Greetings!  My name is Leslie and I’m a Southern ex-pat currently living in Portland, Maine.

While I’ve lived in some rather remarkable places over the years, I continue to stay tethered to my Southern heritage, family and friends via the food and rituals with which I grew up.  And given the drawers of recipe tear sheets, as well as the near 200 cookbooks in my home library, let’s just say that my foodie proclivities have mushroomed into a full blown hobby — or perhaps an obsession.

Interestingly, “butter my biscuit!” is an old, Southern colloquial expression that loosely translates into “ain’t that something!”  Contextually speaking, the phrase is an exclaimer, one that is used to convey amazement or surprise.  Think ‘Flo’ from Mel’s Diner.  The point here being:  that after all these years, I’m still enamored by the Southern food phenomena.  (And in case you’re wondering, I am also aware that the phrase is a cheeky — if not lewd– reference to adult shenanigans.  Let’s hope that the lack of food porn here sets everyone straight.)

So — why the Butter My Biscuit blog?  Truth be told, I want an excuse to tinker in the kitchen.  But I would be remiss if I didn’t share the history, the pride, and the humor of the Southern food thing with fellow ex-pats and natives alike (oh, maybe even a few outsiders too).  Because I still find myself amused at how the culinary South evolves while ironically, it hardly ever changes.  Because I continually smile at new foodie facts I pick up on the fly, or find myself re-interpreting Southern recipes through the ingredients of where ever I reside.  Because the South is quirky yet endearing — a virtual smorgasbord of entertainment.  And, because despite my gourmand self perception, I’ve yet to squelch the white trash cravings.

Do I have any type of food authority?  Am I a trained chef or a food writer?  Nope.  My only credibility is that I’ve gobbled many a meal and snack from a wide continuum of edibles:  from fancy pork osso buco and escargot to Hostess Ho-Ho’s and tater tots cloaked in Cheez Whiz.  As a testament to this fact are my chubby thighs — ample certification to command a food blog if you ask me.

Butter My Biscuit is an attempt to share my ‘Southerness’ from a self-imposed exile, throwing the spotlight on some regional goodies, people and recipes.  And just maybe, it’ll make some folks smile as they stroll down memory lane with the distinctive taste of comfort on their mind.