Saturday, December 8, 2007

Give a Taste of Catfish Country

Looking for gifts with taste?

Try a taste of Catfish Country!

I never really thought about giving specialty food until I opened a package of maple-pumpkin butter from New England last Christmas. Maple anything is not a Catfish Country item, so it was nice to have something other than muscadine jelly or Dallas County honey with breakfast.

Recently, I noticed some searches on this blog with the words “catfish holiday gifts.” I entered the search box and found that there are a LOT of catfish items for sale.

Catfish lovers would be pleased!

So would food lovers who have never had anything like Taste of Gourmet’s Smoked Catfish Pate and Catfish with Capers. The paté is an appetizer that’s ready-to-serve and won an outstanding hors d’oeuvre award in New York some years ago. It’s described as a “recipe borrowed from Scotland and perfected in The Crown’s kitchen.” The Crown is a popular restaurant in Indianola, Mississippi, just one of many Catfish Country towns!

Now, surf on over to The Mississippi Gift Company and check out the Corsair Fish Fry Breading. The description says it is handmade in Mississippi by a gourmet food entrepreneur, and a crisp fish fry is guaranteed! If there’s a cook on your list, catfish recipes are available in the Classic Catfish Cookbook.

From Mississippi, head “east” to The Whistlestop Café in Irondale, Alabama, and order a batch of their famous fish batter. The Whistlestop is where Fannie Flagg got her idea for her novel-turned-movie, “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Café.”

Now, if you want to make someone’s present really easy to enjoy, try the Lemon-Peppered Catfish at Omaha Steaks. The website describes these catfish as farm-raised, but I couldn’t find a place on the website that said WHERE they were farm raised, so I just sent an email to their contact person and asked.

“Raised in the USA,” was the quick reply! I mean I sent that email at night and didn’t expect an answer until at least the next work day. But I got it in about an hour! That’s what I call web customer service!

Well, I better get going…still have gifts to order before it’s too late! Enjoy your holiday surfing, and let me know if I’ve overlooked anything truly tasty!

15 comments:

BellaColle said...

Yumm...good taste indeed!
hugs.

windycorner said...

Hi Janet,
Thanks for visiting windycorner. Your blog is so interesting! It's full of things I love like small towns, recipes, and catfish! I'll be back for more.
Holley

Emily said...

Wow, that is really good customer service! That's the kind of place where they appreciate my money.

Anonymous said...

How wonderful, I can share a little taste of home with relatives who have moved north! Jesse

JANET said...

Thanks for all your visits and comments. I have had a good time checking out all the specialty food sites. The Internet really does make Christmas shopping easier.

Thistlemoon said...

Hi Janet! What a GREAT idea! I love getting regional gifts - especially food ones. It just reminds us how diverse this country really is. That catfish with capers sounds wonderful!

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

Hi Janet,
Hmmmm, I never have had catfish! I will have to try it some day.
Penny
p.s. thanks for stopping by and saying such nice things about the mosaic birdhouse I made for Kim at Daisy Cottage :-)

Sugar Bear said...

Sounds good. I've only had catfish once - I have to get with the program!
Karla

Kristen - Dine & Dish said...

Don't you love reading the search terms people use to find your blog? Catfish gift ideas... very interesting!

JANET said...

Hi Kristen,
Yes, the searches are interesting! I have found the that "Todd's Taste of the Town" or "ESPN Taste of the Town" as well as searches on how to prepare catfish nuggets are popular ones.

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Brilliant!
Thanks for the plug~ I do think WhistleStop products are good. (but I admit to being partial!)

What did we do to amuse ourselves before the internet?

JANET said...

Well Sandi, before the Internet, I never knew that you, the WhistleStop Cafe or any of its products existed!
My world is much broader!

Dena said...

When I was little we gathered what we called "Musky Dimes" from the banks of the bayou behind my mamaw and papaw's house. They were big fat grapes that tasted better than anything in the whole world! Sadly there is nothing like that in California and I'll bet that's the same thing the jelly is made from...oh what I wouldn't give for some of that! Thank you for taking me home to the south for a brief moment.

Hugs,
Dena

JANET said...

Hi Dena, Yes, I bet our muscadines are the same as "musky dimes!" I have never eaten them like eating grapes, just in jelly.

Fruity said...

Wishing you, Janet and your family an early Merry Christmas and a happy New Year, just before I leave for my holidays.
Cheers from Fruity