Amy Growing up in Florida in the 1970's was a foodie paradise. Citrus trees, avocados, cumquats....fresh fish...Where Gigi and I grew up we had a killer deli, a Swedish bakery, an awesome pizzeria...an ice cream stand in the form of a giant ice cream cone. The list goes on. Florida is still a culinary gold mine if you know where to look. Also, we in the South take our barbeque very seriously. While Florida may not be my favorite place on the planet, the grub is good. While my choice of food for the challenge isn't something that you'll find all over Florida it definitely has ingredients that scream Florida. My choice of food is based on the fact that it's currently damn hot here in Oklahoma. I get cranky in hot weather. And my appetite tends to go completely nil. My kitchen gets terribly hot. So I wanted something fast an easy. While this is a vegetarian meal, I do believe that it can be easily adapted for chicken and pork. Possibly fish as well. You could also got for a more authentic barbeque by skipping breading the meat and smearing it with the homemade sauce and pop those bad boys onto your grill. I made french fries that remind me of the french fries that are served at the Varsity in Atlanta, Georgia. Whilst consuming this lovely little meal I was pleasantly reminded of the ocean and little league baseball and all of the good things that made growing up in a smallish beach town in south Florida almost magical. So here's to home and the halcyon days of Summer! NikitaAlthough I was born in Florida, I was reared in Dahlonega, Georgia. Georgia will always be my hometown. Growing up, my family met our biological needs for food through basic meals that included Shake-n-bake pork chops with a box of Velveeta and some frozen corn. We also ate meals like meatloaf made from venison and mashed potatoes with corn, or even squirrel n' dumplings with....corn. Lots of corn. I don't enjoy eating corn today as a side dish unless it's on the cob. It wasn't until I met Matt's grandmother, Nell who lived in South Georgia most of her life, when I learned how to cook southern Georgia food - Georgia Popcorn (Fried Okra), Squash Casserole (Lots of Mayo), & Blueberry Cobbler. She wrote down many recipes for me to carry on her cooking traditions for Matt and our family - and I love it! BUT as we age, we cannot indulge in the calories of the South as often. I wish I had more time to share one of her recipes this week, but time just escaped me. Instead, I am sharing an easy Drop Biscuit recipe that took 10 minutes to mix and 10 minutes to bake. While indulging with warm melted butter and honey drizzled over them, I realized I will always be a Georgia girl! GeorgiaSo this week was hometown food. Fun choice that Amy made. I have been traveling this week and not in my hometown, but thought it would be fun to share one of my meals along the way. This just happened to be a yummy breakfast that was prepared for us by my cousin. His pancakes were so amazing. Sourdough (Made with his own San Fran starter) pancakes with blueberries and bananas, sausage from his hometown in GA and scrambled eggs Side note: I have not moved to VA. The photo was taken while in VA JenEach week I usually start by asking my husband if he has any requests. This week, when I asked him what food reminds him of home, he responded with, “Halibut”. Bleh. “I’m not making fish!” I replied. “I don’t eat fish.” “I’m not eating halibut from HERE anyway,” he said, with a smile. Touché. So then I had to think about what food reminds me of here, as a born and raised Phoenician. Mexican food. Definitely Mexican food. What else? And then it hit me – Indian Fry Bread. YES. I haven’t had it in years, and have never made it myself, until now. I prefer to eat mine as a sweet treat, topped with powdered sugar and honey. Eating it today reminded me of growing up and visiting the State Fair. Delicious. As we move through our lives and find new adventures, memories of home bring us back to a time of peace & happiness. Those memories stay with us forever, and sometimes it just takes a nibble of something special to remember them. "There's no place like home." - Dorothy Gale, The Wizard of Oz.
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