Fish Fry

“If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles.” –Doug Larson

For years and years we held a fish fry at Jamie’s once every summer. Once she moved to another town, we stopped the tradition, but this picture was taken at the last one we had.

The guys fish our farm ponds for bass and bluegills all day and clean their catch for the girls to fry. It seems like it’s always been blistering hot but they fished and fried anyway. There was only one year we had to have hot dogs because the fish weren’t biting.

This year we are reviving the fish fry and the family is coming here! The fresh fish are so good and Sonia always brings her “best grits I’ve ever eaten.” I asked her the secret once and she said, “Easy, I just put in a stick of butter.” No wonder they are delicious! We have other picnic staples, of course: baked beans, potato salad and many miscellaneous dishes. The one thing we have to have, and have at most family gatherings, is Jamie’s scandalous BTS cake. Try it just once and I bet it will be one of your family’s favorites. If you want to you can change the name to something more proper like just plain “chocolate cake!”

Jamie’s Better Than Sex Cake

Bake a chocolate cake. A mix is just fine. When it is done baking and still a little warm poke holes in it with the end of a wooden spoon. Pour one can sweetened condensed milk over the top and also a jar of caramel topping. Cool. Top with whipped cream and chocolate toffee bits from a broken up candy bar.

Baking it the night before or a few hours ahead of a meal lets the moisture of the milk and caramel seep throughout the cake making each bite more scrumptious than the last.