Before we get to the recipe, a few more travel notes...
The Canton Flea Market. Heard about it on our way to the farm/lodge. Thought I would drop by and check it out.
Had to stop along the way to read markers:
And take pics of abandoned churches:
and trees in fields:
Little did I know that peeps started arriving at 4 AM to get in line for entry to the market. I arrived at 4:00, PM. Canton is the type of town that has painted signs like this on buildings...
The market is held in on the lawn of the historic Madison County Courthouse. The Courthouse is surrounded by quaint businesses selling everything from antiques to ice cream. Several movies have been filmed in Canton," A Time to Kill", "My Dog Skip" and "Brother, Where Art Thou?", to name a few. I shopped around, bought a few treasures, old and new. Great flea market/antique shopping.
Noticed a sign for "Fried Hand Pies". You know about my weakness for anything related to that certain three letter word. I walked up to the stand, and ordered a pie. Too late. They were all out. But they did have some fried catfish. Twist my arm. Ok, fine, I order a lemonade and an order of catfish. I look at my watch, and see that Miss Leisa will be fixin' to have me eat (I'm now in Southern talk mode) with the fam at about 7 PM. It's 5 now. So I tell the boy behind the counter, just give me two little pieces, I'll pay for the whole order, but I don't need a whole basket of fried catfish... "No problem", he says. When he hands me the basket, he explains they just cooked a big batch, and they need to get rid of it. I want to say to him -
DO I LOOK LIKE I NEED A WHOLE BASKET OF FRIED CATFISH TO MYSELF??
But I politely take it and sit on the curb and start eating. This is absolutely delish. No tartar needed. I have to throw the rest of the basket away to keep from eating all 10 pieces.
Canton is just down the way from Belzoni, known as the Catfish Capital of the U.S.
See this pic? It's the Catfish Museum. That's a giant catfish out front.
They adorn several street corners in Belzoni. No comment.
On our last day in Mississippi, Mary took me to Greenwood, home of Viking Range Company. The cooking school consists of a few different classrooms, one of which are attached to the store and spa.
Yes, a spa.
At the cooking school.
A 7,00 square foot spa, cooking school and The Mockingbird Bakery. The Alluvian historic boutique hotel is on the same block. Alluvian is a subsidiary of Viking. There are also numerous antique and specialty shops surrounding the Viking thread of businesses.
Can you say- GIRL TRIP??
A few more of my favorite images from our trip to the South...
Thanks to Leisa, who kept our family FULL, with her amazing cooking.
Also, Johnny, her hub manages the 3,000 acre farm and guides hunters.
They are two of the kindest and hardest working people I have ever met.
Couldn't post about our trip without mention of Annie-belle.
Cutest city dog/country dog.
While I was out with Mary seeing Mississippi, the boys were hunting.
A pic of my favorite hunters. Jake decided to paint his face camo too. Attractive.
Sunset over the lake...
Food, finally.
Have you ever eaten pimiento cheese spread? If you are a Southerner, I know you have. My friend Kim gave me a cookbook a few years back called :
"Being Dead is No Excuse, The Official Southern Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral"
The authors, Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays say that "Pimiento cheese just might be the most Southern Dish on earth." They also dub PC the " Paste that holds the South together."
Now, if you have never tried pimiento cheese, you should give this recipe a try. It's a perfect easy holiday appetizer.
Did I say HOLIDAY. Yikes. Fifteen short days till my favorite.
THANKSGIVING.
Three-Cheese Pimiento Spread
Miss Mary and Miss Liesa
1/2 cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup finely shredded Colby Jack cheese
1/4 cup mayo
1- 2 oz. jar pimientos, drained
1 Tablespoon Ranch salad dressing, optional
dash hot sauce
Combine all ingredients in bowl. Mix well.
Serve with crackers, or spread on bread to make 4 pimiento-cheese sandwiches.
Tips:
I omitted the Ranch, and added a little more mayo.
I love the pup, spread looks great - I ahve never had anything like it before.
ReplyDeleteOh I have not made pimento cheese in soooo long, I was thinking of it the other day, and will have to try this recipe!
ReplyDeletePie- and hand fried too, too bad they did not have some. My mom used to make them all the time. Maybe why I am fighting the bulge now LOL but I will have to make those as well! We all deserve a good day! HEH!
What a great trip. I'd say you got the best deal in your family...I'll take the girl trip over hunting. And with that moniker, I think the pup needs to be on my blog!
ReplyDelete