The Craving

(Duder, it's a food post. You've been warned.)

While I was visiting Jolea in Key West last month, she took me to an eating establishment called Sweet Teas.  The menu there consisted of a lot of Home Style standards like Turkey and Dressing, Pot Pie of the Day and Meatloaf to name a few... I was aiming for the Pot Pie, but I didn't get past the meatloaf.  I'm sure they have other yummy stuff too.  They also serve a whole assortment of side dishes to go along with the yummy entries.  Jolea and I chose the meatloaf like I said, I'm wishing I'd had the chance to try the Pot Pie.  I can only remember a couple of things we choose for the sides, mashed sweet potatoes and mac and cheese.  Come to think of it these were Jolea's choices.... I don't even remember my choices, they were different from hers so that we could share.  I do know that I was surprised that she ate sweet potatoes. My kids were always such picky eaters growing up.  She also said that their mac and cheese wasn't as good as mine she always says that, said it about Paula Deen's too.  I don't know why she bothers ordering it.

We were given the chance to try something that I'd never tasted no matter how many times my Daddy offered from across the table every time my Momma cooked them for him.... Collard Greens.  Daddy love them, no one else would dare eat them.  Well that night in Key West the bartender brought out a bowl for us to try yeah, Jolea tried them too.  All I can say is OMG!  They were unbelievable.  They were something that I am kicking myself for never trying and missing out all those years of enjoying them.

So, once I get home all I can think about is Collard Greens.  I have to learn to cook them.  I find a recipe online... allrecipes.com.  I also called my friend Deanna.  She laughs at me as she tells me how her family prepares them.  In her words "you people don't eat this kind of food." Well this people does! Jody says it's my backwater Oklahoma roots showing.

Yesterday I decided that I'd cook Collards as dad would call them, I promised Jody that the house wouldn't smell when he got home.

 I washed them and removed the center vein as directed.

I removed the meat from a smoked turkey leg and chopped it up like Deanna had told me to do.  I used this in place of the ham hock that the All Recipes recipe suggested.  I was a little leery of the whole hock thing.

I put in one container of chicken stock tossed in the cleaned washed 3 times greens, salt pepper, a little Paula Deen House Seasoning since I bashed her mac and cheese, and what looked like enough pieces of pecans to equal one whole pecan.  The All Recipes comments had said this would take the stink out of them.  It was worth a try.

 On goes the lid of the trusty pressure cooker....

 And now a word from our sponsor...  Tamales, it's what's for lunch when you can't wait on the Collards.  And a big ole glass of Agua de Sandia.....

Thirty minutes later we have "a mess of collards."  They aren't very pretty but they sure were good over cornbread I waited and had them for dinner.  Jody said the house didn't even smell bad, it smelled like I was cooking pinto beans.  I guess that pecan did the trick.

 Let me get that not so nice picture of Collards out of your brain with this lovely picture of some Mochi.  Aren't they pretty?  I guess I could have had them for dessert and called it Eating Multicultural.

It's gonna be another hot one today!  84F at 5:45AM!  We did get a few sprinkles this morning, so I started the sprinkler in the back yard, sort of a challenge to those clouds.  They wimped out as usual and turned the humidity up.

Oh well...