Saturday, April 17, 2010

Weekend Cooking: A Southern Favorite


Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

A few weeks ago, I posted about my five favorite Junior League cookbooks, which make up the majority of my fairly large collection. One commenter noted that all of the cookbooks featured were from the South...and I realized that this held true for most of my cookbooks overall.

So, I wanted to spotlight my favorite Southern cookbook, Land of Cotton. The binding is falling apart, and the pages are stained and warped...it is well-loved.

It contains nearly every recipe I remember eating growing up. There's nothing fancy here...just the ultimate collection of food that's been cooked below the Mason-Dixon line for generations. It's not new South....it's decades-old South.

The book includes classic Southern recipes like Cheese Wafers, Marinated Oyster Crackers, Brunswick Stew, Garlic Cheese Grits, Barbecue Meatloaf, Hot Chicken Salad, Monkey Bread, and Buttermilk Pie.

One of my favorite dishes is Hot Pineapple Casserole, which makes a fantastic accompaniment to ham.

2 (15.25 ounce) cans chunk pineapple and juice
5 tablespoons flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 sleeve round butter crackers (Ritz), crumbled
1/2 cup margarine, melted

Lightly greased a 9x13 casserole dish. Pour in pineapple and juice. Add flour and sugar. Blend 1/2 cup cheese, crackers and melted margarine. Mix together. Add remaining cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

8 comments:

Julie P. said...

So strange. My mom just made a pineapple recipe for Easter, and I laughed at her for turning into a Central PA person. I grew up in the south and never had pineapple casserole. It wasn't until I moved here that I even heard of it -- and it's extremely popular around these parts!

caite said...

gosh, that is not something I have ever had. what is it with the South and Ritz crackers?

Beth F said...

I'm with Julie! I never heard of pineapple casserole until I moved to central PA. This sounds like a good recipe and we're due for a ham (we were sick over Easter, so I didn't cook).

Margot said...

I love to hear about beloved cookbooks, especially the ones with stains all over them. And, such a beautiful cover. I've never heard of pineapple casserole but it sounds delicious. It's definitely worth a try with my next ham.

bermudaonion said...

I've never heard of Hot Pineapple Casserole and I've lived in the South most of my life. Of course, my mother is from the North and didn't cook Southern dishes.

Diann said...

Okay, now I have to try this just out of curiousity! I have never heard of a recipe like this. thanks for sharing it!

Lisa (Southern Girl Reads) said...

Sounds like a wonderful cookbook! I'm going to try your pineapple recipe the next time I have ham!

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