Black-Eyed Susan and a Recipe I'm Usin'

How do you like my black-eyed susans? I've tried to grow them for years with no success. Finally this is my year. I've got lots of them everywhere. They are so pretty, like little bits of sunshine in the yard. This is the one flower that my husband had requested for the yard and I'm glad they're making it.


Sorry I had to cut it short yesterday. Riley came running in with a terrible earache. We ended up going to the doctor and he had to have antibiotics. Poor fella, he had infection in his throat, tonsils, and both ears. He's feeling much better now, so I'm back at it.

I guess it's a good thing I had to wait because it gave me a chance to try out the onion ring recipe last night. I'm getting lots of onions from the garden and I thought onion rings would be a fun way to use them. The recipe was wonderful! Anytime you have kids saying, "I love onions", you know it must be good. They remind me of some onion straws we had at a seafood restaurant in Myrtle Beach while on vacation one year. The other recipe for today is peach cobbler. It's the one I got from my mom. I've just adapted it to my needs, doubling the recipe and using all-purpose flour instead. You could use self-rising if you leave out the baking powder. You know we Georgia girls know a thing or two about peach cobbler. Let me know how you like them.

Fried Onion Rings with Dipping Sauce
I think I cut this recipe out of a Quick Cooking magazine that my mother-in-law passed on to me. It is sooooo worth a try. I didn't have lime juice, just lemon, and it worked fine. Yumalicious--so good it deserved its own word.

1 large Vidalia or sweet onion
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. cornmeal
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 baking soda
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 egg
1 c. buttermilk
oil for frying

Lime Dipping Sauce--
2/3 c. mayonnaise
3 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. spicy brown mustard
1 tsp. prepared horseradish

Cut onion into 1/2 inch slices; separate into rings. In a bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cayenne. Combine the egg and buttermilk; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat 1 inch of oil to 375 degrees. Dip onion rings in batter. Fry a few at a time for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm in 300 degree oven. In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients. Serve with onion rings.


Simple Southern Peach Cobbler
A definite summertime requirement. Take it to your Memorial Day picnic if you've got fresh peaches nearby. Cut up your peaches over the bowl so that the juice goes in, keeps it extra yummy.

1 stick butter
2 c. sugar
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 c. milk
3 c. peaches, cut up

Place butter in 13x9 pan; place in oven as it heats to 350 degrees. Combine sugar, flour, and baking powder; add milk and stir to moisten. When butter has melted, remove from oven. Pour batter in pan. DO NOT STIR. Add peaches and juice evenly in dish. Bake 40-45 minutes until golden brown.