Beautiful Vicksburg Mississippi and Southern Fried Catfish

Recently my husband and I, along with my 2 teenage sons went on a mini vacation to Vicksburg Mississippi. Let me say this about it. Its absolutely charming and the history, so much history in this beautiful old city! One of the places we visited was the Vicksburg National Military Park. Considered by many to be one of the most beautiful National Memorials. It is one of the most heavily monumented parks in the world with over 1330 monuments, tablets, markers and plaques. The landscape is kept in emaculent condition and you can almost feel the history as you step out into the park. Another great place to visit is the Old Courthouse Museum. The Old courthouse was built in 1858 and stands today as Vicksburg most historic structure. There are thousands of artifacts housed in this Beautiful old building and if you are a civil war buff, then its a must see. The Antebellum homes downtown are absolutely gorgeous. Most of them are bed and breakfasts now, so you have a chance to spend a romantic night or weekend in them. There was just so much to see and experience there and you will need a good 5 days to see it all. The people of Vicksburg were very welcoming and hospitable. They are a proud people always eager to share the history of their fine city with you! Each day you are there, you can look forward to the tasty restaurants that are awaiting you, after a day spent sight seeing. No matter what you food preference is, Vicksburg has it, whether it be, fine dining, casual, or fast food. I hope that anyone reading my blog will consider a vacation to Vicksburg Mississippi. You wont regret it :) In the mean time cook up some good ole Southern Fried Catfish from the recipe below and taste a little bit of the south in your own home!!!

Southern Fried Catfish 

Ingredients

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• 4-5 lbs catfish fillets
• 1 cup finely ground yellow corn meal
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tsp salt
• ½-¾ tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• ground cayenne pepper to taste
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp yellow prepared mustard
• 1 Tbsp Louisiana style hot sauce
• oil for frying, enough to completely submerge fish

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Directions

Heat oil to 375 degrees. Rinse catfish filets and drain on paper towel. Mix all dry ingredients together in shallow bowl. Put eggs, buttermilk, mustard and Louisiana hot sauce in a separate bowl and mix well. Soak catfish filets in wet ingredients for 10min. Remove filets one at a time and coat evenly with cornmeal mixture. Fry in hot oil until golden brown, drain on paper towels. I serve this with hushpuppies and coleslaw. Yummy :)

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Southern Pea Salad w/Cheese

In my last post I mentioned our Sunday Dinners including Pea Salad. This is an old family recipe that Id like to share with ya'll. Enjoy :)


PEA SALAD W/CHEESE

Ingredients

• 15 ounces canned peas, drained*
• 1 cup cheddar or Colby cheese, chopped in small squares*
• 1 cup celery, coarsely chopped*
• 1/4 cup Red Onion, chopped*
• 2 hard boiled Eggs, chopped*
• DRESSING:
• 1/2 cup salad dressing or mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup bacon bits 

Directions

• Place peas, cubed cheese, chopped hard boiled eggs, celery and onions in a bowl.
• In a separate bowl, combine dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over pea and cheese mixture and blend well. If desired, fold in bacon bits.
• Cover and refrigerate before serving. Doubles easily.

*Note:Frozen peas can be used; place the peas in a strainer in the sink. Pour boiling water over the peas to thaw; and then allow peas to cool before preparing the salad.

What I love about the South!!!

Have you ever visited the South? Or maybe you were lucky enough to have been raised in one of the quiet, little charming towns, that uniquely make up this great part of the United States. There is a great deal to be said about the Southern people and their heritage, way of life. I am one of the lucky ones who was raised in a small little town among proud people where God, family and community came before anything else. Families taught their kids morals and respect. You always sat down to Sunday dinner with family and a lot of times with extended family. Sunday dinners may include Fried catfish, hushpuppies, Fried Chicken, Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Green beans with onions and bacon, Pea salad, Skillet fried cabbage, rolls and a Yummy cobbler or desert. Lets not forget about the Sweet Tea, with or without lemon!! Of course menus changed from house to house, but you get the picture. Sundays were something to look forward to, a day to gather and relax with the ones you love the most. I remember I could walk next door to the neighbors house and be treated like one of their own children, as my family did the same for the neighbors children. The summers are HOT down south, but we always found a way to keep cool as children. Squirting each other with the water hose was a favorite pastime as was swimming in the bayou. Oh i shudder to think about getting in that muddy water now, and seeing the gators laying up on the banks as we jumped in off of a rope swing from the tree, all the while thinking as long as they are up on the bank then we are safe. That wasnt the smartest thing to do. As a matter of fact it was down right stupid LOL but we lived to tell about it. My sweet parents never even knew that we did it. Now it scares the wits out of me thinking my children would do that and I have warned them to never do it, least they get ate by an alligator ( even though they are on the bayou banks). I had such a great experience growing up in the south.I continue to love this part of our great country :)