Amanda Miller
Columnist
Lettuce Eat Local

My answer was confident and immediate. 

Waiting in line to board the plane headed to Pensacola, one of my fellow travelers was excited to learn that I was headed back to where I was born in the deep South of Lower Alabama; he was from California and had never been so far that direction. The West Coast is very different than the white sand beaches of the Gulf Coast, and he asked me what food they should make sure and eat while on their trip. 

“Boiled peanuts!” Or rather, “boll pea-nut.” This salty delicacy is what is considered an acquired taste by some, and I’ve clearly acquired the taste. Brian says they remind him too much of beans, which I suppose is fair since they are a cooked legume.

Another obvious choice of Southern dining is sweet tea. And I do mean sweet, like syrup-level; unsweet tea is an oxymoron. Do they even serve water there? 

But this article isn’t about either of those, because to follow my own theme I would need to write about something with a D. Which works perfectly, because the other essential taste of my Alabama is coleslaw — specifically, David’s Catfish House coleslaw. (Stretching it on the D, I know, but it works — finding a D food other than doughnuts is harder than you might think.) 

My parents and two brothers were also in Alabama last weekend, along with almost all of our relatives on that side of the family. My grandma was turning 100 years old, and clearly, that calls for a party. For the first time in many years, all 19 of her grandchildren were there together, and over 40 of her great-grandchildren. 

We had many of our meals together as a big family, but my nuclear family also skipped out from one of the lunches to do our own thing. It’s a rule: when we’re back in sweet home Alabama, we eat at David’s Catfish. I don’t do a lot of fried food, but it would be a crime to order anything but those crispy cornmeal-battered catfish fillets, dusted with a bit of Creole seasoning (apparently this should have been the C article). But honestly, even more essential is that accompanying bowl of coleslaw. 

The cabbage is chopped super fine, and the mayo-based dressing is creamy and sweet but not thick or cloying. You must, and I repeat must, sprinkle some salty-spicy Tony Chachere’s on top. Crumbled Club crackers are supposed to go on top, although sometimes I go rogue and omit them for the sake of the pure slaw experience. 

It’s really a very simple coleslaw, with barely a speck of carrot visible to the naked eye and the dill pickle pieces noticeable only to those who know what they’re looking for. I want to say there’s a special ingredient, but it might just be nostalgia — and that’s more than good enough for me. It’s David’s coleslaw, and there’s nothing quite like it. 

Grandma’s been eating it for decades. Who knows, maybe it’s part of her secret ingredient to living for a century. I don’t actually want to live that long, but if I do, y’all better be serving me coleslaw. 

Dixie Coleslaw

Although my dad went to school with David and talked to him while we were there, we didn’t get any restaurant slaw secrets divulged. This is my best approximation, with the additional disclaimer that it does also taste different without the aroma of fried fish and hushpuppies in the atmosphere. My sweet aunt got me a to-go portion of slaw that I willed through security to eat in the airport while I waited for my flight home, because that’s the kind of dedication I have to this stuff. 

Prep tips: I usually knife-chop my cabbage, but this needs to be finer, so use a food processor. I’m thinking Duke’s mayonnaise might be part of the secret of success as well.

1 small head of cabbage

1 carrot

1 small white onion

2 dill pickle spears

1 cup mayo

½ cup white sugar

¼ cup white vinegar

salt to taste

Tony’s Creole seasoning and Club crackers, to serve

Finely chop veg. Mix in dressing ingredients. Serve with toppings — and sweet tea. 

Lovina’s Amish Kitchen
Lovina Eitcher,
Old Order Amish
Cook, Wife &
Mother of Eight

Sunday was baptismal services in our church for two young souls. Church attendance was bigger than usual due to relatives coming in honor of the two getting baptized.

Monday was Labor Day, so no one here had to go to work. It was also son Kevin’s birthday.

On Saturday, the tables were set for son Joseph and Grace’s wedding in daughter Loretta and Dustin’s pole barn. The cook wagon, cooler, and so on are all set up there as well. 

Tonight, a 40 x 60-foot tent will be set up with benches for the wedding service on Friday. Another smaller tent will be set up close to that one as well. A 30 x 40-foot tent is set up beside the cook wagon and cooler for meal prep and dishwashing.

Everything seems to be falling in place. In three days the wedding date will actually be here, Lord willing. It sure did go fast. It had seemed like a long ways off. 

I want to wash laundry today since I didn’t get that far yesterday. I also want to sew a white cape and apron for daughter Lovina yet today. I have all my other sewing done. 

Daniel Ray and daughter Verena and son-in-law Daniel and daughter Lovina will be Joseph and Grace’s witnesses at the wedding. The girls will wear raspberry-colored dresses with white capes and aprons. The mothers of the bride and groom will wear a shade of burgundy. 

Yesterday afternoon Joe asked me if we wanted to go for a ride and take a break from our work. Before we left, daughter Loretta and her little boys Denzel and Byron came over awhile. We stopped at Daniel and Lovina’s first. They showed us all their animals on their mini farm. They have a calf, chickens, pigs, dogs, and of course their horse Buddy.

We then left and stopped in at daughter Susan and Ervin’s. Ervin was busy hauling away trees he had cut down. They are cleaning up a lot of the outside area. They are getting permits and have the shelves set up for their small discount store they plan to open in the near future. Ervin has worked in several stores, so he knows a lot about the business end of it. 

Six little children were happy to show Grandpa and Grandma all the new things going on. Well, Ervin Jr. just loved to be carried everywhere with Grandma and getting lots of love. He’s growing fast.

Next we headed two miles farther to daughter Elizabeth and Tim’s house. No one was home so we started home, but before we were a mile they came driving with their pony and pony buggy heading toward home. They told us to turn around and come back to their house, so we did. 

Their four children were excited to see us as well. I helped Elizabeth get her laundry in from the wash lines. Andrea, 2, made me laugh how she carries her doll everywhere and then jumps up to try to grab laundry from the lines to help us. 

Six of our grandchildren started school this morning for another term. The children were all excited about going back to school. 

Saturday we also canned nine quarts of banana peppers and 11 pints of serrano peppers for Loretta and Dustin. Gardens do not stop growing even for a wedding!

I must get busy. I have way too much that needs to be done today. 

Until next week . . . God bless!

I will share the recipe that daughter Elizabeth used to make the casserole Saturday to take to Dustin’s for the lunch. Everyone brought something to make it an easy lunch. 

Taco Pasta Casserole

12 ounces elbow macaroni

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 (1-ounce) package taco seasoning

1 (10-ounce) can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained

4 ounces Velveeta cheese

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can corn kernels, drained

1 (15-ounce) Alfredo sauce

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add elbow macaroni to the pot and cook according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. While the pasta is cooking, cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned and no longer pink. Drain excess grease. Add taco seasoning and undrained Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies to the skillet and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add Velveeta cheese to the skillet and cook over medium heat until melted. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, stir together the beef mixture, black beans, corn, Alfredo sauce, 1 cup of the shredded cheese, and cooked pasta. Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared pan. 

Bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbly. Top the casserole with the remaining 1 cup shredded cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted. 

Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Her three cookbooks, The Cherished Table, The Essential Amish Cookbook, and Amish Family Recipes, are available wherever books are sold. Readers can write to Eicher at Lovina’s Amish Kitchen, PO Box 234, Sturgis, MI 49091 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply); or email [email protected] and your message will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails.