Southern Fixins

By Tracy. Berkeley was hot yesterday. To commemorate the unusual heat and break the monotony of job applications, we decided to create a full-blown southern meal...complete with accents.
The inspiration wasn't difficult, as two of us date southern men (who were kindly not invited), and I spent four years in Georgia.
We pulled the recipes from various sources, including my own favorite Moosewood Cookbook!

The menu:

Macaroni & Cheese. This lower-fat version incorporated mustard, cottage cheese, and breadcrumbs.

Collard Greens. Sauteed with onions, balsamic vinegar, and a spot of sugar.

Cornbread. Buttermilk and cast-iron capture a true southern staple. And make for nice artsy pictures. 

Fruit Crisp. We may have jumped the gun on the season, but the tart peaches and blackberries were softened by refreshing vanilla ice cream.

One of my favorite things about summer is the rich color of the fruits and vegetables. A wise gardener once told me plants who were under stress during the early spring produced fruits and vegetables with a higher concentration of nutrients. As our bodies broke down and absorbed the nutrients from our meal, our brain cells stimulated from conversation, I looked out the window and reflected on this metaphor. I thought of the rich nutrients we were cultivating from our current challenges. And I pretended I heard the sound of cicadas chirping and junebugs hitting the lights outside. 

Beautiful, nutrient rich, summer fruit