Proper Southern Lady

I've grown up in the South my entire life and say things like "fixin' to" and "used-ta could." In addition to that, I've also grown up watching my grandmothers and my mom cook delicious entrees and side dishes that are considered Southern classics. I wish I could go back in time and work in the kitchen with my grandmothers. I'm sure I could have learned a lot from them both. Thankfully, my mom picked up on many of her mother's techniques and continues her cooking traditions. I've been thinking up a list of classic Southern cuisine that I think I should conquer (eventually) - a list of things that any proper Southern lady should know how to make.

1. Buttermilk biscuits - a Southern breakfast staple. Golden tops with a flaky center. Topped with syrup and butter, and often served with salmon patties. I've made these HERE, but could try again and make them a little bigger.

2. Fried okra - the best way to eat okra. Don't confuse this with the fried okra you can get from the frozen foods aisle, or what many restaurants serve (which is probably from the frozen foods aisle). Homemade fried okra should have a thin, crispy coating - dusted in flour and seasonings, not a full, thick batter.

3. Pound Cake - the iconic dessert to bring to any gathering. I've already made my Memaw's recipe HERE.

4. Stewed squash - yellow squash only, preferably from your garden or local farmer's market. Next to fried squash it's my second favorite way to eat yellow squash. And it's the healthier version... and probably the healthiest thing on this list.

5. Fried cornbread - can be served with anything, especially if there are peas on the table.

6. Dressing - made from cornbread and a good chicken stock. To be served at each holiday occasion, whether Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter. And not to be confused with "stuffing."

7. Salmon patties - it would probably sound better to call them "salmon cakes," like crab cakes, but that's not what they are known as. Serve with #1, because they are also best with syrup. Cane syrup - preferably Daddy Buck's, but if that's not available, Yellow Label will do.

8. Jelly/Preserves - also often served with #1. This will take a while to cross off my list, I'm sure, as it's the most challenging and requires some knowledge of canning, which a true Southern lady knows how to do as well.  Fig preserves were always in my Memaw and mom's cabinet, and rightfully so, they are delicious. And if you have the problem of having too many figs, then preserve them, because they are like gold (in my opinion). Delicious!

9. Peach Cobbler - thanks to my mom, I have this one down pat already, but I will revisit it and share the recipe with you. Mmmm....cobbler...

10. Chicken and Dumplin's - a comfort food classic. Best made from scratch, although you can buy frozen dumplin' strips. Read strips, not balls of dough, and definitely not made from canned biscuits (bleck!).

I'll refer back to this post as I make my way through the bold items on this list.  Did I forget any of your favorite Southern dishes?

Rewind

While uploading pictures for the next post, I ran across a few photos on my camera that I forgot to share.  I know we are halfway through January, but I wanted to share these few pictures from Christmas.  In case I forgot to mention in previous Christmas posts, Marilyn and Gene hosted a seven fish dinner on Christmas Eve. The Budraitises originated from Lithuania, which is predominately Catholic.  The Christmas Eve seven fish dinner is a Catholic tradition (since they abstain from eating meat on holy days- a dinner of fish it became!).  It's always fun to do, especially since Marilyn makes some pretty mean crab cakes.  But we like to think other Budraitises are doing the same thing in Lithuania on the same night, which somehow brings us closer together in the spirit of Christmas!

Christmas morning we spent at Northside Baptist Church in Troy with my mom, Wes, and Kristi.  I enjoyed being in church on Christmas Day. It really helps keep things in perspective and helps everyone stop and think about Jesus in all of the busyness we get into during the holidays. As usual, the church was adorned with beautiful poinsettias, which in my book meant a perfect photo-op. :) 

Christmas Wrap-Up

This is a little behind schedule, but I want to wrap up the Christmas posts.  We spent most of Christmas day with the Wilson side of the family where we enjoyed lots of delicious food, a round of Dirty Santa, and quite a bit of baby holding (thanks to Jarrod & Jessica Craig)!  It's always fun to catch up with family!


Monday we had Christmas with the Budraitises.  It was my first actual Christmas celebration with them.  It was nice and cozy, just the six of us.  I scored a paddle attachment for my stand mixer and some Premier Designs jewelry, while Jesse came home with drumsticks, some camo, and a new scope for his rifle.  We also received Jenga to add to our game collection, and had to break it out before we left.  Photos below taken by Matthew- hope you don't mind me stealing them! :)

 

Our First (Married) Christmas

Since we are headed home to Luverne for the Christmas weekend, we woke up this morning and exchanged our gifts to each other.  We cranked up some Christmas tunes and opened the presents one by one.  I was thrilled to get two new ceramic-coated NONSTICK (hallelujah!) frying pans and a rotary mat and cutter for my (unknown) upcoming projects! Jesse was excited to get Forza 4 (racing game) and a new machete.  Talk about two completely different fields of interest! Oh, and we couldn't forget about Maggie. She had her own stocking of goodies!

  

Home for Christmas

This weekend held the beginning of Christmas festivities for us.  Thankfully, everything worked out well, and we will be able to spend time with all of our families this year for Christmas.  This Saturday we had Hatcher family Christmas.  Here's a quick recap:

     

     

And here's the whole gang:

I don't see most of these people nearly enough, so I'm very grateful for the time we spend together for Christmas!  I know my mom and Wes are very happy to have us all together.  Christmas time means family time to me. Stay tuned for more gatherings - next up is the Wilson clan!