Gracious Plenty

            Everyone loves to share favorite memories of holidays. And when it comes to food, staffers at the Glynn Community Crisis Center are no exception. In fact, they take food very seriously. Their main fundraiser each year is the favorite culinary event of Georgia’s Golden Isles, A Taste of Glynn. So food is a serious topic at GCCC.

            Guests at A Taste of Glynn vote for their favorite restaurant chef or caterer to receive The People’s Choice Award, while expert judges select winners in specific categories like seafood, health-conscious fare and gourmet entries. There are plenty of other types of goodies as well– a well-stocked Silent Auction, wine raffle and plenty of cool vibes from favorite local musicians. And considering that the event is hosted by the legendary King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort, located on St Simons Island, the  #1 island vacation destination according to Conde Nast, it is no wonder that it enjoys celebrity status. All proceeds from A Taste of Glynn support the Glynn Community Crisis Center’s Amity House, Hope House and outreach programs for those who experience domestic violence. The upcoming year’s event, scheduled for March 24, 2013, promises to be an intense competition, with challengers planning months in advance to take top prize.

            But March 24 is a long wait for foodies, especially when you are dreaming of the most food-centered holiday of the year, Thanksgiving. We asked the hard-working staff at the Crisis Center to share their favorites with us.

            Executive Director Mary Hogan is one smart lady, and apparently knows how to delegate deliciously. “My son-in-law always fries a turkey,” she told us. “He cooks it just right!”

            Administrative Assistant Kerri Copeland looks forward to “old-fashioned cornbread dressing made with turkey broth and giblets.” Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator/Shelter Manager Shanna Hatfield loves dressing, too. Victim’s advocate Katherine Johnson also put cornbread dressing on top of her list, and added, “Daddy makes the best sweet potato pie.”

            Kellie Lauer, Development Coordinator related, “When I think of Thanksgiving dinner, I always remember my Great-Gramma Trude’s homemade macaroni and cheese. So thick and yummy with lots of cheese on top. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!”

            Thanksgiving memories are closely tied to events along with food for Carmen Knox, Victims’ Advocate, who shared, “We always gather at the social hall at my Great-Grandma’s church for our annual family reunion Thanksgiving dinner. There are always picnic tables full of great homemade dishes like ham, turkey, greens, chicken and dumplings and macaroni and cheese. My favorites are the macaroni and cheese and my aunt’s homemade cinnamon rolls.”

            Children’s Advocate Paula VanOtteren, another lifelong macaroni and cheese devotee, looks forward to “broccoli casserole made by Mom, from a recipe passed down through the generations!”

            But perhaps Jacque Loggins, Hope House Program Manager, says it best. “My favorite Thanksgiving foods are candied yams and turkey, but the best part of Thanksgiving is family and friends gathered around the table.”

            Well said! Here’s to Thanksgiving, to food for the soul as well as the body, and to a generous community that supports the Glynn Community Crisis Center throughout the year. May your holiday be one of gratitude and abundance, shared with the important people in your life.

Have a blessed day

            As Southerners, we are proud of our hospitality. It is our trademark, and an important part of our identity. People from other parts of the country–and the world– are a bit incredulous when they experience it first hand. Visitors arriving in the Golden Isles from Boston recently were taken aback when they arrived.

            “People let us out in traffic,” they related, awestruck. “And held the door for us and told us to have a blessed day!”

            It didn’t take long for them to acclimate, however. We might have even heard a “y’all” come out of their mouths before they climbed aboard the plane, headed back to the chilly north.

            While they were here, they were impressed with another local attribute: a dedication to food. We are not talking average fare here, but fresh local delicacies, prepared lovingly by people who know what they are doing. We admit to an advantage. Our mild weather gives us an extended growing season, which translates to an abundance of wonderful, fresh food. Savvy cooks know how to preserve those seasonal delights and capture the sunny sweetness of one of our most delicious local resources: figs.

            Fig trees in the Golden Isles explode with soft, ripe, sweet fruit in late July and early August. Local baking expert Mary Allen gathers ripe figs in summer, cooks them and freezes them for her special holiday fig bars. Then, she loads up platter after platter of home-made treats, including the fig bars, and takes them to Amity House and Hope House, residences for those victims of domestic violence.

            A Taste of Glynn, a culinary competition and tasting celebration, is the main fund-raiser for the Glynn Community Crisis Center, which operates Amity House and Hope House as well as an extensive outreach program. The next event is March 24, 2013, at the King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort. Tickets are on sale now, and will be available up to the day of the event.

            Holidays for those who have experienced domestic violence can be difficult, but Mary is determined that they will enjoy the best she has to offer. Which, considering her years as a former bakery owner, is an exciting prospect. She just dropped off an incredibly generous array of delectable goodies at Amity House, and was gracious enough to share her fig bar recipe for others to enjoy.

            Any day that has this much kindness is a blessed day, holiday or not. And today, we celebrate Mary Allen, who is a blessing to all who know her.

           

Mary Allen’s Fabulous Fig Bars

Fig Filling:

3 cups ripe figs, cut up

¼ cup sugar

½ teaspoon lemon juice

1 ½ cups water

Crust and topping:

½ cup butter or margarine, softened

¼ cup shortening

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 ¾ cup plain flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon soda

1 ½ cup quick-cooking oats

Optional glaze:

½ stick butter, softened

1 16-oz box powdered sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the fig filling:

Place all ingredients in a saucepan, and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Using a wire whisk helps break down the figs to a smooth texture. Cool and spread over crust, as directed below.

A note: Mary uses fresh figs, which she cooks at the peak of ripeness and freezes for use during the holidays. She tells us that you can also use fig preserves for the filling.

To make the crust and topping:

Grease a 9 x 13” pan, set aside.

Cream butter, sugar and shortening. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Press about ¾ of the mixture into the prepared pan. Spread the fig filling ( or fig preserves) over the top of the crust, crumble with remaining crust on top of the figs. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, allowing the top to brown. Cool, and cut into bars. Makes 24 two-inch bars.

If you want to add the glaze:

Combine butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixer, beating well until smooth. Add a few drops of water until the consistency allows you to drizzle the glaze over the top of the cooled fig bars.