feelin' southern...

maybe its the throwdown...and maybe its the fact that i just went to the grocery store and i've had all these ideas of things i've wanted to cook (stuff i had growing up or other places and want to make my own recipe)...but i've been in a bit of a southern mood lately

...ok, i'm southern all the time, but my cookin' doesn't usually reflect that since i don't care that much for biscuits and i try not to use a stick of butter and sugar in every recipe...

i resisted the urge to go to costco in the middle of the pouring rain (well, lee talked me out of it) in hopes that i could do the food lion thing and maybe have time for a nap! after my rainy grocery trip, i came home to try my first chicken pot pie...made mom's poppyseed dressing (to DIEEE FORRR!)...and i just finished making my first batch of pimento cheese :)

the chicken pot pie will need some work...tonite's was definitely edible...but since i made it up (again? boy...i'm getting brave!)...i've got to work on the chicken/veggie/crust balance...lee and i both agreed it needed more crust...but we both went back for 2nds! very easy to make and more or less a 1 pot dish! ...i really like those sort of recipes...easy clean-up!

and of course with the successful replication of mom's poppyseed dressing (she gave me the recipe...with a few extra details)...i had to get lots of salad stuff...things to dip...and some STRAWS!! ...kidding...

even though its a salad dressing, its great as a fruit dip too! apples, oranges, kiwi, pineapple, blueberries and strawberries (the berries didn't look great today at the store...)

you name it, you can dip it! :) ...unfortunately the recipe will not be posted here...its copyrighted material ;)

...on to the pimiento cheese...i've been searching the internet for recipes...i didn't realize how many variations there were...some use cream cheese, some use mayonnaise, others use miracle whip...i used miracle whip tonite, but would like to try it with mayo, too...i use mayo in my pasta salad & don't really use too much miracle whip in my recipes...but i like granny pat's pimiento cheese...and she uses miracle whip...

they also had lots of "secret ingredients"...jalepenos, pickle juice, paprika. garlic, grated onion...

but the hardest part to me was to figure out the proportions to use--you could tell from looking at other recipes that some liked theirs GOOEY!! i just like my sauce to hold the cheese together...this recipe, i'll probably tweek every time i make it just depending on the mood i'm in

one of my favorites with pimiento cheese is to make it like a grilled cheese! YUM! i know, sounds crazy...just try it!

2 c. cheese of your choice (i used cheddar, but i'd just use whatever i had in my kitchen)
3/4 c. of miracle whip
1/2 of a 4 oz. jar of pimientos (i wasn't brave enough to use the whole thing...ha!)
tsp. sugar
salt & pepper
a dash (or 2) of hot sauce

and tomorrow is an exciting event for the perry ladies...we're headed to granny's for the "brunswick stew fest"...granny called me tonite to make sure i bring lots of containers tomorrow to fill 'em up! ...and no, that recipe won't be publicized either...

good bloggin' stuff here...good recipes from both sides of my family tonite! :)