In western Christian tradition, Epiphany is celebrated Jan. 6 which is the climax of the Twelve Days of Christmas and commemorates the coming of the Wise Men bringing gifts to the baby Jesus.     According to Christian teaching, the Wise Men were the first to acknowledge the baby as The King. Following this pronouncement, a wonderful tradition of the King Cake has been born. The season of Epiphany runs from Jan. 6 through Ash Wednesday. This joyous season coincides with Mardi Gras and is celebrated in several Southern United States cities and is the day prior to Ash Wednesday, which begins …

Years, decades and ions ago I was a Girl Scout. I sold the cookies, earned the badges, made the campfires and learned from the leaders.   Camping trips were fun. Getting together with fellow Girl Scouts was fun. I learned responsibility and how to be a good citizen. But, just as importantly, I learned to make some dishes that I still cook today. Cooking was a big part of the Girl Scout experience.   I published a post on the Syrup and Biscuits blog, Facebook and Twitter about a simple breakfast dish that I learned in Girl Scouts called Toad-in-the-Hole. The dish is fun and loved by children. …

Turnips have edible leaves and roots. They’re a winter crop grown throughout the South. The leaves are more tender than collards and have a milder flavor.   Cooking the roots and leaves together is common and was the practice of my grandmother. She would leave the roots whole and separate them from the greens after they cooked. Each got their own serving bowl. She would sit the bowl with the roots in front of me so I could get my “bait” of turnip roots. I’ve always loved them. And her. Browsing one of my favorite cookbooks a few years back, "The Gift of Southern Cooking," written by Edna …

Another Sunday is rolling around. Another Sunday Dinner will soon be in the making.     Since my husband and I have become empty-nesters, the number of plates set on the dining room table for Sunday Dinner varies. Sometimes it’s only two and sometimes the table is slap full. In my dream world, oodles of extended family would live nearby and Sunday Dinner would be a time the whole family honored and anticipated. People would bring their favorite dish to share. You could count on Aunt Martha for Banana Pudding, Cousin Joyce Ann for Fried Chicken and Uncle Bubba for biscuits and cornbread.   …

Chili, as we call the soup, is a Spanish word that's been Americanized. The correct Spanish spelling is "chile." I've never seen the rule that says changing the final letter from "e" to "i" makes it American. After all, we have plenty of English words that end in "e." Furthermore, I have a bone (a word ending in "e") to pick with the person in charge of Americanizing words. If it was deemed necessary to change the spelling of the word chile, why not change it to chilly? We already knew that word. Or, better yet, why not leave chile alone and change chilly to chile? We could say, "I ate chile …

By this time in the season, you've more than likely consumed massive amounts of sour cream, cream cheese, sugar, butter, chocolate, mayonnaise, bacon, cheese, hot peppers, cooking oils, white flour, brown sugar, chips and crackers. And that's just in your breakfast food. We haven't gotten to snacks, dinner and party foods yet. The holiday season comes but once a year, and along with it comes rich indulgences, but, right about now, all that rich food is not looking so good.  Alas! We still have one more celebration: New Year's Eve. There's little doubt you will encounter all the above …

We don't call this quiche at our house. Certain members of our family of the male persuasion might turn their nose up before even tasting anything called quiche. We call this a PIE. And then we tack on the name Swiss and Ham, and those same family members of the male persuasion come out of the woodwork to eat. It's amazing how little words can have such an impact on certain people. This PIE will be part of my Christmas Eve supper menu. Our family attends worship services together on Christmas Eve. The family service, geared toward families with small children, is at 4:30 p.m. That's the …

At one time, pecan trees were plentiful throughout the Deep South. If you didn't have a pecan tree in your yard, you had a good friend or a brother-in-law who did.   Some folks could go their whole life and never have to pay for a pecan. Severe weather conditions and diseases have dramatically decreased the pecan crop. As a result, pecans are at a premium. The cost might make me hold back my pecan usage a little bit, but I can't imagine a holiday season without some.   I can't write an article about pecans without touching on the pronunciation. It's my humble opinion that the correct way is …

I love chicken thighs. For years, I refused them and ate only the skinless boneless breasts. Today, I boldly admit chicken thighs have more flavor than chicken breasts ever knew existed.   Chicken thighs are what's happening. I wish chickens had four legs which would give them four thighs. Better yet, they could be classified as spiders and have eight legs which would give them eight thighs. That would make spiders taste like chicken. I could live with that. My aunt Mary's backyard chickens were the star of the show in the post "A Chicken in Every Pot".   In that story,  I describe how I come…

We are in  the season that makes every Chamber of Commerce in Florida proud. The long hurricane season had ended, the high heat and humidity has abated, and the mosquitoes are vacationing away. For the most part, the weather is simply gorgeous. Additionally, it's citrus season. All that wonderful Florida citrus is either ready to harvest or will be soon. Life is good.   Florida's climate is well suited to growing many different varieties of citrus. In addition to commercially grown groves, the trees are easily maintained by amateur growers and are found in numerous backyards.   We have …

As I reheated yet another plate of Thanksgiving leftovers, I was inspired to write about why I'm not going to write about ways to use Thanksgiving leftovers. For one, cyberspace is loaded to the gill with ideas. Simply type in "Thanksgiving leftover ideas" in your browser, and you can spend countless hours just browsing all the ideas of how to use everything from leftover turkey to cranberry sauce.   Secondly, at some point, no matter how much you try to disguise the leftovers, you begin to grow weary of turkey, dressing and sweet potato casserole. It's time to freeze the leftovers for later …

The old-fashioned tea cake served as a treat for generations of Southerners prior to commercialized bakeries.   They could be baked up by the dozens with simple ingredients that were usually on hand: flour, sugar, eggs, butter, milk and, if you were really lucky, vanilla extract.   This unpretentious treat was representative of the simple, hard-luck times that befell so many residents of the rural South. It was easy and quick and that appealed to hard-working, poverty-stricken families who looked for every way they could to scratch out a living. Wealthy families did exist in the South but my …

In the early 60s, my mother worked as the secretary to the medical director of the  Tuberculosis Hospital in Mobile, AL.   The disease is much better controlled now and there's no longer a need for a specialty hospital in Mobile. One of her job responsibilities was patient admissions. There was one patient admission that swallowed her up emotionally. The patient being admitted was named Payton Phillips. She knew the answers to a lot of the questions that needed to be asked of him to complete the admission process. She didn't call him Mr. Phillips.  She called him Daddy.     Granddaddy's …

Good morning, class. It's time for another lesson in Southern dialect. Today our word is fixin'.   We liked that word so much that we gave it several different meanings. It can mean to start or to get ready as in, "I'm fixin' to tell you the meaning of fixin'." Next, it can mean to repair as in, "I'm fixin' to be fixin' the stove so I can fix the fixin's." Lastly, it means side dishes as in, "I am fixin' to fix some mighty good fixin's."   Fixin' is a versatile word and, as you can plainly see from the examples, rolls off our tongues with routine frequency. We have a love affair with fixin'. …

Fall makes me want to eat apples. I posted a recipe for Girl Scout apples on the Syrup and Biscuits blog this week. They're baked apples, which I've always called Girl Scout apples because I learned to make them in Girl Scouts. I've adapted them to a slow-cooker so the wonderful cooking aroma wafts through your kitchen for several hours.   Americans love apples. It's the most popular fruit. The cooking aroma of apples, cinnamon, butter and sugar is pleasing and represents home. One of my favorite Andy Griffith episodes involved a prisoner on the loose in the area of Emma Watson's house. Andy …

Buttermilk. Oh, how I love thee! Somewhere along the line, buttermilk went from being a hero to becoming a goat. Perhaps it happened when misinformed people perpetuated the idea that buttermilk was full of butter and fat. Or maybe when Americans starting eating yogurt, they began to think buttermilk was too ordinary, boring and not the least bit sexy. Whatever the reason, my mission is to restore buttermilk's good name and rightly deserved place in our kitchens and our stomachs.    The origin of buttermilk was born out of a need to be efficient. In early days, nothing that could offer …

Within the 178 pages of Quick-fix Southern, Rebecca Lang managed to squash the notion that Southern cooking has to be a long drawn-out process. Taking inspiration from both her grandmothers, she grew to appreciate Southern food and Southern culture.  That appreciation grew to become a passion and a basis for her Southern identity. In keeping with her identity, Mrs. Lang set out on a quest to convert time-honored Southern favorites into quick-fix meals without losing the quality that defined that dish as Southern. Published by Andrews McMeel, this  soft-cover book contains over 110 quick-fix …

Labor Day signals the unofficial end to summer, so they say. The signals seem a little unclear to me. Usually, the unofficial end to summer coincides with the start of school. For many, school started several weeks ago. In central Florida, we don’t notice a seasonal weather change associated with the end of summer. It’s still hot as blue blazes here and will be for two months. The next seasonal weather change for us isn’t until late fall. Regardless of the unofficial signals, we can officially enjoy the three-day weekend.  Imagine how different our eating habits would be if the Earl of …

School started this week in Hillsborough County. That’s a hallmark event that has various meanings.  To some frazzled mothers and caretakers, it means a break from constant sibling bickering, complaints of, “I’m bored," and schedules gone awry.    To others, it heralds football season: a Southern institution. It reminds us that fall is just around the corner.  Fall in central Florida is hardly recognizable. We don’t see much color in leaves. The weather will continue to be scorching hot for months. But, at least we know it’s on the way. We hope.  I’ve lived in the Deep South my entire life. …

My granddaddy ate syrup and biscuits almost every morning of his life that lasted for 90 wonderful years.     Cane syrup was his favorite. He’d sop up the thick, rich, dark amber liquid with a hot biscuit and  declare, “That Top O’ The World sirp sho’ is good.”   Early in my life, I had the notion that syrup and biscuits represented something very good. That’s exactly what I want “Syrup and Biscuits” to represent. Goodness. Just simple, honest, unpretentious goodness. Some of my earliest food memories are of breakfast at my grandparent’s house. Regardless of the day’s events, a good hearty …