1,000 Miles – The approximate distance between my house in Baltimore and my parent’s place in Florida.
18 Hours – How long it took me to drive those miles.
2 Hours – The amount of time I spent in Savannah, Georgia having a spot of lunch and a break from the drive south. Also the same amount of time I spent in Jacksonville, Florida for lunch and a break from the drive north.
240 – The number of the hotel room I spent the night in at the Quality Inn in Florence, South Carolina both times (how odd is that?)
$10.69 – My contribution to Paula Deen’s retirement fund in the form of the purchase of a set of wooden cooking utensils from her store in Savannah.
12 – The number of times I stopped for gas. Also, the magical number of how many Diet Cokes it took me to get down and back.
4 – How many audio books I checked out of the library for the drive.
1 – The number of audio books that happened to be in cassette tape format (as if).
3 Days – The duration of my cooking marathon.
16 – The number of different recipes I prepared – Blueberry Pudding Cake, Cinnamon Rolls, Coffee Ice Cream, Double Chocolate Pudding, Spaghetti Sauce, Pulled Pork, Baked Pasta, Vegetable Soup, Mushroom Soup, Salisbury Steak, Stuffed Peppers, Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Sweet and Sour Pork, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Squash, and Roasted Potatoes.
1 – The number of recipe fails. Not a bad percentage.
In a frightening example of how the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, my dad cooked up not one but two batches of thick cut bacon for random snacking. One batch was glazed with maple syrup. The other was coated in local orange blossom honey. Does anything say ‘I love you’ more than sweetly glazed bacon?
Now that I’m back and have unpacked all the pots, pans, and random gear I took down with me, it’s time I get back into my own kitchen and get busy. It’s where my mojo lives. It’s where I speak volumes without saying a word. It’s where I know that I can find order and comfort in spite of the disorder, surprises, and challenges that come my way. It’s where I feel most at home.
Bon Appetit Hon 
Welcome back Wendi! We’ve all missed you. Sounds like you had quite the baking/cooking trip!
Thanks Beth, it was a trip like I’ve never done before. When it’s time to go back down and restock the freezer, I will let Southwest do the work to get me there.
Glad you made it back safely. Now about this bacon…
Oh Boo, that bacon. It was heavenly. While my dad’s cholesterol and cardio vascular concerns may have taken a back seat to other health issues, I still have to worry about mine. I don’t think my physicians would condone the amount of down home pork I consumed while I was there.
Did you know that a couple of slices of Honey Baked Ham will do the most amazing things to Inspired Taste’s Vegetable Soup? On a whim, I threw two slices into the veg soup as I was cooking it and fished them out before it went into the blender. I swear I heard angels singing. I liked it so much, I made a second batch.
Holy Mary mother of God! Bacon for SNACKING! How decadent! My arteries ache at the thought. May have to try this on a weekend when I am in one of my the hell with blood sugar moods. And on top of that a father that can and will cook. My eye teeth ache also but with envy!
the last time my father tried to cook he was going to roast rockfish with onions and lemons. He cracked my mother’s pyrex dish and was forever banished from the kitchen
( unless Labrador Herring was on the menu. then my mother brother and self left the premisses until the godawful smell had been ventilated. NO JOKE!) He was given a cast iron pan and specific instructions!
Is Savannah not wonderful? I do love th e south and the architecture and of course the FOOD. we ate at the lady and Sons and I have the apron! Also the trolley trip that you can hop on and off is a great way to see the city. we went at christmastime and it wa sbeautiful.
One day when I am old and gray I intend to take/make up my own civil war South trip. I may be gone a long time