Happy Wednesday! Joyce has a fun, first of March Hodge Podge for us today. Read the others here.…and let’s jump right it.
1. As the saying goes, ‘March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.’ Did your March come in roaring or like some other 
animal? Every month carries with it certain feelings. How do you feel about the month of March? March came in like a chameleon. As in changeable and/or fickle. Saturday was perfectly gorgeous and ushered in a lovely day on March 1st. Twenty-four hours later, it was cold and snow flurries were covering the bushes and grass. In another 24 – 48 hours, it is supposed to be 80 degrees! Eighty?!? That is incredibly fickle weather if there ever was some!!
2. Where in your life are you a lion? Where are you a lamb? I have always been rather naive. In need of a good leader. Rather like a lamb. The older I get, I am less naive but I am more and more passive. This is not necessarily a good thing. In our world, there are times I really need to get riled up! But, more often than not, I am resigned, compliant and a bit meek. That said, I cannot think of too often that I am a lion. As in, protective or just plain loud. I would say in the car. I can “roar” and talk a big game when I am in the car. Alone. I have plenty of conversations and shared words…but rarely does that other party ever hear them. More like a cowardly lion – lol!
3. The Hodgepodge lands on National Pound Cake day. Do you like pound cake? If so do you have a favorite flavor? Let’s play this or that-
- pound cake or layer cake? Layer cake
- pound cake or cheesecake? Pound cake
- pound cake or angel food cake? Pound cake
- pound cake or brownie? Brownie
- pound cake or pie? Pound cake
Um, I guess that is pound cake for the win! I will choose just about any dessert treat over pie. At least most pies. And I might choose pie over cheesecake. As much as I love cheese and love cream cheese, cheesecake is not my favorite. I can easily pass. As for pound cake, I have wonderful memories of my grandmother’s cold oven pound cake. My mom also used (store bought) pound cake often as an inexpensive and easy dessert for our family. These days, it has been years since I have actually had pound cake but I think the memories alone make it solid YES for me!
4. What makes you feel childlike wonder right now? Teaching my Junior Church class each week is not only fun but it is also humbling. And often challenges me. I want the children to not only remember the story but to also grasp the concepts. I mull over and over my lessons and the concepts. Faith, for instance. We are currently working through stories that explain the idea of faith. And walking by faith. I often “stress” that the morning’s lessons are all going right over their heads. But when I see in their faces and it is obvious they are soaking it in. With childlike faith they accept, process and retain each story, lesson and Bible truth. It makes my heart so full. Certainly, I need more childlike trust and less adult over-complicating of things.
5. What’s one thing you need to add to your wardrobe to get ready for spring? A new pair of sneakers. Actually I need two: a new pair for walking (I cannot wait to get back to walking daily!) and a cute pair that goes well with dresses. I also (desperately) need new sandals. Sandals are hard for me to find as I tend to be picky about the style that I like to wear. I don’t really like the piece between my toes. I do not like flipflops (at all) and I like a band around my heel – preferably with a buckle. I know. Too picky.
6. Insert your own random thought here. Well, now I am thinking about Mom’s wonderful, incredibly simple pound cake dessert. I blogged about it once. HERE You might have to click on the photo but Grandma’s recipe is also there for the pound cake. The women in my family were all amazing cooks. I’m not sure where the breakdown occurred but I do not have the natural talent like my mom, my grandmothers and even my aunts have/had. I really should pull out that small recipe box – it still sits on my counter – and try some of their recipes. I know that many, if not most, of the family favorites are not even written down. They were created intuitively. My mostest favorite dinner when I was a child was lima beans, stewed corn (made with fatback that we ate as a treat after my mom fried it), and rice with chicken gravy. This meal, also and obviously, included fried chicken; however, the chicken was not my favorite. I literally picked at a piece of chicken breast and then my mom would finish it off for me. She enjoyed eating anything off the bone (GAG!) but it was a win-win for the two of us!!
I am curious – does anyone still fry chicken at home? I honestly know very few (actually I cannot think of any) who do! Fried chicken was a staple in our southern home. I do not fry chicken. But then again, I don’t really cook chicken. Just sayin. I did, once, watch a family friend fix chicken for dinner. From start to finish. And the start began in the backyard. I was young and probably could not even spell vegetarian. I certainly was not one. But I still was a bit scarred for life that afternoon!!:)
My mom recounts that her mom used to pick out a chicken from the backyard… to eat for dinner. YIKES! It didn’t keep my mom from eating chicken. However, my mom, being a northerner didn’t fry chicken (I’m sure some northerners do but I don’t think it’s as common.) The only food I fry is chicken- breasts to make a copy cat Chik-fil-A sandwich. Tastes almost like the real thing! Are pound cakes more of a southern thing? I didn’t grow up around them. My mom was a great baker but pound cake was not in her repertoire. I love your answer to question #4 :). Have a great day!
I find it interesting how different parts of the country have different foods! No pound cake? That is disappointing. I met a guy this past weekend from Seattle…and he said there are no Chick Fil A’s – what!?!? How have they survived?:) Happy Wednesday, friend!
I really don’t fry anything here. I prefer baked chicken these days although never say no to Publix fried chicken. Tastes like home . I excel at those car conversations too : ) I’m better at being gently bold in person these days because the world demands it. SO much crazy out there. My mother was also an excellent cook. I feel like you have to cook a lot to keep your skill up, and I do cook less these days. Both of my girls love to cook and bake though so I call that a parenting win. Have a great day!
Both girls love to cook and bake – yep, that is definitely a win. Sadly, I cannot say the same. My lack of love for cooking seems to have definitely impacted both my children. Sigh. (I’ll look for wins elsewhere):) Thanks for the link-up, Joyce.
I did not inherit the cooking or baking gene and I don’t enjoy it either. We don’t eat a lot of fried chicken, but when we do, we get it from the Wolftown Mercantile. It is the best. I do love a good pound cake, but haven’t had one in a few years. I would say March came in like a lion cub. I would have considered myself a lion and/or mama bear while I was still teaching. Just don’t mess with my students! Have a good Wednesday, Jennifer!
March came in like a lion cub…that is sweet:) I will have to look up this Wolftowne Mercantile!! Thanks Robin!
You really have had all of the weather!
Cheesecake isn’t my favourite but my family love it so we always seem to have some in the fridge.
Teaching your Junior Church class sounds wonderful and I am picky with sandals too. It took me years to find a really comfy pair so now I just replace them with the same when I need a new pair.
I so wish I could find the same pair I have now (that are literally falling apart!) If I could, I would buy ten pair and stock up!!:)
I do not fry anything! Mark loves to fry fish but he sets up a table on our screen porch and fries it outside!! I don’t really like meat on the bone. I realize that I am 67 years old and should be a grown up haha! If I were invited to anyone’s home for a meal and they served meat on the bone, I will eat it . . .because I was raised that way, but I don’t like it ;-0.
If there is one food I like fried…it is fish! A good fish and chips is just delicious! Bit I’ve never made it at home. That’s nice that Mark will cook it outside! He cooks and doesn’t make a mess…double win!
Yep, that is definitely some changeable weather! Wow. I am right there with you on bone in chicken (or any meat for that matter) I much, much, much prefer boneless cuts of meat. I have never made fried chicken as I am not a fan of it. I will occasionally pan fry a chicken breast like to make chicken parm. but never deep fry anything.
I’m definitely noticing in these comments..not many are frying chicken (or anything) at home!! Glad you stopped by, Joanne.
I was the queen of frying chicken back when my two kids were home. I would buy a whole chicken (we used to be able to do that), and cut it up maliciously so that every piece looked exactly the way it should. I even had a “pully bone” also known as a wishbone. The crust was cooked to perfection. We had fried chicken once a week. Being that our kids are in their 50s now, it’s been at least 35 years since I last labored over a chicken. These days, it’s a Costco Rotisserie chicken if one at all. You are right, there is no frying in our house these days.
Elizabeth, I don’t think there is much frying going on in anyone’s homes these days!! But you do make your fried chicken sound yummy!! Thanks for stopping by –
Our poundcake dessert was always store-bought, too, growing up. I actually like it better than most homemade. I laughed at how you can be a lion in the car. Yes, in my head I can be quite fierce and have my options, but I mostly keep them inside. I can go round and round, making my point in my head. Thank you for stopping by my blog, Jennifer!
I enjoyed your answers very much. I am picky about shoes. I haven’t fried chicken much because I haven’t been super successful, but I’d like to be.