By Nancy Rowland
Columnist
Perhaps you need an interesting, fun place to take family and friends who come visiting during the Christmas season. Check out the Gourd Place located five miles from Helen, Ga in Sautee Nacoochee. These days the Gourd Place is only open by appointment; you can call 706-865-4048 or go to www.gourdplace.com and click Contact. I’ve taken many friends there over the years.
Priscilla Wilson first began experimenting with gourds in 1976, and she and Janice Lymburner, who manages the business and decorates their spaces, began selling their wares at craft fairs. Since then, Priscilla has made decorative containers carved with wildflower designs, planters, rolling toys, calligraphy gourds, pyrography, ornaments, dolls, natural utensils, puzzles, drums, gourd head masks and just about anything else one can imagine. Their corporation’s name is Gourdcraft Originals, Inc.
Both Priscilla and Janice were former schoolteachers, so they like to incorporate an educational component into everything they do. They’ve written a memoir, “Gourd Girls,” which is available on Amazon. They refer to their life as the gourd life.
Here are a Priscilla and Janice’s favorite recipes they shared with me:
Cheesy shrimp and grits casserole
Priscilla tells me that this casserole is available online, but that she makes her own adjustments to it.
3-1/2 to 4 cups chicken broth
1 cup regular grits
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
6 green onions, chopped (or substitute regular onion)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound small fresh or frozen shrimp (larger shrimp can be cut in half)
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes (with or without green chiles), drained
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan; stir in grits. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Stir together grits, 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, and Monterey Jack cheese.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add onions, bell pepper and garlic and sauté 5 minutes or until tender. (OK to do this in microwave to save time and dishes)
Stir together green onion mixture, grits mixture, and remaining ingredients except shrimp. Pour into a lightly greased 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Add shrimp after first 20 minutes of cooking. This keeps shrimp from being overcooked.
Easy fudge pie
This pie was Priscilla’s mother’s recipe and is a cross between brownies and fudge.
1 stick butter
1 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate
3/4-1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Nuts and/or chocolate chips, if desired
Melt butter and chocolate together — microwave is easiest method — and stir. Add sugar and flour mixture.
Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in pecans, almonds and/or chocolate chips if desired.
Pour into greased glass or ceramic pie pan. Bake about 20 minutes at 325. Great served with or without ice cream.
“As naturally as the oak bears an acorn and the vine a gourd, man bears a poem, either spoken or done.”
– Henry David Thoreau
Share your favorite recipes along with a photo to: nancy.recipes@outlook.com. I look forward to hearing from you.