As for Meesies, I'll Take Cheesies

Today on their Facebook page, Garden & Gun highlighted this aricle on cheese straws. Not only does it go into a little bit of history on the Southern snack, it also includes a recipe. Oh boy! I love cheese straws; and if you'll remember, I added Salem Bakery's to my Southern gift basket.

Of course, nothing beats homemade. And while the Garden & Gun version does look good, I can't help but be reminded of my Great Aunt Ruth's recipe. Although hers weren't called straws or baked in stick form (they were biscuit-like and called Cheesies) they were still the same basic creation. So, I dug out an old church cookbook, and ... lo and behold ... I found the Cheesies recipe. And because I know you'll love these, too, I'm going to share the details with you:

Cheesies

Ingredients
1 stick margine
1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 1/2 c. corn flakes

Directions
Cream margarine, add grated cheese and work in the flour to which salt has been added. Add Tabasco sauce and mix in corn flakes. Mixture will be crumbly. Form into small balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or untill dry and lightly brown. Serve with chicken salad, fruit salad or punch. Triple ingredients for a large party batch.

Assembling a Gift Basket of Southern Food

Have you ever wanted to send a gift basket of Southern delicacies to someone in a foreign country (like Wisconsin or Massachusetts) but weren't sure what to include? No? That's just me? That's OK. I'll share these details with you anyway because I know you'll want to do this. I'm thinking that maybe after reading this post you, too, will become inspired to share your culture via U.S. Postal Service.

Anyway ...

I recently took this task upon myself so that I could surprise a friend up North (who hopefully isn't reading this). First, I searched for pre-assembled gift baskets ... because I'm lazy. I knew that North Carolina magazine, Our State, sells gift baskets of N.C. food. And while their BBQ Battle Box does appeal to me, I wanted a greater diversity of food types ... because I'm picky. I also didn't want to pay a lot ... because I'm cheap.

So, as I continued to look around, it became obvious that I wasn't going to find exactly what I was looking for and should just make my own gift basket.

I decided from the get-go not to select anything immediately perishable. As much as I'd like to ship pulled pork or livermush, I decided against getting dry ice involved. I also didn't want the products to all come from my home state (N.C.) or all come from the grocery store (although some came from each/both). So, here's what I came up with:

• Duke's Mayonnaise 
• Cheerwine
• Mrs. Campbell's Chow-Chow
• Smokehouse Barbecue Sauce (can't be purchased retail; can only be bought at Lexington Barbecue)
• Charleston Market Benne Wafers
• Guilford Mills Hushpuppy Mix
• Anson Mills Yellow Grits
• Salem Bakery Moravian Cookies
• Salem Bakery Pimento Cheese Straws

So ... a mix of condiments, snacks, cooking products and beverage. Am I missing anything crucial? Y'all have a couple of days to let me know if there's something else I should add to this package of yum. Send me a note or comment to let me know. I look forward to your suggestions ... really.

An Afternoon Snack

When I was in elementary and junior high school, I stayed with one of my two grandmothers each day after school. Being the studious, responsible adolescent I was, I always took care of my homework as soon as I arrived there.

Both my grandmothers watched Guiding Light (which was on from 3-4 p.m.), so whether I was at my Mamaw Lackey’s house or my Mamaw Penry’s, I finished my schoolwork while their “program” was on. Once the soap was over, they turned the television over to me. In my elementary school years, I usually watched Sesame Street, The Electric Company, and Mr. Rogers. In junior high, it was usually reruns of I Love Lucy, The Munsters, The Addams Family, or Bewitched.

But no matter what I watched, my grandmothers always made sure I had a snack. My Mamaw Lackey would sometimes have a fresh bread pudding waiting when I arrived (no raisins on my half!). Sometimes we would make a mayonnaise sandwich with just white bread and mayo. And sometimes she would pop some popcorn (in those days, before microwave popcorn, it was in a covered frying pan with oil), which she would always serve with a glass of tomato juice.

When I have mentioned having popcorn and tomato juice to my North Carolina-native friends, they immediately nod their heads in familiarity. When I’ve mentioned it to people who hail from elsewhere in the country, they offer me a puzzled look. They’ve never heard of such a pairing.

What I loved best about popcorn and tomato juice was the little “sssss” sound the popcorn would make when I dunked a piece into the tomato juice. The combination of flavors—buttery, salty, sweet, tangy—was just perfect. Even to a 7-year-old.

My Mamaw Penry always had a variety of sandwich-makings on hand. I loved (and still do) pimiento cheese. She is the person who first persuaded me to try olive loaf (which eventually led to my ravenous addiction to olives), but it was her grilled cheese sandwiches that stand out strongest in my memory.

I never actually watched her make a grilled cheese sandwich, but the finished product, which she always brought to me on a 1950s yellow-and-gray Harkerware luncheon plate, was creamy, buttery, toasty, and—needless to say—delicious.

I have, in the years since, determined that she must have put a thin layer of mayonnaise (always Duke’s) on the outside, as well as a very thin layer inside, before grilling. I even came across this blog post, which confirms my theory.

Now that I’m practically middle-aged (nearing 40), I sometimes wish I could come home from work, turn on a rerun of The Munsters and sit down to a snack of grilled cheese, popcorn and tomato juice.

Heck, I wouldn’t even mind doing some multiplication tables or reviewing my spelling words first …