Born and raised in Georgia and now currently living in Alabama, you could say I know the southern customs pretty well. We say "y'all" on average fifteen times daily and when places do not serve sweet tea, it might be considered a sin. Although they are two viable ones, those can not be the only reasons why people love the south. The people are charming and oh so welcoming, say "please" and "thank you," using their manners as they hold open a door for a stranger, and a handshake without a doubt becomes a hug. But most importantly it is that down home southern food that keeps the crowd coming back for more. There is nothing better than a meal of homemade fried chicken, mac and cheese, and fried okra with a warm buttered biscuit. Or barbecue and Brunswick stew with corn bread and banana pudding for desert. Mm mm I could go on for hours!I feel this blog should be dedicated to all of those southern recipes we grew up loving and eating, and I feel there is not a better way to do that than to share some of our favorite recipes with one another. Of course don't be shy to comment on others or give suggestions. Or simply try the recipes out for yourself and let the food do all the talking. We all know we could use a break from our "diet" to enjoy some of the good stuff!
By the way, if you have a great recipe for homemade biscuits my best friend has been trying for months to perfect hers and has not quite gotten it. Plus we all need to know the recipe to a man's heart! :)
You will be hearing again from me soon and I cannot wait to hear from you!
With southern love,
Rachel
I love you opening post. Did you know that tea is very hydrating? I learned that from Curves' weight management program. You can include tea also in your water intake if you are counting how many glasses of water you drink each day. Of course that is not "sweet" tea but "unsweet". You are sweet enough!
ReplyDeleteBreakfast Berry Bread Pudding (fabulous)
ReplyDeletePrep time: 10 minutes
6 cup of cubed bread (any type)
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 cup raisins (I like the yellow ones)
6 large eggs, beaten
1 3/4 cup milk (1% or greater)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (increase to 2 cups if making this for dessert)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 cups fresh blueberries
Fresh mint leaves (optional)
Grease the inside of the CROCKPOT Slow Cooker stoneware with nonstick cooking spray or butter. Place bread, nuts and raisins in prepared stoneware and toss to combine.
Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon in separate bowl. Pour egg mixture over bread mixture; toss to blend. Cover, cook on LOW for 4-4.5 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours.
Remove stoneware from heating unit and allow bread pudding to cool and set prior to serving. Serve garnished with berries adn mint leaves, if desired.
Another item to include as an option is maple syrup. Someone accidentally poured some maple syrup over their bread pudding at dinner and it was delicious. Just a thought.
Enjoy!
Hello Rachael, I just happpen to come upon your blog this morning, welcome to blogland! You will meet alot of fun and interesting people and really quite friendly and lovely too!
ReplyDeleteMy son married a cute little southern girl so I have grown to smile when I heard girls that say Y'All in that cute little Southern accent! I just love Southern Cooking and I will be checking back to see your delicious recipes!
Greetings from Southern California.....
~Ann
Hi Rachel....welcome to the Blogisphere!! You have a lovely looking site and I look forward to coming back...Love your post about "sweet tea"....living here in Georgia the "sweet" is a bit to "sweet" for me but I'm a huge iced tea drinker...lemon please and lots and lots of ice...Good luck with the blog...Your Aunt Catherine's friend Sue @Rue-Mouffetard
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Blogland, Rachel! I know I'm gonna love your blog 'cause I'm a southern girl, through and through! I was born and "raised" in Georgia and love it still. :-) Great pics on your sidebar...love the one of the outdoor dining! Susan
ReplyDeleteA girl after my Georgia heart. Tea either iced or hot has always been my beverage of choice, right after water. Sorry Coke and Mr. Pemberton, but that's the way it is.
ReplyDeleteAbout the biscuit recipe, Alton Brown from the Food Network, has what I think might be a winner. Here is a link:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/southern-biscuits-recipe/index.html
He did a Good Eats show where he made biscuits side by side with his Grandmother. She didn't use measurements, he did. She made them the way I remember my Grandmother making them, strictly by touch and feeling the dough. She is the Ma Mae mentioned along with her advice, near the end of the recipe given by Alton.
Sorry,i don't make homemade bisquits often enough.And mine are horrid.I would suggest to find an old recipe or even Paula Deen should have a perfect one.And pratice,practice.Bisquits are not something you can,like me,go into the kitchen every ten yrs and make.You HAVE to stay at it.I believe thats the only way to perfect a bisquit recipe.it would be nice to be wrong,but for once i think i am right,ha...Ann
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more about the charms of the south, Rachel. There certainly is abundant beauty both geographically and in the people and lifestyle of the south. My mother is the ultimate southern cook. Those old recipes passed down through the generations are to be treasured. I love your dedication to the old traditions of the south. And by the way, your photo is just adorable!
ReplyDeleteKathy
(I am a blogging friend of Catherine's)
Rachel, you are just as cute as pie...and I look forward to reading up on some here too. I have a recipe blog and a "gumbo" blog, menaing-it's all there. I wish you the best. I know you will meet some great people.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to blogging! Look forward to you posts!
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel...welcome to blogland! Being a Southern gal myself, I couldn't agree with you more about life here in the South!I am afraid my biscuits wouldn't win any prizes, though! I love those frozen ones from Pillsbury...pretty darn close to Southern style!...Debbie
ReplyDeleteHey Rach! Another great biscuit recipe I believe is found on the bag of flour called "Lily"...and it's called "Angel Bisquits". I've made them before and they are extremely light...one of the things I've learned when making bisquits is to not overwork the dough. Happy Bisquit Making...and yes, Bisquits are the way to a man's heart! ;) ~CC Catherine
ReplyDeleteWow Rachel! What a great day in blogland. You are a fantastic blogger.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoyed the recipe.
Love you!
Hi Rachel! Just wanted to say welcome to blog-land. Be warned it's very addictive here. You are going to make so many friends and lose so much sleep, lol! Love your 1st post. You are off to a wonderful start.
ReplyDeleteRachel, you're so creative, just like your aunt Catherine. We call her CC. I love all the above foods and my mouth is watering! I especially love good old fashion made banana pudding with real meringue on top! Can't wait to make some of your things. Congrats on graduating.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless,
Vonnie Blowers
Hello Rachel! Welcome!
ReplyDeleteI Just won your Aunt's give away right before Valentine's Day and it was a teacup and saucer and some tea and other pretty things. Very fun!
I look forward to NOT GAINING any weight as I explore your further posts!
Have a great day! Karen
Hi Rachel, I finally found some time to check out your site. It looks fantastic. You color choice and pictures are very eye appealing. Here is a recipe for Sour Cream Biscuits from the Whips Cove Church cookbook. I haven't personally tried them so maybe someone can give us some feedback if you they try the recipe.
ReplyDelete2 cups of flour
1/2 stp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder.
Sift above ingredients together.
Dissolve 1/2 tsp soda in 1 T cold water; beat into 1/2 c. sour milk and 1/2 c cream. Add cream mixture to the flour when soda is thoroughly dissolved. Stir fast with a spoon. Put dough on molding board which you have spread with flour. Pat into a cake. Do not use much flour except to keep dough from sticking to the hand. Cut in small biscuits, lay in hot greased pan and bake in hot oven (no temp given). If you wish to use all sour milk instead of cream and milk, mix a kitchen spoon of lard or drippings (can you tell it's an old recipe?) with the flour before putting in the sour milk.