A Toast to a fine Coody Couple

In the events business, I have the privilege of witnessing many celebrations - and weddings especially - from an interesting, firsthand viewpoint.

Often I am honored to present the bride her bouquet wrapped in a grandmother's lace and secured with an heirloom cameo or brooch evoking emotions of all sorts. Often too I get to pin a boutonnière on a groom because his hands are a little shaky and then have what may be the only quiet, still moment of the day with a guy that's often my friend or marrying a friend of mine.

I get to don the cake with flowers, light candles upon candles upon candles, sneak peak at the bride in her dress and veil before the crowd, bring a diet coke to the mother of the bride and a myriad of other little things that just make the day special. Little things that make the day memorable too. These little things are even more special and memorable when I know the bride and groom - cherish them more so.

Growing up in Hawkinsville, I've known LL's family for years, and her home place is a stone's throw from my Granddaddy's church. Laura Lyn is my office manager. She's the steady hand guiding the SS JFI through the wild waters of being a small business - a small, multifaceted business for that matter! LL is probably the one of the most brilliant and poised and eloquent and gracious gals I've ever met... And then hiring her was a brilliant decision on my part! Really. Brilliant move ol' Jimmy!

The brilliance of me hiring Laura Lyn is only outshone by the brilliance of Brince marrying her. Brince is the brother of my best friend Maggie Griffin and has been a great buddy of mine since we were children growing up in Hawkinsville. We grew up in what I feel is a magical place of Georgia farmland and Ocmulgee River bottom - all intertwined with memories of the shockingly cold Mock Springs, late night monopoly games and enough AB's BBQ to feed an army. Such a childhood could not have been shared with a finer friend.

Now we're all "grown up." Yes we still have fun times at the river and eat BBQ, but being grownups now means Brince is my insurance agent and the former Miss UGA and Miss Warner Robins and marvelously intelligent college gal runs my business rather than the pageant circuit. We're buying and building houses and celebrating one year anniversaries - Brince and Laura Lyn's first year of marriage proper and my first anniversary of their wedding date... For it was memorable, special and full of so much fun and meaning for me for two such amazing people in my life to be joined.

As Mr. and Mrs. Harris Brinson Coody celebrate their first anniversary, I want to toast this amazing couple and share some of the images from their special day. Selfishly, it was awesomely special for me to be a part of that day. I could elaborate on the details of the food, flowers, decor and the dress, but this is honestly a case where pictures are worth the thousand words I would use.

Laura Lyn and Brince's rehearsal dinner and wedding reception further mean so much to me, for they agreed to let me include them in Dinner on the Grounds. Special day, special memories and even special weather that day for two incredibly special folks in my life. Happy anniversary y'all! The honor of being a part of your story and wedding is all mine.

Photography: VUE Photography

Venue: Twin Oaks

...don't forget to check out Laura Lyn's blog, Miss New Coody!

QVC: In the Kitchen with David

ITKWD or “In the Kitchen with David” is the top rated cooking show on QVC that sells everything you could EVER want, need, dream of or not even know you need! I’d seen my friends Brandon Branch and Mrs. Paula on the show along with other authors and cooks I know or have read and always thought that such an opportunity would be so fun. Y’all, it was!!!

The opportunity presented itself several months ago and the lead time was an amazing process. Conference calls, trips to Pennsylvania for training, recipe selection, planning, planning and more planning all took time and energy to build up to the big day. If y’all are every by chance in the West Chester, PA neck of the woods, stop in and take a QVC tour – it is unbelievable in size, scale, logistics and production!

David Venable is a terrific host – warm, jovial and Southern too! Such a trait was a relief, considering that my recipe selection involved Mac-n- Cheese, Fried Okra and Sour Cream Biscuits! And, not to brag – never mind I’m bragging – my food was awarded THREE “Happy Dances” from David himself – tied for the record! Grown-up Dirt Cake, Cornmeal Catfish, Chocolate Ganache Poundcake – y’all I had enough food there for Pharaoh’s Army to feast! The food stylist and kitchen crew did an amazing job bringing my recipes to life and staging the table too! I LOVED that after the quick eight minutes of air-time, the camera and production crew descended on the table and feasted in a frenzied fashion! They kept going on and on about how good it all was… I simply told them to come on Down South for more!

 

The build up to air-time, the prep, the planning and the travel were all worth it! I hope y’all caught a glimpse of yours truly on ITKWD on QVC – it was the chance of a lifetime! I am so thankful for such an opportunity and hope to have another chance one day. Until, then, I’ll be cooking from Dinner on the Grounds and dancing a “Happy Dance” or two of my own… and maybe cooking from the pans I ordered and slicing, dicing, chopping and chiffonading from the knifes I bought too! Ha!

Amaretto Peach Bake with Honey-Lemon Olive Oil Cake

Almond and peach flavors are totally apropos for one another – probably because they’re cousins! Peaches are in the almond family. Just take a gander at a peach pit’s inner pit or the blossoms even – you’ll see the family connection for sure! I won’t bore you with the horticultural nomenclature, Latin naming, bark similarities and inner cambium layers of their trunks: just trust me – they’re related!

My sisters and I had the best extension of siblings with our first cousins growing and still do today! Something about having your own playmates from your own family tree is so fun. Growing up in a small town, we often were mistaken as “oh he’s one of those Brantley kids” or “she’s that Farmer girl isn’t she?” and for the sake of not splitting hairs, we’d just answer “ yes’m or yes sir” accordingly. We’ve always been glad to be the from the same tribe!

The kissin’ cousins in this recipe are the amaretto cookies, almond liqueur and the peaches. They are a household of flavor all to themselves! I can remember my Mema, my great-grandmother, and my Mimi, my grandmother, being the most temperate of ladies – “lips that touch wine shan’t touch mine!” was often exclaimed. Yet, there was always a bottle of almond liqueur, grand manier, sherry or Lydia Pinkum cough syrup somewhere in the pantry or medicine cabinet! I guess they had to say such an expression because they married Baptists. I digress…

Taking inspiration from close relations, my Amaretto Peach Bake in Dinner on the Grounds is that familial combination of flavor relations baked together with the freshness of the season and complementary tastes. Plus, it couldn’t be an easier dessert (or breakfast) for the summertime. I even serve it with ice cream, whipped cream or even with a side slice of cake! However you decide to serve it, just make sure you have plenty! You’ll realize how MANY cousins you have when you make a dessert like this!

Amaretto Peach Bake with Honey-Lemon Olive Oil Cake

Recipe from Dinner on the Grounds – Southern Suppers and Soirées

Photography by Emily Followill  

Amaretto Peach Bake

4 peaches, halved and pitted (peeled, if desired)

1 1/2 cups amaretto liqueur

2 dozen small amaretto cookies, crushed

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter

Whipped cream, optional

Mint or basil for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place peaches in baking dish, pit side up. Fill each pit with a heaping tablespoon of cookies and top with 1 tablespoon butter.

Pour amaretto around peaches, making a vat of liqueur.

Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until peaches are completely soft.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Garnish with mint or basil. I love the essence the basil gives off with the warm peaches.

Farmer's Note: I like the keep the skin on because it helps the peaches hold together. 

Honey-Lemon Olive Oil Cake 

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (not low-fat)

2/3 cup olive oil

1 cup honey

1 teaspoon good vanilla

2 heaping tablespoons grated lemon zest (from 2 large lemons)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 1/2 cups flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs lightly. Add yogurt, olive oil, honey, vanilla, lemon zest and juice, whisking till combined. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until just smooth and no lumps remain - but do not over whisk though. 

Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 60-70 minutes, until a tester comes out clean (cover with foil if the top is getting too dark toward the end). Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pan and let cool completely.

This cake will stay fresh for several days, well wrapped.

Peach Buttermilk Pound Cake

I love pound cake. I love peaches. I love cooking and baking with buttermilk. Need I say more about my Peach Buttermilk Pound Cake? Not really. It’s a Peach Buttermilk Pound Cake, y’all! But then at the same time, I could elaborate volumes upon volumes simply on the amazing nature that is a pound cake! Oh, the dilemmas of Southern culinary literature! I digress…

Buttermilk is my “go to “ baking liquid for cornbread, biscuits, pound cakes and cakes too. There’s chemistry involved with the acidity and dairy quotients but I shan’t bore y’all with that. I just know that buttermilk is awesome. Instead of further elaboration on buttermilk and its baking prowess, I’ll tell y’all why I love it in this cake in particularly – the zippy tang. It is not strong but there is a slight undercurrent that keeps the cake from being too sweet. A perfect pairing with sweet to tart peaches!

So take it from this Farmer, the cake is a fun one! Serve it up for your family, friends or just indulge in the whole “thang” yourself!  Enjoy, y’all!

Peach Buttermilk Pound Cake

Recipe from Dinner on the Grounds – Southern Suppers and Soirées

Photography by Maggie Yelton

I adore this cake. The base itself is a classically delicious cake with hardly a parallel. Seasonal additions such as peaches are marvelous. Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, pumpkin puree, pecans, pears, and apples all meld well. For this Georgia boy, peaches are my favorite.

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for the pan

3 cups granulated sugar

6 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk

2-3 tablespoons vanilla extract

finely grated lemon zest, optional (not needed if peaches are tart)

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

3-4 peaches, peeled and chopped (the firmer the peach, the better they hold up in the cake, but a soft peach practically dissolves and gives a bit more flavor – baker’s choice!)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter a tube or Bundt pan and place it on a baking sheet; set aside.

Using a mixer on medium speed, beat the batter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla and lemon zest, if using.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, scraping down the bowl as needed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and top with peaches.

Bake about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely. Run a knife along the sides of the pan to loosen and then turn out onto a cake plate. I usually flip the cake again so the side that was the top in the oven is, once again, the top side.

Summer Berries and a Happy Fourth, y'all!!

Y’all have fun Fourth of July plans I’m sure. Lakes, beaches, poolside barbeques and fireworks will fill our rosters and blow up our social media (@jamestfarmer BTDubs for my Instagram) and I can’t wait to see all those fun pics! I may even sneak a pic of Baby Napp… who am I kidding… I snap pics of that child every chance I can! I LOVE being Uncle Brubbs!!

My sisters, bro-in-law, Baby Napp and I will all be together on the Georgia coast with some friends fishing, enjoying the scenery and eating of course! One thing I’m sure to mix up this weekend is my Summer Berries with Mint Whipped Cream from Dinner on the Grounds.

Elegance and ease go hand-in-hand with this dish, and the splash of mint flavor melds the whole dish together. What is it about fresh summer herbs and produce? Nothing better!!! Plus I love that it can be served in heirloom silver berry bowls with berry spoons or right out of a Mason jar or Solo Cup! And it’s the perfect, refreshing dessert to any meal.

Stir up a bowl of your favorite summer berries, whip up a batch of minted whipped cream and celebrate our freedom! I can hardly think of a better way to celebrate… well maybe with a second serving! Happy Fourth, y’all!

Summer Berries with Mint Whipped Cream

Recipe from Dinner on the Grounds – Southern Suppers and Soirées

Photography by Emily Followill

I am fascinated by the accouterments that accompany food. Berries in particular have their own spoons and bowls and even boats (as does gravy). Yet, in all the elegance that can be construed from silver service and fine china, there is hardly anything more elegant than the berries and whipped cream themselves, period. I like add a splash of mint extract to the cream for an ever-so-delightful flavor boost. And then I like to garnish with mint.

2 pints fresh berries

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup sour cream

Splash of vanilla

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Pinch of cream of tartar*

1/2 teaspoon mint extract or more

Mint leaves for garnish, optional

Wash and dry the berries; slice the larger ones if you wish. Divide among four individual dishes.

Whip the two creams together with the vanilla, sugar, cream of tartar and mint extract. Dollop whipped cream on the berries and garnish with mint.

*The cream of tartar thickens and also stiffens the creams, and I recommend it only when needing the cream to remain fairly stiff. I actually like the cream to fall and drizzle into the berries.