A Common Shepherdess

I have started a new blog at https://creativeinstinct.blog/ and moved my State Dinner and information there. Come visit my new site! Finally resuming our state dinners and state studies! This was our Missouri state dinner: St. Louis-style ribs Toasted ravioli Corn on the cob Green salad Ice cream cones Dr. Pepper In 1904, St. Louis, Missouri, hosted the World's Fair.  Introduced at that fair were ice cream cones and Dr. Pepper.  Toasted ravioli is a dish unique to Missouri and was also introduced at the fair.  It is ravioli that is breaded and deep fried.  You can eat it plain or serve it with marinara sauce for dipping.  Corn is an important crop for Missouri.  The only state that produces corn cob pipes is Missouri. 

I have started a new blog at https://creativeinstinct.blog/ and moved my State Dinner and information there. Come visit my new site! Buffalo Burgers Chuckwagon Potatoes Rainbow fruit platter Rustic Apple Pie The American buffalo (bison) is the official state animal of Kansas. They once roamed freely all over the Kansas prairie. And they are very tasty! Bison meat is lower in fat and cholesterol than beef but tastes very similar. I made a rainbow of fruit as a nod to The Wizard of Oz , which took place in Kansas. (Red - strawberries, Orange - peaches, Yellow - pineapple, Green - kiwi, Blue - blueberries, Purple - grapes) Lewis and Clark crossed the northeastern corner of the state in 1804, opening the way west. Many pioneers followed and blazed new trails: the Santa Fe Trail, the Oregon Trail, the Chisholm Trail, the Western Cattle Trail, and the Pony Express. Pioneer women served pies frequently. Pie is an adaptable recipe that could make use of regional...

I have started a new blog at https://creativeinstinct.blog/ and moved my State Dinner and information there. Come visit my new site! Grilled steaks Baked potatoes Corn salad Kool-Aid (official state soft drink) Sorghum Cookies If we hadn't just gotten through the holiday season, I would have made the dessert. With all the cookies and sugar we have had lately, I decided to skip it. The kids didn't miss it! In this area I haven't seen sorghum syrup but I have found sorghum flour and we also have sorghum fields nearby. I also served corn salad instead of fresh corn on the cob because it is January! I can't find the link but this is the recipe we used: 1 bag frozen corn, thawed 3 cups grape tomatoes, halved 1/2 cup diced red onion 4 Tbsp olive oil 4 Tbsp fresh lime juice salt and pepper to taste. Just throw it all in a bowl and mix! Sorghum is one of the important crops grown in Nebraska with corn being the number one crop. It is, after all, ni...

I have started a new blog at https://creativeinstinct.blog/ and moved my State Dinner and information there. Come visit my new site! Grilled Pork Chops on a Stick, brined with a dry rub Salad on a Stick Grilled corn on the cob Milk Dutch Letters The Iowa State Fair is the largest event in the state and is known as "America's Classic State Fair." It was the inspiration behind a novel, three motion pictures and Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway musical, "State Fair." Iowa is the number one pork producing state in the U.S. The Iowa Pork Producers Association serves up over 6,000 pork chops on a stick each day during the state fair. In order to expand healthier options, vendors at the fair started serving salad on a stick. Iowa alone produces more corn each year that most other countries in the world. It has produced the largest corn crop of any state for the past 14 years. Most of it is used as animal feed. Dutch letters are tradition...

I have started a new blog at https://creativeinstinct.blog/ and moved my State Dinner and information there. Come visit my new site! Chislic with crackers Fry bread (official state bread) with honey Wild blueberries, plum and cherries Milk (official state beverage) Apple kuchen (official state dessert) Chislic is a food that is apparently unheard of outside of South Dakota. Chislic is chunks of seasoned meat that has been deep fried. I used beef. Other choices include lamb, venison, and elk. Before frying, I sprinkled it with a simple seasoning of garlic powder, salt and pepper. Fry bread has become a popular Native American treat. The honey bee is the official state insect of South Dakota so we chose to use honey as a topping. Toppings can be savory, like taco fixings, to sweet, like berry syrup or powdered sugar. Blueberries, plums and chokecherries all grow wild in South Dakota. I don't have access to wild plums or chokecherries so we just cut up some pl...

I have started a new blog at https://creativeinstinct.blog/ and moved my State Dinner and information there. Come visit my new site! Knepfla Soup Rolls Cucumber salad Milk (official state beverage) Chocolate-covered potato chips Knepfla (or knoephla) soup comes from the German-immigrants-by-way-of-Russia that settled in North Dakota in the late 1800s. It is basically a dumpling soup with potatoes and cream. My kids loved this, even on a hot July day. My seven-year-old daughter made most of the soup herself. She chopped the vegetables, rolled and cut the knepfla and dropped it into the soup. I made a simple brioche dough in my bread machine and then baked them in the oven. We used a simple cucumber salad recipe: salted sliced cucumbers and sliced red onions in a dressing of 1 cup apple cider vinegar (heated to boiling first) and 4 tsp sugar. Carol Widman's Candy Company in Fargo is home of the famous chocolate-covered potato chips, or Chippers as they are called....

I have started a new blog at https://creativeinstinct.blog/ and moved my State Dinner and information there. Come visit my new site! Wild Rice Soup Lefse Milk (official state beverage) Blueberry crumb bars Wild rice is Minnesota's official state grain. For many years, Minnesota produced almost all of the world's wild rice. It was a staple food for the Ojibwa, Cree and Menomini Native American tribes. Lefse is a traditional Norwegian flat bread and still a popular treat among Minnesotans. Milk is the official state beverage. Blueberries can be found wild throughout Minnesota. This dinner is very white. I lived in Minnesota from about age 5 until I was married. I remember after having dinner at someone's house, we remarked how everything on the plate was white. Growing up with parents raised in the South, we were more used to sweet tea with dinner than milk and definitely used to more spices! My kids loved the wild rice soup, lefse and blueberry bars t...

I have started a new blog at https://creativeinstinct.blog/ and moved my State Dinner and information there. Come visit my new site! Bratwurst Beer cheese soup topped with popcorn Spinach salad with bacon dressing Milk Cream puffs Wisconsin is known as "America's Dairyland." According to the Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics Service, the total monthly milk production in Wisconsin is 2.2 billion pounds and in 2008 Wisconsin produced 2.5 billion pounds of cheese. The official state nickname is The Badger State, but it isn't what you think. The "badgers" were miners in the 1800s. They would tunnel into the ground looking for lead (galena) and many of them lived in the tunnels they dug. Thus the nickname "badger". Wisconsin has since adopted the badger as its official state animal. Bratwurst is a German sausage and many Wisconsin residents have a German heritage. That might have something to do with why Wisconsin has so many brewerie...

Chicago-style deep dish pizza watermelon Cracker Jack Pizza is always a hit! Chicago-style pizza was invented at Pizzeria Uno in Chicago in 1943. We made ours with sweet Italian sausage and pepperoni. I didn't have a 15-inch deep dish pizza pan so I made it in two of my cast iron pans. It turned out great. I used a 10-inch pan and an 8-inch pan. I always like to serve a fruit or vegetable with pizza so we choose watermelon. Watermelon certainly isn't peculiar to Illinois but it is popular throughout the whole Mississippi Valley area. Cracker Jack was first introduced to the public at the World's Columbian Exposition (more commonly called the Chicago World's Fair) in 1893--most likely America's first junk food. Although consisting of peanuts, popcorn, and molasses, it is probably healthier than most of today's junk food! The Chicago World's Fair popularized many new things: electric lighting, motion pictures, elongated coins (I collect these every w...

Breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches Orville Reddenbacher's Popcorn Van Camp's Pork and Beans Hoosier Sugar Cream P ie Pork is a major product of Indiana. Pork tenderloin sandwiches are popular throughout the Midwest but are also a famous sandwich from Indiana. In 1998 there was even a documentary released called "In Search of the Famous Hoosier Breaded Tenderloin." Orville Reddenbacher was born and raised in Brazil, Indiana. He developed his own hybrid of popcorn in Valparaiso, Indiana. In 1970, he started selling his gourmet popcorn which is still the most popular brand of popcorn in America. From the Van Camp's website: "America’s #1 Pork & Beans since 1909! Van Camp’s Pork & Beans traces its roots back to 1861 when Gilbert Van Camp and his wife Hester opened a family grocery store in Indianapolis, IN where they canned fruits and vegetables. Gilbert’s son, Frank, discovered that their Pork & Beans tasted even better when served hot in t...

Pasties Baked Apples Vernor's ginger ale (bottled in MI since the Civil War) Cherry Chocolate Shortbread Cookies This was a very beige dinner but tasty! A pasty (past-ee) are a savory filled pastry. Copper and iron deposits were discovered in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan during the 1840s. Many of the first settlers to the area were immigrants from Cornwall of England, with years of mining experience. Pasties were a convenient lunch to carry into the mines. It could be held by the crust on the edges with dirty hands with the crust was tossed after the meal was completed. The traditional filling is meat, potatoes, and onion. There are also two-course pasties. The meat filling is on one side, a stale bread or roll of dough in the middle, and jam or fruit on the other side. The apple blossom is the state flower. Vernor's ginger ale is the oldest brand of ginger ale in America. It was developed in Detroit and has been sold since 1866. Michigan is also a leading produc...

Cincinnati-style chili Fried Apples and Onions Tomato juice Buckeyes The kids thought the chili was pretty good. They liked it even better the next day served on tostadas topped with melted cheese. We choose an apple side dish because Johnny Appleseed, although born in Massachusetts, lived and planted many apple trees in the Ohio region. Tomato juice was voted the official state beverage in 1965. Buckeye candies are delicious bites of peanut butter and chocolate. They resemble the nut from the official state tree, the buckeye.

Breakfast: Beignets and cafe au lait Lunch: Fried shrimp po-boys French fries milk with nectar soda syrup Dinner: Gumbo garlic French bread Barq's root beer Bananas Foster My dad was born and raised in New Orleans. My parents married there and taught in a one-room school house down in the bayou near Port Sulphur. My older brother and I were also born in New Orleans. We moved to Minnesota when I was still young, but we carried all the great food recipes with us. Food from this area holds so many memories for me. I've eaten beignets and sipped cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter. My brother and I used to sneak into my grandmother's refrigerator on her front porch and drink nectar soda syrup straight from the bottle. Family get-togethers always had amazing food: boiled crawfish, gumbos, and etoufee. One of the first places we would stop when we visited New Orleans was some little hole in the wall place for a po-boy. My favorite was the roast beef. We decid...

Fried catfish Creamed Pimiento Sandwiches (my Mississippi grandmother's recipe) 1 egg 3 T flour 2 T sugar 1 tsp salt 3 T water 3 T butter 1/2 lb. grated cheddar cheese 3 T vinegar 1/2 c evaporated milk 1 small jar chopped pimientos, well drained Beat one egg; add flour, sugar, salt, water, butter and cheese. Cook in a double boiler until thick. Add vinegar, evaporated milk and pimientos. Cook again until thickened; cool. Spread on crackers or between slices of bread for a sandwich. Crossroads Coleslaw (from a cousin who got it from a fish house in Crossroads, Mississippi) 1 large head cabbage, finely shredded 3 carrots, finely shredded Dressing: 1/2 c sugar 1/4 c parsley flakes 1/4 c onion flakes 1/2 c mayonnaise 1/2 tsp liquid garlic 1 c pickle relish Salt and black pepper to taste Mix all together. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving. Fried dill pickles Speckled butter beans Sweet tea Mississippi Mud Cake The state Mississippi takes its name from the Mississippi Ri...

Country-fried steak Mashed potatoes Fried green tomatoes Sweet tea Sweet Potato Pie with Praline Sauce I found this recipe on a message board: 2 eggs 1 c sugar 1 tsp salt 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 1 tsp cinnamon 1 c whole milk 2 Tbsp butter 1 c cooked sweet potato pulp 1 unbaked pie shell Beat eggs slightly; add sugar, salt , spices and milk. Add butter to sweet potato pulp. Then add liquid mixture to sweet potato pulp. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake in hot oven (450F) for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until filling is firm. Praline Sauce 2 c (7 oz.) pecans 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 c water 1 c cream 1/4 c bourbon Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, or until browned and fragrant. Let cool, then coarsely chop the pecans. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water and cook over moderate heat without stirring, until a deep amber caramel forms, about 20 minutes. Gradually stir in th...

Cuban sandwich Florida fruit salad Tostones (fried plantains) Orange juice Key lime pie This is more of a southern Florida menu. Cuban sandwiches and fried plantains are found throughout the Miami area. Miami, of course, has a large Cuban population. We can't get Cuban bread around here so I used a loaf of French bread. If you wanted to make your own Cuban bread, here is a recipe. It's a two-day process, so plan ahead! My husband is not a big sandwich eater but he really liked these sandwiches. I roasted a pork ribeye roast the day before after marinating it with some Italian dressing. After it cooled, I sliced it thinly and then it sat in its own juices in the fridge overnight. As a result, it added moisture to the bread. I pressed the slices of sandwich in my George Foreman grill until the bread was crispy. Then I wrapped them tightly in foil and put them in a warm oven (about 170*F) to heat thoroughly before serving. Florida is famous for her citrus crops. The or...

Brunswick stew Vidalia onion rings Roasted peanuts Coca-cola Peach cobbler Brunswick stew is traditional in the southeast. There is a debate over whether it originated in Brunswick, Georgia, or in Brunswick County, Virginia. As the Georgia humorist Roy Blount Jr. quipped, "Brunswick stew is what happens when small mammals carrying ears of corn fall into barbeque pits." According to www.vidaliaonions.org, "it is only in the defined production area in Georgia that the soil and climate combine to produce the special characteristics of the sweet Vidalia onion that has attracted the attention of gourmet taste buds everywhere. Under the terms of Federal Marketing Order No. 955, as well as a state law, Vidalia onions are defined to include only those produced in 13 counties and portions of seven others, all in Georgia." If it is labeled Vidalia in the grocery store, you can be sure it is a Georgia onion. Vidalia onions are also the official state vegetable. Peanuts a...

Chicken Bog Boiled peanuts Fried okra Sweet tea Huguenot torte Chicken bog is a type of pilau, probably African in origin. This particular type of pilau is found only in South Carolina low country cooking; however it is similar to Cajun jambalaya and other pilaf dishes. We used a turkey smoked sausage to cut down on the fat. The recipe above was very good. Definitely going into my recipe collection! Boiled peanuts are the official state snack. I had several cans on hand from when my mother traveled south and sent me some. To make your own, you have to have access to raw, green peanuts which are hard find outside of the southeast. If you can't find canned boiled peanuts at your local Walmart (sometimes carries a pretty good selection of southern food), maybe try a specialized Asian foods store. My sister finds them fresh boiled at a local Asian market. They contain sugar so are a little sweeter than what you would find down South. Boiled peanuts are a popular street food i...

North Carolina-style pulled pork barbecue sandwiches Three-Potato Salad 7-layer salad Pepsi Blueberry Sonker North Carolina-style barbecue has a vinegar base rather than a tomato base. I chose the Three Potato Salad because potato salad is great with barbecue and it uses sweet potatoes. North Carolina is the leading producer of sweet potatoes in the US. Pepsi was first made and sold in North Carolina in 1 898. A sonker is a variety of cobbler unique to North Carolina.

Barbecue chicken Buttermilk biscuits Wilted lettuce Variety of pickled vegetables Strawberry lemonade Molasses stack cake with apple butter I'm sure the barbecue chicken recipe I linked above is very good. But tonight I didn't have time to make my own barbecue sauce. I marinated the chicken pieces for 2 days in Kraft Italian dressing. I used Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce since that is our favorite barbecue sauce. The buttermilk biscuit recipe is the best I've tried. I did add an additional 2 Tbsp of butter. Maybe it's the dry weather here but they turned out better with the added fat. The biscuits are so soft and tender. My six-year-old ate four of them with supper. For the pickled vegetables I used some homemade refrigerator pickles I already had on hand. According to AppalachianHistory.net, the stack cake is one of the most popular southern Appalachian cakes. At holidays and weddings, early mountain settlers traditionally served stack cake in lieu of mor...