i've been on a bit of a southern roll lately. i must be gearing up to go home next month. i am ready to visit nc! october (also of course known as rocktober) has always been my favorite north carolina month, and no it's not just because my birthday is in october. it's the best month by far. the temperature drops to 70/60-65 degree days and the nights start to cool off too - and, an important plus is those pesky mosquitoes start to disappear. light jackets slowly make their way back into your life and by the time the state fair rolls around, you are wearing a medium jacket at night to keep cool while you are outside enjoying roasted corn and elephant ears. mmm...
so, the point of this blog is the breakfast i cooked last week. i won't say much about it except it just heightened my need for a bojangle's biscuit when i arrive home on october 12th. i had bought some buttermilk for my fried okra the weekend before, and so i decided to make buttermilk biscuits because what the hell else do you make with buttermilk?? so, i made them and i thought they turned out good although, as commented by geoffrey, not as big as bojangle's. oh and in case you are wondering, those are long skinny biscuits. my grandmother use to make them too. you make them out of your leftover dough.
i also made gimmie lean veggie sausage. this is by far my favorite meat product. i pan fry it in vegetable oil - a hearty amount. the sausage is covered about halfway, not completely submerged. you just flip it as it cooks. then drain on paper towels. looks like i could use a new pan.
the grits i made were a super indication that i am ready for a trip home. i made them just right, not too thick and not too runny, with lots of salt, lots of pepper and of course butter.
i order my grits online here, from the Lee's Bros. Boiled Peantus Catalog. if you live outside of the south, far away, and don't get there too often this is the website for you. i buy the Guildford Mill Stone Ground Grits - wow, who would have known that their grits are made from heirloom white corn? i just found that out; this makes me like them even more. i do have one warning for you in regard to the lee's bros. catalog: if you are used to homemade boiled peanuts don't order theirs. i did once because i really wanted/needed some and wasn't going home for a long time. they disappointed because, first off they were expensive, i won't bother to tell you how much. second, they boil what appears to be spanish red peanuts - this is no good - plus i wouldn't be surprised if they also use dried peanuts to boil..ick.
i am used to the peanuts that my dad buys in pender county, nc. they are a type (i'm am not 100% of the actual variety) of "green" peanuts. "green" just means they are freshly harvested. all you do is put a bunch in a large pot and boil them with a lot of salt until they become soft and yummy (this can take a few hours). using a pressure cooker makes the process go a lot faster. each year my dad buys a bushel of peanuts (which is about 8 gallons) and boils them for me. then he freezes them. they last all year. it's awesome. when i lived in nc, just two hours away,i would eat them a lot faster. but being in san francisco now makes them last a bit longer, which my brother probably appreciates. i can't wait to have some when i am home next month!! one other thing, when i first tell people about boiled peanuts they think i'm crazy and they sound gross; maybe you are thinking the same thing. but i can tell you have converted many a naysayer and even made a few people boiled peanut addicts.
for a little more information on boiled peanuts you can check out wikepedia, although i think i could really add to their definition. when i go home next month i'll take some pictures and post them for you.
also, i have been known to stoop to eating these when my dad run's out, although that rarely has ever happened. yes, i know, canned peanuts - totally gross. sometimes you just get desperate. plus their not too bad if you warm them up.
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