Despite my parents' best efforts to nurture my preference for the Finer Things in Life, I inherited my paternal Grandma's ("Mommoe") love of down home Southern cooking. While I enjoy my own (health conscious) Mom's healthy, mediterreanean fare that usually includes the freshest ingredients lovingly plucked from her very own garden, I have to admit that when it comes time for me to come up with a meal plan for dinner, it is good old fashioned Southern food that gets my mouth watering. (And aside from leaving that warm, cozy feeling in your tummy, they are easy on you wallet and can often be made ahead of time- a Must for me as I have to cook during naptime as I find it impossible to mother and cook at the same time unless the T.V. is on).
When I was growing up, I used to love going to Mommoe and PopPop's house for the weekend. Actually, their home was more like a farm because it was in the middle of nowhere and like my mom, PopPop also had an amazing farm/ garden where he would let me dig up potatoes, carrots and rutabegas and pick the most delicious tomatoes and cucumbers. For the perfect snack, Mommoe would give me sliced cucumber with a little bit of salt sprinkled on it- simple, fresh and healthy- or a fresh tomato (also lightly salted), ham and pimento cheese sandwich on soft white bread. (Southernliving.com thrilled me when they describd Pimento cheese as "iconic"! http://www.southernliving.com/food/how-to/pimiento-cheese-recipes-00417000077125/page2.html)
I used to have to sit at the dinner table until I had choked down whatever steamed vegetable my mom was serving that night, but at Mommoe and PopPop's house, I could not get enough of those green beans and black-eyed peas cooked with a ham hock (improves just about everything) and doused with some of PopPop's bottled hot sauce made with the spicy little peppers from his garden. I could go on and on about Mommoe's potato salad made with fresh eggs and dill relish bottled by PopPop with real mayonaise (we always had miracle whip at home)... or the Oatmeal Cookies...or the smell of Cream Puffs just out of the oven...Suffice it to say that a lot of her love of simple, unpretentious, comforting food has seeped into my veins, despite my having lived abroad and under the roof of a real gourmet Chef (see Mom- I am giving you credit!).
(Once a European friend told me that Americans have no real culture or authentic cuisine. Not only do we have our own regional cooking, but we have improved upon international cuisine as well. Despite having spent two summers in Italy, the best Italian meal I ever had was at Carlo's in Brighton, MA -Shrimp GrandMarnier and Lobster Ravioli to DIE for!- Did I mention that the best thing about blogging is being able to ramble/digress as much as one wants to?)
Anyway, when I sit down to plan our family dinners, I set out to satiate whatever craving I happen to be having that day (a perk to being the head Chef in our home), use whatever ingredients I have around the house (usually determined by whatever is on sale at the store that week) and of course provide a healthy, well-balanced and satiating meal. (while I love Southern food, I try to adjust the recipes to make them healthy).
Here are a few of Thakkar family classics:
Pork Chops with Pepper Jelly Sauce (Southern Living)
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/pork-chops-with-pepper-jelly-sauce-10000001951499/
I can't take credit for discovering this one (thank you fellow Southern cook, Laurie Naugle) but man is it good. The first time I made it, I used the Spicy Red Pepper Jelly made with Jalepenos I got at the fair. I adore the way the sweet spiciness compliments the pork. Double the sauce and add some vidalia onions to it to make it even better. It turns out very good with half the butter (see I am healthy too mom). I also did it in the slow cooker and it was delicious.
Cheesy Squash Casserole
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/cheesy-squash-casserole-recipe/index.html (Uncle Bubba) You know any food made by someone named Uncle Bubba is going to turn out darn good. This is a great side dish you can make ahead/ bring to a pot luck, any season. It is a pain, but totally worth it to grating your own cheese. I know vegetables are healthier when they aren't smothered in cheese but I apply the logic that Mary Poppin's shared with us when she said "A spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down"- what a wise woman (and she was good with children!).
Not Yo' Momma's Nana Pudding (Paula Deena- who was just diagnosed with diabetes but I change this recipe to make it "healthy"!)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/not-yo-mamas-banana-pudding-recipe/index.html
Colin made this for me like every day the summer I was preggo with Cora (only time in my life I had a Sweet tooth thank goodness). This is truly FANTASTIC and Colin used light everything (fat free whipped topping, light condensed milk and substituted low fat vanilla wafers) which is why I probably didn't end up gaining too much weight considering all of the pans of this I would go through. Unlike traditional banana pudding, this one is light and airy and not too sweet.
Baked TexMex Pimento Cheese Dip
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/baked-tex-mex-pimiento-dip-50400000109466/
I have only made this one once but man did I improve it when I added some frozen spinach I had drained (see- making it healthier MOM) and JennieO's hot turkey sausage (less fat/ calories than lean ground turkey, all natural and low in cholesterol MOM). I made it a few hours ahead of time and it was truly amazing. It would be an ideal dip for football watching or anything else for that matter.
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