I’m an Official Southern Pig – Snort

In some parts of the south, they tell you that your not officially a southern until you’ve had the basics.  The basics could be many things but some of them are collard greens, grits, sweet tea, fried chicken, sweet potato pie, macaroni and cheese and boiled peanuts.  I’ve had several of these things.  It makes sense.  My mom was born and raised in the south.  You know just between you and me they call people like my momma GRITS – Girls Raised in the South.  Snort

Well, let me tell you about one of these things that I absolutely LOVE…boiled peanuts.  Oh goodness – they are simply delicious.  And no, I didn’t have them in a RC Cola and no I didn’t have them on ice cream which is common here.  I had them straight up out of the shell.  mmm.  Boiling them just brings out a different flavor.  First of all, they’re soft so there is no crunch.  You boiled them in seasoned water right over an open flame.  Mom knows a guy that knows a guy that fixes them – LOL.  You break open a shell and juice goes everywhere.  Then you see the tasty little morsel.  You pop it in your mouth and it’s still hot from the flame – SHUT THE FRONT DOOR – the taste explodes in your  mouth.  It’s a little salty, sometimes it can be a little spicy according to the seasoning, and they are God’s tasty little morsels.

If you haven’t tried any yet, what are you waiting for?  Try them now and let me know what you think.  Dad never ate any until mom introduced him.  Now he can’t stay out of them.  They are that good!

 

Travels in the South

Oh my friends – mom/dad found the *best* local seafood restaurant.  It is called Fishers of Men and they are located at 1500 Mt Zion Road, Suite 20, Morrow.  They are open everyday except Sunday.

Mom/dad went there one Saturday night to check it out and they have since been back repeatedly.  Why?  Let me tell you why mom/dad like it so much.

The food is authentic.  As you’ve read on my blog, mom/dad like to travel and they like to eat.  They’ve eaten everywhere.  And this place can hold their own with some of the other restaurants they’ve been to all over the world.

The atmosphere is home. You go in, order and pay for your food.  Then you  find a comfy spot and wait smelling all of that deliciousness being created in the kitchen for your order.  There’s no rush to herd you out of the restaurant like some places do.  Everything is cooked fresh to order so it comes out sizzling hot.

And let me tell you one more thing.  You may go in as a stranger but you will leave as family.

When mom/dad went the first time, they ordered two of the whiting and shrimp dinners.  That’s four pieces of whiting and thirteen shrimp with fries.  They didn’t have any clue how much food they would get.  Look at all of that food!  And yes, dad said they snorted it all down – can you believe that?

There is a LOT of pictures below that mom/dad wanted to share with you – no they didn’t order everything at once – snorts with piggy laughter.  As I’ve said, they have been there many times in the past couple of weeks.

As they like to tell one of the owners Arlene, they are working their way through the menu.  Today, I wanted to share with you some of their fabulous food.  And, if you are in the area we highly suggest you try this place.

You will not regret it!  In fact, as mom/dad try more of their food, you might see them here again on Travels in the South.

.

Now try not to get too hungry looking at these gorgeous pictures!

In no particular order, the following pictures are:  scallops (sweet, succulent and flaky on the inside like they should be); crab sticks (we had to ask what these were too!  crab meat breaded and fried); oysters and catfish; whiting and shrimp; whiting and the best seafood salad and clams.  And let me add by saying there french fries are crispy and there onion rings are out of this world!!  Mom/dad have also tried their wonderful cole slaw and grits.  Yes grits are good for you!

 

#fishersofmen #seafood #oysters #crabsticks #whiting #scallops #shrimp #clams

 

Travels in the South

Living in the south, there are lots of comfort foods. But sometimes on a cold and rainy day, you want something that soothes your soul. Mom’s choice for that is grits with cheddar cheese and crumbled up turkey sausage. It’s hot, gooey and delicious. I hear your naysayers turning your nose up at grits. But let me tell you something. When done right like this, grits can be delicious! 😋

 

Shopping Around the World

 This month we are posting anything we want to share that you cook, prepare, fix or throw together at your crib.  It can be anything.  So knowing this, we want to share something that we absolutely love here at the Hotel Thompson.  You here a lot of flack about one of the ingredients but to be a true southerner, you love it.  And since some of the ingredients are shall we say  pig related – this is Bacon’s mom taking over the posting today.

For those cool mornings or nights that you don’t feel like cooking much – we fix a big pot of southern cheese and sausage grits.  Yep, you heard it – grits.  Grits are a southern love.  They are made from ground hominy.  And in this picture, we went to our local Waffle House one night for dinner.

Grits are very cheap here.  You can buy a 2 pound bag at most markets for around $3.00 – and trust me, they go a long ways (probably less than $0.50 a meal).  Now here at the Hotel Thompson, we put about three cups of water in a pot and put it on the stove medium high.  Season with salt and add one cup of grits.  You are going to let the water boil and the grits cook for about 20-30 minutes.  Make sure that you stir occasionally – grits will stick and expand.

While the grits are cooking, go ahead and fry up some sausages in a pan.  I make sausage patties and cook them on a skillet beside my grits so I’m constantly watching.  I buy a pack of 12 sausages and cook them for the entire week.  One pack is $4.00 – we use about 6 patties with the grits.

When your grits are about done, add 1/2 stick of butter (around $0.30), more salt to taste and black pepper.  Now add grated cheddar cheese (we buy blocks and rate our own (around $0.50) to your grits and stir everything together to melt the cheese.  Your sausage should just about be done.  Cut the sausage up into bite size pieces and add to your grits, stir everything together and there you go – a southern delight for sure!

And the bottom price with everything – around $3.50

 

Food Porn – A Southern Breakfast

  The other morning after Christmas, mom/dad went out for a true Southern breakfast.  Mom/dad said they had to get this out of their system to start the year off right.  Shaking piggy head – I don’t get it.  Mom/dad wouldn’t tell me where some of this food came from… they said it was best that I didn’t know.  Snorts – we *all* know what that means huh?  So, let me give you a breakdown of a southern breakfast:

Of course, buttered biscuits, eggs (scrambled and over easy), sausage, streak o’ lean (a southern delicacy – look it up – gulps), pancake, southern gravy and real grits with shredded cheese.  Now tell me my friends – which item do you want to try first?