Southern Traditions

[teva]

Steven, did you see I posted about pot likker?  We must have been tuning into the same food frequency recently.  Pot likker is not only Southern, but it's also a home food--I can't remember the last time I saw it served in a restaurant.

Stellabella,

Try Mary Macs Tearoom in Midtown, Atlanta. The food is a bit overpriced but it is a Southern as it gets. They serve Pot Likkers and other traditional Southern cuisine.

[southern girl]

Don't forget:

Corn Pones

Pecan-cornbread stuffed quail with gravy

Grits with bacon mixed in

Freshly boiled shrimp with datil pepper sauce

Cajun Boudin

Along with everything else alreay mentioned!

[Saydee]

Ah, this is reminding me of Georgia, my home state.:) Here are a couple of others that I can think of:

Peanut butter and banana sandwiches (not sure if this is completely Southern, but my Grandpa used to love them and I hear Elvis liked a variation on this, too:)

"soppin' biscuits" - taking your homemade biscuits, pouring out a ridiculous amount of cane syrup (which I can't find here in Seattle!), mushing butter up into the syrup and dippin' those biscuits in:) what a way to start a Sunday morning!

[Skie]

Peanut butter and banana sandwiches (not sure if this is completely Southern, but my Grandpa used to love them and I hear Elvis liked a variation on this, too:)

I'll prolly get thwacked for correcting my wife on-line (yes, saydee is my wife), but I heard Elvis (Presley) liked Peanut butter 'n bacon sandwiches.... yeah... PB&B.

On the other hand (wrong board for this), another famous Elvis (Stojko, Canadian figure skating champion) likes his PB&J&B.... Peanut Butter 'n Jam 'n Banana.

"Sorry Dear!" *ducks*

[Varmint]

"soppin' biscuits" - taking your homemade biscuits, pouring out a ridiculous amount of cane syrup (which I can't find here in Seattle!), mushing butter up into the syrup and dippin' those biscuits in:)  what a way to start a Sunday morning!

We often use blackstrap mollasses.

[Jaymes]

I'll prolly get thwacked for correcting my wife on-line (yes, saydee is my wife), but I heard Elvis (Presley) liked Peanut butter 'n bacon sandwiches.... yeah... PB&B.

"Sorry Dear!" *ducks*

Actually, although I didn't know "E" personally, I heard that his favorite was FRIED peanut butter & banana sandwiches.... ugh.

I s'pose someone should Google it and get back with us so we'll know for sure...

I mean, an important question like this and all.

Edit note: Thought instead of suggesting that someone else Google it, I would. Indeed, on one of the sites referenced, it says that E's favorite food was fried PB & banana sandwiches.... ugh.

[shugga]

I love peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches.

Southern foods I love when we go to NC to check out areas to retire to are:

grits, fried catfish, pepper jelly, & Vidalia onion dressing. How could I forget to add greens with hot pepper sauce!

I just bought a jar of fig spread at a farmer's market last week. Haven't tried it yet.

[ShawtyCat]

Biscuits....biscuits....BISCUITS!!! Fresh, hot, just-out-of-the-oven, melt-in-your-mouth BISCUITS... (Where's the drool similie?? )

Collard Greens with Smoked Pork Neckbones

Grits with loads of butter, Bacon AND Eggs mixed in

Chicken & Grits smothered in gravy with cornbread and a side of buttered green beans with crumbled bacon on top.......Damn IM HUNGRY! I Love buttered green beans.

Pan fried catfish

Sorry....I've made myself so hungry...I can't think!

Edit to add: Gawd! Almost poisoned myself when my hubby decided that we should try out the Ihop.... I will never again order the dish they have with biscuits and sausage gravy. My stomache still quivers at the thought. Hey...when are you going to get a similie that's green in the face??

[Huevos del Toro]

Chicken-Fried Steak topped with cream gravy is pretty popular around here.  My husband makes an excellent version.  The trick is to get the fried crust to stay on the meat.  A friend of mine from Georgia says they have Chicken-Fried Steak there, too.  But, her description sounds more like Smothered Steak to me.  The Texas version is deep fried and then topped with the gravy.  It doesn't cook in the gravy.

I'd have to add Peach Ice Cream as a favorite as well!

I've tried various ways to get the breading to stick and the best one (so far) is a double breading. The meat must be pretty dry before beginning.

Seasoned flour (incl. cayenne!)

Egg, buttermilk, baking powder, baking soda

Back into the seasoned flour

Fry in 375-degree peanut oil

Into a 200-degree oven to drain while making the cream gravy:

Onion

Thyme

Garlic

Flour

Milk

Chicken stock

Salt

Pepper

Cayenne

Man, when it's done right it just can't be beat! And I just gotta have some mashers with it!

[Jenny]

Acre peas aka. conch peas

Creamed corn

Brim

RC Cola

fried squash

Pea pickin cake

Mello Yello

chicken n dumplins

[Oceanairre]

A little late to this and trying not to repeat..........but :

sweet potato pie

any pie, fried

puttin' peanuts into a cold bottle of Coca Cola for the fizz

red-eye gravy with a cold cured Va. ham

bowl of greens (collards, poke salad, whatever) with bacon drippings and vinegar

pulled-pork BBQ sandwiches (I see that Brunswick stew was mentioned) on toast, not a bun, with sauce and pickles

buttermilk used in baking, or fried oyster batter

bourbon balls

fruitcake soaked in bourbon ("pour me another slice")

egg nog from scratch with bourbon, brandy and a dollop of rum

catfish any way you like it

[Jaymes]

A little late to this and trying not to repeat..........but :

bourbon balls

I love bourbon balls.

My all-time favorite Christmas card said...

On the outside: "Thinking of you at Christmas,"

Inside: "And wishing I'd put more bourbon in the bourbon balls."

[southern girl]

I can't believe I forgot to mention Dreamland barbecue...I get my fix in a little over two weeks YESSSSS

[d_elphie]

Macaroni and Cheese...biscuits and gravy...chicken and dumplins.. we eat everything in two's.

Ale-8-1, RC, Coke meanin every carbonated beverage...

My granny's blackberry jam on buttered biscuits, cornbread broken up in some buttermilk.

polk greens, turtle soup, Macaroni and canned maters, PRALINES

red-eye gravy, chocolate gravy... i think i need to stop with Granny's jam cake with caramel-rum icing.

[nervousnelli]

crawfish boil

collard greens

pig tails 'n rice

[sparrowgrass]

Fry up some pork chops, and when they are done, heat up your hominy in the pan drippins. MMM I love hominy.

Squirrel and dumplins

peaches

watermelon

mushmelon

pinkeye purple hulls

perlow

fried turtle

collards

turnips and greens boiled together

green beans cooked all day with onions and hamhocks

sweet taters topped with pecans and brown sugar

[arjay]

Country ham and Redeye gravy!

Please note: In the South gravy is a beverage.

[joiei]

hot fresh from the oven biscuits with mayhaw jelly!

[maggiethecat]

Fry up some pork chops, and when they are done, heat up your hominy in the pan drippins.  MMM I love hominy.

Squirrel and dumplins

peaches

watermelon

mushmelon

pinkeye purple hulls

perlow

fried turtle

collards

turnips and greens boiled together

green beans cooked all day with onions and hamhocks

sweet taters topped with pecans and brown sugar

Sparrowgrass; As I have indicated before, you have nothing but my respect and affection.

But say it isn't so! Turtles? Poor frisky and doubtless, worm ridden squirrells?

I am actually afraid to ask what pinkeye purple hulls are!

Turtles? Gack!

[Lyle]

Fry up some pork chops, and when they are done, heat up your hominy in the pan drippins.  MMM I love hominy.

Squirrel and dumplins

peaches

watermelon

mushmelon

pinkeye purple hulls

perlow

fried turtle

collards

turnips and greens boiled together

green beans cooked all day with onions and hamhocks

sweet taters topped with pecans and brown sugar

Sparrowgrass; As I have indicated before, you have nothing but my respect and affection.

But say it isn't so! Turtles? Poor frisky and doubtless, worm ridden squirrells?

I am actually afraid to ask what pinkeye purple hulls are!

Turtles? Gack!

Pinkeye purple hulls, I supposed for their slightly reddish "eye", are purple hull peas. Think black eyed peas with a little more fruit.

Always add vinegar.

[haunted_chef]

how bout some good ole peach cobbler

[crumbs]

Fried corn bread (heat peanut oil in the cast iron skillet you got from your momma 'til it's very hot. Pour in your batter and bake. The crust will be crispy, dark brown, oily & yummy!)

Rhubarb/Strawberry pie

Apple Butter made by your great-aunt

Mississippi Mud Cake

Moon Pies

Homemade ice cream when you took turns sitting on the churn while the men turned, added rock salt & chipped ice (using an ice pick, of course)

Pickled everything!

Divinty

Squash casserole with saltines & butter topping

Broccoli casserole with Cheez Whiz

Veggies that are always cooked to mush

Sawmill gravy (basically a milk gravy made after Jimmy Dean sausages are fried)

When my dad was stationed in Germany (USAF) in the early 60's, family members Air Mailed corn meal & grits to us!

Speckled butter beans

And I still eat tons of mayo/tomato sandwiches every summer!

A proud Southern Girl of many generations married to a Yank who won't even touch a Grit!

Debi

[gknl]

Tell him it's white polenta, specially ground in a small village in Northern Italy.

[Ron Johnson]

Shrimp & Grits

Turtle Soup

[crumbs]

Tell him it's white polenta, specially ground in a small village in Northern Italy.

He loves hominy, go figure. We did a dinnner recently for 36 people and he called it "The No Grits, No Greens" menu. Fortunately we had lots of "transplants" there.

Debi