Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal

Mike CHS said:

I think you guys will like those roasted and the same way works on the grill. The fried okra we had is a Paula Dean recipe.

The potatoes are simple also (like most things we do) - Cut the potatoes up, place in a bowl and add some minced garlic, salt and pepper then shake to make sure they are all covered with the spice/oil mixture.

Spread out in a single layer on a pan and bake at 375 till done or crank it up to 425 once they are done to add some crispy.

I like to add a little garlic powder, paprika and cayenne when it is just us but since we didn't know the tastes of y'all that were visiting we keep it neutral.

I don't think the taters were photogenic so don't know if they got in any of the pictures.

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Ahh, yes, the salt and pepper...........duh............told you I have OPS...........yummy.............I know what Im making with dinner tonight!

I had okra at school a lot the coupla years spent in TN as a kid. I don't see it grown up here in IN much. I prefer it breaded and fried, but it is good stewed in diced tomatoes and onions with black pepper, garlic powder and salt. It would be fine using minced garlic too. I topped it with some parmesan cheese.

Roasted okra is good with a little paprika and cumin also. Love it!!

We went down to Ardmore, Alabama this afternoon to pick up a bushel or so of apples to make a big batch of our apple sauce. When we were coming back through town I saw that a convenience store that had been closed for a year or more had a big sign that said PHO in big letters and below that it said FULL VIETNAMESE MENU.

I have said it before but one of the few things we miss about Charleston is the variety of food available and the multitude of outstanding Vietnamese and Thai restaurants (which are my favorites).

The place was ran by a sweet, relatively young Vietnamese couple and the food was among some of the best I have ever had. They sat and talked to us about their menu and told us the story about how they got to this really country town. I don't know whether they will be successful in a little farm town like Ardmore since it doesn't fall under southern cooking but we will give them our share of business and tell everyone that we know about them.

Talk them up to everyone you know Mike! Though some people just won't try anything that is much different that what they have eaten all their lives. Not sure how to get them to try said food. I've not had Vietnamese but I like Thai and Nepalese and Moroccan and ....., never had any of those things growing up.

We are Bruce and if you like Thai you will also like Vietnamese. They are similar but far from the same. We have already told several friends and I made a mention of them on my Facebook page. I also wrote the first review for them on their page.

I've never had any of those foods....not opposed to trying, as long as I know what is in it.........back in the mid to late 90s I took a Vietnamese guy fishing and taught him how to use the rod and reel that he had and put him on some fish....largemouth bass.....he was speaking and laughing so loud and rocking the boat....he was one Happy camper....
We both caught over 20 each and he got one that went about 4lbs.....he apologized for speaking Vietnamese, but he was so happy he couldn't stop to try and say it in English....I told him that it was just fine....afterwards I took him to his car and dropped him off and gave him all the fish.....we argued, but I insisted so he did....when he shook my hand he had a tear in his eye.....he sure did make my day, that day....I sure hate having lost contact with him....

I have made quite a few Vietnamese friends over the years and I have always found them to be the most genuine of any that you would meet. My barber back in Charleston in the late 90's was a helo pilot in Vietnam that was one of the last to make it to the carriers. He had some stories to tell.

Ardmore isn't far from where my husband is from. His family lived in Killen, Alabama until he was 10 years old, then moved to Florence, where he saw electricity and running water for the first time.

Hope it didn't scar him for life