From My Kitchen to Yours .....
Guess what’s hitting my kitchen tonight? Southern Fried Cabbage – and trust me, it’s a game-changer! Picture this: cabbage sautéed to perfection with onions, garlic, and a sprinkle of seasoning, giving it that Southern flair. What’s the secret? Slow-cooking magic! Let those flavors dance together, …
Guess what’s cooking in my kitchen today? A hearty bowl of 15 bean soup – the perfect weather for it with the snow falling outside. I went rogue on the seasoning, tossed out the packet that comes with it, and crafted my own mix. Because …
Cornbread has a rich history dating back to the indigenous peoples of the Americas, particularly the Native American tribes who first cultivated and utilized maize. Early European settlers adopted and adapted corn-based recipes, leading to the creation of cornbread as a staple in Southern cuisine during the 19th century. Its versatility and simplicity made it a beloved and enduring dish, evolving over time with variations in ingredients and preparation methods. During the Civil War, cornbread gained prominence as a crucial sustenance for Confederate soldiers, further solidifying its place in Southern culinary tradition. Today, cornbread continues to be a cherished comfort food across the United States, with various regional styles and preferences highlighting its enduring significance in American gastronomy.
A Lucky Tradition Spreads. No one knows for sure exactly when this happened, but the various ingredients blended to create a new New Year’s Day tradition in Southern kitchens. Perhaps enslaved African American cooks in plantation kitchens came up with the idea of substituting the dark “eyes” of the black-eyed peas for the first footer visitor after hearing about the tradition. European slaveholders, including those of English and Irish heritage, may have had the same idea after noticing how the enslaved held field peas in high esteem. Another possibility is that Sephardic Jews who came to the South, especially those with a connection to Syria, inspired others to copy their custom of eating black-eyed peas for good luck on Rosh Hashanah, their New Year’s Day. In any case, a new and enduring tradition was born.
Banana pudding has a long history dating back to the 19 century, there isn’t much information available. What I did find is that bananas began to be marketed in the United States around the 19th century. Cooks were fascinated by this exotic fruit and began using them in existing recipes of cooked puddings and baked custards topped with meringue. A 1902 cookbook contains recipes for fried bananas, baked bananas, banana pudding, and banana cake in a section called Hawaiian recipes.
In 1901 Nabisco began marketing vanilla wafers. No one seems to know which cook was the first to line the pudding dish with vanilla wafers but it caught on quickly, especially after Nabisco began printing the recipe on their vanilla wafer package. Banana pudding is a dessert common in the Southern United States.
I personally do not care for the vanilla wafers so I use chessman cookies.