Thursday, April 8, 2010

Thursday Thirteen- Southern Food

I'm so far behind this week. And that includes with my Thursday Thirteen. I didn't even remember until this morning that today is Thursday! Since I've been feeling homesick (a little more than usual, if that's possible), I thought I might list some of the foods I love from the South. These are foods I can't get easily here in PA so when I go home for a visit, I stock up.

1. Grits- it's easy to get instant grits here, but not real grits. I've been wanting to make Shrimp and Grits for a while now, but I can't get real grits!

2. Greens- I love greens with cider vinegar and bits of ham. Oh my, I'm drooling now. I grow greens every year in my garden and with the cool weather here in the north, I usually get a good crop.

3. Pecan pie- Of course I can get that here in Pa in some places, but most people here don't like it. They say it's too sweet. Is it possible for a dessert to be too sweet?

4. Sweet Potato Pie- I make it almost every Thanksgiving, mostly for myself.

5. Mint Julep- Neither my husband or I drink more than twice a year, but one time in Williamsburg my husband had a mint julep on an empty stomach. It was hysterical to watch as he tried to reason out why he felt so weird.

6. Spoon bread- speaking of Williamsburg, spoon bread is so good. When I mention to my friends here that it's on my Thanksgiving or Christmas menu, they have no idea what it is.

7. Sweet potatoes- With butter and brown sugar. Oh my.

8. Pinto beans- Not found as a side dish anywhere here except Cracker Barrel. I go there to get my fix. I eat mine with mustard and ketchup. Yum!

9. Corn bread- it's getting more common here, but it's still mostly Italian bread you find in restaurants and with most folk's dinners. I still don't have a great corn bread recipe to use, but I'm still looking.

10. Biscuits- no one makes them better than Southerners!

11. Sauces- from BBQ to glazes, I love them all.

12. Black eyed peas- I eat them with mustard too. They are also great to toss into sweet and tangy salads.

13. Sweet tea- I made a batch almost everyday. Everyone in my house drinks it like water!

What is your favorite Southern foods?

6 comments:

Sweet Virginia Breeze said...

I love greens with ham and cider vinegar, black eyed peas, pinto beans, corn bread, and ice tea (unsweetened). My hubbie's favorite meal is pork chops, pinto beans, greens, and hush puppies.

Sweetflutterbys3 said...

Mmmmm, that all sounds good!

Beth said...

Great list---makes me hungry! :-) I love most of the things on your list (though I've never had a mint julep). I would add hush puppies and chess pie. My Grandma had the best chess pie I ever ate. I regret I never got her recipe.

Sweetflutterbys3 said...

Chess pie, I've never had that. Now I'll have to try it. Thanks Beth!

CountryDew said...

Well, I know what all that stuff is so I must be southern! I can't believe anyone would dislike pecan pie. Wow.

Second Beth on the Chess Pie. Why is it called Chess Pie? One version is because when asked what it was, the woman would reply "chess pie" (just pie). :-)

Sweetflutterbys3 said...

That is cool! I like knowing the stories behind food. I don't think most people realize food has such history.