The Dillard House, Dillard, Georgia

On our trip to the mountains, we stopped by The Dillard House in Dillard, Georgia, where you don't just eat dinner, you experience it.  I was introduced to this restaurant by my husband on a trip in 2009 when we ate there for breakfast, but we wanted to try their dinner menu this time.  On the way in I told Richard that I sure hope I didn't over eat because I had been doing so well on our trip so far.  After he laughed his head off at my statement, we went in and were seated, then were greeted by a sweet grandma-looking waitress in a cute little apron.  Her grandma buddies must have been in the kitchen cooking up our meal because that's what it tasted like--grandmas cooking in the kitchen.  This is country food at it's finest, people.

From 2009

From 2009

The casual dining room is open and full of windows, with a spectacular view.

You don't order at the Dillard House.  You just sit.  Your server will begin bringing bowls, baskets, and plates of food to your table.  It's all served with a smile, family-style.

For starters, we were served some fresh melon, sliced tomatoes, slaw, apple sauce, and a chow-chow type relish.  The tea was perfectly sweetened, which is really important to me.   I don't like it when my sweet tea isn't sweet enough or it's too sweet.  I'm kind of picky like that.

Then the food started coming.

Virginia ham, fried pork chops (the best I have ever had), and fried chicken.  There was a sweet potato casserole that made my non-sweet potato loving husband proclaim "I think I like sweet potatoes now!"  Do you think those are hush puppies in the picture?  They are actually pineapple fritters.

The corn on the cob melted in our mouths.  There was a cabbage casserole with cheese that I have never had before--to die for.  Creamy homemade macaroni and cheese.  Fried okra, green beans, lima beans (or some type of bean), and all perfectly seasoned.  Someone there knows how to add just the right amount of salt.  And the bread basket?  Corn muffins, biscuits AND yeast rolls.  With all the butter and jelly you want.  I think I may have missed a few items.

Yes, coffee and dessert too.  A homemade cobbler a la mode. I was so full by then I couldn't even push the shutter on my camera to take a picture.

There's much more than just the restaurant.   The grounds and buildings there are just beautiful. 

Go there if you are in the area.  But wear loose clothing.

Smoky Mountain Trout House, Gatlinburg, Tennessee

My husband loves trout.  Me?  I like it, I don't love it.  But there is one restaurant that we always go to when we visit the smoky mountains that makes us both happy--the Smoky Mountain Trout House in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  We discovered it on our honeymoon and have been going there for thirteen years.  They know how to do trout.  It's casual dining with a variety of trout dishes to choose from.  Let me tell you about the meal we had while we were on vacation last month.

Trout Fritters

We started with the trout fritters.  We always start with the trout fritters.  Do not go there without getting the trout fritters.  Do it.  They are fried golden balls of trout and potatoes with peppers and onions, incredibly moist on the inside, crispy on the outside with a creamy dill dipping sauce.  These fritters are what inspired me to send in my very first entry into a recipe contest years ago.  I tried to recreate them at home.  The waitress told us there was a secret ingredient in them.  Then she cautiously looked around and whispered it to me under her breath as she was walking away.  Unfortunately, I did not catch it because apparently, granny needs a hearing aid.

I ordered the trout cakes for my entree, which were delicious also, but basically it was the same mixture as the trout fritters but in cake form.  I wished I would have branched out.  Richard ordered the Smoked Mountain Trout.

Smoked Mountain Trout.  And yes, I know this is the worst picture ever.

I'm not sure I have ever tasted a more flavorful piece of fish.  Hickory smoked with sauteed mushrooms and onions and a little cup of bacon pieces in butter for dipping.  Sweet mercy it was delicious.  I will say that I wasn't all that impressed with the hush puppies and coleslaw, but I'm from Mississippi--we KNOW how to do hush puppies and coleslaw--so my standards are quite high.  But everything else was wonderful. 

Go there.

Easy Chicken Gumbo with Lima Beans, Corn, and Crispy Okra

So I'm very thankful we did not lose power during Hurricane Isaac, because let me tell you, the humidity today rivals an Amazon rain forest and I just might DIE without air conditioning.

Yes, it's THAT serious.

I hope I'm not speaking too soon, though, because it's not over yet, or so the Weather Channel keeps informing me. Over and over.

And over.  And over. 

I want to change the channel, but it's forbidden because my man likes to stay shrewdly informed about all weather related matters.  Especially when there is a hurricane out and about.

Do you want to see my front yard?

Thanks goodness the sunflowers are on higher ground.  My husband and I have been staring out the window, both of us silently wondering if they will make it, but too scared to speak it out loud. 

We worked sooooo hard planting them.

I mean my husband did.  But still.  *We are one.*

So the good thing about rain is that it brings about feelings of comfort and coziness.  The tornado warnings not so much, but the rain that we had for like twenty hours straight brought some comfort and cozy to our home.

And a small lake in the front yard.

And when I feel all the comfort and cozy, I want to make soup.  And more specifically, gumbo.  I had a GLORIOUS bowl of gumbo this summer at a church gathering, and the woman who made it threw in some different kinds of veggies than what the average gumbo has, and one of them was lima beans.  So I had some in my freezer and decided to throw them in along with some corn.  And the only okra I had was frozen, breaded okra, but I had a light bulb moment and decided to fry it up and use it as a topping.  It was fantastic.

This recipe is a very basic gumbo recipe.  It's for the person who lacks time and, well, groceries.  And yes, I know you can add more flavor by starting with bacon, sausage, ham , etc., then making the roux from the drippings and all that, but I have some non-pork eating family members and I have to play by different rules.  Starting a roux without animal fat can be done.  It can.  And it can be very tasty.  My family loved this.

Here are my notes:

-The roux is the key to gumbo.  When making a roux, you're looking for the final product to be a reddish-brown.  Think the color of a penny.  I have made this twice in the last month and the second time I didn't cook my roux long enough and there was a noticeable difference in the flavor.  It was still good, but the distinctive flavor was not as strong.  Cooking the roux could take 20-30 minutes, so be patient and keep stirring.

-I loved topping this with crispy, fried okra.  I have family members who are opposed to any kind of okra but fried because it can be slimy.  This is a great way to add it in.

-Other veggies would work too.  I just happened to have lima beans and corn on hand.

-I boiled my two chicken breasts, then I seasoned the water they were boiled in to make a stock/broth.

-Don't forget to salt and pepper to taste.  Salt will bring out the flavor in anything.  I think it is the single most important ingredient in cooking.

-I used can corn, but frozen would certainly work too.

-The oil will rise to the surface and that needs to be skimmed off with a spoon and discarded as much as possible.

-This is great served with cornbread or biscuits.

Easy Chicken Gumbo with Lima Beans, Corn, and Crispy Okra

Printable Recipe

1 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

8 cups chicken broth or stock or 8 cups water and 8 bouillon cubes

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 (16-ounce) package frozen lima beans

1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooked rice

1 (16-ounce) bag frozen, breaded okra, fried to golden brown and crispy

In a large heavy bottom pot, heat the oil until hot and add flour.  Cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring often to frequently, until mixture turns reddish-brown, the color of a copper penny. 

Add the celery, onion, and bell pepper and cook until vegetables are soft.  Add the chicken stock, shredded chicken, lima beans, and corn.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.  Skim the oil off the top with a spoon and discard as much as possible.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve over rice and sprinkle each bowl with the fried okra.