Trisha Yearwood's Twist on the Simple BLT

Did you know that Trisha Yearwood is a fabulous cook?  Her excellent kitchen skills and tasty southern recipes has landed her a spot on the Food Network, Trisha's Southern Kitchen, and she is also a published cookbook author.  I occasionally get an opportunity to watch her cooking show and I'm often surprised to find many of her recipes are strikingly similar to the southern favorites I grew up eating and learning to prepare in my Aunt J's kitchen.  My Aunt J was / is a fabulous southern cook - it's no wonder Mrs. Yearwood's recipes are similar!

 

I recently viewed an episode where Mrs. Yearwood turned the humble BLT into a culinary masterpiece, the BPT!  Imagine fried green tomatoes substituted for the sliced vine ripened tomato AND pimento cheese spread substituted for the mayonnaise!!  Unless you are from the south, you've probably never indulged in fried green tomatoes or pimento cheese spread.  But, I promise, once you try these southern staples, you will CRAAAVE them.  After viewing this episode, I absolutely had to make this sandwich for my family.  If you'd like Trisha Yearwood's recipes for this masterpiece, click here:  Trisha's Southern Kitchen .

 

Home cooked Bacon, Pimento, Fried Green Tomato & Lettuce Sandwich served with homemade Onion Rings

 



 My family LOVED this twisted version of the BLT.  BUT I didn't use Trisha Yearwood's recipes for this incredible meal (sorry Mrs. Yearwood).  I used my own family favorites.  My recipe for fried green tomatoes can be found on my blog page entitled, From My Kitchen to Yours, or by clicking Fried Green Tomatoes .  Below are my family's pimento cheese spread and homemade onion ring recipes.

Mrs.B's Pimento Cheese Spread

3/4 lb. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 oz. softened cream cheese
1/4 - 1/2 c. mayonnaise ( I like just a tad more than 1/4 c. but not as much as a 1/2 c.)
2   4oz. jars pimentos, drained

Mix together softened cream cheese and mayonnaise until well combined.  Stir in pimentos.   Using a wooden spoon, add shredded sharp cheddar cheese and combine very well, entire mixture should be orange with only red pimento specks.

In the south many folks will slap a lusciously thick layer of pimento cheese spread between two slices of white bread and eat a  "pimento cheese" sandwich.  It is also spread into celery sticks and used as a vegetable dip.  Pimento cheese spread often replaces mayonnaise or mustard various sandwiches, like Trisha Yearwood's BPT.  And forget the yolks ... replacing the yolk mixture with pimento cheese spread makes an out of this world deviled egg.

Mrs.B's Homemade Onion Rings

1 lg. onion sliced into rings and separated
2 c. milk
3 Tbsp. lemon juice or white vinegar
2 c. flour
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
oil for frying

Spread onion rings in a 9 x 13 baking pan.  Add milk and lemon juice or vinegar.  Cover and allow to sit for 1 hour, tossing onions rings occasionally.  Heat 3-4 in. oil in a heavy skillet or deep pot to 350 degrees.  Combine flour and Cajun seasoning in a pie plate.  Dredge onion rings in flour mixture and shake off excess flour.  Gently place rings in hot oil.  Fry until golden on each side, turning as necessary.  Remove from oil and drain on paper towels or on a wire rack.  Note:  Fry in small batches so the oil temperature is not reduced.