The Bluebird Patch

If you never taken your family for strawberry picking you are missing a perfect "Hallmark" moment. Strawberries, often grown in royal gardens, signifies prosperity and to many the beginning of summer.  This red and juicy gems, full of sweet and tart goodness are loaded with vitamin C, potassium, sodium and iron as well as being low in calories. Washington farms is always our farm of choice when it comes to strawberry picking. They have two locations one in  Watkinsville and the other in Loganville, Georgia. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 8 am  to 8 pm, and they are closed on Sundays.     Prices are quite reasonable. P ick is $10.00 per gallon bucket, pre-picked $12.00 per gallon bucket, and p icking bucket is $1.00 if you keep it. You can bring containers to take the berries home. If you are planning to take your family for strawberry picking  keep in mind the following tips:   Each strawberry "bed" generally has 2 “r...

 "You know what trouble I's talkin' 'bout. I's talking 'bout Mr. Ashley Wilkes.  He'll be comin' to Atlanta when he gets his leave, and you sittin' there waitin' for him,  just like a spider. He belongs to Miss Melanie.. "  Mammy On Saturday, May 14, 2011 from 10:30 AM - 4:30 PM the Atlanta History Center's Margaret Mitchell House celebrates the 75th anniversary of the publication of Mitchell’s acclaimed novel, Gone With the Wind , by sponsoring a day of activities that includes: • Guided tours of apartment #1 where Mitchell lived when she wrote Gone With the Wind • Local historian, Tommy Jones, discusses the restoration of the Margaret Mitchell House and Margaret’s local influences on Gone With the Wind • Dr. Matthew Bernstein, Emory University professor of Film and Media Studies, discusses depictions of slavery in GWTW and the book’s legacy in cinema and segregation in the South.  • Interact with living history interpreters r...

Everyone has a favorite cooking method. Some prefer grilling, others baking,  others enjoy pressure cooking, but I am "braising machine". Braising (from the French “braiser”), is a combination cooking method using both moist and dry heat; typically the food is first seared at a high temperature and then finished in a covered pot with a variable amount of liquid, resulting in a particular flavor. Braising of meat is often referred to as pot roasting , though some authors make a distinction between the two methods based on whether additional liquid is added This Portugese-inspired recipe is quite special. What makes it so unique is the unusual combination of spices. Cinamoon, cloves, all-spice berries, and molasses are used. The aroma is so strong that penetrates every corner of your house. My dogs were "literally" salivating at my feet evey time I open the lid. I've never, ever, seen them behaving like this. It was quite funny. When you see your dogs drool...