By Andy Bedwell
Food always seems to a be a topic of conversation when my friends and family get together.
Someone in the family always has some new recipe we all need to try, or we are talking about a new restaurant that’s just opened and finding out if anyone has been there yet. I’ve found that sharing recipes have always been a great way to co-nnect with people. My most unusual place to share recipes was when I was in line at Disney World. I was so engaged with the lady’s recipe that I didn’t want the line to move.
This week, I’d like to share with you two of my Aunt Dot’s recipes. Everyone in my family loves good food. Because we learned from the best, my sister and I have really high standards when it comes to cooking. My mother and my aunts were fabulous cooks. I believe that our cooking is good because it is made with so much love. I discovered at Aunt Dot’s house that I have two little cousins, Destiny Butts and Shannon Brazell, who are following the long line of cooks in our family. Mary Reddish, my daughter, finally loves to cook and experiment with new recipes. Southern cooking must survive!
Aunt Dot’s Spicy Pimento Cheese
1 (16 ounce) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 jar diced pimentos
(4 ounces) drained
Jalapeno sliced peppers and liquid, depending how spicy you want it
¼ teaspoon freshly
ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ can (5 ounce) sliced
and chopped water
chestnuts, drained
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
A shake of
Worcestershire sauce
Cream together sharp cheese, pimento, and mayo. Add remaining seasonings. If you prefer your pimento cheese to be a bit thinner for spreading, add in additional mayo and/or jalapeno pepper liquid.
Andy’s Note: A pimento cheese sandwich on fresh white bread is a Southern staple. I also like to grill a pimento cheese sandwich with the filling oozing out.
Aunt Dot’s Lemon Pound Cake
3 cups sugar
3 cups sifted
all-purpose flour
½ cup Crisco shortening
1 cup real butter
5 large eggs
1 cup Pet milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond flavoring
1 teaspoon lemon flavoring
Cream Crisco, butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time. Alternate adding Pet milk and sifted flour, beating until creamy. Add flavorings and beat well. Pour batter into a greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about a one hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Lemon Glaze:
Juice of 1 lemon
and grated rind
1 ½ cups of powdered sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
Mix glaze ingredients well and pour over warm cake.
Andy’s Note: This glaze needs to be thick. Keep adding powdered sugar as needed for it to be firm.
Several years ago, when we were in Birmingham for five months, Aunt Dot sent this to us for Christmas. She had sliced it and sealed each slice into plastic bags. I think Dale Fielder enjoyed it more than any of us.
Happy Cooking! Andy Bedwell
Southern Cooking with Andy Bedwell” can be purchased at the Messenger on Rainbow Drive in Gadsden.