By Andy Bedwell
Food seems to always 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’s been there yet. I have found that sharing recipes has always been a great way to connect with people. The most unusual place I’ve shared recipes was when I was in line at Disney World. I was so engaged with the ladies’ recipe that I didn’t want the line to move.
This week, I want to share with you two of my Aunt Dot’s recipes that we enjoyed at her birthday party last week. Everyone in my family loves good food. My sister and I have really high standards when it comes to cooking, because we learned from the best. 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 party that I have two little cousins, Destiny Butts and Shannon Brazell, who are following the long line of cooks in our family. Mary Langley, 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
1/4 teaspoon freshly
ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 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
1/2 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
Lemon Glaze:
Juice of 1 lemon
and grated rind
1 1/2 cups of
powdered sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
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 an hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. For lemon glaze, 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 New Year to all of my family and friends!
Happy 2019 Cooking,
Andy Bedwell
“Southern Cooking with Andy Bedwell” can be purchased at Alabama Gift Company in downtown Gadsden and The Messenger on Rainbow Drive.