Happy Fourth!

Hi folks. Just because there hasn't been as much action on the Southern Dish site lately doesn't mean we aren't busy gathering info for you. Over the summer we Dishers are doubling our efforts to collect the best Southern food info and recipes so you'll have a steady stream headed your way in the fall. But, no matter what, we can't forget the Fourth of July and all of the super-exciting Southern fare that comes with the fireworks. So below is our favorite, Southern Dish-approve Fourth of July menu. All of the recipes are in the recipe list at the left and several of them are no or low cook to help you beat the heat. So put on your apron up and have a blast (so to speak), and happy Fourth!

Easy Grilled Burgers (no recipe needed: 1 lb extra lean ground beef, one egg, one pkg onion soup mix) with all the fixins'

Green Beans with Bacon

Layered Salad

Creamy Low-fat Potato Salad

Coleslaw

Banana Pudding

Berry Nice Strawberry Shortcake

Debbie Meyer Green Bags for Long Lasting Fruits & Veggies

With summer produce here and our local co-op in full swing (http://www.athens.locallygrown.net/), I was desperate for a way to make my beautiful fruits and vegetables last longer. I'd seen Debbie Meyer's Green Bags on TV (http://www.cakecutter.com/greenbags.html), and on a recent visit to Alabama, my mom mentioned them. I don't usually order things from TV, but I was considering trying these out when, as luck would have it, I found them in the Kroger produce department. The bags supposedly contain a natural mineral that absorbs the ripening gas that fruits and veggies produce. The absorption of the gas then is supposed to make the fruits and veggies stay fresh longer. The bags at Kroger are $9.99 for a box of 20 and each bag can be re-used 7-8 times. So far, I really like them. They're easy to use and seem to be working. I think they are definitely worth trying if you find yourself with lots of fruits and veggies that you don't want to freeze or can. I'll keep you posted as time goes on. If you try them out, email us and share your experience with Debbie Meyer's Green Bags - thesoutherndish@gmail.com (and no, the Southern Dish receives no compensation for products we recommend. They are just things we like!)

Upcoming Event for Southern Food and Beverage Museum

If you're in the New Orleans area and love food (especially Southern food!), check out The Art of Tasting:

"The Consulate General of France and the Southern Food and Beverage Museum present The Art of Tasting, a gourmet dinner presented at the Mélange restaurant in The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New Orleans, on Thursday June 19, 2008. This culinary event features a specially paired menu with wines selected by Jacques Puisais, founder of the "Institut du Goût" (Taste Institute) in Paris, in collaboration with Mathew Murphy, Chef of The Ritz-Carlton. The dinner, presented as a theater performance by Jacques Puisais, renowned as the James Beard of France, will explore the relationship between the senses and food. Mixing his scientific knowledge with his poetic sensibility, he has created a "philosophy of taste." Jacques Puisais has traveled the world, teaching his philosophy of appreciating the simple pleasures of taste. This is a unique opportunity to hear him speak and explain his philosophy.Jacques Puisais will also speak at the new Southern Food and Beverage Museum on Saturday June 14th at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum at the Riverwalk at 2:00pm. He will discuss gastronomy and educating children's palates."

"The Art of Tasting"

Thursday June 19, 2008, from 6 pm to 9 pm

Mélange Restaurant, the Ritz-Carlton 921 Canal Street, NOLA

Information and reservations 504-670-2828

The dinner costs $125 and is given in support of

the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, the Riverwalk, New Orleans

Oven Fried Green Tomatoes

I'm not picky about many foods, but fried green tomatoes one of a few exceptions. I love them, but I want them done right. A year or so ago, I got really tired of the mess from frying them, so I started experimenting with oven "frying" them. It took a few tries, but it really works well. You may have to do this in small batches and do taste tests to get the seasoning exactly the way you like it. But that is the fun part! The recipe below is for a small batch; double it, triple it, or whatever for more! These are a wonderful, healthier, cleaner, easier (!) substitute to messy frying that keeps all of the tart, crisp, fried flavor. Enjoy! And let us know what you think at thesoutherndish@gmail.com!

Oven Fried Green Tomatoes
1 medium green tomato, cut into 1-4 to 1/2-inch slices (I like thinner ones)
1/4 c. flax seed meal (ground flax seeds - available in most major grocery stores)
1/4 c. non-sweet cereal such as or corn flakes or high-fiber cereal finely crushed to consistency of breadcrumbs
1 1/2 T. cornmeal
1 egg lightly beaten
2 T. buttermilk
1/4 t. -1/2 t. salt
1/8 - 1/4 t. garlic powder, or to taste
1/8 - 1/4 t. onion powder, or to taste
hearty dash of black pepper
nonstick cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the ground flax seeds, crushed cereal, cornmeal, and spices in a bowl with a lid. Shake well. Combine egg and buttermilk. Dip a tomato slice in the milk / egg mixture, and let excess drip off. Coat the slice well with the dry mixture. Remove the slice and set aside, and then repeat with the remaining slices. If you want a heavier batter, repeat the dipping / coating process a second time.

Arrange the slices on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Lightly spray the tomato slices with cooking spray. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, flipping the slices about halfway through cooking and lightly spraying again after you flip them. Tomatoes are done when the outside is crisp.

Hormone-free Dairy Products

I love rich, creamy dairy products: butter, cheese, sour cream...yum! Lately, many of us cooks, foodies, and eaters of all sorts have had concerns about the levels of bovine growth hormone in our dairy products. The long and short of it is that some dairy farms have traditionally shot up their dairy cows with synthetic hormones to make the cows grow faster and produce more milk sooner. Well, guess what? Not that I ever thought of it until recently, but those hormones get into the dairy products and then get into our bodies and may affect our and our children's growth and development. But I just can't stop eating all of my favorites, so I wanted to tell you all about a few products that I'm aware of that claim to be hormone free. I'm not making any promises here, folks, but these products are self-reported hormone free and are in most major supermarkets:

Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream (yay!)
Horizon Organic
Kraft 2 % cheese (who'd have thunk?)
Organic Valley
Stoneyfield Farms

For more hormone-free dairy products in your area, go to http://www.sustainabletable.org/shop/dairymap/ and click on your state! Happy eating!

Best Coleslaw

What is a picnic, barbecue, cookout, or any other summer occasion without good, creamy coleslaw? Earlier, I posted a nice sweet-and-sour coleslaw recipe that is marinated and very good (see recipe list at left), but sometimes you just have to have the real, mayo-laden original. Here's the recipe for my favorite coleslaw ever. I won't say it is healthy (though you certainly can substitute Splenda for the sugar and low-fat mayo for the real stuff), but it is certainly good!

Coleslaw
For dressing:
1/2 c. mayo (Bama or Duke's are good choices)
1/2 t. celery seed
2-3 drops hot sauce (my favorite is Texas Pete)
3 T. onion dry chopped onion
1/2 c. buttermilk, or less for thicker dressing
1/2 t/ salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 c. "sweet" milk
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. dill pickle juice

For slaw:
6 c. shredded or chopped cabbage
1 c. shredded carrots

Mix dressing ingredients and let stand for 15 minutes or so to rehydrate the onion. (The amount of milk and buttermilk can be adjusted to suit your preference. I personally don't like soupy slaw.) Mix dressing with veggies.

Bread and Butter Pickles...yum!

Hey y'all. Now that I'm out from under a MOUNTAIN of work, I can get back to the important stuff...the food! So, to kick off my renewed blogging, here is a recipe for homemade bread 'n' butters that was sent to me by a friend from Macon who got the recipe from a relative in Virginia (and I think it is posted on e-cookbooks, too). With all the cukes will be having this summer, I'll be making a batch soon. In the South we'll pickle anything, so if you have a super pickle recipe to share, send it along... thesoutherndish@gmail.com!

Bread and Butter Pickles

4 quarts pickling cucumbers, sliced
1 1/2 c. sliced Vidalia onion
2 large gloves garlic
1/3 c. pickling salt
2 quarts crushed ice
4 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. turmeric
1 1/2 t. celery seed
2 T. mustard seed
3 c. white vinegar

In a large bowl, combine cukes, onion, garlic, and salt. Cover with ice. Cover bowl with a towel and let stand for 3 hours. Make the pickling brine by mixing sugar, spices, and vinegar in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Drain water and ice from cucumber slices. The original recipe says to remove the garlic cloves, but I say leave 'em in. Add cukes to the brine; simmer five minutes. Pack in sterile canning jars leaving 1/2 inch of space from top. Seal. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Allow to sit at least two weeks before opening.