This Thoroughbroad get-together would start an interesting conversation about hometowns only one of us was from Kentucky and only one of our gals had lived 13 places in 10 years! It was required that we each bring a dish that reflected our home or favorite state.

West Virginia, Georgia, New York….were represented well. Each recipe was delicious. our conversations wrapped around memories we each had of our favorite towns we had lived in and made each of us wish we had lived there too. Crawdad catching and shrimp seining in Georgia, big city shopping in New York, golfing in North Carolina, West Virginia mud boggin’, Derby favorite in Kentucky …all had stories to tell, but we enjoyed the one Robyn told us and we think you will too.

When Steve and I moved to Princeton WV, the first couples we met both had pickup trucks that they ran through the mud. When in Rome….Soon my car was traded for a F-150 Ford  short-bed with lift kit and roll bar.

One day, we went to an area that had been a quarry. Now, it was a huge lake of mud. One woman tried to drive across but got stuck. I told Steve I wanted to try it. He said to hit the gas and not let up. I have always been accused of having a lead foot so hitting the gas was no problem for me. I made it across and Steve was all smiles. He said that when I let the brake off, the truck literally jumped up off the ground and more or less bounced across the mud.

Soon it was time to move again. I was headed to Lexington KY for the closing of our new house. I stopped at a rest area and headed back to the truck. Since I was wearing a suit with a straight skirt, I had to hike that skirt up to my rear to get up into the truck. The truck was equipped with a CB radio which I did not talk on but sometimes listened. As I headed down the road, I heard a trucker asking if anyone else had seen the redhead in the F150 at the rest area. You never know who is watching. I laughed. I knew I looked good. After all, that truck was my color- green!

A few of the recipes are shared here for you to try.

Cheddar and Nut Ring Surprise (from New York)

1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 cup mayo

1 small onion, grated

Black pepper, cayenne and minced garlic to taste

1 jar of strawberry preserves

Mix all ingredients except the preserves and put into an oiled ring mold. Refrigerate until chilled then place the preserves in the middle of the ring after you have removed it from the mold. Serve with buttery crackers.

Quick and Easy Savannah Shrimp Paste (from Georgia)
1 lb cooked shrimp (meat only)
6 oz cream cheese softened
2 Tbsp mayo
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp vinegar
1/2 onion finely minced
salt & pepper to taste
Cream cheese add mayo, grind shrimp in processor and add all other ingredients and freeze…serve as a sandwich spread or on crackers.

Robyn’s family Recipe for Wilted Lettuce Salad (from West Virginia)

This salad has been a staple my entire life. We never had to fry bacon for the salad because there was always a container of bacon drippings on the stove. Both of my grandmothers and my mother had aluminum containers with strainers for the bacon drippings. In the winter, we used head lettuce. In the summer, whatever leaf lettuces were in the garden. This is also good made with spinach. One way to change up the flavor is to use different vinegars.

6      Slices of bacon

6      Green onions with tops, thinly sliced

2 T.  Apple cider vinegar

1 t.   Sugar

½ t.  Ground black pepper

Head leaf lettuce, rinsed, dried, torn into pieces. Place bacon in large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until brown and crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels. Add vinegar, sugar, and pepper to the bacon drippings. Stir to combine. Combine the lettuce and green onions in a large bowl. Pour the warm dressing over the lettuce and toss to coat. Add crumbled bacon and serve.

Master’s Famous Pimento Cheese (from our golfing girl who moved to Louisville from North Carolina)

Combine in bowl

1 4-ounce jar Pimientos, small

1 1/4 cups Duke’s mayonnaise

1/2 tsp Spanish paprika, sweet

1 8-ounce block Cheddar, sharp

1 8-ounce block Swiss cheese

 

Kentucky Butter Cookies

2 Eggs

1/2 cup Granulated sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

1 box White cake mix

1/2 cup Butter

1 tbsp Water

Mix all ingredients together then scoop out a big spoonful size and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 until slightly browned on top…you can sprinkle with confectioners sugar before serving warm.