Cajun Fried Labor Day

I hope everyone had a Happy Labor Day weekend!!  It goes without saying that Labor Day is always one of the best holidays... and so many of my fondest childhood {and college} memories were spent on the water soaking up one last long weekend of sun before school {and sports} were really in full swing. This was one of the first Labor Days that I can recall being spent on the coast... with my feet in the sand and a frosty bev in my hand!  So, the hubs made up for it by taking me to spend the day at the river.  We slept in {bonus points} and then packed a picnic and heading up to the Maury Shore. :)

When we first arrived - the day looked to be something like this...

So, we explored instead and found this fun waterfall!

...and after the rain cleared, it was sunny skies all afternoon.  The perfect day on the river! That evening we topped off the weekend with a good ole fashioned Cajun fish fry. My dad has made the recipe for as long as I can remember, so it's kinda a family tradition. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

The guys soaking up some sun while we prepped for dinner. 

Cajun Fried Catfish... a true southern favorite!

Makes 6 servings

3-4 lbs catfish fillets
1 cup yellow mustard
1 cup Louisiana hot sauce
3 cups white flour
Tony Chachere's seasoning

Black pepper1 gallon vegetable oil (any kind will do)
1 large black iron pot for frying 

Place the mustard in one bowl and the hot sauce in a separate bowl. Place the flour in a larger bowl and add about 2-3 tablespoons of Tony's seasoning and a good amount of pepper to the flour. Mix well.

Take the catfish and dip into the hot sauce first, then the mustard. Make sure it is completely covered with one, then the other.  Next take the catfish and put it into the flour mixture, make sure you coat it very well, then lay it out on wax paper. After you've done this with all of the fish, sprinkle the fish with Tony's (optional).

Heat the oil in your black iron skillet, to 350 degrees (do not get any hotter) slowly add fish and fry until golden brown. The fish will float when done. Do not put more than 4-5 pieces in at one time. Take out and place on pan lined with brown paper bag or paper towels. You may want to sprinkle with Tony's again. 

....and don't forget the cole-slaw, hushpuppies and french fries.  Happy Labor Day folks!

Good Old American Values

"The strength and power and goodness of America has always been based on the strength and power and goodness of our communities, our families, our faiths. That is the bedrock of what makes America, America."   ~Mitt Romney

Well said, Governor Romney!

Wine Brunch Prep!

This time next week we will be prepping for the Annual Lexington Wine {and Beer this year} Festival held here in Little 'ol Rockbridge. Don't let it fool  you - it's a darn good time!  AND with wine comes food and a reason to through a brunch!  Which means... fun food and crafty decor!!

I have a few ideas in mind...

We have more corks than you can shake a fist at - so these bad boys, will be in full supply! 

Yummy Breakfast Casserole's are a must for the guys in the group!

I wish a had a better picture to share, but my Mother's homemade cinnamon rolls and sausage pinwheels will be on the table - and I can't wait! She only makes them once a year on Christmas morning, and since I can't be there this year to divulge, I decided what better occasion to have them than for wine festival!?!

 I think Meg mentioned fruit ka-bobs!  Can you please make my fruit into butterflies and flowers??  :)

....and what brunch isn't complete with out mimosas and bloody mary's!  We have the juicer and a full basket of oranges ready... and enough bloody mary mix to get everyone feeling a little happy!! 

Any more fun brunch ideas??  

Wall Makeover

Last weekend the hubs and I decided to do some antiquing {browsing} and see if we could find some new items for the house.  We found this fabulous guy below and {I} decided he would be the perfect focal point for a new wall collage. I feel like wall collages are the new trendy thing in decorating - don't just put up one large picture... no no, you need lots of random items that you can stick together and make a funky new accent wall in your house.

The owl fit the bill. He was funky and fun, but not too out there.  Too bad I'm not a Chi Omega - that would have been perfect.  I know you are asking - why the owl? I dunno.  I just picked him up and thought, this could be fun!

So, here we are - we have an owl. Now what?  I knew we wanted to include some pictures in the wall makeover, so we stopped in at Ross and found three different ones that were all similar colors, but different sizes.  If you're looking for frames - Ross and TJ Maxx are the place to shop.  They have the best selection and let's just say the price is cheap right!

We got home and cleaned the wall, mapped out our dimensions and decided that we needed more funkiness. I had seen people use mason jars on the wall to decorate. So, I grabbed a mason jar and some picture mounting wire and added the mason jar to the mix. But - he needed something more. I couldn't find any neat sticks, but I did have some green sprigs of berries in my craft box... we added those to the mason jar, and ta-da! He looks great!

After hanging the entire collection - we found another brass frame that complimented the owl well, but decided to wait and add it to the wall when I received my last piece. Our wooden monogram.  They are all over Pinterest and Etsy - I finally caved and bought just an L from Southern Proper Monograms just for the wall.  I wanted to full monogram - but the hubs said that was a little much. Guess we'll have to wait and use that in a baby's room  - or maybe on a wreath!

For now, the wall is up and it's a fun addition to the Lyons' den!  I'll post new pics after it's complete.

Until then, Happy Wednesday!

Home-grown Salsa

Summertime is full of many great things... fresh air, beach time, BBQ's and my new favorite, fresh veggies from the garden!  I will say, this whole garden thing is new for me.  My great-grandfather was a superb farmer, but growing up in West-Mobile I didn't really do much farming.  Now, living in small town Virginia... everyone has their own garden!  We have been blessed this season with armfuls of fresh veggies from co-workers and friends and even a few form our own little garden!

Thanks to our fabulous friends Suz and Walt, who filled our veggie basket last week, we decided to give homemade salsa a try. This was our first stab at the recipe - but it turned out delicious!!

Our Spicy Salsa Recipe:

3 large ripe tomatoes, diced
2 large Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, finely diced {we left the seeds in for some extra kick!}
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 stalk of celery, finely diced
1/4 of a large onion
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
*extra garlic salt and pepper to taste!

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and salt to taste. Refrigerate for 45 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Food for Thought

Happy Thursday! 

The Masters gets a Touch of Grace

For those of you that are golf fans, you have most likely heard the latest news - for the first time in the 80 year history of August National, they have invited a women {or two to be exact} to wear the famous green jackets. Kudos to August National Chairman, Billy Payne! 

"These accomplished women share our passion for the game of golf and both are well known and respected by our membership," Payne said in a statement. "It will be a proud moment when we present Condoleezza and Darla their green jackets when the club opens this fall. This is a significant and positive time in our club's history and, on behalf of our membership, I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome them and all of our new members into the Augusta National family." ~ Billy Payne

The first two women to wear the famous green jackets will be, former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore.