Traditional Southern Culinary Habits
I am slim, and I eat well. I have never dieted, nor have I ever owned a scale. I do not avoid any food group. I do not fear carbs or fats.
I do not get sick, and I have no allergies. My skin is clear, my hair is shiny, and my teeth are healthy, straight and strong.
While my genetic makeup may determine some of this, I know that my culinary upbringing and my cooking and eating habits determine my weight and health.
I am slim, and I eat well. I have never dieted, nor have I ever owned a scale. I do not avoid any food group. I do not fear carbs or fats.
I do not get sick, and I have no allergies. My skin is clear, my hair is shiny, and my teeth are healthy, straight and strong.
While my genetic makeup may determine some of this, I know that my culinary upbringing and my cooking and eating habits determine my weight and health.
The Five Hundred Year Rule
If it did not exist 500 years ago, I do not eat it.
If it did not exist 500 years ago, I do not eat it.
In other words, I eat no artificial foods. Ever.
To me, processing foods means:
creating yogurt and cheese
baking bread
hand-making pasta
canning
pickling
cooking meats and eggs,
crystallizing cane juice into sugar
roasting coffee beans
drying tea leaves
collecting honey
What We Eat
The following is an example of my current food choices.
Plain, whole milk, organic yogurt.
Dry roasted, unsalted almonds.
Walnuts.
Pecans.
Pickled vegetables.
Good mustards.
Distinctive honeys.
Dark salad greens.
Green beans.
Artichokes.
Asparagus.
Herbed vinegars.
Rice.
Beef (grass-fed only).
Lots of fresh and dried herbs. I grow basil, rosemary, lavender, oregano, bay, and thyme.
Lamb in season.
Some chicken.
Fish: smoked trout, herring.
Olives.
Lots of cheese.
Beets.
Greens: mustard, collard, and turnip.
Various root vegetables.
Various peppers.
Broccoli.
Okra.
Summer squash.
So, so many tomatoes.
Eggplant.
Berries.
More pears than apples.
Stone fruits.
Eggs.
Butter.
Cream.
Only the very best bread (I prefer rusty European breads over eggy yeast breads).
Only the very best chocolate.
Full bodied red wine and dry, dry white wine.
Coffee with cream.
Black tea.
Water.
Salmon: never, ever farm raised. Never.
Meats and dairy products always organic.
Cooking Practices
What We Don't Do
We do not drink milk or fruit juices, ever.
I do not make homemade versions of fast food.
No homemade pizzas, hamburgers, corndogs, nachos.
I do not find compiled foods appealing, nor to I consider it a very fine culinary practice.
I do not make homemade versions of boxed and bagged snacks.
No homemade French fries, no homemade chips.
We do not eat casseroles.
We do not eat sandwiches.
We do not eat corn, except for the occasional cornbread, hominy, or grits.
We do not snack.
No children's menu.
What We Do
Our meals are formal, and all of our entertaining is very formal. We eat in the dining room only. Children eat what adults eat. We drink water throughout the day.
We eat a lot of vegetables. We eat salads everyday, and it usually consists of red onion, arugula or spinach, and various herbs and vegetables.
I bake a lot. It is something I truly enjoy. I bake all of our breads twice per week, usually Saturday and Tuesday mornings. I bake sweet things on Saturday afternoons.
We will occasionally make ice cream.
I keep most dishes at three main ingredients or fewer (excluding herbs and spices). I cook with cream and butter, but the overall dish remains very simple. I make a lot of soups. Our desserts are usually fresh fruit and often cream.
I do not often have a need to employ a solidified fat, but when I do I use beef, goose, or duck. I cook mostly in butter, but when oil is needed I use walnut and, on occasion, olive oil. I never use corn or other vegetable oils. I make a vinaigrette of Champagne vinegar and walnut oil and creamy, herb-filled salad dressings.
Typical Meals
We follow a set meal time every day. For breakfast I bake biscuits, or rice muffins, or various breads, and we eat it with butter, cheese (mostly goat cheese) and berries. We often have vegetable and herb soups, smoked trout, and nuts with breakfast, too.
Dinner is our main meal, and we usually eat several courses: hors d'oeuvres, salad, main dish, cheese/ dessert.
We generally take tea in the afternoons. I'll make an omelet, yogurt, or bread and cheese.
I often braise or roast meats. I roast or steam vegetables.
To me, processing foods means:
creating yogurt and cheese
baking bread
hand-making pasta
canning
pickling
cooking meats and eggs,
crystallizing cane juice into sugar
roasting coffee beans
drying tea leaves
collecting honey
What We Eat
The following is an example of my current food choices.
Plain, whole milk, organic yogurt.
Dry roasted, unsalted almonds.
Walnuts.
Pecans.
Pickled vegetables.
Good mustards.
Distinctive honeys.
Dark salad greens.
Green beans.
Artichokes.
Asparagus.
Herbed vinegars.
Rice.
Beef (grass-fed only).
Lots of fresh and dried herbs. I grow basil, rosemary, lavender, oregano, bay, and thyme.
Lamb in season.
Some chicken.
Fish: smoked trout, herring.
Olives.
Lots of cheese.
Beets.
Greens: mustard, collard, and turnip.
Various root vegetables.
Various peppers.
Broccoli.
Okra.
Summer squash.
So, so many tomatoes.
Eggplant.
Berries.
More pears than apples.
Stone fruits.
Eggs.
Butter.
Cream.
Only the very best bread (I prefer rusty European breads over eggy yeast breads).
Only the very best chocolate.
Full bodied red wine and dry, dry white wine.
Coffee with cream.
Black tea.
Water.
Salmon: never, ever farm raised. Never.
Meats and dairy products always organic.
Cooking Practices
What We Don't Do
We do not drink milk or fruit juices, ever.
I do not make homemade versions of fast food.
No homemade pizzas, hamburgers, corndogs, nachos.
I do not find compiled foods appealing, nor to I consider it a very fine culinary practice.
I do not make homemade versions of boxed and bagged snacks.
No homemade French fries, no homemade chips.
We do not eat casseroles.
We do not eat sandwiches.
We do not eat corn, except for the occasional cornbread, hominy, or grits.
We do not snack.
No children's menu.
What We Do
Our meals are formal, and all of our entertaining is very formal. We eat in the dining room only. Children eat what adults eat. We drink water throughout the day.
We eat a lot of vegetables. We eat salads everyday, and it usually consists of red onion, arugula or spinach, and various herbs and vegetables.
I bake a lot. It is something I truly enjoy. I bake all of our breads twice per week, usually Saturday and Tuesday mornings. I bake sweet things on Saturday afternoons.
We will occasionally make ice cream.
I keep most dishes at three main ingredients or fewer (excluding herbs and spices). I cook with cream and butter, but the overall dish remains very simple. I make a lot of soups. Our desserts are usually fresh fruit and often cream.
I do not often have a need to employ a solidified fat, but when I do I use beef, goose, or duck. I cook mostly in butter, but when oil is needed I use walnut and, on occasion, olive oil. I never use corn or other vegetable oils. I make a vinaigrette of Champagne vinegar and walnut oil and creamy, herb-filled salad dressings.
Typical Meals
We follow a set meal time every day. For breakfast I bake biscuits, or rice muffins, or various breads, and we eat it with butter, cheese (mostly goat cheese) and berries. We often have vegetable and herb soups, smoked trout, and nuts with breakfast, too.
Dinner is our main meal, and we usually eat several courses: hors d'oeuvres, salad, main dish, cheese/ dessert.
We generally take tea in the afternoons. I'll make an omelet, yogurt, or bread and cheese.
I often braise or roast meats. I roast or steam vegetables.