Story Scottie Vickery
Photos by Kelsey Bain
Ten years after buying their dream house on Logan Martin Lake, Deborah Mattison and her husband, Ronnie Harkins, created an outdoor oasis that made their own piece of paradise even dreamier.
After removing the concrete slab that was their patio, the couple created a backyard haven, complete with a cozy fireplace, covered sitting and dining areas, and an outdoor kitchen that rivals many of its indoor counterparts.
“It’s like having another living space, and it’s opened up so many possibilities,” Deborah said. “This makes it so much easier to entertain.”
Like many home-renovation projects, the outdoor living area started with a small idea that took on a life of its own. “I wanted an outdoor fireplace, and it grew from there,” Ronnie said. Four years later, he and Deborah are thrilled that it did.
“I have a stressful job,” said Deborah, an attorney who represents children with disabilities in special education matters. “When I get home from work, we come out here more nights than not and just look at the lake and relax. Being on the lake is really calming.”
Dining al fresco
Although Deborah is the chief cook, Ronnie said he handles the grilling. These days, they eat a lot of fish and chicken, so both the Coyote Grill and Big Green Egg get quite a workout. The outdoor kitchen also features two burners, an infrared cooker, a mini fridge, sink and lots of storage space.
One of their favorite recipes is Cedar Plank Salmon. “For some reason, cooking salmon on a plank makes the fish incredibly tender,” Deborah said, adding that they always keep cedar planks on hand.
She often pairs the salmon with Whole Artichokes with Aioli Sauce. “Artichokes are a unique vegetable with many health benefits,” she said. “They’re low in fat and high in fiber, minerals and vitamins C and K. Most people only eat them in dips, but they are delicious whole.”
They were also part of the very first meal she made for Ronnie when they were dating. “I made him crab cakes and an artichoke. I hoped the artichoke would make me look sophisticated,” she said with a laugh.
The couple met on a dating website and got married in 2002. “He was the first person I ever met online,” she said. She was intrigued that Ronnie, who had long served as chief financial officer for Central Alabama Community College, had started law school one month shy of his 50th birthday.
That, coupled with the fact that his profile picture showed him in front of a floor-to-ceiling bookcase that held many photos of his family, sealed the deal for Deborah. “I thought Ronnie looked smart and interesting,” she said.
Ronnie, who began practicing law in Sylacauga in 2005 before retiring two years ago, remembers being fascinated by her work and some of her cases. “Early on, she had a case that went to the United States Supreme Court,” he said. “I tagged along with her, and with me attending law school, that was very interesting.”
A piece of paradise
Deborah, who grew up in Michigan, lived on a lake before moving to Alabama in 1993. She didn’t want to give up the lake lifestyle, so she looked for a home on the water that wasn’t too far from her office in downtown Birmingham.
Her first home was on the Talladega side of the lake, and when they married, Ronnie sold his home in Childersburg and soon fell in love with lake living as well. They began looking for a new house and spent a lot of time on the pontoon boat searching for the perfect place and debating whether to renovate Deborah’s home, buy a new house or build. “We used to ride around all the time looking at houses and lots,” Ronnie said. “This was our dream home.”
Around that time, Ronnie’s cousin, Charlie Pepper, and his wife, Willie, moved home from California to help care for their elderly parents. They invited Ronnie and Deborah to dinner, and the couple did a double take when they arrived. “They had our house,” Deborah said.
Ronnie said the visit came at a time when they had gotten serious about finding a new home and had actually looked at six or eight houses that day. “When we got here that night to see Charlie and Willie, it emphasized our love of the house,” he said. “It has lots of windows and 14-foot ceilings in several of the rooms and an open plan.”
The Peppers knew they would eventually return to California, and “they told us they would give us the first opportunity to buy it,” Ronnie said. “We decided it was worth the wait.”
The 4-bedroom house in Pell City is just across from Bird Island and sits on 4½ acres on the point. It boasts 800 feet of seawall and has tremendous views from every vantage point. “You can see the water from every room in the house,” Deborah said.
Making it their own
Over the years, Deborah and Ronnie have renovated parts of the home to make it a better space for entertaining. They updated the kitchen and master bathroom and transformed an office just off the foyer into a small sitting room where they spend most of their time when they’re inside.
They converted a double closet to create the room’s focal point, a beautiful bar area featuring an antique chest flanked with built-in wine racks and topped with granite. An antique mirror and shelves holding glasses and bottles rests on top. In addition, they switched their living room and dining room to create more space for a larger table, which seats 10 people.
Although they like having guests, Deborah also enjoys preparing meals for just the two of them. “I love to cook,” she said. “While I often use recipes for ideas, I typically don’t measure anything, I eyeball it – unless I’m baking, which I very seldom do. I measure then because I don’t have enough of a feel for baking to use my own judgement.”
One thing she swears by is using fresh herbs, which she grows herself. “I grow a ton of herbs – mint, chives, rosemary, oregano, thyme,” she said. “Alabama has such a great growing season, and since these are perennial herbs, you don’t have to do anything but stick them in the pot and let them grow year-round.”
Now that Ronnie has retired, they have started gardening, too. He built some raised beds last year for tomatoes, radishes, onions, summer squash and bell peppers. They also have eight blueberry bushes. “I eat them just about every day when they are in season,” Ronnie said.
The great outdoors
The addition of the kitchen and living area has extended the “outdoor season” for Deborah and Ronnie, allowing them to enjoy lake life even more. They often host football parties and dinners for family and friends, and they find themselves heading outside even during the colder months.
“We love the fireplace at night,” Deborah said, adding that it’s especially cozy when there’s a nip in the air. “I put blankets in the dryer to warm them up, and then we sit in front of the fire for quite a while. It’s like being on vacation.”
Cedar Plank Salmon
Serves 2.
Ingredients:
- 2 salmon filets
- 1/8 cup Garlic Expressions Vinaigrette, Dressing & Marinade (or any preferred vinaigrette dressing)
- 1/8 cup soy sauce (optional)
- Lemon slices
- Capers (optional)
- 1 cedar plank board, soaked in water for about an hour.
Directions:
Marinate the filets for about an hour in the Garlic Expressions and soy sauce. I use a plastic sandwich bag and turn it over after 30 minutes.
Drain the cedar board and place the board on a grill set at 350 degrees for 3 minutes. Turn the plank over on the grill and place the salmon on it. Cook the salmon for 8 to 15 minutes, depending on how well cooked you like your salmon.
Remove the plank from the grill and plate the salmon. Garnish with lemon and capers. We sometimes add butter and/or marinated ginger.
Whole Artichokes with Aioli Sauce
While we like our artichokes with an aioli sauce, they pair well with many dips, such as a butter and lemon sauce or ranch dressing.
Ingredients:
- 1 artichoke per person
- Lemon (optional)
- Garlic (optional)
- Bay leaf (optional)
Directions for Cooking and Eating:
When picking an artichoke, squeeze it to make sure it is firm, and the leaves are tight.
Trim the stem and cut off the small leaves at the bottom of the artichoke. Trim the first inch off the top (the pointy ends of the leaves).
Steam the artichoke for about 30 minutes. You can also add lemon and/or garlic and/or a bay leaf to the water for added taste. An artichoke is done when you can easily pull out one of the outer leaves. Drain the artichoke.
To eat the artichoke, pull off an outer leaf and dip it into the aioli sauce. Place the tender (lighter) side of a leaf on your bottom front teeth, bite gently down and pull it through your teeth, scrapping off the tender part of the leaf. Discard the remainder of the leaf.
Continue with the remaining leaves until you reach the fuzzy part of the artichoke, called the “choke.” Scrape out the fuzzy choke and discard. The remaining part is the artichoke “heart,” and it is completely edible, using the reminder of the dip.
Aioli Sauce
This is a very versatile sauce and can be used with fries, burgers or salmon. Consider adding any of the following: horseradish, Dijon or stone-ground mustard, pesto or basil, chives and/or chipotle.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup of mayonnaise
- 3 cloves of garlic, use more or less to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons of fresh lemon sauce, to taste
- Coarse salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Mix the ingredients and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Enjoy!
