Food Memories and Menus
           In Texas, we have a rich and diverse history of eating.  With this site I am sharing the way we eat around here.
 
 

Monday Texas Supper
Mexican Cornbread or Spanish Rice
Pinto Beans
Garden Salad
Iced Tea
or
Texas Goulash
Cabbage
Iced Tea
 

Italian Festa
Spaghetti and Meatballs or Sausage
Green Beans
Brushetta (appetizer)
Italian Salad
Montepulciano D'Abruzzo or other Italian red wine
This is a hearty thursday dinner.  Eat the meatballs or sausage on the side and the salad after the meal or red grapes or melon for dessert, like a real Italian.

Texan Cowtown Supper
Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy
Mashed Potatoes or Rice and Gravy
Green Beans or Black-eyed Peas
Onion Rings (Appetizers)
Garden Salad
Skillet-baked Cornbread
Pre-sweetened Iced Tea with a side of Lemon Wedges
Cobbler (Peach, Apple, or Blackberry)
This is a good Wednesday supper.  Supper is what dinner is in the country, and dinner in the country is what city folks call lunch.
Some city folks only eat CFS with only mashed potatoes and green beans, I love it that way too, but I prefer rice topped with gravy, and sometimes I make the gravy without milk, but with water, which makes good gravy for rice.  I love Black-eyed Peas with it too.  In West Texas, some serve it with black-eyed peas and fried corn on the cob.  Eat what you like with it.  Substitute the steak for boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs or for boneless thin-sliced pork chops, but only dip the batter then flour once.

Sunday Chicken Dinner
Fried Chicken or Chicken & Dumplins
Purple Hull Peas
Mess O'Greens or Cabbage or Yellow Squash Casserole
Creamed Potatoes
Biscuits with Butter and Honey
Sweetened Iced Tea

Friday Catfish Fry
Fried Catfish
Hushpuppies
French Fries
Cole Slaw or Potato Salad
Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Lemonade
Cook this outdoors for the full effect.  We have propane burners for this purpose, which we affectionly refer to as fish cookers.  Only in the South could we perfect the art of backyard deep fat frying.

Cajun Thanksgiving Dinner
Fried Turkey
Cornbread Dressing with Giblet Gravy
Cranberry Sauce
Dirty Rice
Maque-Choux
Broccoli Rice Casserole
Green Bean Casserole

Texas Christmas Dinner
Oven Roasted Brisket
Pinto Beans
Carrot or Sweet Potato Souffle
Squash Casserole (but not in season)
Corn Casserole
Pecan Pie or Sweet Potato Pie

New Years Day Traditional Dinner
Ham, best smoked
Black-eyed Peas  (for Luck)
Cabbage (for Money)
Sweet Potato Souffle (for Health)
Brown and Serve Rolls

Easter Dinner
Roasted or Boiled Chicken
Cornbread Dressing
Boiled Eggs
Green Beans
Creamed Potatoes
Brown and Serve Rolls
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

  Southeast Texas Ethinicity and Culinary History
   In Southeast Texas, we are in a crossroads of culinary paths.  We are at the western end of the old south and its rich history of both plantation and soul food traditions.  We have one of the largest Cajun populations in the country.  We a large Italian population, mostly Sicilian.  We have a quite of number of Jewish residents, and small numbers of Greek, Lebanese, and Syrians.  We are gaining numbers of Mexican and other Central Americans.  Our petrochemical industry attracts sizable numbers of Indian and Arab people. Asian population consists of a big Vietnamese community, attracted to our proximity to our Gulf.  We have abundant resources.  So, as you can see we live in a culinary seaport.