Jasper Floyd’s Fried Chicken
Cut large fryer into individual pieces. Wash well in cool water. Set aside.
Flour Mixture:
Add 3 cups all-purpose flour to large bowl. Add salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Mix together.
On high heat add 2–3 inches of oil to frying pan. Heat oil. Drop a little flour in oil to see if hot enough. When flour sizzles, that means the oil is hot enough.
Coat chicken well and add coated pieces to hot oil. Brown and turn chicken. Reduce heat to medium/medium-high. Continue to turn chicken till brown, golden, and crispy. Cook around 30 minutes till done.
Jasper Floyd’s White Gravy
In heavy black skillet, heat 3 Tbsp. of grease.
In large jar, add about 3 cups of milk. Add 3½ Tbsp. flour to milk. Stir flour into milk.
Pour all at once into hot oil. Whisk till smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. May add more milk to thin gravy. Cook till bubbly and thickened. Serve with biscuits. May add sausage to gravy as desired.
Aunt Tilda’s Fried Pies
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
1 cup shortening
1 cup milk
In a large bowl, mix together flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture is crumbly. Mix in milk and stir until dough forms a ball. Roll out dough and cut into eighteen 6-inch circles.
Set aside.
Filling:
14 oz. dried fruit (peaches, apples, cherries)
¾ cup white sugar
Water to cover fruit
In large saucepan combine fruit and sugar. Add enough water to cover fruit. Cover pan and cook over low heat until fruit is falling apart. Remove lid and cook till water is evaporated.
Place 2 cups of oil in black skillet over medium heat.
Place spoonful of fruit into center of each circle. Fold in half. Seal pastry with fork dipped in cold water.
Fry a few pies at a time in hot oil, browning on both sides. Drain pies on paper towels. Sprinkle with sugar.
Aunt Tilda’s Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
Cake:
1 18¼-oz. package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 Tbsp. butter, melted
Filling:
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
8 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 16-oz. box powdered sugar
Heat oven to 350°F.
Combine the cake mix, eggs, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13-by-9-inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together.
Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well. Spread over cake batter and bake for 40–50 minutes. Don’t overbake—the center should be a little gooey.
Addie’s Boiled Tea
In large glass pitcher, add 1–2 cups of sugar. Place metal knife in pitcher.
On stove, boil 2–3 cups of water. Add 2 family-size tea bags. Cover and let steep. The longer you steep, the stronger the tea.
Remove tea bags and pour hot tea slowly into pitcher (the metal knife will absorb heat so glass won’t break). Now add cold water until tea is the color you desire. Stir well!
Reading Group Discussion Questions
1. This novel deals with issues of home, family, and remembrance. At one point Addie thinks that if Jonah, her late fiancé, were with her he would have “picked through each piece of furniture” in her late aunt’s home. “He would have asked for stories about each one, stories Addie had long forgotten.” Are there any mementos or heirlooms in your life that tell a story?
2. Addie saves Felix from certain death, but Felix is not just a cuddly dog; he’s a pit bull, a breed that often has a bad reputation. What do you think about the author’s choice in making Felix a pit bull? Does this make Felix’s gentle disposition more of a surprise to you?
3. Many people attribute human characteristics to their pets, especially to dogs. In fact, Addie thinks that Felix “looks a lot on the outside like she felt on the inside. She had a feeling that Felix wasn’t the only dog to have been dumped bleeding and struggling for his life.” Do you think that dogs and pets can feel things the way humans do?
4. Addie resists telling Jasper that Jonah is dead, although she does say he is her “ex-fiancé.” What do you think holds her back from telling him the entire truth at first?
5. Food means a lot in this novel. At one point Addie finds her aunt Tilda’s recipe box and remembers her saying, “A woman’s recipes are like her diary. They aren’t meant for anyone else’s eyes but hers.” Do you agree? Disagree? Why?
6. At one point Addie enters Redd’s room. Redd is a criminal and yet his room is clean and well-furnished. Does this surprise you? Why do you think Redd has such a well-put-together place in such a disorganized and filthy house?
7. Although the United States is one country, there are regional differences even in today’s highly connected world. Jasper accuses Addie of trying to change “an entire culture,” saying, “That’s why people like you never last very long down here.” Do you think that it’s true that you can’t change an entire culture? Should Addie be trying to change things or not?
8. Jasper tells Addie that “Memphis is my home. Eunice . . . the farm . . . that’s where I was born. That’s likely where I’ll die. But it isn’t my home.” What is the difference between home and where you live? Can they really be two different concepts?
9. Addie’s neighbor Augustus says that “acting crazy is easier than everything else.” Is this true? Why do you think he has chosen to act crazy all these years? Has it made his life easier? Or has it actually cut him off from other aspects of life that could have brought him joy?
10. In the end, we discover that while crimes against animals are very real, the true crime being investigated is meth. Did this surprise you? And do you think that television shows such as Breaking Bad have actually glamorized meth production as we root for the criminals there to succeed?
CREDITS
Cover design by Emin Mancheril
Cover photograph © by Karin Newstrom/ImageBrief.com
COPYRIGHT
This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.
P.S.™ is a trademark of HarperCollins Publishers.
SIT! STAY! SPEAK!. Copyright © 2015 by Annie England Noblin.All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
Chapter opener photo © GlobalP via iStockPhoto
EPub Edition September 2015 ISBN 9780062379245
ISBN 978-0-06-237926-9
15 16 17 18 19 OV/RRD 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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