A Big Southern Do

Today is Derby Day  a big celebration in Kentucky where Southerners revel in the glory of the Kentucky Derby. You have to hand it to Southerners. They know how to do a party right - inspiration for us Yankee party givers. Do a do Southern style - with good food and good drink. Everyone will love it.

Biscuits, always a favorite , can make an appearance at s Southern themed party. Serve them with bacon ,pimento cheese, a favorite filling in sandwiches. Another idea is homemade tomato jam top with cheddar, sort of like an American's take on bruschetta. Tomato jam is easy to make .It's just taking whole peeled tomatoes and half a cup of sugar and cooking into a jam  boiled in a large skillet. A teaspoon of kosher salt is added to bring out the tomatoes' flavor. It's then cooked for about fifteen minutes until thick and jammy. Deviled eggs have always been a staple in almost every celebration and holiday. These are easy to make and can be decorated to look quite fancy. It's just taking the egg yolk and mayo mash and putting it into a cake icer with  small tip (Like a Wilton decorating tip - number 199). Swirl in the filling into the halved egg whites and then dust with paprika or finely minced gherkins.Okra is a big staple in Southern cooking, especially in Louisiana where it's used in gumbo. It can take on a modern twist as a popper. It's simply cutting the stalks into one half inch pieces and first soaking them in buttermilk. They then are rolled in a spicy cornmeal batter that's been spiked with cayenne and garlic powder.

Barbecue is a way of life down South and it too is always the star of many a party.May barbecues have a whole roasted pig . This may be too much and too labor intensive - after all - a pit has to be dug to accommodate the spit and coals. Ribs would be a better choice. They're easier to cook and eat.Marinate them in a spicy and tangy sauce that's laced with hot pepper sauce and sweetened with ketchup and brown sugar to create an interesting marriage of flavors.. Barbecue and fried chicken are also staples of Southernn home chefs. Again brown sugar is added to the chicken's barbecue sauce for that earthy sweetness while chopped onion and garlic gives it some zing. The recipe calls also for ketchup but tomato jam could be subbed in. A fun party food  is homemade fried chicken - what the South is all about. The best tasting ones start with a simple batter , consisting of just flour, eggs and a cup of milk. First  soak the chicken in the milk  and egg mix and then thoroughly coat with flour.Fry in lard for a truly authentic Southern taste.  A Southern do ends with peach cobbler or banana pudding.If it's fancy then bake a traditional hummingbird cake.It's a banana  - pineapple cake laden with pecans and cinnamon. It's iced with another Southern classic  - cream cheese frosting . Serve it with after dinner coffee laced with bourbon for a fantastic ending.

The South knows how to throw a party with good food. Create your own Southern do with tasty fried chicken and biscuits, or barbecue and hummingbird cake. It's what entertaining is all about.

Fortfying The Pantry

This blog was under attack today ,thanks to an opinion piece that I had published in today's The Guardian online. To be honest. I thought I had been doing a relatively good job writing about recipes and food trends for the last eight years.However there were several horrifically mean people who have nothing better to do than rip my blog to shreds.

Unfortunately anyone is shark bait to the online haters.  ,I thought Foodie Pantry was immune because there's only a small cadre of readers. There was never any flak  or criticism. I felt comfortable writing whatever I wanted.Readers seemed happy with my various recipes, from my family's zuppa pane pesto soup to French bread pudding,Public relations people thought my articles on their clients ' books and products were spot on. One  company, San-J, even printed out my review of their gluten free soy sauce, framed it and hung it in their lobby.Then there my entries  saluting our troops and remembering them with gift certificates to their favorite restaurants along with the entries dealing with food pantries and community gardens helping inner cities. Luckily the sludge didn't attack those. I did fight back . I had too and any blogger would do the same in similar circumstances.. When the haters start hating, then it's time to roast them like pigs - slow and with a searing heat that makes their flesh fall off the bone.(except the pig flesh is a lot tastier and much much cleaner than theirs)

This experience was an eye opener. however I am not changing my style, or blog for these holes. I like Foodie Pantry  the way it is. This is advice for any of those neophyte food bloggers out there. Write the way you want, not what people dictate. Never read the very hateful and caustic remarks. These are made by people who are jealous of you, the ones who have absolutely no talent and are complete nothings in the real world.Commenting is the only way to draw attention to themselves. If they were talented , they would have their own blogs and not spending their time criticizing yours. Another must, grow a thicker skin. Most of what people write on the web is just envious rantings Ignore them. If you want constructive criticism, go to family and friends. They know you and how you write.They're the best sounding boards for entry ideas and plans.  Some blogs have pictures of the authors, some don't. I never did because I want my privacy. I was even criticized for that today. There's nothing wrong with privacy  and people have to respect your wish for it.

I am proud of this blog,proud of what I've achieved with it and what it's done for cookbook writers, new foods and inventors. No one puts an ax to my pantry. I'll put an ax to their heads long before that.