canned tomatoes, then cook 10 to 15 minutes more. Add the okra and continue cooking until the vegetables are tender, taking care not to overcook the okra. Serve over rice or as a side dish.
If you prefer a less spicy dish, dice 2 large, fresh tomatoes rather than the canned tomatoes with chiles.
crunchy slaw
My memories of meals in my hometown of Monticello, Georgia, involve a lot of Styrofoam containers—at chicken barbecues at horse shows, pork barbecue fund-raisers for the Boy Scouts, fish fries at our family friends the Hickeys’ farm, and lots more. Daddy cooked a lot of chicken, pork, and stew in those days and slaw was a required side dish on those plates. It was always a mayonnaise-based slaw, so I thought that was the only kind in existence. By the way, I’m sure there’s some law about having mayonnaise—and butter, for that matter—in every dish that comes out of the state of Georgia. If there isn’t, there should be! My sister, Beth, recently shared with me this tasty slaw recipe with lots of crunch and a sweet-and-sour dressing.
SERVES 10 TO 12
Salad
1 head green cabbage, finely chopped
8 green onions, finely chopped
½ cup sliced almonds
½ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup (½ stick) butter
2 3-ounce packages ramen noodles, flavor packets discarded
Dressing
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Mix the cabbage and green onions in a large bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, brown the almonds and sesame seeds in the butter.
Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. Just before serving, add the sesame seeds, almonds, and crushed raw ramen noodles to the cabbage and green onions. Pour the dressing, a little at a time, over the salad mix, then toss.
broccoli casserole
My mama was a schoolteacher for twenty-five years. She even taught me in the third grade! My best friend in elementary school wasJulie Perry. Julie’s mom taught the second grade, and Julie had already had her mom as a teacher, so she showed me the ropes. People always ask me if it was weird having my mama for a teacher and I always say yes. I never knew whether to call her “Miss Yearwood” or “Mama”! Julie and I were friends from the first grade all the way through high school graduation. We spent lots of time at each other’s homes, working on school projects or having “spend the night” parties. I ate a lot of meals at Mr. Edwin and “Miss” Julianne’s house. This recipe came from Mrs. Perry.
SERVES 8 TO 10
2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped broccoli, or 1 pound fresh broccoli florets
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup mayonnaise
1 10-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
4 tablespoons grated sweet onion
10 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (about 2½ cups)
Salt and pepper
½ cup bread crumbs, crushed regular potato chips, or cheese cracker crumbs
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 × 13 × 2-inch casserole dish.
Cook the broccoli in water, drain, and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, eggs, mayonnaise, soup, onion, and 2 cups of the grated cheese. Add salt and pepper and put into the prepared casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven and sprinkle the surface with the cracker crumbs. Top with the remaining cheese. Return to the oven and bake until the crumbs brown slightly and the cheese melts, about 10 minutes.
squash casserole
My sister, Beth, was always the squash eater in our family. Just the thought of the yellow stringy stuff could send me from the table. This is the recipe that changed it all for me. I have Garth to thank because he loves squash casserole, so I went in search of a recipe. Beth shared this one with me (of course). I tasted it just to be nice, and never looked back. I am now officially a squash eater!
SERVES 8
2 pounds yellow summer squash, trimmed and sliced ¼ inch thick
½ small sweet onion, such as Vidalia, peeled and diced
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Learning to Kill: Stories