Southern Food

[AdventureMom]

Okay. We are on our way home from Ga to Va and have stopped at a "home-tel" on the side of I-95 somewhere. We wanted to stay longer - beautiful weather (75 degrees today!!!), fun time with family, etc. But I just *had* to get away: I think I've gained 10 pounds in a week...:p The food is just too good.

At home, we eat pretty healthy (unless we go out and then all bets are off). But I had fried chicken, homemade mac-and-cheese, butterbeans, collards, cornbread, and sweet tea - almost every day. From my mom, my SIL, and eating out at a couple of local restaurants that I dearly miss. Oh my. It's good. Really good.

Get this: at one point, I decided the sweet tea was just too sweet. So I asked for a glass of 1/2 sweet mixed with 1/2 unsweet and braced myself for a crazy look. "So you want fried chicken, mac-and-cheese, and one large 1/2-and-1/2 tea?" There's a name for it!!!! So from then on, every restaurant we went to (including the drive-thru at Chick-Fil-A), I ordered a "1/2-and-1/2 tea" and they *all knew what it was*... :p That's cool. Anyone else know about that?

So between this awesome Southern food and Peanut Buster Parfaits from the DQ, I'm in for some serious withdrawal when I get home... Back to regular ol' food...:rolleyes:

[LuvBug03]

Thats the south for ya babe ;)

I also find the tea too sweet and just drink unsweet tea. Like unsweet tea. As in tea that is not sweetened lol! Everyone thinks Im crazy!!
At home I water down everything, and usually when we go out, after the first glass I water it down too. I water down juice, lemonade, tea, fruity softdrinks lol! Usually a 1:9 ratio with a 10oz glass(9oz water). At least I know Im drinking enough water lol!

[Lara]

Ohhhh I so miss good southern cooking! I grew up in the south so it was a bummer to move west where mexican food is the big thing. I guess it isn't all bad because I like mexican food, but there is nothing like good southern cookin'! I could kill for some fried chicken and mashed potatoes right now, speaking of good southern food... lol.

I didn't know about the tea. But I don't like tea much so I guess I wouldn't have a reason to know lol.

[AdventureMom]

I water down juice, lemonade, tea, fruity softdrinks lol! Usually a 1:9 ratio with a 10oz glass(9oz water). At least I know Im drinking enough water lol!

I'm usually like that, too... We don't even drink juice at home. And if we have it going out, Nolan is pretty much drinking water with a little juice added to it :p . We're a water family. But there's just something about sweet tea - LOL!

[southpawboston]

i miss southern cooking too!!! we were down south only once, during our cross-country trek from NY to SoCal, via virginia, tennessee, louisiana, and texas. the first place we stopped in tennessee, i had grits for the first time. yum!!! and lots of butter on everything!

[arly1983]

Get this: at one point, I decided the sweet tea was just too sweet. So I asked for a glass of 1/2 sweet mixed with 1/2 unsweet and braced myself for a crazy look. "So you want fried chicken, mac-and-cheese, and one large 1/2-and-1/2 tea?" There's a name for it!!!! So from then on, every restaurant we went to (including the drive-thru at Chick-Fil-A), I ordered a "1/2-and-1/2 tea" and they *all knew what it was*... :p That's cool. Anyone else know about that

Yes, I waitressed six years through school and that was a sure way to spot an out-of-towner. The food here is good but its hard on the waistline and arteries. Glad your trip went good.

[scatterbunny]

My Nana grew up in West Virginia, which considers itself the south, LOL. She can COOK, though, and has taught me to make homemade mac n cheese, and that the best way to make eggs and potatoes is to fry them in bacon grease. :p I'm craving her fried chicken now!

[skaterbabscpst]

I can't live without my sweet tea- unsweet is just gross. :rolleyes: But a lot of people don't know how to make it properly and it becomes this sickeningly sweet mess that's bitter at the same time. yuck!

[Patriot201]

I am originally from Texas and one entire side of my family lives in the deep South. Although I have that "history," I drink ONLY unsweetened tea. The thought of drinking sweet tea makes me shudder.

I have gotten some REALLY crazy looks when I have asked for unsweetened tea when I am in the deep south. :)

[AdventureMom]

I can't live without my sweet tea- unsweet is just gross. :rolleyes: But a lot of people don't know how to make it properly and it becomes this sickeningly sweet mess that's bitter at the same time. yuck!

ITA! And I hate it when we go out and ask if they have sweet tea. They say yes, then bring you unsweetened with packs of sugar on the side... :mad: ... NOT the same thing, even if you're able to stirandstirandstirandstir and get it to finally melt. I swear, there must be a chemical reaction that takes places when sugar is added to the tea while it's still warm... :D

At Panera near us, you can get sweet tea. Oh, it's gross. It's soooooo sweet and too strong and very bitter and all messed up. We usually get 1/4 sweet tea mixed with unsweet.

[skaterbabscpst]

Yep. Sorry - unsweetened tea with sugar packets is still unsweetened tea. The sugar MUST be dissolved in the tea while warm, but AFTER the teabags are removed.
Adding the sweetener while the tea is still steeping is what makes it bitter. You have to take the tea bags out before adding the sugar to prevent it.


Even worse than the sweetened-while-still-steeping tea is when you ask for sweet and get that NASTY canned stuff. *shudder*

[lodonal65]

i miss southern cooking too!!! we were down south only once, during our cross-country trek from NY to SoCal, via virginia, tennessee, louisiana, and texas. the first place we stopped in tennessee, i had grits for the first time. yum!!! and lots of butter on everything!

Southpaw,
I just wanted to say I'm impressed! Most northerners I know put sugar on their Grits!
You should like this website then!
Everything you wanted to know about Grits and more! lol
http://www.grits.com/discript.htm

[lodonal65]

There is also such thing as 1/2 and 1/2 tea and lemonade!
And in the south when you order "Tea" you automatically get sweet tea.
To us there is no other way to have tea!

[skaterbabscpst]

I do love the half tea/half lemonade, as long as it's real lemonade and not the fake stuff.

[mommy2jana]

Even though I still live in the South - I miss the food you can get in GA, especially at my grandparents house! I have seen people do the 1/2 and 1/2 tea. I've never done it myself, I LOVE sweet tea. We always have a pitcher of it in the fridge.

I do the same thing about watering down Jana's juice, though. She never gets full strength juice unless its orange juice, but she doesn't really care for that.

[mommy2jana]

At Panera near us, you can get sweet tea. Oh, it's gross. It's soooooo sweet and too strong and very bitter and all messed up. We usually get 1/4 sweet tea mixed with unsweet.

All of the Panera's around here are the same way. Their tea is very sweet, strong, and bitter at the same time!

[lodonal65]

My grandmother's recipe for perfect sweet tea.
boil a small pot of water, remove from heat, place 3 family size Luzianne tea bags in to steep for about 10 mins. Meanwhile, add 1 cup granulated sugar to a 1/2 gallon pitcher. Then add tea from pot. Run cool water over tea bags to fill pot and pour into pitcher until full.
Enjoy!

[Michi]

No sweet tea for me! Yuck!
Up here we like it unsweetented and good and strong ( like black coffee!) :D
"Sun Tea" is one of my favorite summer drinks!

[Tracy]

I've heard the 1/2 tea-1/2 lemonade called an 'arnold palmer'. :confused: My husband loves it and orders it that way all the time...

[skaterbabscpst]

if you leave the tea bags in when you add the sugar, it makes it bitter - always take the bags out before sweetening the tea.

[LuvBug03]

I can't live without my sweet tea- unsweet is just gross. :rolleyes: But a lot of people don't know how to make it properly and it becomes this sickeningly sweet mess that's bitter at the same time. yuck!

properly brewed tea never needs any additives ;) lol!!!! no thats how I feel about my coffee. If its properly prepared I can drink it black, and Ive found with tea I can do the same. If it isnt then it needs SOMETHING- milk, honey, sugar... there is only one place I can order unsweet tea from that comes out perfect every time and I just dont eat there very often. At home I just modify it to our liking.
Most places, like mcdonalds, chick-fil-a, well ALL of them... make a syrup and ship it to the stores and they just 'brew' it together and call it tea. Its gross :bleck:

[LuvBug03]

I've heard the 1/2 tea-1/2 lemonade called an 'arnold palmer'. :confused: My husband loves it and orders it that way all the time...

also a Jasper.

I like the half tea half lemonade if it is made well... still end up watering it down though lol! I have a hard time drinking lemonade from just about anywhere... its always concentrate stuff. So we make our own or buy simply lemonade(and add water lol!!!). Im really addicted to lemonade right now :p

[LuvBug03]

The way I make tea is:
Fill a standard teapot with water, add 2-3 teabags(but not the ones with the string I use these ones that are like a 3x4' bag of tea that is loose and not packed) and step until very concentrated(but not to the bitter point). Then take out the bags and add the sugar(I prefer sugar in the raw but I have been using up some organic sugar I had a coupon on) and desolve. Fill up a full sized pitcher(think gallon sized lol!) with ICE and pour the HOT tea over it. The ice will fully melt as you stir and you are ready to go. Now the reason I do that is because we dont keep tea in the house, we only make it for dinner with certain meals(like a fine wine lol!) and I make it while Im cooking, so I need it good to go when dinner is ready. And we dont do such a thing as hot tea down here!(unless its my special herb tea, but then no one else can have it lol!)
I also make green tea during the summer to keep in the fridge and prepare it the same way only I use about 1 tablespoon honey instead of sugar and add a little lemon. I dont like my green tea sweetened barely at all.