The World According to Bella

Part two: Vicksburg Trip Rewind -Anchuca
After in and out and in and out of the van on the 16 mile battlefield driving tour I was more than ready for lunch. The day was heating up. Already a warm 83. Lucky my winter coat was shed weeks before. Mr. C who always tries to keep us on schedule said we only had limited time. He informed Mrs. S to choose carefully since we could only tour one mansion and we still needed time for lunch. I got this sinking feeling I was not going to be included in on this part. But kudos to Mrs.S. She chose wisely. Not only was the magnificent Anchuca a famous antebellum home from around 1836 that had a self guided tour but their Cafe served lunch. 
I was prepared for a wait in the van. Who would have guessed that the owner/chef of this bed and breakfast Inn and cafe was an animal lover. Upon hearing Mrs. S had me in the van told her to park in the shade and we could all and that meant me too could sit on their patio for lunch. Well I thought I had died and went to heaven. An invite to lunch was way more than I hoped for that day. 

Anchuca is a choctaw word meaning "happy home'. It is one of Vicksburg's most significant antebellum homes. See the link http://www.anchucamansion.com/index.shtml
There is a story that Jefferson Davis went to visit his brother who lived in this home. It was here that he gave one of his last public address to the townspeople of Vicksburg on the front balcony in 1869. The present owners Chris Brinkley (he's the animal lover I personally met) and Tom Pharr came to Vicksburg from Atlanta in 2001 and opened the home as a B & B. In 2005 they opened Cafe Anchuca. The cafe offers great southern cooking and has been featured in various publications such as Mrs. S's favorite magazine Southern Living and Delta magazine. As I told you before Andrew Zimmern filmed here and Anchuca Inn and Cafe will be featured this month in his new cooking show.

Here I am on the patio waiting for lunch to be served. I was well behaved and patient. And while you probably heard the awful tale of Marley the bad dog, who when tied up to a table went berserk- well not me. I was calm and stood my ground.

Mrs. S so loved her lunch that afterward she just had to buy the owner's cookbook. Why she needs another cookbook is beyond my comprehension!

So really what do I know about cooking and recipes?? I know I just like food!  But according to Mrs.S this is a terrific book with easy to follow recipes that Chris Brinkley has put together. It showcases his favorite recipes, some recipes from his friends and several recipes from three generations of his family and business partner Tom Pharr.  Each recipe has some kind of anecdote to go with it. She was lucky to get permission to share a few recipes with you. I am told that if you follow the above link to Anchuca you can even order your own book. She  showed me the really neat pictures in the book of the different rooms in the house so I could see what I missed on the tour.
I was sad to leave since we all had such fun visiting with the owner and eating outside. Sadly I was not allowed on the house tour but have heard the rooms were sooooooooooooooo nice and fit for royalty. Put this place on your list. It is not to be missed.
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Mrs. S had chicken salad with these wonderful candies walnuts. She thinks they would be quite easy to prepare and would go great in any salad.   

Honey Spiced Walnuts

Ingredients:

• 16 oz.walnuts or pecans
• 3 cups cold water
• 2 TB. vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• dash cayenne pepper
• 2 TB. honey
• 2 TB. maple syrup

Directions:

• Place nuts in a large microwavable dish or measuring cup
• Cover with water and microwave on high for 10 minutes
• Drain the walnuts in a colander under cold water,
• Transfer to paper towels and pat dry
• Make the glaze by combining the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl
• Wash and dry the bowl that was used for blanching the walnuts, add the walnuts and microwave on high for 2 minutes
• Stir in glaze return to microwave on high for another 6 minutes, stirring at 2 minute intervals
• Once complete carefully spread the glazed nuts out on parchment paper to cool 

Apricot Walnut Chutney

notes from author Chris Brinkley...best apricots are found in the produce section of grocery store. This is an extremely versatile recipe and can be halved. It can be served warm over ice cream, or chilled over cream cheese as a spread with crackers as an appetizer or stuffing for baked Brie in puff pastry or as a condiment for turkey, ham, or pork tenderloin. It makes a great gift for the holidays and will last in freezer for up to three months.

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz). package of dried apricots
• 1 ( 16 oz.) package of dried cranberries-use plain without added flavorings
• 3 jars of apricot preserves ( 12 oz each)
• 3 tsp. ground ginger
• 1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Directions:

• Chop apricots in food processor
• Add nuts to a large covered skillet and simmer over medium heat with preserves for 5 minutes
• Stir occasionally add then add the ginger and stir well
• Fold in chopped apricots and cranberries
• Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes