Every time I talk to one of my Northern or Western friends about Southern cooking, they are of the opinion that as long as it's fried and greasy, then it's Southern! WRONG!!! There is SO much more to cooking Southern than just deep frying something. It's not just the way food is cooked, but the preparation that goes into the meal before any eyes on the stove or burners in the oven are fired. Southern cooking is cooking with heart, soul, passion and a penchant for doing it all without breaking the bank!
I grew up in a kitchen with very deep Southern roots! My Mom and her family are from Alabama and my Pop's family is from Florida. I learned most of what I know about cooking from my Mom & Pop. I learned the art of cooking improvisation from my Mom. I learned how to use patience to create bread and cakes from my Pop. From both of them I learned the secrets of my grandparents', aunts', and uncles' kitchen prowess and how to manipulate their techniques.
Not everything I cook or eat is fried. Some of it is and it SHOULD be! The only way to make a world class Hush Puppy is to deep fry it! There just is NO other way! And I don't care what anyone one says, but if it goes in the oven... IT AIN'T FRYING!!!! So yes, I do know how to fry and fry on a regular basis. But I can do other things, as most Southern cooks can!
So what is the purpose of this blog? Why True GRITS?
The purpose is mostly for my own amusement! Let's be realistic! But it's also to inform and hopefully to BE informed! I will be sharing some of my own Southern creations on here, and would like to hear what people think after they try them on their own. I would like to hear what worked, what didn't work; what you liked or didn't like about something; basically information and constructive criticism.
As to "why True GRITS"? Because I can’t' think of anything more Southern than Grits! In this case, it's also an acronym... borrowed and changed though! So it's actually True G.R.I.T.S., which is True Guy Raised In The South!
Starting in the next day or so, I plan to put up a recipe every couple of days or so. Most are my family’s recipes, but with my little twist, so as to not give up the very guarded family secrets!
I hope you enjoy following along!
