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Country ham is also known as Virginia Ham or Smithfield Ham. Not to be confused with the stuff you see in the deli counter by the same name nor the stuff in the meat counter made by Smithfield Foods. We will buy the vacuum packed slices on occasion for eating in biscuits or seasoning fresh green beans.

 

Only thing that's been missing to go with the boiled peanuts are an RC Cola or a Coke. The Moon Pie is optional.  ;)

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Here is a picture of our contribution to the potluck at 4th of July in 2012 I think.     and one of Mama's absolute favorites for breakfast was country ham. She made Red Eye gravy to go with grits wh

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In the Kissimmee area there is a large Puerto Rican influence. There is a local store called Kissimmee produce that has all kinds of cool things. I still don't know what most of them are! Lol Their de

I know some folks say you either love them or hate them, but I really have to try boiled peanuts.

 

 

For optimum tasting, they must be hot and purchased from someone who has set up a stand at the side of the road. I'm a transplanted Yankee and I don't like them enough to seek them out, but if I start eating them because they're there, I find them addictive.

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Country ham is also known as Virginia Ham or Smithfield Ham. Not to be confused with the stuff you see in the deli counter by the same name nor the stuff in the meat counter made by Smithfield Foods. We will buy the vacuum packed slices on occasion for eating in biscuits or seasoning fresh green beans.

 

Only thing that's been missing to go with the boiled peanuts are an RC Cola or a Coke. The Moon Pie is optional.  ;)

 

Keith, I like the way you think.

 

Also, when working on Skyline Drive, many moons ago, we served Virginia Ham!  Imagine my disappointment when buying VA ham down here and it was sweet, yuck.  Sweet cured ham is ok IF that is what you are expecting. 

 

The prep of the ham was labor intensive and took quite a while.  A friend gave me an easy way to fix a country ham.  Need a big pot, big enough to cover the ham with water.  Do that, soak the ham for 24 hours.  Pour off that water, recover the ham with fresh water add 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup of vinegar .  Bring to boil, boil 15-20 minutes per pound.  Take ham out of water.  Wrap in newspapers, towels, blankets to keep the heat in.  Let sit for 24 hours.  When you unwrap it the fat and skin falls off.  Slice and serve!  

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Here is a picture of our contribution to the potluck at 4th of July in 2012 I think.

 

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and one of Mama's absolute favorites for breakfast was country ham. She made Red Eye gravy to go with grits when we had it. This is actually a picture from Waffle House which offers a choice of Country Ham or City Ham.

 

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Here was her traditional country ham biscuit from Hardees on the way to the Fort.

 

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Another good southern treat is biscuit and sausage gravy.

 

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Some of the suggestions from my area of the south are peas & butterbeans, greens & cornbread, country fried steak (not the crap you get in a restaurant) , Fried Okra, Chicken and Dumplins, Fried Catfish with cheese grits, cole slaw & hush puppies. Apalachicola oysters raw & fried. Fried shrimp and bay scallops. Oh and fresh creamed corn. I'm hungry! lol We got fresh green peanuts out of the field every year and boiled a ton of them for Mama.

 

I so miss having good fresh seafood. We have tried fried shrimp everywhere here and yuck. When we head back to the panhandle, we eat seafood! 

 

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I'm just posting some random pics here I guess! lol here's a good picture with some white acre peas and greens.

 

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I reckon I will have to be sure I bring some good food over to the fort when there are gg's! lol

 

How could I forget Register's sausage and Tupelo Honey!!!

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Keith, I like the way you think.

 

Also, when working on Skyline Drive, many moons ago, we served Virginia Ham!  Imagine my disappointment when buying VA ham down here and it was sweet, yuck.  Sweet cured ham is ok IF that is what you are expecting. 

 

The prep of the ham was labor intensive and took quite a while.  A friend gave me an easy way to fix a country ham.  Need a big pot, big enough to cover the ham with water.  Do that, soak the ham for 24 hours.  Pour off that water, recover the ham with fresh water add 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup of vinegar .  Bring to boil, boil 15-20 minutes per pound.  Take ham out of water.  Wrap in newspapers, towels, blankets to keep the heat in.  Let sit for 24 hours.  When you unwrap it the fat and skin falls off.  Slice and serve!  

 

Great minds think a like and all that.  B) 

 

I'll have to remember to try that cooking technique. I've always used multiple soak days with changing the water and then scrubbing before cooking. Due to this it is very rare that I cook a dry cured ham. As a matter of fact you might have just helped pick out this years Christmas dinner theme if the girls approve.

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Some of the suggestions from my area of the south are peas & butterbeans, greens & cornbread, country fried steak (not the crap you get in a restaurant) , Fried Okra, Chicken and Dumplins, Fried Catfish with cheese grits, cole slaw & hush puppies. Apalachicola oysters raw & fried. Fried shrimp and bay scallops. Oh and fresh creamed corn. I'm hungry! lol We got fresh green peanuts out of the field every year and boiled a ton of them for Mama.

 

 

Those pictures all look good.

 

The natives around here will eat field peas in season. I had never had them until DD1's fiance brought us a bucket full from the farm. They cook up so much better than dried and aren't mushy like canned. They have been since added to the list of tribute to be brought to us by her intended.  :lol:

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No!  Not all at all !!  What kind of ham?  Stuffed with what?  Baked how long?  At what temp?

 

 

 

I live in St Marys county Maryland. From what I can tell the hams are stuffed with greens then cooked. Mostly for the holidays.

 

Places cook it all year round! 

 

Gretchen,

Check out this website for a synopsis.

http://www.stuffed-ham.com/

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Country ham is also known as Virginia Ham or Smithfield Ham. Not to be confused with the stuff you see in the deli counter by the same name nor the stuff in the meat counter made by Smithfield Foods. We will buy the vacuum packed slices on occasion for eating in biscuits or seasoning fresh green beans.

 

Only thing that's been missing to go with the boiled peanuts are an RC Cola or a Coke. The Moon Pie is optional.  ;)

 

Around here Virginia ham is plain old ham.  Not the salt-cured country ham variety.  

 

And here not all Smithfield hams are salt-cured.

 

RC and Moon Pie?  You must have been raised in NC!  I haven't had a Moon Pie in 40+ years.

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Places cook it all year round! 

 

Gretchen,

Check out this website for a synopsis.

http://www.stuffed-ham.com/

 

That sounds good!  A lot of prep work, might try it on a fresh ham.  What is corned ham?  So went looking for the answer.  This is one of them.

 

http://www.ourstate.com/corned-ham/

 

Not hard to do, just need to plan for enough time.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I can help you out, kill 2 birds at the same time

number 1, you need to go to Columbia Restaurant!  My friends Family owns the small chain( maybe 6 locations?)

the closest one to the fort is Located in Celebration, Disney's Master planned community, so its somthing Disney, and something new

 

http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/celebration.asp

 

as for what to get, here is what we do when we go with the owners

Sangria

the 1905 Salad- trust me on this!

a mix of Tapa's or thier Cuban sandwich 

and a few main entre's to share

most meals are large enough to share that way its like your own private buttet  lil this lil that....

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I can help you out, kill 2 birds at the same time

number 1, you need to go to Columbia Restaurant!  My friends Family owns the small chain( maybe 6 locations?)

the closest one to the fort is Located in Celebration, Disney's Master planned community, so its somthing Disney, and something new

 

http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/celebration.asp

 

as for what to get, here is what we do when we go with the owners

Sangria

the 1905 Salad- trust me on this!

a mix of Tapa's or thier Cuban sandwich 

and a few main entre's to share

most meals are large enough to share that way its like your own private buttet  lil this lil that....

I don't think FL has a true regional food like a Philly Cheesesteak, a 5 way Chili, Pasties, Hotdish, or Deep Fried Cheese Curds

 

The majority of the food has a Hispanic (Cuban/Puerto Rican and now Mexican)  influence as swimmarz mentions. 

 

Tampa is the "home of the Cuban sandwich, which is an acquired taste if you were raised on Heroes and Hoagies!

 

There are lots of good foods and places to eat down here but I'm racking my brain trying to think of something unique... oops, I forgot.... Key Lime Pie.  The real ones are white or very very pale green.  If you eat a bright green one it's not real

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I can help you out, kill 2 birds at the same time

number 1, you need to go to Columbia Restaurant!  My friends Family owns the small chain( maybe 6 locations?)

the closest one to the fort is Located in Celebration, Disney's Master planned community, so its somthing Disney, and something new

 

http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/celebration.asp

 

as for what to get, here is what we do when we go with the owners

Sangria

the 1905 Salad- trust me on this!

a mix of Tapa's or thier Cuban sandwich 

and a few main entre's to share

most meals are large enough to share that way its like your own private buttet  lil this lil that....

 

Sounds great - thanks for the info!

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Sounds great - thanks for the info!

It is a good place to eat.

 

The original location in Tampa opened in 1905 (1905 Salad) and has been in the same family ever since.

 

Celebrations location opened in 1997.

 

The original Columbia Restaurant, located in the historic Ybor City neighborhood in Tampa, Florida, is the oldest continuously operated restaurant in Florida,[1] the oldest Spanish restaurant in the United States[2] and one of the largest Spanish restaurants in the world with 1,700 seats in 15 dining rooms taking up 52,000 ft² over an entire city block.[1] Founded in 1905 in, the landmark is still owned by the Hernandez/Gonzmart family and serves Spanish and Cuban cuisine.[3]

In June 2009, the Columbia Restaurant was selected as one of the 25 iconic restaurants of the Tampa-St.Petersburg area by Laura Reily, the food critic of the St. Petersburg Times.[4] Also Nation's Restaurant News named it a "Top 50 All-American icon."[1]

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I can help you out, kill 2 birds at the same time

number 1, you need to go to Columbia Restaurant! My friends Family owns the small chain( maybe 6 locations?)

the closest one to the fort is Located in Celebration, Disney's Master planned community, so its somthing Disney, and something new

http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/celebration.asp

as for what to get, here is what we do when we go with the owners

Sangria

the 1905 Salad- trust me on this!

a mix of Tapa's or thier Cuban sandwich

and a few main entre's to share

most meals are large enough to share that way its like your own private buttet lil this lil that....

Jason is obsessed with that salad. We ate there in St. Augustine.

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Jason is obsessed with that salad. We ate there in St. Augustine.

Now he won't have to drive for it...

 

This is from the Columbia's website, so it's the real deal.

 

 

Columbia’s Original “1905” Salad®

» view more featured recipes Columbia’s Original “1905” Salad® was selected as “One of America’s Top 10 Best Salads” by USA Today.

In the 1970s, this flavorful salad was the Columbia’s answer to the ubiquitous salad bar. Created by waiter Tony Noriega in the 1940s, it was adapted by the Columbia. The Columbia kitchen designed a new dressing that features Worcestershire sauce, lemon, and Parmesan cheese. When the president of Lea and Perrins heard that the Columbia was his biggest customer, he investigated and ate an Original “1905” Salad®. He soon discovered the salad’s delights for himself.

Salad Ingredients

4 cups iceberg lettuce, broken into 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" pieces

1 ripe tomato, cut into eighths

1/2 cup baked ham, julienned 2" × ⅛" (may substitute turkey or shrimp)

1/2 cup Swiss cheese, julienne 2" × ⅛"

1/2 cup pimiento-stuffed green Spanish olives

“1905” Dressing (see recipe below)

1/4 cup Romano cheese, grated

2 tablespoons Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce®

1 lemon

Preparation

Combine lettuce, tomato, ham, Swiss cheese, and olives in a large salad bowl. Before serving, add “1905” Dressing, Romano cheese, Worcestershire, and the juice of 1 lemon. Toss well and serve immediately. Makes 2 full salads or 4 side salads.

“1905” Dressing

Ingredients

1/2 cup extra-virgin Spanish olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

⅛ cup white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Salad Dressing Preparation

Mix olive oil, garlic, and oregano in a bowl with a wire whisk. Stir in vinegar, gradually beating to form an emulsion, and then season with salt and pepper. For best results, prepare 1 to 2 days in advance and refrigerate.

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I'll second the recommendation for fried okra. Okra scares people away because apparently in the north they only serve it in some slimy stew or something and none of my northern friends will even try the fried okra. Throw in some blackened grouper and a bowl of boiled peanuts and I'm feeling pretty happy that I was born in the south. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I can help you out, kill 2 birds at the same time

number 1, you need to go to Columbia Restaurant!  My friends Family owns the small chain( maybe 6 locations?)

the closest one to the fort is Located in Celebration, Disney's Master planned community, so its somthing Disney, and something new

 

http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/celebration.asp

 

as for what to get, here is what we do when we go with the owners

Sangria

the 1905 Salad- trust me on this!

a mix of Tapa's or thier Cuban sandwich 

and a few main entre's to share

most meals are large enough to share that way its like your own private buttet  lil this lil that....

 

While I don't agree that it qualifies as a server of regional food, since it was mentioned on this thread, I thought I would give anyone interested a head's up that this Sunday, September 20th, is "1905 Day" at the Columbia restaurants, including the Celebration location.  They are celebrating their 110th anniversary, and claim to be Florida's oldest restaurant.  They will be serving a special menu with prices from "the good ole days" :  http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/recipes_wines.asp

 

One word of caution- it might be crowded.

 

TCD

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