Southern Girl

Written by:  Jaren Johnston, Rodney Clawson, and Lee Thomas Miller
Performed by: Tim McGraw

Now I ain't sayin' them LA ladies don't know what they doin'

And I've been in love with New York City a time or two

I had some Seattle coffee, some Chicago wind

Some Kansas wheat fields I'd love to see again

But the fireflies play where the cattails grow

And them southern girls, they talk nice and slow with

Kisses sweeter than Tupelo honey

Little bit crazy like New Orleans

Memphis blue and Daytona sunny

Soft as cotton in some cut-off jeans

Don't you know,

Ain't nothing in the whole wide world

Like a southern girl

Southern girl rock my world

Hazel eyes and golden curls

Put on a country song, we'll dance all night long

A southern girl's mama probably taught her how a lady should act

But a southern girl's probably got a barn somewhere out back

She'll get a little hay in her hair, her tires in the mud

She's been caught in the rain and washed in the blood

Likes cherries in her coke, takes a little sip,

Comes over to me with them sunburned lips and them

Kisses sweeter than Tupelo honey

Little bit crazy like New Orleans

Memphis blue and Daytona sunny

Soft as cotton in some cut-off jeans

Don't you know,

Ain't nothing in the whole wide world

Like a southern girl

Southern girl rock my world

Hazel eyes and golden curls

Put on a country song, we'll dance all night long

If you've ever seen Savannah heat up when the stars come out

Well, then, fellas, come on, you know what I'm talkin' about

Kisses sweeter than Tupelo honey

Little bit crazy like New Orleans

Memphis blue and Daytona sunny

Soft as cotton in some cut-off jeans

Don't you know,

Ain't nothing in the whole wide world

Like a southern girl

Southern girl rock my world

Put on a country song

Southern girl rock my world

Hazel eyes and golden curls

We'll dance all night long

Southern girl rock my world

Hazel eyes and golden curls

Put on a country song, we'll dance all night long

Squash: Take Two

Dear Readers! I want to thank everyone who has helped make my June 2012 squash blog such a huge success. I've had over 700 views on that page, and I'm so excited to think that someone out there is enjoying my recipes. The stuffed squash recipe on that post continues to be my very favorite thing to do with yellow squash, but I have a few more suggestions to mix it up. Much like last year, my husband and I have had a huge squash harvest from our garden, but we were smart enough to plant both yellow and zucchini squash this time. Here are three more squash recipes to help you make the most of the summer's bounty:

Crunchy, pan fried squash
2-3 small yellow squash
1 medium zucchini squash
1/4-1/2 small yellow onion
2-3 table spoons all purpose flour
kosher salt and black pepper
canola oil

Quarter the squash longitudinally, scrape out the softest part of the seed core. Pat dry with a paper towel, and cube the remaining squash into 1/2 inch pieces. Chop the yellow onion. Toss the squash and onion in flour until everything is LIGHTLY coated. Heat the canola oil in a sauté pan on the stove top over medium to medium-high heat. (I don't give an exact amount here because it will depend on the amount of vegetables you have prepared and the size of your pan. But remember, you just want a light coating of oil over the pan.) When the pan is very hot, add the vegetables. Allow the vegetables to brown on all sides, but turn them as few times as possible to get maximum crisp in the breading. Salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

A lot of squash recipes are mushy, and this one is very crispy if done right. The secret is getting rid of the softest part (seed core), using a very hot pan, and stirring as little as possible. It's a great way to use the vegetable if you have texture aversions or have just eaten a lot of squash this year.

Fried squash blossoms
4-6 fresh squash flowers
2 cups of ricotta cheese
1 tsp oregano (dried)
1 tsp basil (dried)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 eggs
all purpose flower
canola oil



Very gently, rinse the squash flowers and remove all of the parts from the middle of the blossom. Lightly pat dry with a paper towel. Mix the ricotta cheese with all of the herbs and spices. Place the cheese mixture in a zip-top bag and cut a small notch out of one corner. Pipe the cheese mixture into each of the blossoms until they are full but not distended. Twist the top of the petals together to close. Roll each stuffed blossom in a whisked egg wash. Dredge lightly in flour and drop immediately into a hot oil bath (4-5 inches deep). Remove the blossoms when they are crispy and lightly browned (less than 2 minutes). Lay them out on paper towels to cool and drain. Serve warm.

This is a very delicate and tasty way to do something very different with your squash plants. The blossoms don't keep well so pick them when you're ready to use them, and make sure your oil is nice and hot, otherwise they will be greasy.

Zucchini Bread
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3 cups white sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2 tsp baking soda
4 eggs (beaten)
1/3 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated zucchini (squeeze well in a clean kitchen towel before using)
1 tsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine the dry ingredients (except the nuts). In a separate bowl, combine the oil, eggs, water, zucchini, and lemon juice. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry. Fold in the nuts. Spray two standard bread pans with nonstick cooking spray, and divide the mixture evenly between them. Bake for 1 hour or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

I like to make these loaves in disposable bread pans. That way I can freeze them or give them as gifts. The other day I was making this recipe and had an over-ripe banana in the fruit basket. I added it to the recipe and cut back a bit on the water. It made a really delicious flavor.

Thank you again for sharing my first post about squash, and I hope everyone enjoys this encore just as much!

Photo Credit: Jenn Ballard