Some of the damage so far and it is still coming down. The crashes we keep hearing are terrible. The power was out for about 2 hours. Thank God it wasn’t any longer. Hopefully it will stay on now. – Christi
I woke up this morning to an icy wonderland. It is eerily quite. No cars driving past, no one out walking their dogs. Every now and then I here the crash of tree branches breaking and falling to the ground. This is the first Winter storm this year but it is doing a lot of damage. I just hope we don’t lose power. I’m making beef stew today. If we lose power, I can at least heat it up on my gas stove. Hopefully it won’t come to that.
Today’s Lagniappe: Beef Stew
Lightly dredge 2 lb. of stew meat in flour. Brown the meat in a little oil in the bottom of a dutch oven. When the meat is brown, add a couple of potatoes and 3 or 4 carrots that have been cut into bite size chunks 1 can of beef broth, 1 lg. can of tomato sauce, 2 cups red wine, a few tablespoons of Worcestershire, garlic powder, salt and pepper (to taste). Bring to a boil and then simmer for a couple of hours. Serve with cornbread.
Sorry for the vague measurements. I am trying to write fast in case we lose power.
Since I posted Mama-isms, one of my two beautiful sisters requested that I give equal time to Daddy-isms. My Daddy died in 1992 at the age of 54 of cancer. Daddy was a big, lovable man, full of integrity and loved by all who knew him. He laughed a lot and smiled a lot and I am very blessed to have had such a great Daddy. He was a very optimistic and positive man who had sayings that deserve equal time as well as a few funny memories.
When asked how are you his response was invariably, “If I was any better I couldn’t stand it!”
You can’t go through life looking in the rear-view mirror.
About anyone who was a good cook – You’re a good cooker.
About Marriage – Love is important but commitment is equally important.
The Bible is a book that is meant to be understood by reading.
When we were kids, my younger sister had a slumber party on March 31st one year. The following morning, my Daddy woke all of the sleeping girls and told them to be calm but to hurry outside because the house was on fire. When they were all safely outside he called to them from the door “April Fools.” He loved to pull April Fools jokes but that was one of the best.
Daddy loved to swim and he made sure we all had swimming lessons. He would take us to the pool and delight us by throwing us high in the air. We would wear him out by begging him to throw us again.
He would wake us up in the morning by turning on the light and singing (loudly)
Good morning to you,
Good morning to you,
We’re all in our places
With bright shiny faces.
For this is the way,
To start a new day.
If we didn’t wake up after the singing, he would stand at the end of the bed and say chop, chop, chop (as he was falling forward) to give us time to get up before he said TIMBER and fell on top of us. To my recollection, he never actually fell on top of any of us.
I could go on and on. As you can see, Daddy was a fun guy.
Today’s Lagniappe: Recipe for Spinach Madeleine or Crawfish Spinach Dip
I spent the afternoon yesterday with my friend Darlene planning our upcoming Mardi Gras party and it put me in mind of something with a little New Orleans’ Flavor. This is copied from Chef John Folse & Company Website. If you don’t have the River Road Cookbooks, look for them, they are great.
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Yields: 5-6 Servings
Comment:
This traditional Louisiana recipe was first presented in River Road’s cookbook from the Junior League of Baton Rouge. It is safe to say that this single recipe made the book world famous. In the late 1990s, Kraft foods did away with their jalapeño cheese roll which was originally used in the recipe. Recently, an alert customer informed us that Kraft’s Velveeta line introduced a similar Mexican cheese.
Ingredients:
* 2 packages chopped spinach, frozen
* 4 tbsps butter
* 2 tbsps flour
* 2 tbsps chopped onions
* ½ cup evaporated milk
* ½ cup reserved spinach liquor
* ½ tsp black pepper
* ¾ tsp celery salt
* ¾ tsp garlic salt
* 6 ounces Velveeta Mexican cheese, sliced into ¼-inch cubes
* salt and red pepper to taste
* 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Method:
Cook spinach according to directions on package. Drain and reserve liquid. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add flour, stirring until blended and smooth, but not brown. Add onions and sauté 3-5 minutes or until wilted. Add evaporated milk, spinach liquor and Worcestershire sauce slowly, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cook mixture until smooth and thick, stirring constantly. Add seasonings and cubed cheese. Stir until melted and combine with cooked spinach. This may be served immediately or put into a casserole and topped with buttered bread crumbs. The flavor is improved if the latter is done and kept in refrigerator overnight.
This traditional dish can be spruced up for the holidays by adding ¼ cup diced red bell peppers when the onions are sautéed.
There are other great dishes that can be made with this versatile recipe, such as:
Crawfish Spinach Dip: Add 1 pound of Louisiana crawfish tails when you add the cheese and serve warm with tortilla chips or crackers
My Grandpa will be 93 tomorrow. I wish everybody could have a Grandpa like mine. Grandpa has always lived his life with a passion. Whenever I think about Grandpa, I think of him with a smile on his face. He has the best stories of anyone I’ve ever known and his life would make a great movie.
From Grandpa, I learned a great work ethic. When I was in high school, I worked for him in one of his businesses and I remember being 7 minutes late one morning. He told me if I was ever late again he would fire me. I learned at a young age the value of being on time.
Grandpa has always been so full of life. He always worked hard and played hard. He loves fishing. He used to go fishing in Canada and Mexico a lot and has wonderful stories from those times.
He always has the most beautiful lawn around and he is an expert on growing green lush grass. He used get the Wall Street Journal. I remember, he would give his old copies to me. He told me three columns to read so that I could carry on an interesting conversation with anyone.
Happy Birthday Grandpa! I love you.
Today’s Lagniappe: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting
This is one of Grandpa’s favorites. It was also a favorite of my Daddy’s. Grandmother Dicus and Mama used Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise for this recipe but you could use either one.
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
1 cup sugar
1 cup miracle whip or mayonnaise
2 cups flour
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoon soda
4 teaspoon cocoa (Mama used a little less)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix together sugar and miracle whip. Add soda and cocoa to warm water and then to stir it into the sugar mixture with vanilla.
Bake 325 for 20 to 30 minutes in a 9 x 13 pan. Let cake cool then spread with chocolate fudge frosting. Place pecan halves all over the top of the cake.
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cups powdered sugar (Mama uses regular sugar)
1/2 cup hot milk
2 tsps. vanilla
In small saucepan over low heat, melt butter; add cocoa, stirring constantly until smooth and slightly thickened. Remove from heat, set aside to cool slightly.
In large mixer bowl combine sugar and milk, beat until smooth. Add chocolate mixture and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until smooth and slightly thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Cool at room temperature to spreading consistency, about 1/2 hour.
Leave comments for Grandpa here. If you haven’t commented on this blog before, your comment will be held until I approve it. I’ll be checking often so I can approve everyones comments. Once I’ve approved you, you can come back anytime and comment without me having to approve you 🙂 and I hope y’all will come back to visit.
I remember Sunday lunches when I was growing up fondly. When we got home from church we would set the table with the good china and all gather round the table. Often, we would have company and spend 2 or 3 hours at the table visiting.
I remember one occasion when my mother had put a roast in the oven before church. When we got home, she had a migraine headache so we were going to just have a low key lunch so she could rest. As it happened, there was a mix up in dates and one of the ministers from the church and his wife thought they were invited for lunch that Sunday and, of course, showed up ready to eat. My poor mother, got us to set the table and she went ahead and presented a lovely meal with a smile (even though she felt terrible).
I’m not sure how my mother managed. She often didn’t know how many would actually show up but there was always plenty of food for everyone served with grace and beautiful Southern hospitality. I always appreciated how everyone always felt welcome in our home. I hope people feel as welcome in my own home as my mother made them feel in hers.
Todays Lagniappe: Mama’s Sunday Roast
Place a 3 to 5 lb. roast in a roasting pan and season with salt and pepper.
Mix together cream of mushroom soup, 1 pkg. of Campbell’s beefy onion soup mix and a can of beef consumme. Pour over roast.
Put roast in 325 degree F. oven and roast for 2 to 3 hours.
Place potatoes that have been quartered or cut into 8ths and carrot chunks into pan around the roast after the roast has cooked for 2 hours or so.
Raise oven temperature to 35o degrees F. and cook for an additional 30 to 40 minutes until vegetables are soft.
Remove roast and vegetables from pan and make a gravy with the pan drippings. Serve roast and vegetables with hot rolls, a green vegetable and a smile.
When you need to entertain at the drop of a hat, what would you serve? For some crazy reason, I think about this a lot. I have a vision that 12 people could show up unexpectedly on my doorstep and I could entertain them beautifully without blinking an eye. In real life, I might could handle 2 people if they were visually impaired enough to not see dust on my furniture or dishes in my sink. I could feed them cheese and crackers and maybe a glass of wine (if not wine, I could probably come up with some lemonade).In my dream world, everything would be spotless and I would have everything on hand. I think having these items on hand would work:
Of course, I would also serve these with my flawlessly manicured hands in my beautiful hostess attire without a hair out of place.
Luckily for me, I have never had 12 people show up at my door unexpectedly. I have had 2 show up occasionally and I managed just fine. Thanks to my mother for teaching how to be a good hostess, I know how to smile and put things on pretty plates or trays and wing it.
You know, I could probably put some of those things in my freezer, just in case . . .
Today’s Lagniappe: Sausage Cheese Balls
2 cups Bisquick
1 pound hot sausage
1-1/2 cup medium or sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Mix all ingredients in a bowl with your hands. Roll mixture into balls a little smaller than a golf ball. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 20 minutes.
Christi’s note: I like to add garlic powder, a couple of splashes of Worcestershire sauce, a dash of cayenne and sometimes a little dried parsley to this mixture.
**
The time to plant seeds indoors to get a jump on the season will be here before you know it. Many seeds should be planted 4-8 weeks before the last frost inside and then transplanted outside when danger of frost has passed. If you don’t know your last frost date, check your state’s extension service. You may have to search around a little bit, depending on your state.
I also like to plant according to moon phases. You can check the moon phases here or check planting dates with the Farmer’s Almanac here. My grandmother was good about telling the weather by looking at the sky or the trees or the sun. She grew up on a farm and they didn’t have the methods we have now. I learned that she was usually right and it gives me a sense of peace to watch nature to see what it is trying to tell us.
Anyway, if you plan to plant anything from seed the time to order is now, if you haven’t already. If you haven’t ever grown anything from seed, try it. It is very special to put a seed in soil and watch it sprout into a full grown plant and then into something that actually bears fruit. It happens in gardens and fields all over the world every year, but to me it is always a miracle.
Gardening can really be a great source of therapy. Watching the cycles of nature. Nurturing plants and seeing them grow. It’s downright addictive.
Today’s Lagniappe: A Pepper Tidbit
Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking. Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.
A Southern Mother is something very special. They have the job of raising a good Southern girl. My Mother had several pieces of advise, or sayings, if you will, that are good for anyone. I call them Mama-isms.
There were many more. What did your Mama tell you?
Today’s Lagniappe: Recipe for Spicy Shrimp and Rice
2 lbs. unpeeled medium sized fresh shrimp
3 cups cooked long grain and wild rice mix (1 box Uncle Ben’s original recipe with 23 herbs & seasonings)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 (10-3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
few dashes of Tobasco (to taste)
Cajun seasoning – around 1 teaspoon or more if you want more spice)
Melt butter over medium-high heat and add green onions; cook, stirring constantly, until tender
Combine all ingredients and spoon into a lightly greased 2 quart baking dish.
Bake at 375 degrees F. for 55 minutes.
Serve with crusty french bread, green salad and crisp white wine.
P. S. : Mama emailed me one that I left out that is important – Remember who you are and Whose you are.
Today marks the anniversary of Prohibition in United States. Prohibition was the period in United States history in which the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors was outlawed. It was a time characterized by speakeasies, glamour, and gangsters and a period of time in which even the average citizen broke the law.
Starting in the late 1870’s the prohibition or temperance movements began to slowly seep into the South, town by town or county by county. By the 1890’s the movement was gaining strength nationally, a fact that aided moonshiners tremendously. If a town outlawed the legal sale of liquor, the demand for moonshiners and their product became even greater. Prohibition reached much of the South on a state-wide level in the early twentieth century.
Prohibition also helped lower the standards of many moonshiners, the emphasis became quantity of liquor that could be produced with the quality taking a backseat.
Now you know. See, reading this blog is very educational!
Ecclesiastes 8:15 – Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.
Today’s Lagniappe: Southern Belle Cocktail
1/2 oz. brandy
1/2 oz. white cream de cacao
1/2 oz. benedictine herbal liqueur
Pour the brandy into a pousse cafe glass. Tilt the glass to a 45-degree angle and slowly pour the creme de cacao down the side of the glass so that it floats on the brandy. Repeat this precedure with the Benedictine.
Just checked out Southern Living online. They asked the question, “What makes a person Southern?” Then they assembled a list of 40 things that every Southerner ought to do. I’ve decided to assemble my own list of things that I’ve done that I think every Southerner should do. Some are from their list, but most are my own. What would you add?
I’m sure given the time I will think of many more. What about you? Feel free to comment!
Todays Lagniappe: Mama’s Beef Stroganoff
1-1/2 lb. sirloin steak cut into pencil thin strips
1 cup flour (for dredging)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 small onions, chopped fine (I usually use one medium)
1/2 lb mushrooms (can use canned if you prefer)
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 – 6 tablespoons butter (Mama says it always takes more)
Sauce:
2 tablespoons flour
1 (10-1/2 oz.) can beef consumme
1 pint sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
paprika
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Season flour with salt and pepper. Dredge strips of meat in flour. Melt butter in large skillet. When butter is foaming, add the meat. Brown the meat a little and then add the onions, mushrooms and garlic. Cook until onions are transparent.
Remove meat mixture from the pan and keep warm. Reserve 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan (this is where you probably have to add more). Sprinkle flour in the hot butter and stir until smooth. Add beef consumme and cook for a couple of more minutes. Lower the heat and add the sour cream (do not let the sour cream curdle). Add the salt, pepper and stir in the Worcestershire.
Return the meat mixture to the pan with the sauce and stir to get the meat covered with the sauce. Serve warm over egg noodles.
**
In the upper Midwest, they are experiencing extreme cold. Here we are bracing for some cold weather ourselves. The high here tomorrow is supposed to be 24! No snow in the forecast however. In the North, they take snow and cold weather in stride. In the South, we shut down. No school, government offices close, trash pickup is delayed and even the mailman has been known to have a day off. Then there is the phenomenon of the grocery store rush. We all flock to the grocery store and clear the shelves. For some reason, bread is very popular for snow preparation. We are ready to be socked in for weeks by the half inch of snow expected.
When we do get snow we go out and make scraggly looking snowmen and try to find a bank of snow deep enough to gather snow for snow ice cream. Snow is an event in the South. It is like a holiday. We enjoy it while we have it because we know that soon it will be gone and we will be left with extra loaves of bread on our shelves.
What is your favorite snow day activity?
Today’s Lagniappe: Recipe for Snow Ice Cream
8 cups of snow
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Place snow into a large bowl. Pour condensed milk over and add vanilla. Mix to combine. Serve immediately in bowls.
Christi’s note: This recipe may be halved in event of not being able to find 8 cups of clean snow!
I am currently living farther North than I have ever lived in my life. It is still considered the “South” but it is different. I got to thinking about it. The South is a pretty vast region that is bound together with a common history but with still a lot of differences. We all say y’all but there are definitely different flavors of Southern accents. There are the Carolina’s with their flavor which is decidedly different than that of Georgia and Alabama. There is Mississippi and Arkansas which are different from the Georgia. There is Louisiana with its Cajun flavor and the strange almost New Jersey sounding accent of some from New Orleans. I think this is part of what I love about the South. It is a region rich with diversity but bound together with a heritage that is as thick as molasses.
I have traveled quite a bit, thanks to my former job, training all over the United States. (See my “places I’ve been” on my facebook page) Nothing makes you feel more Southern to be in Chicago and have them whisper behind your back, “Did you hear her say y’all?” Or the time I was asked if we wear shoes all of the time. I’m not really sure what that was about. It seems when you are a novelty it just brings out the real Southerner in you. My Southern drawl would tend to get a little drawlier (if that is a word) and I enjoyed their smiles when I would say I was “fixin” to do something. Being a novelty is fun for a while, bless their hearts. It is always nice, though, to get back to the people who talk like you do (even if it is in another flavor) and share with you the common bond of being “Southern.”
Todays Lagniappe: Recipe for Cheese Straws
10 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
1-1/3 sticks butter
1-3/4 cups flour (not sifted)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon Tabasco
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix cheese and sofented butter. Add all other ingredients and work into stiff douh. Put though cookie press with star design in long rows on a cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Cut in 3-4″ strips.
I recently read the book Revenge of the Kudzu Debutantes by Cathy Holton. It is a pretty funny read, especially when it gets to the part about the Kudzu Ball. Back in the day, when I was involved in politics, a woman called me in a panic about kudzu. “It’s taking over everything!” The poem Kudzu by James Dickey says:
In Georgia the legend says,
That you must close your windows
At night to keep it out of the house
The glass is tinged with green, even so . . .
The kudzu vine grows as much as a foot a day in Summer months, covering everything in its path. Well, in the South, we are nothing if not resourceful. We have found many uses for kudzu. Here are just a few:
Basket makers have found that the rubber-like vines are excellent for decorative and functional creations. Ruth Duncan of Greenville, Alabama makes over 200 kudzu baskets each year and says she doesn’t mind that people call her the “Queen of Kudzu.”
Regina Hines of Ball Ground, Georgia, has developed unique basket styles which incorporate curled kudzu vines. She weaves with other vines as well, but says that kudzu is the most versatile.
Nancy Basket of Walhalla, South Carolina, makes paper from kudzu which she uses in colorful collages. Her designs vary from geometric shapes to images of rural life and Native American themes.
Diane Hoots of Dahlonega, Georgia has developed a company to market her kudzu products which include kudzu blossom jelly and syrup, kudzu baskets, and books. Her book, Kudzu: The Vine to Love or Hate, co-written with Juanita Baldwin, is an in-depth study of the South’s love/hate relationship with the vine. The book includes recipes and basket making instructions.
Henry and Edith Edwards of Rutherfordton, North Carolina have found many uses for kudzu over the past 30 years. Henry produces over 1,000 bales of kudzu hay each year on his Kudzu Cow Farm. The hay is high in nutritive value, but many people have found kudzu difficult to cut and bale. Henry says the secret is to “cut it low and bale it high.”
Edith Edwards makes deep-fried kudzu leaves, kudzu quiche, and many other kudzu dishes. She found recipes in The Book of Kudzu: A Culinary and Healing Guide by William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi, and thought this was a good use for a plentiful resource. She has demonstrated kudzu cooking for clubs, schools, and visitors to the Knoxville World’s Fair.
Kudzu blooms the end of July through September. It has attractive bunches of elongated, delicate purple flowers with a fragrance reminiscent of grapes. Use the blossoms to make jelly.
To cook with kudzu, Choose only the smallest, most tender leaves. Large leaves are too tough. Even the small leaves have plenty of body. Fresh and tender, the leaves have a flavor similar to that of a green bean. That’s because kudzu is a member of the legume family.
Wilma Clutter says: “Kudzu quiche and deep-fried kudzu leaves are wonderful. I’ve also eaten small kudzu leaves marinated in Italian dressing served on tofu sandwiches.”
Lagniappe: A recipe for Kudzu Rice Quiche
(from http://www.geocities.com/kudzufest/kudzurecipes.html)
6 servings
4 eggs
2 cups cooked rice
½ cup finely grated Swiss cheese
½ pound fresh, young kudzu leaves
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup cottage cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan
6 tablespoons heavy cream or evaporated milk
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
6 drops hot sauce
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch pie pan or use an 8- or 9-inch square cake pan. In a medium bowl, beat 1 egg. Add rice and Swiss cheese. Stir well. Spread mixture evenly in prepared pan, making a crust. Refrigerate until ready to fill and bake.
• Cook kudzu leaves in a small amount of water, press to remove moisture and chop fine. Add butter and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, beat remaining 3 eggs. Stir in salt, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, heavy cream, hot sauce and nutmeg. When it’s blended, stir in Kudzu. Pour into prepared rice crust. Bake 30-35 minutes or until firm.
My husband has been wanting catfish all week long. I’m going to make it for him tonight. Like many in the South, we love catfish. We live near one of the best places on the face of the earth to get fried catfish, Fred’s Fish House in Mountain Home near Lake Norfork in Arkansas. We love the fried catfish that comes with coleslaw, tomato relish, pickles, onion, baked potatoes or fries and delicious hushpuppies – YUM! If you are ever in the area, make sure to visit Fred’s.
Looking for great catfish recipes? Try looking at The Catfish Institute website. The Catfish Institute, located in Jackson, Mississippi was founded in 1986 by catfish feed mills and their producer members with the goal of raising consumer awareness about the benefits of U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish. Today TCI, which represents catfish feed mills in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Louisiana, conducts promotional programs throughout the United States and Canada.
We are having a wonderful version of catfish tonight. We are having Catfish Pecan Meuniere. The recipe is from Louisiana Real & Rustic by Emeril Lagasse. It is sooo good. My husband says you could put the pecan sauce on the bumper of a car and it would taste good. My husband is also a french fry connessouir. He makes the best french fries and has a special technique. I’ll see if he’ll share it with you sometime. In the meantime, here is the catfish recipe:
Catfish Pecan Meuniere
1 cup flour
4 teaspoons creole seasoning
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
4 catfish filets
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 stick butter
1 cup pecan pieces
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1. Combine the flour with 2 teaspoons of the creole seasoning in a shallow bowl. In another shollow bowl, blend the eggs and milk together. Season the fish with the remaining 2 teaspoons of creole seasoning.
2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the fillets in the flour, coating evenly. Dip the fillets in the egg mixture. Dredge again in the flour. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, lay the fillets in the skillet. Panfry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until golden. Transfer to a warm platter.
3. Discard any oil remaining in the skillet and wipe clean with paper towels. Return the skillet to the stove. Over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. When the butter foams, add the pecans and stir constantly for about 1- 1/2 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Add the parsley, garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and cream. Stir with a whisk for about 15 seconds and remove from heat. Add the salt, cayenne, and remaining 6 tablespoons butter, broken into small chips, and stir until the butter melts completely.
4. Spoon the sauce over the fillets to serve.
Christi’s note: I usually cook the fish in one pan while I am making the sauce in another pan. This does mess up two pans and takes a little bit more effort with the timing but it cuts the preparation time down.
Happy Birthday, Elvis! Can you believe it? Elvis Presley would be 74 today. Of course, Elvis was a Southern boy having been born in Tupelo, Mississippi. Tupelo is a lovely Southern town with an interesting history. If you ever get to Tupelo, there are lots of things to see in addition to Elvis Presley’s birthplace. Visit http://tupelo.net/ to see more about this Southern treasure. I understand that Elvis’ favorite food was a grilled banana and peanut butter sandwich. Sounds pretty good. To celebrate his birthday have one of these gooey, delicious sandwiches and sing Blue Suede Shoes! Thank you . . . thank you very much.
Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich
For 1 sandwich:
Mix together a little bit of honey with some peanut butter (This is optional). Spread one side of one of the bread slices with peanut butter. Top with banana slices. Place the other slice of bread on top of the bread with the peanut butter. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a small frying pan. When the butter is melted and bubbling, place the sandwich in the pan. Brown the sandwich on one side and then turn it over and brown on the other side. Add more butter if necessary. YUM!
