201506/30/2016

Helping Hand Paris Tennessee: Raising Money for Poor

Helping Hand Paris TN home decor donation.

Helping Hand Paris Tennessee is a wonderful organization for volunteers as well as those in need. Since moving from the north to the south, there has been a some adjustments and differences to overcome, but the move has been a blessing. Retirement in the south, especially in Western Tennessee, has been the best thing we have done for ourselves. We have met great neighbors and have a much greater social life than we have ever had before.

Tennessee is known as the volunteer state and the neighbors and friends have introduced me to many worthwhile organizations that need hands on help from volunteers willing to put in the time and energy. The one I have worked at the longest in past three years is the Helping Hand’s Organization.

Helping Hand Paris TN, a Non-Profit for Those in Need

This is a wide regional interaction in getting churches , neighborhoods, clubs, businesses, banks and individuals to contribute baked goods, crafts, dinners, and donations to be auctioned off . The proceeds are divided in the county for needy families and aid for those in financial difficulties. This is not a one day event. The donating and auctioning is done six days a week for the months of January and February. The auction is done through the local radio station and bidding is fast and furious. Thousands of dollars are made everyday, because of the generosity of people who care about each other. No middle man or administrated costs, just people who give what they can and help those who cannot help themselves. I am proud to be a part of this.

Past Auction Items at our Local Helping Hand Paris TN

These are examples of items often up for bidding at the Helping Hand events in our Paris Tennessee area. If you are in the area, come join us, or visit Helping Hand on Facebook.