By Snow on Black Mountain Tuesday. Three inches. The roads were greasy by Wednesday. Worked at the construction company in Lexington this week. The body holds. Most days.
Connie at the vet clinic, four shifts this week. Her back is tired. She does not say so. I see it. Mama is 85. She is the toughest person I have ever known. She still cooks every day in the company house in Evarts.
Fried potatoes for breakfast. Cast iron. Bacon grease. The morning standard.
Travis called Tuesday. The landscaping company is busy. He sounds tired in a good way. Amber called from Louisville. Hospital is busy. Floor nurse to charge nurse to nurse manager — she is the most successful Hensley alive.
The week held. The mountains were the mountains.
The neighbor up the road — Old Roy, eighty-seven, lives alone — had a small heart scare. We took him soup beans Tuesday. Cornbread too. He cried a little when he ate. We all cry over soup beans eventually.
I sat at the kitchen table Tuesday night working on the recipe project. Mama's soup beans. I cannot get the words right yet.
I checked the truck oil Saturday. The mileage on this truck is criminal.
Travis sent a photo of Earl Thomas riding on the mower with him at a job site. The boy is wearing a Hensley Landscaping T-shirt that's too big. Three generations on a mower. I saved the photo.
Sunday service at Harlan First Baptist when we go. Pastor preached about Ruth and Boaz. The choir sang. Connie wore her gray dress.
I sat on the porch with bourbon at sundown Friday. The fog rolled into the hollow the way it has every fog of every year. The porch was the porch. The bourbon was the bourbon.
Connie read aloud from a novel Tuesday evening while I worked on the bench. Some Appalachian writer she had picked up at the library in Whitesburg. The voice was the voice of where we live. We listened together.
Drove the truck to the dump Saturday afternoon. Saw three deer crossing the road on the way back. The mountains have been giving back this year.
Amber sent the kids' school photos this week. Nadia is taller every year. Marcus has Amber's serious face. Little Betty has Mama's eyes.
My back was tight after the wood-splitting Saturday. Took an Aleve. Slept eight hours. Got up.
Connie made jam Saturday afternoon. Wild blackberries from the patch up the hollow. Twelve jars. The pantry is filling for winter.
I went up to Earl's grave at the Evarts cemetery Saturday. Brought a beer. Drank half. Poured the rest on the dirt. Some traditions are mine alone.
I split a half-cord of wood Saturday. Slowly. The back does not let me work fast anymore. It got done. The wood was for the smokehouse.
The dog — old Beau, fifteen years old — slept by the wood stove all afternoon Tuesday. He used to be a hunting dog. Now he is a heating pad with opinions.
The creek was running clear Sunday afternoon. I watched a kingfisher work the riffle. Did not move for an hour. Some Sundays the watching is the worship.
Connie cut my hair on the porch Tuesday afternoon. She has been cutting my hair for forty years. The barber in Pineville cannot do what Connie does, which is also love.
Worked on a basement remodel job in Lexington. The work was good. The pay was good. The body is tired.
Read the paper at breakfast Tuesday. The county news is not great. The mines have not come back and they will not come back. The young people leave. The hollows empty. We stay.
Mama’s cast iron never gets cold this time of year — bacon grease in the pan by first light, potatoes going in before the sun clears the ridge. That same pan, that same grease, is where this dip starts. When Connie and I had neighbors coming through and a little bacon left over from the week, this was what got made — quick, warm, and the kind of thing you set in the middle of the table without ceremony because it doesn’t need any.
Cheesy Bacon Spinach Dip
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt to taste
- Crackers, bread, or sliced vegetables for serving
Instructions
- Cook the bacon. In a 10-inch cast iron skillet or oven-safe pan over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crisp, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Reserve 1 tablespoon of drippings in the pan.
- Sauté the garlic. Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the minced garlic to the reserved drippings and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute until fragrant. Do not let it brown.
- Build the base. Reduce heat to low. Add the cream cheese to the skillet and stir until melted and smooth. Mix in the sour cream, mayonnaise, onion powder, and black pepper until fully combined.
- Add the spinach and bacon. Fold in the squeezed-dry spinach, 3/4 of the cooked bacon, and 3/4 cup of the cheddar and all of the mozzarella. Stir until evenly incorporated. Taste and add salt as needed.
- Top and bake. Preheat oven to 375°F. Scatter the remaining cheddar and reserved bacon over the top of the dip. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 18–20 minutes, until bubbling around the edges and lightly golden on top.
- Serve hot. Remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes. Serve directly from the skillet with crackers, thick-cut bread, or raw vegetables alongside.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 290 | Protein: 10g | Fat: 25g | Carbs: 4g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 480mg