Cawfee Tea an Beer Brats fer October

[Stu Kettle]

Makes me wonder why we employ So many "non-essentials" in the first place.  If they're not essential do we need them at all. Those WWII vets proved that the people can visit their own property without escort or supervision.

I'm feeling better - surprising how many different drugs it takes to be able to tolerate the drugs they gave me.   Gonna try to go back to school tomorrow. I think I'm essential. Anyone can sit in my chair all day, but it's hard to find someone to teach my students what I want them to learn.

[Texas Lawdog]

Some of those old guys were in wheelchairs. Those National Park Police would have looked stupid for arresting those Vets for trespassing.

[Delmonico]

DEL, I'd have some that tongue with some brown mustard on some of your bread

I'd say some of the Czech rye would be right for that, been doin' a potatoe bread that is great, made hamburger buns out of it the other day.  Got real riced potaotes in it, not potatoe floakes like the yuppie recipes do.

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[Texas Lawdog]

The Cawffee and hot water are ready for drinking this morning. ENJOY!

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Thanks,TLD.

61 and sun here.

Would've been realy all over if they'd denied those vets their visit

[Silver Creek Slim]

Morning y'all.
Thanks fer the coffee, Tex.

'Tis 33 and sunny. High of 75.

Slim

[Major E A Sterner]

Got some sliced fruit,Biscuits n gravy and Grits for those who want it,Enjoy

[Delmonico]

Grits

Gotta do some more research on it later, but right now I'm not sure when the term ended up being used down south, all references I've found from the time period seems the Yankees called them grits, the Rebs called them hominy and the recipe assumed you knew they were ground.  Some do call them Hominy grits also, interesting bit that needs a bit more research, don't know if I can come up with the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but I may have a good theory. 

Got a kid at work the other day, said there was no way he'd eat grits or hominy, t'was eatin' Doritos at the time too, LOL, wrecked his whole world.   

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Made bisquits and gravy for the wife and I this morning as well

[Texas Lawdog]

Biscuits And Gravy are good for breakfast, they stick to your ribs. They are comfort food, not on most diet plans.

[Blair]

Del,

Simple explanation for Hominy Grits;
Dried field corn is first soaked (perhaps with some heat) in water with a bit of wood ash (this provides a source of lye in non toxic amounts).
The lye helps softens the tough husk on the individual corn kernels allowing the meat of the kernels to expand, sloughing off husks.
The soft and expanded kernels are referred to as Hominy. After being washed and cleaned they can be eaten as is.
But, these hominy kernels may also be dried. (a modern form of these, with seasonings, maybe found today and call "Beer Nuts".)
Once the hominy is dried, it maybe coarse ground at a grist mill into Grits.
I hope this rather simple explanation offers some help.
My best,
  Blair

[Texas Lawdog]

Beer Nuts are peanuts. Corn Nuts are the Hominy ones.

[Delmonico]

Del,

Simple explanation for Hominy Grits;
Dried field corn is first soaked (perhaps with some heat) in water with a bit of wood ash (this provides a source of lye in non toxic amounts).
The lye helps softens the tough husk on the individual corn kernels allowing the meat of the kernels to expand, sloughing off husks.
The soft and expanded kernels are referred to as Hominy. After being washed and cleaned they can be eaten as is.
But, these hominy kernels may also be dried. (a modern form of these, with seasonings, maybe found today and call "Beer Nuts".)
Once the hominy is dried, it maybe coarse ground at a grist mill into Grits.
I hope this rather simple explanation offers some help.
My best,
  Blair

It offers nothing I already don't know and beyond.  That is food 101, I am beyond that and working on the PHD type thesis.

Lye aka Sodium hydroxide is not the only chemical the natives of this country use to modify the dried corn into hominy with, don't forget the slacked lime aka Calcium hydroxide that is also used to achieve the same results.  This of course converts the bound niacin to free niacin to prevent Pellagra a nutrition caused disease that is caused by the lack of niacin, a common problem in many poorer rural areas of the United States until the cause was isolated in the 1930's.  

In a work of this type one needs to make sure that the terms that vary in different parts of the country and the world are explained so folks understand them and can use them when interpreting old accounts, recipes and similar type reference material in the seeking of the understanding of how the people lived in the 19th century and when wanting to duplicate the foods of the time period as accurately as possible considering the different availability and costs of certain items.

The goal is bringing it out in the spring of 2015 to insure I have put in the time needed to make it as accurate as humanly possible, this will be the culmination of about 20 years of dedicated research on the foods on the latter half of the 19th century in the United States and the circumstances that caused them to be what they were, such as the invention and commercial marketing of the horse drawn potatoe planter and digger that changed the potatoe from just another vegetable in the diet of Americans to the most popular one by WWI.  Plus of course other interesting facts about the food eaten in the time period that few today know.

It is not going to be another small ill researched cook book claiming to be cowboy or pioneer recipes using modern recipes and intended for the tourist trade at your local tourist trap.

[Delmonico]

Beer Nuts are peanuts. Corn Nuts are the Hominy ones.

Nope. they're parched corn, most likely made from the old Hickory King cultivator of corn that has such large kernels and is a type of flint corn, flint corn makes good parched corn.

Kids if you want to try this at home the multi-colored flint corn sold this time of years as Indian corn (Just a cultivator from the SW US) it works the best of any easily available corn.  Just a little oil is best and pretend like you are popping popcorn.  Smaller than corn nuts but pretty good fresh and hot.  Most modern dent corns do not make good parched corn.

[Blair]

Del,

It may not offer you personally anything that you didn't already know. You may indeed be a bit beyond Foods 101, but will the readers you hope to connect with in your book/thesis?
If not, then it might help offer an explanation to the "other" dummies in the rest of the world that don’t know the difference within this forum format?
Just a thought.
  Blair

[Delmonico]

I doubt anyone interested does not already know, if they don't then they don't care. 

[Blair]

Del,

My point exactly!
Have you considered asking?
  Blair

[Arcey]

Everyone knows grits are southern. They come in envelopes. Ya stick the contents of one envelope inna cup, add some water ‘n stick it inna microwave for a minute.

[Delmonico]

Del,

My point exactly!
Have you considered asking?
  Blair

I don't really care, the folks on this group either know or would ask, we've been discussing what we cook over here for years, I think we know each other pretty dang good if you ask me.

[Delmonico]

Everyone knows grits are southern. They come in envelopes. Ya stick the contents of one envelope inna cup, add some water ‘n stick it inna microwave for a minute.

Well I made some hominy from scratch one time, a lot of work, guess I should have ground it and made grits, doubt those will cook in the microwave though.   

What's curious, now to get back to real history of food in America, is that in the pre-1900 cook books a lot of them made up north have a lot of recipes using grits, and often more than using them for cereal for breakfast, seen casseroles like you'd take to the family re-union, thought it was interesting and will give it a few days of research when I get done with what I'm working on.


Oh before I go, just to play nice, any of you guys and I'll include Lettie as one of the guys,  not know what hominy is and the fact you make it by using an alkaline substance to remove the hull and modify the structure of the rest of the grain?   

OK, I've done my duty, back to making sinner-mon bread and my other tasks, I'm working on corn bread right now and I won't make everyone happy with it so I'll just PO everyone and explain how I make it and how easy it is to take the basic recipe and make it the way you want.  LOL, I know Tex will eat it the way I do, it ain't yankee, it ain't reb, it's Del's way.