My church’s revival came to an end last Friday. Sunday I walked in to a church of people who definitely seemed revived and on fire for our Savior. We had been filled and charged up during the week and Sunday we were ready to go. Every church pew was filled and people were overflowing into the isles. My sister Brittny and I filled a pew ourselves (It was a very small, short pew haha).
After church, my family and I headed to my great aunt”s house for Sunday dinner. This is one of my highlights of my week. I look forward to hanging out with my relatives and church friends. Bro. Brad (our pastor), his wife, and kids joined us. My great aunt Ilene had prepared a feast of roast, rice and gravy, black eyed peas, potato salad, and rolls. My cousin Andrea made broccoli salad and we had several desserts to choose from including my sister”s birthday cake.
Dinners at my great aunt”s house is a farm to table experience. The beef comes from the cows they raise. The eggs come from their chickens. One Sunday we had guinea and quail gumbo in which were their guineas. My great aunt likes to can fruits and vegetables. She has stacks of mason jars filled with strawberry-fig jelly, kumquat marmalade, and more.
Not only do we have plenty of food to feed a crowd but we also have plenty of sweet tea to go around. Sunday I brought my new Tervis gobblet to enjoy my Southern wine aka sweet tea in.
My sister”s birthday is today (Monday) so Sunday I made her favorite birthday cake. I don”t know how long ago it was that I had made Brittyn this type of cake but ever since it has become known as her birthday cake. I transitioned it into cupcakes for my cookbook which you can find her strawberry cream filled cupcakes. Sunday I put another spin on the presentation with mini stacked cakes. The kids loved them! They said those must be for them because they were small.
To create, I simply baked the angel food cake in a 13×9-inch glass baking dish. I would suggest putting a piece of parchment paper at the bottom before adding the batter to make it easier to remove from the dish. Angel food cake likes to stick. I did lightly grease the sides of the dish as well. After it has cooled, remove from the baking dish and using a biscuit cutter, cut into tall rounds. I then sliced the cake rounds in half. Instead of mixing the cream filling with the strawberries, I spread a layer of filling and then topped it with the strawberry slices.
Lastly, I topped each with homemade whipped cream. Delish!
Because I didn”t have as much time as I thought before church to cut the rounds out of the cake, I just layered the ingredients on the second dish of the angel food cake.
We sang happy birthday and my cousin Hayden wanted to help Brittyn blow out her candle.
After lunch (dinner), my dad and I went out to our land to try out the 4-wheeler he just bought. I hopped on for a minute before changing into a pair of shorts, t-shirt, and tennis shoes. At the “wheel,” I drove my dad and I around. We were just making our way through the first path when I heard him say you were supposed to duck.
What?- me
Yea, you didn”t see that huge spider web- dad
What?- me
At this point I start jumping around. After my dad assures me that he doesn’t see a spider on me, we turn around to go back through the path. I spotted the spider web and pulled up close enough to examine the massive size of the spider. I don”t know how I cleared his web. My dad tore the web down so that we could continue. This was a great warning for us for the continuation of our ride to watch out for spider webs.
I eyed a limb and my dad retrieved us each a big stick. We looked like we were in a jousting competition with our big sticks out in front of us as I made our way through the trails in the woods. A few screams could be heard by me if I thought a spider had retreated its web as we broke through it. It is not that I don”t like them but I do not like them on me. To say the least, my dad and I had some good laughs on our ride. We were a sight to be seen haha!
After our trail ride, we rode up to my great grandmother”s house. I remembered that around the end of August/early September, the scupadines (greenish/bronze) are ready.
As I walked up to the big scupadine vine, I remembered how my great grandma would say “now be sure to watch out for snakes.” She loved watching things grow and had a knack for growing whatever she wanted. Her lemon tree would be full to the brim of lemons. She also grew blueberries, pears, and more.
The scupadines were not all quite ripe but I found a few and relished in the moment. These were always a treat of mine. Once the bronze tough exterior was broken, a juicy center escaped. The center is so sweet! The only thing I don”t like are the seeds in the center. It is almost like eating sunflower seeds when eating scupadines. It is a spitting game. I put the whole thing in my mouth and then spit out the exterior and then the seeds.
I thank the Lord every day for the family that I have. Sunday is a day for me to enjoy spending time with both immediate and extended family. As my grandpa always said, “I am blessed.”
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