GOING TO GRACELAND

Good morning folks! Or should I say Good Afternoon... How are you this steamy Saturday? Sorry for the late post... had my little visitor all day and night and he finally left this morning and I was tired cause I was up most of the night worried about my brother and worried that the baby was gonna roll off the bed LMAO. So I took a little nap LOL. Weather calls for isolated thunderstorms, so it was the perfect day to do that. LOL.



Now when People think of Elvis, one of the first things that pops in your head is his home. That is something on my bucketlist as well... visiting Graceland. I have wanted to go to Graceland ever since I was a little girl! So let's take a virtual trip, shall we?

Graceland is a large white-columned mansion and 13.8-acre (5.6 ha) estate that was home to Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee. It is located at 3734 Elvis Presley Boulevard in the vast Whitehaven community about twelve miles from Downtown and less than four miles north of the Mississippi border. It currently serves as a museum. It was opened to the public on June 7th, 1982 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on November 7, 1991 and declared a National Historic Landmark on March 27, 2006. Graceland has become the second most visited private home in America with over 600,000 visitors a year; only the White House has more visitors per year.

Elvis Presley died at the estate on August 16, 1977. Presley, his parents Gladys and Vernon Presley, and his grandmother, are buried there in what is called the Meditation Gardens.Graceland Farms was originally owned by S.C. Toof, founder of S.C. Toof & Co., a commercial printing firm in Memphis, who was previously the pressroom foreman of the Memphis newspaper, the Memphis Daily Appeal. The grounds were named after Toof's daughter, Grace, who inherited the farm. Soon after, the portion of the land designated as Graceland today was given to her nephews and niece. It was Grace Toof's niece, Ruth Moore, who, in 1939 together with her husband Dr. Thomas Moore, built the present American "colonial" style mansion.

Elvis purchased Graceland in early 1957 for approximately $100,000 after vacating an East Memphis house located at 1034 Audubon Drive. He moved because of privacy and security concerns, and the opposition of neighbors to the raucous behavior of the many fans who slowly cruised by his home. Elvis moved into Graceland together with his father Vernon Presley and his mother Gladys. After Gladys died in 1958, and Vernon married Dee Stanley in 1960, the couple lived there for a time. Wife-to-be Priscilla Beaulieu also lived at Graceland for five years before she and Elvis married. After their marriage in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967, Priscilla lived in Graceland five more years until she separated from Elvis in late 1972.

The mansion is constructed of tan limestone and consists of twenty-three rooms, including eight bedrooms and bathrooms. The entrance way contains four Temple of the Winds columns and two large lions perched on both sides of the portico. After purchasing the property Presley carried out extensive modifications to suit his needs and tastes, including: a fieldstone wall surrounding the grounds, a wrought-iron music-themed gate, a swimming pool, a racquetball court, and the famous "Jungle Room" which features an indoor waterfall, among other modifications. In February and October 1976, the Jungle Room was converted into a recording studio, where Presley recorded the bulk of his final two albums, From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee and Moody Blue; these were his final known recordings in a studio setting.



One of Presley's better known modifications was the addition of the Meditation Gardens, where he, his parents Gladys and Vernon, and grandmother are buried. A small stone memorializes Elvis' twin brother Jesse Garon who died at birth. The Meditation Garden was opened to the public in 1978. Graceland was officially opened to the public on June 7, 1982. According to critics such as Albert Goldman, "'nothing in the house is worth a dime." In chapter 1 of his book, Elvis (1981), the author describes Graceland as looking like a brothel: "it appears to have been lifted from some turn-of-the-century bordello down in the French Quarter of New Orleans." And he dismisses the interior as "gaudy," "garish" and "phony," adding that "King Elvis's obsession with royal red reaches an intensity that makes you gag." When "people who to a real degree shared Elvis Presley’s class background, and whose lives were formed by his music," visited the inside of Graceland, Greil Marcus says in similar terms, they "have returned with one word to describe what they saw: 'Tacky.' Tacky, garish, tasteless — words others translated as white trash." In Graceland: Going Home With Elvis, Karal Ann Marling deals with the decorative arts that makes Elvis' mansion seem a creation as well as a site. Graceland's "act of faith in serial novelty," Marling argues, synthesized the "intense concern for personal style" that made B. B. King notice a teenage Elvis in a pawnshop years before he was famous and the fashion sense informing the "theme clothes" of the '70s — "carapace[s] of sheer, radiant glory." However, it's important to note that during their four year relationship, Presley's girlfriend Linda Thompson decorated much of Graceland in her own style. Even Presley himself was said to "balk at the extent of her red fur and leopard skin look."

Graceland grew from 10,266 square feet (953.7 m2) when originally bought by Presley to 17,552 square feet (1,630.6 m2) today. Managers of the complex announced a major renovation project that will include a new visitors center, a 500-room convention hotel and high-tech museum displays. The current visitors center, souvenir shops, the 128-room Heartbreak Hotel, and museums will be torn down and replaced with the new facilities. The project will take approximately 3 years to complete.

Now today I will let you indulge into the King's favorite dessert item. Blackberry pie is a very sweet fruity southern staple if ya ask me. So I am gonna get straight to the point and bring you this recipe, except wih a twist... make it deep dish baby! Serve it up warm with a scoop of Homemade Vanilla ice cream and OMG you will be in heaven! Eat & Enjoy!



Deep-Dish Blackberry Pie

Ingredients

3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, thawed and drained
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

LATTICE CRUST:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold butter
1 tablespoon shortening
3 tablespoons cold water
1 egg white, beaten

Directions

Place blackberries in a bowl. Combine sugar and cornstarch; sprinkle over berries.

Add lemon juice and cinnamon; toss to coat. Spoon into a greased 1-qt. baking dish.

In a bowl, combine the flour, 1 teaspoon sugar and salt. Cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add water; toss with a fork until a ball forms. Roll out pastry; cut into strips and make a lattice crust over filling. Crimp edges.

Brush with egg white; sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 375 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.

Note: Instead of a lattice crust, pastry can be rolled out to fit top of dish. Cut slits in pastry; place over berries. Trim, seal and flute edges.

Well kids, I am gonna go see if I can save the rest of the day by getting off my lazy butt and be productive in SOME way LOL! I will see you tomorrow for the final resting blog for the King so make sure you tune in... same time... same station... Until then... HUGS!