We've Got Mail

On behalf of the Sweet Tea Diaries lovely Summer Swap idea, we were fortunate enough to get partnered with Lola Cupcake a/k/a Polka Dots and Cupcakes (http://polkadotsandcupcakes.blogspot.com). This morning we had mail! It was our Summer Swap package! It was wrapped in cute red and white polka dot wrapping paper and it was so pretty that we didn't want to open it. It took us a good thirty minutes after we opened it to get to the computer with a thank you reply because of all the goodies! We got Lollia Flowering Willow & Lotus Shea Butter Handcreme (which smells so good you just want to keep your hands up by your nose).



We got smoked salt caramels covered with chocolate (do I hear a YUM)?



We got Lilly Pulitzer drink umbrellas, mouse pad, and memo notes. Hello? I said Lilly Pulitzer!





I hear the cheers now! What more could southern girls ask for for summer? Lola Cupcake you totally rock! We hope you like your summer package as well. What can't y'all live without in the summer? Tell us!

Anybody want a good canoe?

So I'm looking at Disney's Family Fun Craft website today and I see this how to craft for making a toy floatable canoe as a great summer project. As a little background, our daddy passed away in 2007 and he is where we Fritter Chicks got our sense of humor from. In his last hours, unable to hardly talk as his breathing was labored, he took off his oxygen mask and whispered "Anybody want a good canoe?" Well, our Uncle George told him to worry about breathing and not about a camouflage canoe but daddy was trying to get his affairs in order and give us something to laugh about. Uncle George finally said he would take it but to this day it is still sitting in the yard waiting on him to pick it up. Every time I go over to the house and see it I have to smile! The other day I knew daddy was smiling down on me because as momma and I were coming home from church there was a man on a bicycle who was pulling the biggest canoe you have ever seen. It would have qualified for an episode of You Might Be A Redneck. We laughed so hard and I heard daddy say, "See. People want good canoes." So, enjoy your life and create a memory while making this with your kids because everybody needs a good canoe!




Like the birch bark canoes built centuries ago by the Indian tribes in New England, this lightweight toy craft cuts quickly and smoothly through water.


CRAFT MATERIALS:
Cardboard
Scissors
Darning needle
String
Acrylic paints and brushes
Box of paraffin wax
Tall tin can
Metal tongs

Time needed: Afternoon or Evening
1. Fold a 6- by 12-inch piece of cardboard in half so that the long ends match up. Draw a side view of a canoe on one side of the cardboard, using the fold for the bottom of the boat.

2. With scissors, cut through both layers along the sides and top of the canoe, but not the bottom. Then, use the needle and string to sew together the curved ends.

3. For seats, cut two 3 1/2- by 1 1/2-inch strips out of cardboard scraps. Fold in the sides of each strip 1 inch from the short edges and wedge the seats inside the boat. Next, paint the canoe and let it dry thoroughly.

4. To waterproof the canoe, put the wax in the can and set the can in a saucepan filled with a couple inches of water. Heat slowly until the wax melts (parents only). Now, use a pot holder to set the can on newspaper.

5. With tongs, dip the boat, an end at a time, into the wax. (You may have to tilt the can.) When the wax hardens, place a few pebbles in the hull to prevent tipping, and the boat is ready to float in a backyard stream or bathtub.

Stop me before I volunteer again!

Here in the South, it's our last day of school. Celebrate being a Mom without having to volunteer.

LIME IN THE COCONUT JELLO SHOTS
1 package lemon Jello
2 packages lime Jello
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 can coconut milk or juice
2 cups coconut rum
2 1/4 cups water

Bring water to the boil and remove from heat. Slowly stir in the 3 Jello packages, then add the water, the coconut milk or juice, and the lime juice. You put the lime in the coconut and mix it all together.
Wait 3-4 minutes and stir in the rum. Pour into individual serving sized or plastic shot glasses and chill.

Printed from Cooks.com

Granddaddy Shrimp

Daddy and I used to go shrimping a lot during the summer when I was a young girl. He worked shift work and whenever he was working 3 to 11, he would take me shrimping all morning. He taught me how to throw the cast net. It took practice but I managed to throw it and make a perfect circle. I practiced so much that I got better than all the neighborhood boys and, whew, were they jealous! Girl power rules! When we would catch those big, jumbo shrimp, daddy would always call them “Granddaddy Shrimp”. He said they managed to grow so big, get old and not get caught… until now! Fritter Chicks, are you up for the challenge? Do you have some girl power? Start peelin’ and broil these big ones up so you can get to eatin’!

Granddaddy Shrimp

1 1/2 pounds “Granddaddy” peeled, raw shrimp
2 tablespoons sliced hot peppers
4 garlic cloves crushed
1 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
8 teaspoons butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces
½ cup of fresh lime juice

Combine peppers, garlic, oil, and salt in a food processor and mix on high speed. Pour into a bowl, add the “Granddaddy” shrimp and stir until coated. Place in refrigerator to let them soak for about four hours. If you let them soak overnight, that is even better. In a cast iron skillet, melt butter, stir in lime juice. Add shrimp until shrimp turn pink. Enjoy!

The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia

Don't know if any of y'all ever watched Designing Women years ago but it is out on DVD now and we just love it! It makes us feel like we are home. Go out and get your copy today. Here is one of our favorite quotes from one of the episodes. . . what's your favorite?



Julia: Excuse me, aren't you Marjorie Leigh Winnick, the current Miss Georgia World?
Marjorie: Why, yes I am.
Julia: I'm Julia Sugarbaker, Suzanne Sugarbaker's sister. I couldn't help over hearing part of your conversation.
Marjorie: Well, I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone was here.
Julia: Yes, and I gather from your comments there are a couple of other things you don't know, Marjorie. For example, you probably didn't know that Suzanne was the only contestant in Georgia pageant history to sweep every category except congeniality, and that is not something the women in my family aspire to anyway. Or that when she walked down the runway in her swimsuit, five contestants quit on the spot. Or that when she emerged from the isolation booth to answer the question, "What would you do to prevent war?" she spoke so eloquently of patriotism, battlefields and diamond tiaras, grown men wept. And you probably didn't know, Marjorie, that Suzanne was not just any Miss Georgia, she was the Miss Georgia. She didn't twirl just a baton, that baton was on fire. And when she threw that baton into the air, it flew higher, further, faster than any baton has ever flown before, hitting a transformer and showering the darkened arena with sparks! And when it finally did come down, Marjorie, my sister caught that baton, and 12,000 people jumped to their feet for sixteen and one-half minutes of uninterrupted thunderous ovation, as flames illuminated her tear-stained face! And that, Marjorie - just so you will know - and your children will someday know - is the night the lights went out in Georgia!

No Tan Lines

Happy Monday y'all! Today marks the first day of National Sun Safety Week so remember to wear your sunscreen. We Fritter Chicks have had so much sun over the years, we are starting to get "barnacles". That is what our momma calls them. Those brown "old age" sunspots that tend to look like something that belongs on The Black Pearl! But, we just can't help it. Fritters look better with a healthy glow! Plus, we are going to be honest here: Our secret desire is to lay on the beach naked and have no tan lines. The warmth of the sun, the breezy feel on your skin, however, our fellow beachgoers may not appreciate that. There is not a nude beach close to us for miles. Although there is a nudist camp in the woods nearby. I just can't picture us Fritters being exposed to all those mosquito bites. Our advice is this: when you want to get naked, stay home and have some "No Tan Lines" in your own kitchen!

No Tan Lines

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
2 teaspoon capers, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 pound cooked shrimp, peeled

Mix mayonnaise, parsley, capers and oregano in medium bowl. Add shrimp; stir gently until well blended. Cover. Refrigerate until chilled and ready to serve.