I recently took a road trip with my Mom and Aunt Marcia to North Carolina. We went to visit my mom’s youngest sister, Donna.
The beginning of April is a perfect time to head south. The flowers are all in bloom, and the grass is a charming green. It’s a hint of what will come to our cold Minnesota ground. It’s amazing to me that we can drive 17 hours and have a complete change of pace and atmosphere. The South is so pretty, and I love the accent. It was all I could do not to pick it up. Especially while I baked a pecan pie. You have to say that with a drawl, or it’s just not the same.
Although I was ill most of the trip (bad case of influenza B), we were able to squeeze in one day to drive to Ashville to see the Biltmore Estate. The driveway alone is two miles long. The theme right now is Designed for Drama.
George Vanderbilt was an avid reader. He logged every book he read from the age of 12 averaging over 80 books a year. He had many first editions, and because he entertained many of the authors at Biltmore, they were mostly autographed. The Designed for Drama display included not only the books on display but also several of the costumes from the movies.
In the lobby was one of the dresses from “Far from the Madding Crowd.” I was probably one of the few who saw the movie in the theater last year. Other costumes were from “Sherlock Holmes,” “Anna Karenina,” and another favorite, “Finding Neverland.” The suit Johnny Depp wore gave an indication of his size. It was fun just to think that he wore it during the making of the movie.
The Biltmore has converted the stable into a restaurant. It is by no means an ordinary stable. No hay or dust in sight. The stalls have been converted to tables and booths. I, of course, like to always try something new from the menu. This time it was Southern Pimento Cheese spread. Yum! We had it hot on crusty bread.
My Aunt, who lives in North Carolina, said that her mother in-law, Miss Betty, had an amazing pimento cheese spread recipe. The next morning, we had Miss Betty sitting at the counter giving us directions. Of course, there was no actual recipe, just add this and add that to taste. I did my best to write it all down so I could share it with you. I made it again as soon as I got home to see if I had it right. Thanks to Miss Betty and her southern charm, I did. In the South: Our Tea is Sweet, Our Words are Long, Days are Warm, and Our Faith is Strong.
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
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