Yesterday was my cousin’s annual country supper. When you’ve finished viewing these pictures, please take a moment to pray for my thighs because I was there.
This cake was the hit of the day. It was brought by Faye, who called it Strawberry Dreamcicle Cake. She said she’s been wanting to make this cake for 40 years. She saw it in a magazine, but she lost the recipe. Then she saw a cake just like it at a church supper, but it was an orange cake. She got the recipe and turned it into her dream strawberry cake. I wrangled the recipe out of her and posted it here. There wasn’t a crumb left.
My cousin and his wife, and his parents before him, have been throwing this annual country supper at the old farmhouse for decades, and they’ve got the party food down to a fine tune. There were pots of beans simmering from early in the morning.
Ham and potatoes and more cornbread than you’ve ever seen in one place before in your life baked in giant pans.
That’s my homemade butter in the picture. Along with the four pies, I contributed a couple gallons of milk and a couple dozen eggs for cornbread-making plus butter and cream cheese.
There’s always plenty of fresh vegetables and salads and spreads.
And desserts all over the place.
My plate:
My dessert (Faye’s strawberry cake and cornmeal pie):
My cousin always has a couple of ladies hired to help in the kitchen, which is the only way to throw a party, I say. (Not that I’ve ever hired anyone for a party, but it sounds nice, doesn’t it?) They do all the set up before and the clean up after.
I like to hang out with the kitchen ladies. They always think I know where everything is because I used to live in the old farmhouse. I don’t really know where anything is anymore because Georgia put the old stuff back in the kitchen after I left, but I try to help and we commiserate about the mice in the house.
I took this picture right after I told them to give my cousin a kiss.
He must not be paying them enough!
princessvanessa says:
I particularly love the look of the woman on the left (with the blue top).
So much wonderful homemade food. The pictures of the watermelon, snap peas, and coleslaw are making me drool.
I spotted your homemade B.P. butter before I even read that it was, indeed, made by you.
On June 6, 2010 at 2:08 am
SkippyMom says:
Uh, Suzanne … I think we are related. That picture? Is my cousin [well he isn’t my actual cousin – he was my Great Uncle’s son] But that couldn’t be right because then you would be a child of one of my Great Aunts or Uncles [and whoooboy there were a lot of them] but I knew them all and their kids and I don’t recall you 😀
But he is certainly a double for him. WOW.
On June 6, 2010 at 2:56 am
Rose H says:
Wow! Looks like a great party. I thought your plate(s) looked fine, and your thighs won’t suffer because of it 😆
On June 6, 2010 at 3:01 am
Lacey says:
I’m too busy being jealous to pray for you. Sorry!
That looks wonderful. I love small town potlucks.
On June 6, 2010 at 3:57 am
CindyP says:
Wow! What a supper! Look at all that scrumptious food……….
And I’m sure you had those 2 plates of food wore off by the time you got home! 😆
On June 6, 2010 at 6:36 am
Johanna says:
How many people were at this shindig, because it looks like you could have fed hundreds! What a lovely way to start the summer!
On June 6, 2010 at 6:53 am
twoturkey says:
Everything looks just delicious and wonderful. Wish I’d been there to enjoy it also. Get togethers with friends and family is so nice a tradition!
Mrs. Turkey
On June 6, 2010 at 7:09 am
Diane says:
Thanks for shareing!!! All the food looked so wonderful. Oh my fresh veggies and fruit, cakes, pies, cookies oh my. What a wonderful way to start the summer off.
On June 6, 2010 at 7:11 am
Rah says:
Mmmm, that cake. And regarding your thighs–the pictures of your plate show remarkable restraint in the face of all that temptation! But pray I shall!
Oh, and thank you for posting on weekends. I live alone, and appreciate the company! 🙂
On June 6, 2010 at 7:22 am
Maura @ Lilac Lane Cottage says:
LOL I love it!!! Wow the food looks wonderful especially your butter and Faye’s cake….my favorite picture though is the last one…that’s priceless!!! Chic :hungry2:
On June 6, 2010 at 8:04 am
Prairie Mother says:
Oh that looks wonderful! I can’t wait to try out that cornbread pie. Glad it was your thighs and not mine!! Wow…lots of desserts!
On June 6, 2010 at 8:20 am
marymac says:
Suzanne!!!!!!! I probably gained 5 lbs just looking and drooling at your pics!!!! Shame on you,lol. Oh and those beautiful photos make such pretty desk top pics for my pc. I can’t decide if I want to stare at the watermelon or the cake. WOW!!
On June 6, 2010 at 8:41 am
auntbear says:
yum yum yum…y’all know how to put out a spread :hungry:
On June 6, 2010 at 8:47 am
Joan says:
Looks as good as a Methodist church supper! Yum!
On June 6, 2010 at 9:32 am
Barbee' says:
Oh, oh, oh! What a feast! Gorgeous food! Makes me so homesick for events in my childhood. I bet your kids enjoyed it. The two ladies working the kitchen probably have done it so many times, they have the routine well honed. Everything looks so neat and organized. I am interested in the numbers, too. About how many attend this annual “do”? Now, I’m going to check out more about that heavenly cake.
On June 6, 2010 at 10:17 am
Lola-Dawn says:
First of July picnic … old friends and neighbours and adopted family all met up for a day away from farm and work chores and catching up on a whole year’s worth of news. And food of course! The spread looked pretty much like your pictures, except I didn’t notice any fried chicken. You’re right, Suzanne, I haven’t seen that much cornbread in one place since I last attended a first of July picnic some 30 years ago. Your post has made me right homesick!
On June 6, 2010 at 10:55 am
Jo says:
I still say he looks like Stephen King. Wish I had been there, the food looks great!
On June 6, 2010 at 10:56 am
Shelly says:
There is nothing like a great party with family and food. What more can you ask for! Some memories to remember forever. Nice pics! :wave:
On June 6, 2010 at 11:29 am
Victoria says:
What a wonderful looking spread. I would still be there sampling, haha. I have a terrible sweet tooth so naturally I had to look at those photos twice. Thanks for sharing the strawberry cake recipe.
On June 6, 2010 at 11:41 am
Linda says:
Those are some HUGE pots! Oh my gosh, haha.
Looks like a wonderful feed though, and if that’s all you ate, I’m sure you don’t need to worry.
But I’ll say a prayer, just in case. 😉
On June 6, 2010 at 11:41 am
lward says:
I love this idea. How great for the family. What great looking food.
On June 6, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Cathy says:
Ok, I should not read this blog when I’m hungry! :hungry: Now I gotta go find some food…
On June 6, 2010 at 1:35 pm
MMT says:
Everything looks soooooo good! Bet a good time was had by all. Looking at your farm photo from yesterday and this last picture today, Madison sure looks like his daddy.
On June 6, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Jo says:
O. M. G.!!!!!!! There MUST be food like that in heaven! :snoopy: And what a great idea to hire those two….inspite of not wanting to kiss your cousin. 😆
For some reason, reading this reminded me of when we used to do “chivalries” (except that can’t be correct because I know what “chivalry” is) …..did you ever do them down there? I *think* that’s what they called them (I was a young girl at the time).
It’s when newlyweds were married and a bunch of friends & family would show up unannounced at wherever they lived and would short-sheet their bed, do things to their car, wake them up and make the newlywed bride cook pancakes for everyone. (At least that’s what they did at the one I attended when I was about 10 years old.)
Basically a group of friends & family going and making a real pest of themselves at their home. Do you or anyone else know what I’m talking about?
On June 6, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Jo says:
Here it is!
(from wikipedia) A shivaree, or charivari, or chivaree is a North American term for a clamorous salutation made to a newlywed couple by an assembled crowd of neighbours and friends.
This term is used in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s stage musical Oklahoma! based on Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs.
It is also the title and main theme of an episode of “The Waltons” (Season 3 Episode 19). The bride and groom in the episode are jovially ‘harassed’ on their wedding night and the groom is ‘kidnapped’ until a paltry ransom is paid. The explanation given is that it was a down-home country tradition brought over to the colonies by the first settlers. Unfortunately, the ‘city boy’ groom was less than impressed. (It is a French term.)
On June 6, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Mokihana says:
Oh my. Oh my gosh. I have no words. :heart:
On June 6, 2010 at 5:53 pm
Cousin Sheryl says:
Jo – Yes, I have been to a shivaree. We would take pots and beat on them with spoons to wake up the couple. The men grabbed the groom and threatened to throw him in the river unless the “ransom” was paid. In the one I went to, the groom’s parents were tipped off to the event and they provided the treats for the newlyweds to give out (in this case a candy bar for each person). It was a lot of fun but kind of shocking for the couple who had never heard of such a thing! LOL We were nice and waited until they had been married a couple of weeks, however. Not on their wedding night!
SkippyMom – please e-mail Suzanne and tell her who you are so that we can figure out if we are related.
:wave:
On June 7, 2010 at 8:04 am
JeannieB says:
I think you need to check with the cousins, they lost one on a trip to SC and she -I am ready to return home!! Come and get me!!
On June 7, 2010 at 11:25 am
DonnaTN says:
All that food looks so luscious that I nearly licked the screen!
On June 7, 2010 at 10:43 pm
KentuckyFarmGirl says:
I made the strawberry cake last night. There’s 2 children and 2 adults in this house….the cake is all gone tonight and my husband wants to know when I’m making another one!! Thank you for the recipe. It’s DELICIOUS!
On June 7, 2010 at 11:42 pm
lavenderblue says:
Ah,me. Late to the party again. These look like the shindigs my mom used to put on. And my SIL for awhile. You probably have a more extended family, though because the only kitchen help my mom had was my sister and I and my sister in law never wanted anyone in her kitchen.
Funny, all that gorgeous food and the thing that made me the most nostalgic was the little glass of green onions. When I was a girl, there was always a little glass of green onions and a bowl of salt on the table or picnic table everyday in the spring and summer. Celery stalks in a glass in the winter. The onions came from our own garden. I don’t think I ever ate one, but I want green onions now.
On June 9, 2010 at 4:22 pm
GA Peach says:
Suzanne, I am new to your site, but am absolutely in love with it!! The feast in this post reminded me so dearly of summers at my great Aunt and great grandparents house in south GA! I loved running under the linens as a small child and enjoying the bounty of the farm each Sunday afternoon there. It’s funny how foods can make you have such wonderful positive memories. Thanks.
On July 1, 2010 at 8:34 pm
Mary says:
I miss our old family reunions in Pine Grove, La!! So much food and family! Sadly our family is spread across many states now. :(. I love country food and country folk!!
On February 3, 2011 at 8:33 am
zteagirl71 says:
OMG! Oooooooh that cake! After reading the recipe, I squealed with delight, I knew I saw coconut in that picture! I would LOVE to make this cake with raspberry jello and raspberries – hello gorgeous – my sugar coma awaits!
On February 5, 2014 at 5:49 pm