A Common Shepherdess

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...