Texas Food & Music – My Addictions | 11.12.10

Perhaps it’s gonna take one strong cold front (forecasted for today) to really kick off “winter food” season.  Or maybe the fact that Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away.  Holy Sh?t.  I guess it is time to start sifting through recipes, the grease-stained memories of past family gatherings during the Thanksgiving & Christmas Holidays.  Oh, how I can already smell the cornbread coming out of the oven in preparation for the homemade cornbread dressing.  I can almost feel the double-wide rock from my father yelling “it’s Christmas God dammit” while trying to settle an argument.  Or Grandma’s german potato salad (aka ‘farting potato salad’), don’t tell me bacon and sugar aren’t a match made in hillbilly heaven.

I know that I am not the only one from a family who chooses to air their grievances instead of giving thanks during the holidays, but somehow it just doen’t seem like a real Texas holiday if “cocksucker” doesn’t get used at least once at the dinner table.   It’s funny, through all of the turmoil and regular holiday disasters, we always came back for more, every year.  Aside from the drama, there was plenty of feasting on great homemade food from my german-born grandmother, pearl beer, and card games or dominos til late in the night.

The last few years we have spent Turkey-day with my husband’s family – I promised him that we would make a change in family venue since the last holiday at my Dad’s resulted in the arrival of five fire departments and a year long family feud.  As I recall, I believe it began and ended with somebody calling somebody a cocksucker.

Going to my inlaw’s for the holidays feels so weird though.  Everyone is happy to see each other and well-behaved.  Sure, they chainsmoke in the house without cracking a window and take an artificial christmas tree out of the hefty bag in the closet (ornaments still attached) without even straightening its poor plastic limbs. And there is never a fuss over cooking or traditional holiday meals – they have soup or sandwiches and as long as they’re all together nothing else matters. So, I thought to myself, maybe this is how we should all act during the holidays?  We shouldn’t get angry if Pop’s doesn’t put up lights or a tree, or if he doesn’t make it to the stores in time to get gifts and instead gives you something lying around the house and asks “you don’t have one of these do ya?”.  How do we forgive our petty crimes of the heart , accept each other and bury the cocksuckin’ hatchet!?

Tis the season to be thankful for so much.

I am thankful that cool weather is here and I can finally have Chili.  I am thankful that it is felt cowboy hat weather.  I am thankful that restraining orders can not be given on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day.

I am thankful for beer joints, bonfires, and brisket…brothers and sisters, the unconditional love of a man named “lunchmeat”…don williams, Bob Dylan, and Tom T. Hall…Mac Davis and Hee Haw…and the fat on a ribeye.

I am thankful for my many colored days … my close friends and babes who laugh at and with me…

And I am thankful for my Robison family Texas traditions which have made me the gal that I  am …not to mention all of the song-writing material

This week, I salute my grandmother Julia’s farting potato salad (it doesn’t, but you will)

German Potato Salad

5 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled, reserve bacon grease

Bake 3 or 4 large red or white potatoes until just firm but not completely done on the inside

Dice potatoes and broil on greased cookie sheet until golden brown

Dice and saute a medium onion in bacon grease until soft

Add 3 tablespoons of sugar to onion and bacon grease and reduce heat until sugar carmelizes.

Combine potatoes, carmelized sugar and onion with 1/4 cup cider vinegar and a tablespoon of grainy german mustard

Add crumbled bacon and dry parsley – and salt and pepper to taste

Best if allowed to set in refrigerator for at least 2 hours – serve warm.

Happy To You

Author: admin
Published: November 12, 2010
Filed Under: Blog

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