A Common Shepherdess

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...

Our first two weeks of school have gone well. I am so proud of our oldest son. He has never liked school all that much and needs so many reminders to focus. He really liked the checklists and I think I had to remind him only once or twice the first week to get back on task. I think everyone's favorite subject is music. They have pretty much learned their hymn for this month and folksong for this term. The only problem is that I have those songs rolling through my head constantly. Have you ever sang "Waltzing Matilda" for three solid days and even had it invade your dreams? It's not as fun as it sounds. Our artist this term is Albrecht Durer. These first two weeks we have been studying his woodcut "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." We made some prints of our own using potato "cuts". We do our Bible reading, music (hymns, folksongs and classical), art, nature study, and zoology together. Our 1st grader also reads a daily poem and does m...

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...

Today was our first day of school! For our 6-year-old it was her first day of 1st Grade. We have never really made a big deal out of our first day since we tend to do school work year round, but our 6-year-old is big on celebrations so I thought we should do something . This year I did much more advance planning. This year everyone has their own color coordinated books of checklists and materials. We spent some time decorating the covers of our Zoology notebooks. Our 4-year-old has a bunch of bird coloring pages in her book. (Both girls insisted on wearing dresses for their first day!) Each child made a First Day of School page that included a cut-out of their hand (I forgot to buy fingerpaint at the store), a photo taken this morning, a list of their favorite things and what they want to be when they grow up. Our 4-year-old wants to be a bunny doctor. Not a doctor who takes care of bunnies, but a doctor who dresses like a bunny. Her current favorite accessory is her bunny ear...

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...