My friend Sunshine and I made a date for her to serve as guest chef. Since we both hail from Louisiana, we love cooking and entertaining. Sunshine is a great cook and I love cooking with her. Our cooking sessions include stories and laughter.  In our conversations about family memories and meals, Sunshine mentioned one of her Grandmother’s favorites, Cabbage Dressing.

Is it stuffing or dressing?

Dressing as in cornbread or stuffing not salad dressing, clearly dressing is a very southern term. Have you heard of cabbage dressing? In my review of food,  I located a million cabbage dressings for coleslaw. After my research, I was ready for Sunshine to introduce me to her Grandmother’s cabbage dressing.

Sunshine’s Grandmother Iris B. Lemoine served Cabbage Dressing on her large southern antique table. You could always count on Iris’s table to include delicious food including calas. The Lemoine family home started in Cottonport Louisiana on the bayou. A southern home filled with love, antiques and a porch to host story-telling.

Iris’s family were German and migrated from Nova Scotia and settled in Louisiana. Iris married a Frenchmen, Theofield Lemoine and raised  the family in Cottonport. Sunshine speaks lovingly of Iris and Theofield captured in  memories which center around an idyllic childhood. Memories which include listening to grandparents speak in French so little ears would be protected.

Life in a small town

In Cottonport, life centered around the Catholic Church, small town events and life of the bayou. Iris shared her love and happiness with all that came into contact with her. Passing lessons of love on to her family including  manners and etiquette.

During December, Lemoine’s would host a Christmas on the Bayou. An Open House for friends, family and neighbors. Of course, tables of food, huge pot of gumbo and treats to tempt the palate. Surely, if I close my eyes, I can see the huge mimosa trees covered in moss bordering the bayou, shading the Open House.

Lush green grass filled with chairs and blankets for guests to relax and share a meal. In the background, nature, laughter and Christmas music infiltrating the southern day on the bayou.  Uniquely, if only I had a ‘back in time” button, I would press it to meet Iris B Lemoine and her Frenchmen Theofield. For certain, I would love our time together.

Family and friends called Iris “The Pink Lady”. Sunshine describes her Grandmother as a Grand Lady. Iris loved entertaining, cooking,  her family and everything pink.” Clearly Iris could share secrets of being a great host and Southern belle. I am dying to know how she introduced boots to her classmates at LSU .

After all, Iris B Lemoine’s Cabbage Dressing is an old southern rice dressing recipe. Certainly, not a recipe that I have been familiar with but I love it. Sunshine and I spent an afternoon in the kitchen  cooking during which I learned how to make Cabbage Dressing. Sunshine shared memories with me while we cooked cabbage dressing and reminisced about families.

In conclusion, whether you call it Iris’s cabbage dressing, cabbage stuffing or old southern rice dressing  this recipe will yield rave reviews from your guests. Serve as a new side dish on your holiday table and start your own tradition with family.

Alexa Shout out to Billie Holiday’s “I’ll be Seeing You”.

The post Old Southern Rice Dressing Recipe appeared first on Dining With Mimi.

I am always happy to return to my little slice of joy, my home. Home is, truly where the heart is. The kitchen is the heart of a home. In my kitchen, I also long for those exotic big city flavors.

Big city traffic, is something to endure. The non-stop pace in a large city is electric and exciting. After several days of the frenetic pace, I am missing our quiet hideaway. I love to travel and get-a-way to foreign destinations. I have been fortunate to travel throughout the US and witness the beauty of our land.

The excitement of trying new foods and touring through food markets is a delight. Shopping in grocery stores in foreign locals, is always a treat for me. Each city,  state, region, cultures and countries all over, offering their own spin on cuisine. The spices, fruits and vegetables are blended to offer an entirely different flavor combination.

While traveling in foreign food markets, it doesn’t take me long before I want to fill up a basket of the unique items and run to a kitchen to begin cooking. The endless supply of flavorful cheese and breads.  The variation in dried meats. The exquisite beauty of the fancy chocolatier. The eye-popping color of the bulk spices and sauces they create make my mouth water.

Using these ingredients to cook , is not an option if your staying in hotels. Imagine a knock at the door, upon opening,  a happy and crazy female carrying a basket loaded with food. Hello, It’s Mimi.  It might help you gain entrance, if your also bringing wine.

I wonder how many doors you would have to knock on before you could gain entrance and be allowed to cook in their kitchen. I haven’t had the nerve to actually put this into action, yet. It’s still in fantasy mode.

Spices are a food item that you may easily bring back from your travels. It is lightweight, economical and makes a great souvenir for friends that enjoy cooking.

Select a spice or sauce, and then start incorporating it into your recipes. Or choose a chef that you like and see if they offer an opportunity to use the spice in their recipes. Spices add flavor that may allow you to cut the items that may make our foods high in calories.

In this recipe, I added chipotle in adobo sauce. I am a big fan of this item. It will bring a flavor all its own to your dish. I love the flavor of it and have added to the following:

• Barbecue
• Chili
• Sauces

The Chipotle Sauce in an egg pie, was bound to happen. In this version, I chose not to add crème or cheese to cut calories and fat content.

Shout out to Alexa for Miles Davis for a music to greet the morning.

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The post Smoky Egg Pie with Sausage and Onions Date: 10-22-16 appeared first on Dining With Mimi.