Temptation Strikes: Southern Fried Everything

I was lucky enough not to have a weight problem for most of my young adult years. But as the kids grew and I became less active, the pounds crept on, a little at a time. Seems like I've been dieting steady for the last six years, fighting the same twenty pounds. I'm not ready to throw in the towel, but I've faced some tough times. Might as well own up to it: I'm a sucker for fried anything.

Growing up, fried chicken was the undisputed king of all my food groups. The crunchy outside and the tender, moist inside made for a mouth-watering experience that satisfied my hunger.

Fast forward a number of years, and fried chicken is a guilty pleasure for those of us who try to watch our caloric intake.I've eaten some substandard fried chicken in my lifetime, but the good stuff is to die for. I'm hungry just thinking about it. And grilled chicken, while it can be delicious when seasoned right, is a poor second, in my book.

For the record, fried shrimp is a staple in my diet. I can't pass that up either. And I love a spicy cocktail sauce with fried shrimp. Don't give me any of that imported shrimp. I want wild caught, and the shrimp from Georgia are tops, bar none.

Another huge temptation for me is sweet potato fries. I'm not a huge french fry fan unless they are piping hot, but sweet potato fries tempt me at any temperature. They are not on my diet per se, but I've made some sweet potato fries in the oven that are a close second to the fried variety.

Anybody out there a fan of fried okra? It's a special weakness of mine. Just the other day, I needed comfort food and ordered a small dish of fried okra, and was I glad I did. The batter was to die for, so light and thin and the veggies were stick to your ribs yummy.

Fried green tomatoes is a southern delicacy. The only thing I like better than fried green tomatoes is my friend Harriet's green tomato pickles.

While visiting my kids and eating in out-of-state restaurants, I've come across other fried veggies as appetizers: zucchini and whole onions. These have been irresistible as well.

No wonder there's an obesity epidemic around the world. We're all tempted by so many fried foods. Now they even make battered french fries, which means the potatoes are sometimes fried twice. Crazy, isn't it?

I've named my guilty fried pleasures. I know there are other fried foods out there. What are your favs? What fried dish makes your must-have list, regardless of your weight plan?

Maggie Toussaint
who struggles with her weight
and reaches for chocolate when scenes stall

Don't pee on Grammy's bed

I've changed course this summer. Oh, I'm still writing and working on my next book, but I have a new reason to smile. The joyous occassion? The birth of my first grandchild.

There's nothing like a tiny baby to melt your heart with his smiles, his peaceful expressions, his cries of where is everybody. I've never been addicted to any substance, but I think elixir of grandchild has me hooked. I'm helping out my daughter and son-in-law for a couple of weeks, but its no chore at all to care for this baby.

It was a case of love at first sight. Such tiny perfection in the fingers and toes. Such a wonderfully shaped head and compact body. Such energetic arms and legs.

He's taken to his Grammy, too. Almost every time I get to hold him, I'm treated to a virtual moving picture show of facial expressions. They flow seamlessly from joy to scowl to yawn and hiccup and then there's that thing he does with one eye closed that absolutely reminds me of my mother's you've-got-to-be-kidding look. Bright eyed or conked out, it doesn't matter, I could gaze at him for hours.

Silly to fall so deeply in love again, but there you have it. My husband will have to understand there's stiff competition for my heart, though there is plenty of love to go around.

It's quite an adventure for me to have a grandson when my kids were girls. I've learned to be fast with the diapering. My daughter and I were admiring his toes during a diaper change and he decided to start peeing. We were so startled that we started laughing. Pee went everywhere and we had to wash the baby, change his clothes, wash the spread and the pillowcases.

I like to keep my family life separate from my writing life, so I won't post a picture of the baby here. But I wanted to let you know why I was awol this month. Like any proud grandparent, I can confidently tell you that my grandson is the most beautiful baby in the world.

Wishing everyone a summer of smiles!

Maggie Toussaint
coming soon: MUDDY WATERS, OCT 2010
coming soon: ON THE NICKEL, MARCH 2011
www.maggietoussaint.com

Gators - the wild kind and the publishing kind

Most folks associate gators with Florida, due to its balmy temps and large swamps. Others may think of the Lousianna bayous when the word gator comes to mind. But I'm hear to tell you we have lots of gators in coastal Georgia. The mighty Altamaha delta is near here, and it is truly a gator heaven on earth.

Thanks to my friend who works for Ga. Department of Natural Resources, I know just enough info about gators to get in trouble. He says gators are on the move this time of year, particularly the males, as they search for mates. If you come across one in your yard, unless the situation is dangerous, leave it alone and it'll keep right on going.

Wearing my hat of accidental reporter, I recently had the opportunity to write about the beautiful wood stork colony out at Harris Neck Wildlife Preserve, which is in my home county. The wood stork colony nests on an island that is surrounded by gators. The gators keep any raccoons from swimming across and getting into the colony, and the refuge manages the water level of Woody Pond to be too high for optimum feeding of the wood storks, so they mostly fly to other nearby areas for feeding, keeping them from being a home pie alligator snack.

And here's a pic of a Harris Neck gator in Woody Pond, courtesy of Sharon Lindsay, a wildlife photographer who subbed her pics for our weekly paper. She got a great shot, didn't she?

But to put this in context of writing, I think there are plenty of gators out there in the publishing world. We feel the pinch of their massive jaws when the rejection letters come in. We shudder in the death roll when an unflattering review comes out. For the most part we're content to plod along in the publishing world, walking among the gators, as it were, until one of them takes a chunk out of us. That smarts, but we knew they were there all along, didn't we?

Care to relay a story about your "gator" experience in publishing? I'd enjoy hearing from you in any event!

Maggie Toussaint
Muddy Waters, coming Oct. 22
www.maggietoussaint.com