We started our journey driving south to Baton Rouge then up through St. Francisville, LA. Talk about a town oozing with southern charm and beauty, it's here. We stopped and went on a tour of Rosedown Plantation which is amazing. After we left, we headed for Natchez, MS. We ended up stopping at Mammy's Cupboard, just outside of Natchez for lunch. This place is in the shape of a hoop skirted woman and they serve great sandwiches, one daily special and of course from scratch desserts - try the coconut pie.
Natchez if full of beautiful historic homes and plantations. We had dinner at the spectacular Dunleith Plantation which is situated on forty acres of landscaped gardens and wooded bayous and looks like something out of Gone with the Wind. For dinner we had an appetizer of seared scallops with a crab and cauliflower coulis with carrot crisp. For our entrees, I chose marinated grilled pork tenderloin with a sweet sour demi, served with mashed sweet potatoes and collard greens and Jerry had seared duck breast with a strawberry port glaze, fried shoestring parsnips and asparagus. After that meal, no dessert was needed!
As I said in my "I Love Breakfast" blog we stayed at the 1888 Wensel House B and B. We were served a wonderful southern style country breakfast every morning.
After we left Natchez we headed on to Vicksburg. We took the historic Natchez Trace Parkway and were impressed with what a beautiful scenic drive it was. Vicksburg is located on the bluffs above the mighty Mississippi River, which happened to be at it's highest flood stage. During the civil war Vicksburg's domination of the river halted Union shipping and led Abraham Lincoln to call Vicksburg the "Key to the Confederacy."A must see in Vicksburg is the Vicksburg Military Park. The park was established by congress in 1899, to commemorate one of the most decisive battles of the American Civil War, the campaign, siege and defense of Vicksburg. It includes 1325 historic monuments and markers, 20 miles of reconstructed trenches and earthworks, a 16 mile tour road, antebellum home, 144 emplaced cannons, the restored Union gunboat USS Cairo, and the Vicksburg National Cemetery.
We did not care for our B and B in Vicksburg so I won't go into details. One evening we took a river boat tour on the Mississippi and the sunset that evening took our breath away. As I said before, the river was so high and swift that Jerry and I almost didn't go. The boat we were on wasn't very big, but the captain had years of experience.
We did enjoy wonderful food at Rusty's Riverfront Grill and Walnut Hills. At Rusty's, I had a dish I've created at home because I loved it so much; fried green tomatoes with lump crab meat topped with hollandaise sauce. Did I just die and go to heaven? Walnut Hills, is located in a charming older home and is famous for their "Authentic Southern Cooking". Jerry and I both had fried chicken with mashed potatoes, cream gravy, okra and tomatoes. Of course it came with cornbread and biscuits.
Nest stop; Tupelo the birthplace of Elvis. We went to the Elvis museum and was amazed to see the tiny modest, two-room home he was born in on January 8, 1935. Apparently, his father built the house for $180.00 and the museum draws over 50,000 visitors each year from across the world.
Next we stopped in Clarksdale and went to The Blues Museum as Jerry and I both love blues music. Clarksdale's former famous blues residents include; Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson and Sam Cooke. We stopped in at Ground Zero Blues Club and had a great fried green tomato sandwich. Another interesting fact about the Delta area is they are crazy for tamales and sell them everywhere!
Nest stop; Corinth, where we went to Borroum's Drug Store. Former confederate Army Surgeon, Andrew Jackson Borroum founded the drugstore in 1865. It is now the oldest family-owned pharmacy in the State of Mississippi and boasts and authentic fully operational soda fountain. Here one can find Corinth's local culinary delight, the Slugburger. The patty - a combination of pork, soy and secret spices - is deep fried and served on a hamburger bun with mustard, pickle and onion. To go with the slugburger try a cherry coke or a chocolate malt.
Last stop, Oxford home of the University of Mississippi. Oxford is a true Southern classic town full of charm and beauty, with unique shops and restaurants. Home of Nobel Prize winning author, William Faulkner and one of my favorite southern authors, Robert Dalby. Mr. Dalby's books are based on strong Southern women taking charge of their lives and his Piggly Wiggly series are fun, quirky and very humorous. We unfortunately didn't get to spend too much time in Oxford, but Jerry and I decided it's worth another trip and we are seriously looking to retire there. Although, Anacortes, WA my home town is calling me back, the decision will be hard.
We had lunch at the Ajax Diner which was typical southern, but very good. Jerry enjoyed chicken and dumplings and I tried the delicious jambalaya. We also had a nice dinner at Petra Mediterranean Cuisine.
Now for the recipes; couldn't wait could you? I know deep in your soul you are dying to make some good Southern recipes. Seriously, how could you not?
Fried Chicken
1 fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 cups of buttermilk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. garlic powder
Tabasco - a few good splashes
flour for dredging
Canola oil for frying
Place chicken into a container and cover with buttermilk. Refrigerate at least overnight. Add oil to the skillet. You do not want your heat to go over 325 degrees. Drain your chicken and shake some Tabasco on chicken. Combine salt, garlic powder, salt and pepper and season your chicken with it. On a plate, add some flour and dredge chicken, shaking off excess. Cook chicken until golden brown on each side about 10 minutes. I then place the chicken on racks over a baking sheet and place in a 350 degree oven to continue cooking. To serve; creamy mashed potatoes, green beans with tomatoes and onions and a tossed green salad. Biscuits, well of course darlin no southern dinner is complete without them!
Fried Green Tomatoes with Crab and Hollandaise Sauce
4 large green tomatoes
2 eggs
Tabasco (I know, I love it in everything)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup bread crumbs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil
Slice the tomatoes about 1/2-inch thick. Whisk the eggs, milk, and Tabasco together. Place flour on a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs, salt and pepper on another plate. Dip the tomatoes into flour to coat, then dip into milk mixture and finally dredge in the cornmeal/breadcrumb mixture. In a large saute pan, pour Canola oil and heat over medium heat. Fry tomatoes in batches and do not over crowd. Brown on each side and drain on paper towels. Place tomatoes on platter, top with fresh lump crab meat and pour over some hollandaise (see recipe in my "I Love Breakfast" blog)
Dorothy's Coconut Cream Pie (my mom)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups milk
4 eggs
3 Tbl. butter
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 (9-inch baked pastry shell)
Whipped cream
In a medium saucepan combine sugar, flour and salt; gradually stir in milk. cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Separate egg yolks from whites. Beat egg yolks slightly and gradually stir 1 cup of the hot mixture into yolks. Return egg mixture to saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in butter, vanilla and 1 cup flaked coconut. Pour hot filling into baked pastry shell. Spread meringue over hot filling to seal edges and sprinkle coconut on top of meringue. Bake at 350 for 12 /15 minutes Cool about 4 hours before covering and storing in refrigerator before serving.
Julia's Mashed Sweet Potatoes
6 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
heavy cream - just a little
butter
pure maple syrup
toasted pecans
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add potatoes and cook until tender. With a potato masher mash potatoes, add a little butter, some heavy whipping cream, pinch of salt and a little maple syrup and mix in some toasted pecans. Variation; sometimes I add sour cream and Kahlua.
Collard Greens (yes they are actually good and good for you)
1 1/2 quarts water
1 1/2 lbs. smoked ham hocks
4 lb. collard greens, rinsed and trimmed
crushed red pepper flakes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Place water and ham hock in large pot with lid. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the collards, a sprinkling of sugar (just a little) and hot pepper flakes. Simmer for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add oil and simmer covered for about 30 minutes. When serving, some people like a little vinegar poured over their greens too.
Okra and Tomatoes (one of my favorites)
1 sweet onion, medium chop
2 cups okra, rinsed, trimmed and sliced
1 (14 oz.) can of whole peeled tomatoes with juice
2 Tbl. bacon drippings
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 slices of bacon
In a saute pan fry bacon, when crisp remove to paper towels to drain and chop up. Save about 2 Tbl. of bacon drippings and saute the onion until softened, do not brown. Reduce heat to low and stir in the okra and tomatoes, Add the salt and pepper and simmer for about 15 minutes. Serve with bacon sprinkled on top.
Jambalaya (easy version)
6 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chopped celery
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. cubed cooked ham
1/2 lb. cubed cooked chicken
1/2 lb. cubed smoked sausage
1/2 lb. cleaned shrimp (uncooked medium shrimp)
1 (14.5 oz) cans tomatoes with liquid
4 cups chicken stock
thyme
1 Tbl. Cajun Seasoning
Tabasco
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups uncooked white rice
Heat large dutch oven and add bacon cook until crisp. Remove bacon to paper towels and set aside. Add celery, pepper, garlic and onion to drippings and cook until tender, do not brown. Add the ham, chicken and sausage and pour in tomatoes, Tabasco and stock. Season with thyme and Cajun seasonings. Bring to a boil and add rice, bring back to a boil and turn to low, covering and simmer for about 20 minutes until rice is tender. Stir in the shrimp and cook until pink, add bacon, taste for seasonings and adjust if necessary. Serve with extra Tabasco. YUMM
Bourbon Walnut Pie
1 unbaked pie shell (9-inch deep dish)
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 Tbl. butter, melted
2 Tbl. bourbon
1 1/2 Tbl. flour
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (toasted lightly)
Fresh whipping cream, whipped and add a little pure maple syrup
Preheat oven to 350. Whisk all filling ingredients together, except walnuts in a large bowl until smooth. Add walnuts and mix. Pour filling into pie crust and bake until filling is set in the center about 55 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Whip cream and add some maple syrup for sweetness.
Elvis's Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich - I think not, we'll pass. Sorry Elvis, but I heard you left the building.
Bon Appetit
"Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness".
1 Timothy 4:7
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