SOUTHERN THYMES SHARED TAILGATES

With Our Braves On The Fourth!

 By Doc Lawrence

ATLANTA- Fourth of July celebrations Down South really should include our Atlanta Braves. The post-game fireworks are more fun here at Turner Field and the connection between baseball and the American Spirit is inescapable. What became America’s pastime was popularized during the Civil War. Heroes like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson and Atlanta’s own Hank Aaron fit perfectly with songs like “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and “God Bless America,” making the 7th inning stretch more than just a tradition. It’s a way of life deeply ingrained in our soul.


This is a day for food, drinks, family, and friends with a whole lotta joy. What to prepare and serve on this special day of celebration, baseball and tailgating? With Chef Lara Lyn Carter, the answer is always easy and natural. “Keep everything Georgia,” she says. “My own sauce is made with Georgia ingredients and with three boys and a husband, cheering the Braves and America is a family tradition. This sauce has some extra backbone because I included Rye Whiskey from my close friends at 13th Colony Distillery, just up the road in Americus.”

13th Colony Sauce

Chef Lara Lyn Carter

(From Southern Thymes Shared,
By Lara Lyn Carter and
Doc Lawrence, Pelican Publishing 2014)

3 tbsp. canola oil
1 Vidalia onion finely diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup ketchup
1 cup tomato sauce
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. dry mustard
2 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tbsp. 13 th Colony Southern Rye Whiskey
Heat the oil in skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic together until tender. Add remaining ingredients and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes stirring frequently. Serve warm or cold. Enjoy!

Jim Sanders was the “Father of Fine Wines” in Georgia and his J Sanders label French wines are sold exclusively at Sherlock’s in the Atlanta area. Jim loved good food particularly ribs and Brunswick Stew. A few chilled bottles of his Beaujolais Village will pair beautifully with barbecue of any kind, especially when Chef Lara Lyn’s 13th Colony Sauce is used generously.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

NOTE: Southern Thymes Shared, the wonderful cookbook, presents Chef Lara Lyn Carter’s recipes along with her wonderful stories that honor family, friends and the culinary heritage of he South. Each dish is paired with a careful selection of Old and New World wines.  The collectible cookbook is available on Amazon.com, at local bookstores and the Museum Gift Shop at Monticello.