grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Sunday Letter: 06.19.22

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Sunday Letter

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

It’s Father’s Day, and I’m thinking about all the strong men who influenced my life, helping to make me the crazy person I am – haha!

But seriously, today I would like to honor these men who were important in my world during my growing up years: my Daddy, Thomas Tate; both my grandfathers, Reven Creecy and Homer Tate; and three of my favorite uncles, Woodrow “Woody” Johnson, Ted Parnell, and Rex Creecy.

(I could devote several posts to other fathers who in some way influenced me—parents of my friends, men from Brinkley Chapel, male teachers—but today I’ll focus on kinfolk.)Continue Reading

Channeling Jamie Oliver and Cooking the Perfect Steak

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Perfect Steak

The Jamie Oliver Way

Jamie Oliver has a simple and oh so perfect steak recipe that absolutely cannot be beat. And I’m going to tell you how to cook it.

First of all, you should know I don’t eat a ton of red meat. In fact, I go days with no meat at all. But after eating fish for two solid weeks in Iceland—don’t get me wrong, it was FABULOUS!—my body craved a steak.

I probably eat one steak a year. Maybe.

So I bought a sirloin at our neighborhood grocery store (which shall forever be known as Marvins IGA to me even though the name seems to change every few months), and I channeled Jamie Oliver. Confession: Now as I write this, I’m not 100% positive what cut of beef I bought, but I think it was a sirloin. Regardless, it wasn’t an expensive cut of meat—five bucks—and that’s part of the beauty of this skillet steak method.Continue Reading

Lessons from Daddy

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Momma and Daddy - Lessons from daddy

For Father’s Day…lessons from Daddy.

But first. How cute is this picture of Momma and Daddy? They are newly married—look at the sparkle on his wedding band. He’s making homemade ice cream, probably vanilla, and she’s wearing an adorable dress, with perfect lipstick and eyebrows! Love it.

Now, lessons from Daddy… (not in order of importance or anything brilliant like that)Continue Reading

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!