Southern Quail, Duck, Soup. Love, While Muddling Through.

The year ended. Richmond lost two giants I was lucky to know and love in a week - Eddie Slipek, the architecture icon, friend, and aficionado of my Amish pepper relish, with a shared love of Finland. Then, horrifically, suddenly: Bill Martin. My mind navigates fond memories of both, with deep admiration, sadness, and gratitude. 

Learn a little through this tribute to Eddie, with Bill adding in his memories.
For Bill, the tributes Free Bangura / Untold RVA is posting are heartbreakingly beautiful and moving - humor, love, strength, with the reminder: say his name.

Bill Martin.
Eddie Slipek.
Eddie, Bill: beloved. Irreplaceable. And yes: say their names and pass on their knowledge, their wisdom, their love for Richmond and Richmonders.

There are also names we never speak, this horrific 20th anniversary for Richmond.
The Harvey family remains cherished and remembered.

There's a lot to sit with.

We teetered into 2026, then suddenly lost our young dog Ruger. With over 20 years of rescue mastiff ownership, these family losses are very hard, but also deeply impact our farm. One dog versus two is easier in the city, but much harder when on the farm. That is the least, though. WE LOVED HIM. He loved us. We humans and animals are in shock.

But 2025 brought many moments of love. 

I was asked to write down family meals and memories, so while this post is not joyful or easy, it's what I want to do. It's these little moments that keep us going.

I look back at evenings spent listening to a gaggle of girls chatting in the kitchen, singing and dancing to music. Family hunted at the farm, and I warmed them with hot breakfasts. Summer evenings on the bay. We dressed up! And went OUT. We enjoyed long walks with friends in the country along trails and twisty roads, and long walks in the city, where we wandered into museums, coffee shops, and oyster bars. 

One afternoon I was held hostage for what seemed like hours while Lila sectioned and installed ginormous curlers into my stick-straight hair. (And thus, this is how this post was typed into existence! Thank Lila and curlers!) To my delight, my boring hair was suddenly bouncy. The caked layers of makeup I could have done without, but it lasted for days!

These are happy moments to remember, often around food. So, I continue.

The first thing our daughter said when walked into the house for Christmas break was,
"I really want Southern food!!!!" 

A Light Poultry Soup: 
Heat the pot, add oil (tonight, olive oil), then lay some frozen chicken at the base (I love thighs), cook a few minutes, and when that side seems to be getting done, flip. Let it sit a few minutes, then take your spatula and start breaking it up into bite-sized pieces, then add an equal layer of small cut onions with a few bulbs of minced garlic. Stir that around, while continuing to break up the chicken. Season with a fave seasoning salt, liberal amounts of ground pepper, chile powder, dried cilantro (if you use fresh, add it at the end as a sparingly sized garnish, you don't want it to overwhelm the duck/poultry flavor), and some cinnamon. 

Now add a layer of small-chopped yellow or red pepper, stir. I had defrosted some duck broth (turkey would be great, too). Ladle in some so nothing burns. Mince equal amounts of green tomatoes you pulled from the garden before the first frost, and from the freezer, toss in equal amounts of corn. Add in a glug or two (depending on how big your pot is, you don't want a sour soup but just add some for flavor) of apple cider vinegar with a few teaspoons of Amish cayenne pepper relish (and if you don't have Amish neighbors who make cayenne pepper relish, add in a favorite very spicy something with a little very sweet something). Ladle in more broth until you get the ratio you like. This should be a light, spicy, healthy, clean soup, perfect for when you've walked into the house and eaten a bunch of Christmas cookies first and now know dinner should be healthy!!!! Serve with homemade biscuits.

The soup is READY! Aaaaaand the kids went off to a basketball game with their grandparents. That's the great thing about soup - it will be here, even better,  when they return.

This holiday season I was recovering from sickness, so while I was no longer contagious, my battery was at 15% for weeks after. There was no energy to rise above or rally for ANYTHING. Food was easy, comforting, nourishing.

But everyone is home! And she wants southern! Let's celebrate with quail. This might sadly be the last of the quail I ever get from my dad who is no longer actively hunting, which is why the next generations need to hunt more! (Hello, spring turkey season!)

Quail with Carrots, Potatoes with Greens:
Boil waxy potatoes until tender. Drain. In a large pan, sautee diced potatoes, chopped (and well washed) leeks, garlic, and greens in your favorite fat (Duke's? This year I am really into Duke's vs. oils or butr...). As it all starts to get creamy (but not mashed), drizzle in plenty of mustard and some lemon marmalade.

Line the greased roast pan with carrots, place the quail on top, glaze the quail with soy mixed with jam (tonight, rose jelly) and thyme, and bake at 400. (Tip: Quail usually cooks in 12-20 minutes.)

We celebrate German Christmas on the 24th, then American Christmas on the 25th, and the 12 Days of Christmas past the New Year!

German Christmas Lunch: Stove-top Chicken 
Add a little mayonnaise to a pot or pan that is taller than your chicken. Add the chicken and heat, when one side is browned, flip so that the proper side is up. I sprinkled Creole seasoned salt, dry mustard and lots of black pepper over it. Add enough white wine so it won't burn, put the lid on, and cook on medium heat until done, adding more wine (mixed with a little more mustard) as necessary, basting. 

Roasted squash with croutons:
Cube Tahitian melon squash (or you can use butternut). At some point, toast the seeds and set aside. Line a pan with your favorite fat, today, Duke's. Toss in cubed squash and cook, covered, about 20 minutes at 350. Sprinkle on chopped scallions, cook 10ish minutes, remove foil, sprinkle with sage, salt & pepper, and add hearty cubed bread, and toast that at 400. Stir and sprinkle with toasted seeds before serving.

Christmas Dinner Shrimp:
On the 24th we began with shrimp toasted with "buttr" and Old Bay in a pan until done.

I served Green Tomato Soup.
This was made with the last of the fresh garden tomatoes, finally used up! In a pot, saute equal parts of yellow peppers & onion in a fave fat, then, after a few minutes, add equal parts chopped green tomatoes, a few cloves of garlic, and as it all softens, add broth. Simmer until cooked, add salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, a glug of lime juice, and blend. If you like, top with sour cream (I did, non-dairy). I also added toasted Tahitian melon seeds!

Christmas Pomegranate Duck with Mushroom Grits and Fried Okra
Lightly grease a roast/baking pan (Duke's), add well-washed leeks (I like to do 2" splits) and sliced portobello mushrooms on one side, the duck on the other. I made a balsamic reduction mixed with balsamic, whatever jelly was open (rose) fresh rosemary, and glazed the duck and vegetables, then sprinkled over brandy, cayenne, and popped it into the oven, covered, at 300. Baste, stirring the mushrooms, and when it's about done, remove the foil, browning at 400. 

Remove the pan and stir in more favorite herbs into the vegetables - today, summer savory, rosemary and fresh parsley from the garden bed.

In a pot, make grits liberally seasoned with salt, pepper, and use broth instead of water to cook. 

In a heated, oiled pan, toss in halved okra. Let it sit and sear! Sprinkle with salt & pepper, stirring occasionally until tender but crispy on the edges, then sprinkle and stir in cumin.

On a plate, add a layer of grits, spoon over the mushroom/leek mix, slices of duck, drizzle with more glaze, and toss over pomegranate seeds and more fresh parsley.

Mother's Bridge Club says, "Copeland can pick a chicken four ways" and the same goes for duck. You can, too!

Duck Rilliette:
After dinner, shred the duck meat, mix with thyme, pepper (and peppercorns, they're great in this!), garlic, ginger, a little marmalade, salt to taste. Pack it into ramekins and cover with the juices left in the pan. Refrigerate a day then serve, or freeze to serve later.

Broth: Save the duck carcass and vegetable bits for broth. Often I freeze bits as I go, then when the container is full, make broth.

This has been a hard post to write. Life is not always about joy but about muddling through. I am grateful I am forcing myself to write, because when I go to insert pictures, I look back at so many better moments and the deep love of family and friends.

These hastily-written splattered cocktail recipes made me smile because in a season you can imagine the guests concocting their own favorites to carry on a festive Holiday Hike, girls' night, or to the  Christmas Parade: