Old-Time Eastern North Carolina Barbecue Sauce
Eastern-style sauce started out simple, and it still is. Here's a recipe from the North Carolina Pork Council that isn't much different from Thomas Jefferson's pepper sauce.

• 1 gallon cider vinegar
• 1 1/3 cups crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons black pepper
• 1/4 cup salt

Mix the ingredients and let stand for at least 4 hours. This one doesn’t even need refrigeration.

Wilber’s Green Slaw
From Wilber's of Goldsboro

Serves 8–10

• 1 head cabbage, shredded (bright green leaves only)
  
• 1 cup store-bought whipped salad dressing
  
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  
• 1 tablespoon sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
  
• Salt to taste
  

Mix the dressing ingredients and toss with the cabbage. Chill.

Simple Fried Okra
Courtesy of John Egerton

Serves 2–4

Slice off the thick stem ends of 1 pound of okra pods, cut into 1/4-inch rounds, place them in a large bowl, sprinkle liberally with salt, cover with ice water, and refrigerate until quite cold.

Drain well. Roll slices in cornmeal seasoned with salt and
pepper, and when well coated, fry them in hot fat about 1/2-inch deep in a black skillet. When brown and crisp, drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Mama Dip’s Cobbler Crust
Here's Mildred Council's directions for the peach cobbler she serves at her Chapel Hill restaurant.

• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 tablespoons sugar
  
• 1 cup shortening
  
• 1/4 cup cold water
  
• Melted butter (optional)
  
• Sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375°. Put the flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Add the shortening and mix everything together well, using a fork or your fingertips, until crumbly. Add the water and mix to form a moist ball of dough. On a floured board, roll out half of the dough to make a crust that fits the bottom of
the baking dish, prick it with a fork a few times, and bake for 10 minutes. It should look done but not brown. Cool for 10–12 minutes, then put the fruit mixture on top. Roll out the rest ofthe dough, place it on top of the fruit, and prick it with a fork a few times. Or roll it out, cut it into strips, and make a lattice
crust over the fruit. If you like, brush the top crust with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake as specified in the recipe, until the crust is well browned.

Pig Pickin’ Cake
Everyone seems to have a recipe for "pig pickin' cake," but no one knows where it originated. Here's the version Corbette Capps serves at his pig-pickings. He says he got it from a Baptist church cookbook.

For the cake:

• 1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
  
• 4 large eggs
  
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  
• 5 1/2–6-ounce can mandarin oranges
  

For the topping:

• 9-ounce carton frozen whipped topping
  
• 3.4-ounce box instant vanilla pudding
  
• 5 1/2–6-ounce can crushed pineapple
  
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325°. Grease and fl our 3 8" or 9" cake pans or a 9"-13" baking pan. Add the eggs and oil to the cake mix and beat for about 2 minutes. Add the orange slices with the
juice and beat for about 1 minute. Pour into the pans and bake for about 20–30 minutes. Cool thoroughly. Put all topping ingredients in a bowl and whip until fluffy enough to ice the cake easily. Spread over the cake. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top, if desired. Keep cake refrigerated.
Note: If you’re serving a crowd of, say, 50 people, you can double the recipe and bake it in a 12"-18" half sheet cake pan for 30–40 minutes.