The Cure for the Summertime Blues: Tomato Pie

My mother Butchie was a fantastic cook, and she loved summertime cooking – West Indies Salad, BLT’s, cucumber and tomato salads, and anything on the grill.

But her favorite food in the entire world was a tomato pie.

Growing up, we always had a bowl of “Wayne Smith” tomatoes in the kitchen. Mr. Wayne is from my hometown of Brookhaven, and he grew the best! Butchie would eat those tomatoes like an apple.

I have been making some of Mom’s favorites at the Tallahatchie Gourmet here in Oxford. I find it almost therapeutic to be making what she loved, especially in this day and time. It’s comforting – to my heart and my soul.

Honestly, I am not sure what Mom would think of everything going on in the world right now. I do know that the thought of no Ole Miss and Saints football would weigh heavily on her, but that’s another story for another day.

So, here’s to Butchie’s tomato pie, the cure for the summertime blues …

Tomato Pie

9” deep dish pie crust
5 tomatoes, sliced
1 cup mozzarella
1 cup Parmesan
1 cup sharp cheddar
2 TB chopped fresh basil
1 cup Duke’s mayonnaise

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Salt and pepper tomatoes. Layer tomatoes in the pie shell. Mix cheeses, mayo, and basil and spread mixture over tomatoes. Bake 30 minutes.

The Show Must Go On: Greek Pasta Salad

Spring has sprung. Same act, much, much different scene.

We love this time of year – warmer weather, baseball, and high school graduations, and we are adapting as best we can into this strange, new world. Importantly, our graduates are adapting, too.

Jon, Lucy, and I are fortunate enough to have a wonderful circle of friends and family who look forward to celebrating our high school seniors. Our gang is made up of childhood friends, camp friends, Oxford friends, and sports group friends.

This year has taken a page out of the books. We will always look back on 2020 as the year of curveballs – adapting and supporting our kids in ways we never imagined.

Simply – the show must go one! 

I would love to share my dear friend Anne Fairley Jackson Smith’s fantastic recipe for what we call “Senior Pasta.” It is served at every party that we host for the kids. It is perfect for spring, and it’s pretty, to boot.

Enjoy, and good luck Classes of 2020! 

Love and peace …

Ingredients

2 lbs. of rotini pasta
½ cup olive oil
4 TB Cavender’s Greek seasoning
3 lemons, juiced
1 cup Duke’s mayonnaise
1 bunch chopped green onions
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 lb. asparagus, blanched and cut into thirds
1 cup frozen sweet peas
Cherry tomatoes (halved, optional)
Red, yellow, green bell peppers (chopped, optional)

Mix the dressing ingredients together and toss with pasta and veggies!

Farewell, 208 South Lamar: Crab Cakes to Warm Your Heart

Hi, folks! I hope everyone is happy and healthy. Oxford just got the news that the 208 South Lamar building is being torn down due to structural damage.

Some wonderful restaurants have been located in that building - Smitty’s and 208 are my favorites. It is also where I met my husband Jon when he moved to Oxford in 2002 to open 208. Jon was the chef and creator of some of Oxford’s favorite dishes! I am including his crab cake recipe for all of you to enjoy.

Peace and love … 

208 Crab Cakes

1 of each - red, yellow and green bell peppers
3 cups of crushed Saltine crackers
1 cup mayo
2 TB Old Bay seasoning
1 TB dry mustard
1 TB fresh parsley, chopped
1 TB Tabasco
2 TB Worcestershire sauce
2 lbs. claw crab meat
2 lbs. lump crab meat 
Panko breadcrumbs

 Pulse bell peppers in Cuisinart then gently mix together all ingredients except Panko breadcrumbs. Shape into desired shape of crab cakes.

Coat crab cakes in Panko breadcrumbs. 

Pan sear crab cakes in hot olive oil on each side. Finish off in the oven - 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Enjoy and cheers! 

I Have No Beef With Ground Turkey: Taco Soup

Happy New Year, folks! Thank goodness the holidays are over, and everyone is back on schedule – and we actually know what day of the week it is!

My recipe is for the ultimate comfort food - taco soup. Ginger Brown, an old family friend, was kind enough to share this recipe with me. Ginger is a much healthier eater than I am, so she uses ground turkey instead of ground beef, but I won’t hold that against her. Either is delicious in this recipe!

I hope you all enjoy this dish as much as we have. Coming up next, I will feature a Mardi Gras favorite.

Peace and love …

Taco Soup

2 lbs. ground turkey or ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 oz. ranch dressing mix
2 packages taco seasoning mix
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 16oz. can Rotel tomatoes
1 16oz. can tomato wedges
2 cans whole kernel corn
2 cups water

Brown meat with onions. Do not drain any cans. Add mixes and remaining ingredients. Simmer 2 hours. Serve over chips and garnish with sour cream and green onions.

Perkins Drive Spaghetti Sauce

Well guys, we’ve made it through Thanksgiving, so it’s time to push on to Christmas. This recipe I’m sharing is a family favorite.

Our neighbors on Perkins Drive in Brookhaven were all like family. We lived in the same home for 40 years, so there are a lot of wonderful memories. One that is my favorite is the Perkins Drive Spaghetti Sauce recipe.

My parents would hunker down with our close friends the Panzicas to begin what we fondly called Spaghetti Day. I can only say it was tons of fun to eat the sauce and watch the chefs sing and dance after their culinary conquest.

Note that the recipe is easily doubled or tripled. Peace and Love …

Perkins Drive Spaghetti Sauce

1 stick of butter
1 cup of chopped green onions
2 large chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups chopped bell peppers
5 chopped garlic toes
2 TB Italian seasoning
4 bay leaves
5 14 oz. cans of whole Italian tomatoes
3 cans tomato paste
3 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar

Sauté the first 9 ingredients for 20 minutes. Then add whole tomatoes and let cook slowly for 1hour. Then add tomato paste and tomato sauce. Add 1 cup of water. Simmer on low heat for 2 hours. Add sugar and let simmer another 2 hours. Remove the bay leaves. Serve over spaghetti. Enjoy with a nice bottle of red wine!

Burgundy Mushrooms

Growing up in a small town was a wonderful experience. It was an even better one when your home was always open to friends.

I could not have had a better childhood. My mother Butchie was the head of the house and the hostess with the mostess. Most of all, she was the ruler of the roost. Our door was never locked, and our refrigerator was always open - as was our bar!

With the holidays approaching, I wanted to share a recipe for a goodie that was always in our refrigerator. As per Butchie, always have a snack for your guests at happy hour!

Peace and love!

Burgundy Mushrooms

4 lbs. white button mushrooms
2 sticks salted butter
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 quart burgundy wine
2 cups boiling water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
4 beef bouillon cubes
5 cloves peeled garlic

Put all ingredients in stock pot. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours.