FOOD FANTASY -- The Exotic South

Confession. I am obsessed with Southern cooking. Holly asked what do I usually cook. But I'd rather answer with what would I RATHER cook... Oh, and so I let my fantasies run lose. Rather of sweets, I found myself hunting down pictures of gumbo, pulled pork and catfish. Yum, yum, yum. Been to the south only once and that was New Orleans 17 years ago. But Cajun food seared my heart. The fact that I can't get most of the spices here I think fuels the fantasy. Kenny Rogers once had a chain of his BBQ chicken restaurants here. Did I go crazy on the southern side dishes too, the potato casseroles, the hush puppies!!! Indeed, southern cuisine is exotic to me. Once late night surfing on the Internet, I found myself obsessed with southern cooking and wanting so badly to go to Dollywood amusement park for their best BBQ sauce competition....

So ready to try my hand or learn more about different styles of cooking.

My other fetish is barbequed meats -- kebabs, Jamaican jerk chicken, because again we don't have a BBQ at home. Just reading about it though makes me happy!!!