I just finished listening to Long Gone, Come Home by Monica Chenault-Kilgore. This story is told in the first person and follows the life of Birdie, a young black woman living in Kentucky and working for a tobacco company.
Birdie comes from a family of strong women. She and her sisters are being raised by their mother as their father having come home a war hero ends up still getting lynched in a mob killing where he was mistaken for another man.
Birdie dreams of flying away from her small town and dead end job but at 17 she meets a smooth talking young man and falls head over heels in love. Before she knows it they are married and raising two children, and she finds that she is happy and content with her life in this small town where she knows everyone and is surrounded by family.
Her husband disappears one day without explanation and Birdie finds herself alone with a toddler and a baby. She returns to her mother's home and returns to her childhood task of helping to prepare and serve food to others.
When Birdie is witness to a brutal murder she decides it is time to flee Kentucky and heads to Chicago in the hopes of locating her husband and a better life for herself and her children.
I enjoyed listening to this novel as I went on my walks. It was interesting to learn how this family of women learned to stay strong and persevere regardless of the disparities and attrocities that were part of their daily life. This novel takes place during the Depression era and while it was a very difficult time for everyone it was worse for people of color who "need not apply" for the jobs that were available.
There was a lot of food in this novel. Birdie dreams of owning her own restaurant one day and folllow in her mother's footsteps of cooking and serving others. Tons of southern dishes were mentioned including smoked meats, greens, cornbread and desserts galore. Teacakes were a specialty of Birdie's mother as well as pies, jams and breads.
I decided to smoke some chicken and I served it up for dinner with some cornbread and sauteed greens on Sunday, moving my Spiced Grilled Shrimp to the menu for tonight.
Saturday
Spiced Grilled Shrimp
Vegetable Skewers
Sunday
Avocado and Melon Crudo
Chicago Style Chicken Dogs
Lemon Tiramisu
Meatless Monday
Grilled Pizza with Tomatoes and Ricotta
Taco Tuesday
Chicken Fajita Salad
Wednesday
Hamburgers
Thursday
Dinner out before Music in the Park
Friday
Fish Fry
French Fries
Coleslaw
Smoked Spatchcock Chicken
Yield: 4 servings
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 H & 30 MTotal time: 1 H & 40 M
Spatchcocking simply means to remove the backbone of the chicken and press down on the breast bone so that the chicken open flat to lay on the grill of the smoker.
Ingredients
- 1 (3-4 lb) chicken
- seasonings of choice, to taste
Instructions
- Using kitchen shears, remove the backbone from the chicken. Lay the chicken onto a cutting board, flesh side down, and press ont the breast until the chicken lies flat.
- Season to taste on both sides with your favorite rub or seasoning mix.
- Heat a smoker to high heat (450*) and place the chicken, flesh side down directly onto the grate.
- Cook on high heat for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 325* and continue to smoke until an internal temperature of 165* is reached.
- Allow to rest for 15 minutes before cutting into serving pieces.
Notes
Adapted from a recipe found at House of Nash Eats
Nutrition Facts
Calories
410.1Fat (grams)
28.69 gSat. Fat (grams)
8.22 gCarbs (grams)
0.17 gFiber (grams)
0.11 gNet carbs
0.07 gSugar (grams)
0.01 gProtein (grams)
35.44 gSodium (milligrams)
133.37 mgCholesterol (grams)
142.83 mg
Property of A Day in the Life on the Farm
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