"A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack."

Hi Fans ( I think there are 6 of you VIP's!),
I am feeling the need to support a culinary professional who is under attack. Paula Deen.
I am not quite sure why other professionals in this field feel it is necessary to weigh in on her health and diet.  I am not necessarily a huge fan of Ms. Deen, but her food is exceptionally good and one is allowed to eat any type of food one chooses to eat when one chooses to do so.  It is called freedom.
One is also free to speak about that food and live their life anyway they choose. That is called autonomy.
It is the elite who need to control the lives of others.
Now, I don't want to be unkind to anybody, but let us not be unkind to Ms. Deen.
I come from southern roots as does my husbands family.  That is a cultural type of food which should be valued and appreciated.  That doesn't mean it is healthy... it does mean there may be more responsibility to oneself when eating that style of cooking.
Last night I made pinto beans with ham hocks and buttermilk cornbread (see picture above).  That is good eating!  I did a quick cook of those beans then simmered them for hours with homemade chicken stock and a couple of ham hocks (which rendered flavor and very little fat), bay leaves and some parsley stems.  When they were done I ate them the way my mother taught me - with sweet pickles and sweet pickle juice - oh law, that is good stuff.  My son added Texas-style bbq sauce!
Cheese and green chili made a admirable addition to the cornbread batter... and that bread would have been healthier for me if I hadn't put so much butter on each delectable slice that entered my mouth - oh law that is good stuff too.  The men in my family add that very healthy syrup, called honey, on their cornbread. :-)
Speaking of cornbread, maybe one of the most poignant times I had this Christmas was in the kitchen with my husbands mother and sister,  trying to remember the family buttermilk cornbread recipe.  There was so much history to this recipe.  The Grandmother could tell when she got it just right based on it's consistency and that the amount of soda used was based on just how acidic the buttermilk was.  You could never just follow a recipe - you had to taste your ingredients and adjust!  I was listening and combining ingredients based on their recollections.  We were cooking for 15 so I used the cast iron skillet (that weighs about 50 lbs) and deposited that golden batter into the preheated monster skillet.  Let me just say this... We didn't make enough :-)
Live and let live... and definitely let that southern cookin' LIVE!