SOUTHERN EATS
We love candy - divinity, pecan pralines, fudge
desserts - peach cobbler, pecan pie, meringue pies
vegetables - collard greens, okra, squash (not a fav here), string beans, tomatoes,potatoes, Vidalia Onions
meat/fish -BBQ, catfish, turkey and cornbread dressing,Texas loves chicken fried steak, fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, shrimp and seafood gumbos, pulled pork
beverage - bourbon, sweet tea with a splash of Welch’s grape juice added (my GM kept a beautiful pitcher of this on her dining table at every meal. It was the way we youngsters learneD to drink iced dea. Still have that beautiful pitcher in my china cabinet. Oh, and in Texas many of us drink nothing but Dr. Pepper (some even subbing this for the caffeine in coffee (hand raised)
Basically the same foods eaten elsewhere, just a twist of some substitution or addition to make them our own :)
For instance pickles - sweet gherkins, chow chow, watermelon rind pickles and sweet pickle relish LOL, see what is meant about Southerners and sweetness? :)
Here are a number of sites which might help give you ideas.
http://thesouthernladycooks.com/
http://www.southernliving.com/food/kitchen-assistant/southern-cooking-recipes
http://allrecipes.com/recipes/us-recipes/southern/
http://southern.food.com/
http://www.mrfood.com/editors-picks/country-cooking-48-best-loved-southern-comfort-recipes
http://farmflavor.com/category/recipes/theme/southern/
http://www.mommyskitchen.net/2008/06/old-fashioned-classics-soul-food.html
http://www.mamas-southern-cooking.com/
http://southernfood.about.com/
http://www.soulfoodandsoutherncooking.com/
http://www.southernstates.com/articles/southern-cooking-recipes.aspx
Of course, anything served becomes more enjoyable with friends and family gathered round the table.
Southern cooking is comfort, home and family. We do what we can with whatever we’ve got :)
Thank you for the yummy list.
I have a lot to learn about my adopted - and gorgeous - homeland. God certainly spent extra time working on the south!