All Hail the Butter Queen, Ms. Paula Deen

Hey, y’all! (Do note that I have inherited a southern twang in a mere three days in Savannah and Hilton Head).

The King and I loaded the kids on Nana Magic this weekend for the (gulp) first time well, ever.

A good friend of ours was getting hitched down on Hilton Head Island, so we ran up the credit card and hightailed it out of Chicago.

There was one little glitch, because isn’t there much in southern cooking that isn’t breaded, fried, and bathed in allergens that the Momnivore can partake in. Curse my GI system.

I couldn’t eat 80% of what was put in front of me, but that didn’t stop the King and I from dining in the renowned Lady and Sons by none other than Momnivore’s Food Network addiction, Ms. Paula Deen. She’s the adopted southern auntie I’ve always wanted.

(momnivore giving her GI system the Sicilian evil eye,

no really, glaring at the plates of the patrons around me)

How can a girl with issues with almost all edible foodstuffs eat at the mecca of southern food?

With a wish and a prayer.

side note: I didn’t know how on earth King finagled us into that packed restaurant(they don’t take reservations), because they told us the next available table wasn’t until 9pm. Must be the Chicago way. I think he made up some white lie that WE were getting married. Anyway…

Drool pooled in the corners of my mouth as my husband tore into my arch nemesis.

The most heavenly garlic buttermilk biscuits I have ever smelled and the King has ever devoured.

Devour he did. He ate SEVEN and took a sixer of them home.

The King on his last of five trips to the all-you-can-gorge yourself

gluttonous buffet at Lady and Sons.

The King is no small man, he’d make any Italian grandmother proud. I really enjoyed watching that man eat.

Lately, I’ve been able to tolerate a wee bit of butter, so I ordered the tilapia. Let me tell you, it was nothing short of spectacular, but it was no damn buttermilk biscuit.

This made me realize that tips for traveling allergy-free is a necessary post upcoming this week, and I want to write a letter Ms. Deen, begging her to “gussy up” that menu for us folk that can’t tolerate a good portion of the menu.

I was impressed that she did have allergy info posted for specific ingredients like MSG, but didn’t have much in the way for specific foods in the evil top five: wheat, dairy, soy, egg, and corn. Allergy statement at Lady and Sons

Random day dream: I could adapt Paula Deen’s recipes to be allergy-free like the film Julie and Julia. Wouldn’t that be somethin’.

Perhaps this winter when I am buried in three feet of Chicago’s malicious snow, with two wild boys under 3, I will work my way through some of her recipes for y’all to share. With this photo as a reminder to do so…