Very few things can bring joy to the heart of a Southern cook, even one who happens to live in Alaska, like the words “Smoked Ham Hocks.” When making a braised dish or a stew, even bacon and butter can’t hold a candle to a good hock. While both of...
I’ve said it before and I will most definitely say it again. Simple foods are the best foods. Some of the most sought after dishes in the world are inspired by what were once food for the poor only. Meals that were originally intended to stretch a few meager...
While I’ve shared a basic Southern gravy recipe here before, if you’re thinking of making biscuits and gravy it can’t be done with restaurant style gravy. It must be made with sausage gravy. Sausage gravy is a Southern staple....
For my family cornbread was a staple food. It was served with beans and potatoes, with fish, for holidays, at parties and often just as a snack. It was always served with a bowl of chili. There was no question that chili and cornbread were meant to go together. If...
While chili (particularly “Texas Red”, and yes, that means no beans.) is the official state food of Texas, there is little doubt that the unofficial state food of Texas is the chicken fried steak. I’ve known the wonderful delight of chicken fried...
If there’s one food that Americans have adopted from another culture and changed to their own liking it’s the taco. In fact, most Americans wouldn’t know a real taco if it bit them. We’ve changed them too much. Chain restaurants have buried...