Holiday Supper Southern-Style
I am by no means a Foodie. In fact, if I didn’t need to eat to survive, I probably wouldn’t bother. Except when it comes to the holidays!
We moved from Northern California to Tennessee almost seven years ago. A lot of people have asked if I suffered from culture shock—which I haven’t—except when it comes to food.
Being that Chris and I are health nuts, we get the bulk of our groceries from the vegetable section. Preferably organically grown. There isn’t a lot of selection here in the South, especially living in the country. Although, we have come to love collard greens steamed and flavored with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar (or apple cider vinegar).
Southerners love to fry everything or cook their veggies so long, they no longer have any nutritional value left. This isn’t a complaint as much as an observation. The only time it affects us is Wednesday night supper at church, where the dessert table is the highlight of the meal. Southern ladies know how to bake, and they’re never short on a variety of choices. So, it isn’t terribly painful when I have to trade my mushy green beans for coconut cream pie.
No holiday, however, is complete without an extensive menu. As I searched through recipes to share, I have to admit I was channeling my inner Julia Child. Scrumptious combination of ingredients combined with eye-catching pictures set my mouth to watering and my stomach to rumbling. These recipes will work for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Let’s start with an appetizer. Pimento cheese is a big deal here, and it’s especially good with Fritos (just in case you’re at a loss on what to pair with it). However, I have a feeling that Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs would put those Fritos to shame.
Every holiday meal has to start with a turkey. Am I right? Although, our son did cook us Beef Wellington a few years back, and I didn’t miss the bird at all. There is no need to share yet another deep-fried turkey recipe, since it’s been all the rage for years (although I’ve yet to taste one myself), but I’m going to do so anyway. This one is called Basic Deep-fried Turkey.
What’s turkey without dressing? They call it stuffing here, but it’s the same thing. This Cornbread Stuffing uses homemade cornbread and a few simple ingredients to make it shine.
Now I’m going to jump right into dessert, which is always my favorite part of a meal. You probably already figured that out already. There were three pie recipes that stood out, so I thought I’d share them all.
Pumpkin pie is tradition, but Sweet Potato Pie is Southern. This one has a marshmallow topping to die for. I suppose if you’re not a fan of marshmallows, you can skip that part of it.
This Thanksgiving, I’ve offered to make an apple pie for our family supper. But what I found in my search for a unique recipe is Apple-Cheddar Pie. The name alone grabbed my attention. I’ve never paired cheddar cheese with apple pie before, although I remember my mom saying how good it is. Rather than topping the pie with the cheese, this recipe cooks it right in. The crust is homemade, which I know scares a lot of you out there, but I’m going to give it a go.
And the third pie that caught my attention is called Bourbon-Pecan Pie. My Southern Baptist friends might not have bourbon on hand (that they’ll admit to, anyway), but considering Jack Daniels Distillery is a hop, skip, and a jump from us, it seems like the natural choice for this article. When you click on the link, you’ll see why I chose this over pecan (which is definitely a Southern favorite).
I’m sharing just one veggie here, and only because it’s considered the epitome of Southern food—Lima Bean and Corn Succotash. Not a fan of lima beans, and corn isn’t on the top of my list, either. Both are too starchy for my taste, but I have a feeling I’m in the minority. It sounds like something Aunt Bee might make for Andy and Opie, don’t you think?Aside from dessert, my other favorite holiday food is sweet potatoes. I’m not too fussy—add maybe a little brown sugar and butter. But when I saw this Brown Sugar Pecan Roasted Sweet Potatoes, it had my mouth watering.
And just in case you’re short on calories, don’t forget to include Cheddar and Chive Cornmeal Biscuits.
This ought to be enough variety that you might find a recipe (or three) to your liking. For a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card and the ebook version of A Canine Christmas, comment below on your favorite Thanksgiving or Christmas food. If you missed Monday’s post and/or Tuesday’s post, be sure to visit and comment for more chances to win the giveaway.
