Boiled Peanuts

Photo courtesy: Burgin Matthews

I absolutely love boiled peanuts. I took to them when we were staying with my wife's aunt near Tampa, Florida and she made us stop one day for some. I was driving but the two women opened and fed boiled peanuts to me all the way back home from the beach.

In the South you are bound to find more than a few roadside stands offering this delicacy. Much like BBQ joints if the places that sell them look respectable then the peanuts may not be the best. To me the art of advertising these boiled goobers is almost as impressive as the taste of them. Often you'll see spraypainted signs of "Hot Boiled P-Nuts". (Check out this gallery by Lady Muleskinner Press)

They're salty and can be Cajun-spiced. They have an interesting texture that can take a bit of getting used to but I find them to be a very satisfying snack. You can buy them preboiled in cans and bags but if you are lucky enough to live near something like Birmingham's Peanut Depot you can pick them up and boil them yourself. You can even find bags of raw peanuts (sometimes called green peanuts) in bags at your local grocer. I've seen recipes that involve a crock pot and 24 hours of cooking time on low, but I find that doing them overnight on high often does the trick.

I think they would be a great addition to a football buffet or just a part of a back yard cookout.

Have you tried 'em? Do you like 'em? How do you cook 'em? Let us know in the comments.

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Authors note: I discovered Lady Muleskinner Press from a Magic City Post interview. I invite you to read the interview and check out the site for yourself.

Southern Quotables - Miley Cyrus

"I've got high standards when it comes to boys. As my dad says, all girls should! I'm from the South - Tennessee, to be exact - and down there, we're all about southern hospitality. I know that if I like a guy, he better be nice, and above all, my dad has to approve of him!"

-Miley Cyrus

[Side note: Her dad also warns against stepping on her achy-breaky heart]

Southern Word of the Week - Chester Drawers

(n.) I think your dress socks are all in the chester drawers.

(n.) I bought my chester drawers from that place that Tina Gordon advertises for.  I think it's out of business.

Chester drawers are a chest of drawers.  I don't know why or how it got shortened and condensed here, but we all know what we're talking about.  Sometimes they come in a bedroom suite (pronounced suit), which I've been told that we pronounce incorrectly as well, but my limited research says that we may not be pronouncing it wrong.

Is there any furniture you've been told we pronounce incorrectly?  Is there any furniture unique to the South, or does everybody in the country have a chifforobe?  Let us know in the comments.

Buttermilk

The confusing world of buttermilk and its history.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2012/05/history_of_buttermilk_what_s_the_difference_between_cultured_buttermilk_and_traditional_buttermilk_.single.html


No one in my family had an affinity to buttermilk. I didn't really even know it except as an adjective when describing biscuits from a can or pancakes from a mix when I was younger. This was a pretty enlightening article.

Southern Quotables - Dolly Parton

I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb... and I also know that I'm not blonde.

-Dolly Parton

Happy Independence Day!

Eat well and be safe.

Unique Town Names

This USA Today article speaks of what some may call forgettable towns with far from forgettable names. They cite "suburban swallow up" for the erasure of these towns from maps. What once made an area a landmark is destroyed by yet another planned community.

On a trip through Texas I passed through many towns and cities but the only one I can remember is Cut and Shoot, Texas. I've seen and heard of others that are closer to me. Pumpkin Center and Toadvine and the interesting story of Remlap and Palmerdale. It seemed to have to do with two kin folks (brothers maybe) that both were going to name an area after their last names which happened to be Palmer. One beat the other to the punch so the other just spelled his last name backwards and the two sit side by side. [Feel free to correct me because I fear I may not all the details I need. I first heard the story around the age of 8 so it's fermented in my brain for well over 25 years]

Southern or not what are some interesting towns, cities or communities with interesting names near you?