Fried chicken. I’m in Kentucky, honey.
Garden veggies squash, butter beans, green beans, and corn.
Lots of iced tea supersaturated with sugar.
The first thing I was taught to cook was fried chicken. The hard part was cutting the chicken into pieces by finding the correct places to cut the joints.
Pancakes made from scratch. Cornbread also made from scratch. “From scratch” means not made from a premade mix. Wanted to say, in case it’s a local thing to say. I was taught to mix to certain consistency, not exact measurements.
My grandmothers fed me, and both were born and raised in Kentucky. A scald on that chicken, greens, cornbread... down home cookin'. One grandmother went on to live a lot of her life on a dirt farm in Tennessee. Both are from 'down home' and both cooked without recipes. They cooked to taste. It was hard for them to tell you how they were cooking something. You kind of had to watch! They made bacon, sausage, eggs and biscuits for breakfast every morning ... biscuits with real butter and sorghum molasses.
Dinner came with meat of whatever kind. They may go out back and kill a chicken and fry the thing up 😳 string beans cooked with ham bones, greens, any kind of beans... mashed potatoes. Homemade bread.
Not a soul was overweight. Not one of us. With all that butter and lard cooking... no one was overweight. We didn't snack. We all had a job, and the kids were always outside.
For my birthday every year my grandmother made me a homemade banana cake with a mile high meringue. I miss them so much. They took such good care of me. I never had a worry when they stepped in.
@elsa My grandparents all lived to almost 90. They say cooking like that is bad for you. But I just had my heart tested in any way you can have this done for 3 days in a hospital and was told I have a little plaque but nothing significant even for my age and that I have no blockage. I was raised to eat this kind of real food. They used real butter and whole raw milk. (they made butter) they grew and canned most of our food. We just went to a shelf in the winter and got whatever they wanted to cook. They even made jam and jelly. We always had peach preserves. That banana cake was made from the ground up with her measured flour and sugar.... it was always three layers and fresh sliced banana between each layer. It was so pretty when she finished. They put so much effort into the cooking they did ... I don't remember eating anything I didn't like.
I will stand and cook for my husband like this, and he will for me. For us, it is eating but also an act of love. Taurus and Cap moons taking care of each other! Eating has always been tied to loving my family.
It is for you too. All that fresh bread and all that gorgeous pasta!
I grew up in the PNW. I did not realize I came from southerners until I moved to Texas in my 20's. They cooked just like my Mom!!!
Then I got into genealogy!
So yeah. Meat, Beans, Greens, Sweets.
Grandpa was an organic gardener always.