December 2023
Holiday cheer and chewies for your dessert table
Here’s my (try as hard as I can) monthly round-up for those of you who want to learn about or keep up a little more with me and the work that I do. Hope you enjoy.
Holiday Traditions (and a little Coca-Cola in a fancy glass)
This time of year when the red dogwood leaves create carpets under their bare limbs, and sometimes there are high, bright clouds over scrubby fields along a stretch of country road, I really remember my granny.
We lived close to her in a suburban neighborhood, and yet, on the way to her house, we passed a few working farms before arriving to her warm, toasty home for Christmas night, so I always associate the “over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go” with those holiday trips. Yes, it was a stretch for my childhood imagination — there was no river of course — but upon arrival we knew what to expect each year: ham delights and Coca-Cola in a fancy glass. It was a constant in my holiday memory.
For my latest project for the Southern Foodways Alliance, I delved into holiday and matriarchal cooking memories for a special group of bakers in Charleston — those making chewies. Chewies are a traditional Gullah Geechee sweet that have been ubiquitous on home holiday and special occasion tables for generations, but are now making their way into commercial kitchens.
Just in time for some powdered sugar-sprinkled inspiration, these bakers detail their methods and memories of the iconic Lowcountry sweet. It was a project months in the making, and the generosity of time that the narrators gifted us helped it all come together, so I hope you’ll honor their stories and take a listen.
Episode Updates
If you’re setting up to go over the river and through the woods yourself, here are a few podcast episodes to listen to along the way.
The chewies recipe from Denise Ravenel is included in Emily Meggett’s Gullah Geechee Home Cooking. Dive into my episode from 2022 with the matriarch of Edisto Island.
If you have wine on your mind, check out this episode from Cork & Cap in Aiken, SC. We also talk about tinned fish, so if you’re looking for a last minute host gift, there are some good suggestions on that front too!
And Chef Josh Quick is celebrating 10 years of his beloved Florence, AL restaurant Odette, so listen to our chat to find out the back story on his culinary approach in this small, artistic town.
By the way, have you left a review yet on your preferred podcast app? As we finish up 2023, please take the time to do so if you can. EACH and every review makes the show more important to advertisers and podcast platforms, and helps the show get discovered by new listeners, both of which support the sustainability of the show. Thank you!
Other published media I like right now: One of the things I love about our digital menu now is the breadth of old and classic clips that people share, and that includes this vintage interview with Eudora Welty on YouTube. I can hardly imagine having such a lengthy and cerebral chat on a talk show now, but I loved the calm but confident way she delves into her own process and how she sees the world.
On my mind: always a million things, especially at 3 a.m … this month — the idea of “wintering,” which I know I’ve mentioned here before and Katherine May so deftly describes in her book by the same name. I’m in a cozy mode, focused on deep creative work, cooking, and decent bedtimes more often than not. Embracing the season means I know longer days are ahead, and I enjoy the reset.
Cooking soundtrack album: A Charlie Brown Christmas, Vince Guaraldi Trio
Best thing I cooked this month: “My” pimento cheese that I shared in this post on Simply Recipes. I take my pimento cheese seriously (ahem, that is a fancy way of saying I eat it a lot and have opinions on it) and developed my recipe over years while enjoying both storebought and homemade versions. This recipe is simple enough to add your own spin or simply delicious as it is. Happy Holidays!
Until next time,
Steph