Garvin - Biscuits: sweet and savory Southern recipes for the all-American kitchen

Copyright 2015 by Jackie Garvin

Photographs on pages 2427 2015 by Amy Garvin Wren; all other photographs 2015 by Jackie Garvin

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Print ISBN: 978-1-63220-347-2

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63450-008-1

Printed in China

In memory of my grandparents, Payton (19021992) and Virginia (19071990) Phillips, whose unfaltering love showed me the way to peace and grace.

John 14:27

Contents

Acknowledgments

T o my husband, Sam: Finding your soul mate is a blessing and I have been abundantly blessed to share my life with you over the past forty years. Our married life has been rich, sweet, fulfilling and, at times, sad. The rich blessings we received at the moment we first laid eyes on each of our three babies will carry us through the rest of our lives. Watching those sweet babies grow into responsible, caring, loving adults is the grand prize of parenting. Weve gently caressed each others broken hearts and shared the sadness when we had to say goodbye to loved ones. Our travels have taken us on fun, exciting, and interesting excursions. My heart would swell each time I saw the pride on your face when you talked to someone about my cookbook. Im undeserving of such loyalty and love but eternally grateful.

To my children, Marcia, Amy, and Tyler: Im so proud of each of you. Youve brought an immeasurable amount of joy and love into my life. I give thanks to God for you every day. Thank you for your encouragement and interest in this project.

To my son-in-law, David: Youre a wonderful addition to our family. Thank you for being such a loving husband to my daughter and father to my grandchildren. Your support of this project means a tremendous amount to me.

To my grandchildren, Jackson and Ella: I hope youll be proud of Nanas book one day and that it will help you understand a little bit more about your Southern heritage.

To my friends, Dawn, Shari, and Myrna: Ive leaned on each of you in different ways and you never let me down. Such friendship is a rare commodity and I cant adequately thank you for all youve done. Youve been there with me every step of the way.

To my editor, Nicole Frail: You were the driving force behind this book and held the hand of this novice author throughout the process. You were editor, psychologist, cheerleader, and advocate. Thank you for believing in me.

To my publisher, Skyhorse Publishing: Thank you for taking a chance on me.

To all the members of Buckhorn Springs Golf and Country Club: Thank you for your willing acceptance of our many offerings of biscuits.

To all the friends who I know in person or who follow me on various social media outlets: You have been so sweet and kind to me. Your notes, emails, and comments keep my spirits lifted, my motivation high, and my belief in the goodness of people alive. Yall are the reason Syrup and Biscuits continues.

To Kurt Halls: your constant quest to be good and do right inspires me.

To Becky and Mary Pat: not only are you top notch personal trainers and fitness experts, but you are my inspiration to stay on track and healthy. Thank you for taking a personal interest in my crazy, wild aspirations.

To my fellow Stephen Ministers at St. Andrews United Methodist Church, Brandon, Florida: You have lifted me up and given me inspiration. God works through each of you. Thank you for sharing your loving hearts with me.

To my sisters, Kathy and Sue: You will always be a part of my story.

To my mother-in-law, Dorothy Garvin: Youve supported me in everything Ive ever attempted. I hope you enjoy sharing this cookbook with your friends.

My Biscuit Heritage

A baby born to teenage parentsparents who had no advantages, no education beyond high school, low paying jobs, and no prospect of higher earnings whose own parents were former tenant farmersisnt usually destined for greatness. In fact, that baby has a lot of odds stacked against her. How that baby was able to thrive, meet and marry her soul mate, get an education, raise a family, achieve every professional goal she set, and eventually land a contract to write a book is either the stuff from which fairy tales are made or simply an example of the power of traditional Southern values such as faith, family, respect, hard work, honesty, and lots of good homegrown tomatoes. My story is the former. Whos to say how much of a role homegrown tomatoes actually played, but I know the important role and impact of Southern values in my life. Southerner is as much a part of my identity as woman, wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, friend , and neighbor . Its more than an identifier; its a component of my DNA. I live in the South and the South lives in me. I willingly and proudly accept, admit, and display it.

My birth at Fort Rucker, Alabama, in 1955, added another generation of Alabamians to a multi-generational Alabama lineage. That lineage continued for one more generation with the birth of my daughters in Mobile. With Alabamians above and below me in my ancestral line, and all around me in everyday life, the connection to biscuits is obvious. Biscuits were as common as air and almost as necessary.

So many of the good things in life, the things that really matter, came to me by way of an unassuming cotton mill village in the small southeastern town of Geneva, Alabama. Thats where my parents grew up and both sets of my grandparents lived. I only lived in Geneva a few years, but I certainly spent a lot of time there during the summers with my mothers parents, Payton and Virginia Phillips. If you noticed a few pages back, I dedicated this book to their memory, which indicates the profound impact they had on my life and my view of the world.

As I reflect on precious memories from Geneva, I keep going back to the familiar scene of shelling peas on the front porch. We either picked the peas or Granny and Granddaddy bought them. They would buy them by the hamperful. Despite a valiant effort, Im unable to find a weight equivalent for a hamper of peas. Take my word for it when I say its a lot . Shelling a hamper of peas takes a long time. Sometimes, theyd buy two at a time. My sisters and I were given small enamelware bowls that we filled up with unshelled peas; wed shell until our fingers almost fell off. Granny and Granddaddy brought out large dishpans for themselves. The shelling lasted into the night.