Food ‘n Flix: “The Help” Round-up~

I knew when I first read The Help that I had to see the movie.  Well…the movie came out and I was swamped with extra things going on, and I never got to see it.  I could hardly WAIT for it to come out in a home version.  I was worried…movies very rarely compare with the books, but this one does an extremely good job.  Yes, there are a couple of places where artistic license comes in to play…but how much more impressive it was to have Mae Mobley utilize one of the commodes on Hilly’s front lawn!!  It’s my pleasure to host this little tea in honor of our Food ‘n Flix selection of the month…The Help.  I’m so tickled that we have such a huge turnout for this round-up!  You’ll see…there are so many great dishes this month!!  Go get your favorite beverage and anything else that might be nagging in the corner of your mind, because we’ve got one heck of a spread!!

From Debbie at Granny’s Southern Cooking we have a gorgeous Mississippi Mud Pie.  Being a California girl, it had never occurred to me that the towering frozen mousse I’d been served in the past simply wasn’t authentic Mississippi Mud Pie.  And then…all the lights came on and I “saw” Mississippi “mud” and “rocks”, in a pie shell!!  Gosh, what a difference when you go to the area where a recipe originated!  Here in sunny (smoky) California, it’s been fancied up so there are no rocks…no mud…  I love this!  Debbie says, “Enjoy y’all! This recipe is pure chocolate heaven and yummy in your tummy too…”

Next we have Elizabeth from The Law Student’s Cookbook.  Elizabeth said, “The movie left me hankering for hush puppies, for deep fried soft shell crab, and most of all, for chicken and dumplings.”  Elizabeth made Chicken and Dumplings for us.  She said it reminded her of her Aunt…”And it still felt good and felt right and reminded me of my Aunt Beau when I made it.”  What a beautiful tribute to a beloved family member!

Please join me in welcoming  Kate of Katie-Kate’s Kitchen!!  This is Kate’s first post with us.  She’s had her eye on our group for awhile and finally has the chance to join in on the fun!!  I’m sure I speak for all of us when I saw we hope you enjoy your time cooking with us!!  We have a really great group, and the best Moderator ever!  Kate has been making Southern Fried Chicken (with or without the skin).  Kate got high praise from the man of the house, who deemed her chicken “better than Chick-Fil-A fried chicken!”

If you’ve seen this movie, you know there are lots of scenes where “Coca-Cola” makes a cameo appearance.   Girlichef, Heather, says, “I’m a Coca-Cola girl.  Always have been.”  And she proves it with this decadent submission: Peanut Cola Cake.  I think this is as close as we get to anything that resembles Minny’s Caramel Cake.  This one’s on my list to make!

“What could be more Southern than okra?” asks Debra at Eliot’s Eats .  She prepared  Spicy Southern Fried Okra to go with her “Copy-Cat Chik-Fil-A Chicken“.  I was glad to see this recipe!  Imho…Okra is kind of an acquired taste if you didn’t grow up with it.  I kind of imagine like maybe artichokes might be in the south… Debra takes us through the necessary steps, and there are a few…but she solves that by suggesting we process a quantity and keep some in the freezer.  Debra has a favorite quote from our movie that she’d like to share…with the appropriate grammatical corrections, of course… “You is kind.  You is smart.  You is important. ” as spoken by the maid, Aibileen to Mae Mobley.

Just as it is at Southern picnics and get-togethers, fried chicken was a popular dish in this round-up!  The more the merrier!  This rendition of southern fried chicken comes from Tina of  Squirrel Head Manor, and is called Buttermilk Fried Chicken.  Tina touched on a few quotes and a couple scenes that stayed with her.  One of those comes from Minny: “Fried chicken just tend to make you feel better about life.”  I couldn’t agree more.

While we’re on the subject of fried chicken, before we slip into back to back desserts, I’ll throw my Fried Chicken on the table as well.  It was the first thing that came to mind when I knew I had to host this movie!  Thank you all for jumping in!!  Now…on to the desserts!

Deb from Kahakai Kitchen said, “After seeing the many glasses of iced sweet tea consumed throughout the movie, I knew I wanted to make something featuring this Southern staple.”  Deb has pushed her way out of the proverbial box by tuning  southern sweet tea into a cooling treat for those hot summer nights,  Southern Sweet Tea Ice Cream (a non-dairy ice cream that is incredibly sweet and creamy) 😉  Deb also posted the most comprehensive review of our Flix of the month…thanks Deb!

Our last dish comes to us from Malice of Malice in Dunderland.  Malice has joined us from Puerto Rico!  Malice, welcome to Food ‘n Flix, and I hope you enjoy the time you spend with us!  Malice has created a  Pineapple Upside Down Cake.   She selected this dish because it was what Celia Foote was trying to make when Minny showed up to apply as a maid.  Malice really captures the essence of Celia in her post, and her Pineapple Upside Down Cake looks pretty darn tasty too!

Thank you, ladies, for joining me today!  I’ve had just the best time visiting with all of you!  Look at all the lovely food you’ve shared…and memories…  And I agree with Debra of Eliot Eats…this is an important message to take away, especially those of us who work with children…