For nine decades, Our State has made its way into homes across North Carolina, the United States, and the world. To celebrate, every month this year, we’re paying tribute to the readers who inspire us, offering a taste of our earliest recipes, and revisiting old stories with new insights. Follow along to find out how our past has shaped our present.
photograph by Matt Hulsman
January 15, 1971 • Originally submitted to The State by Mt. Olive pickle company, this recipe was said to “perk up a lagging appetite.” In April 2021, the North Carolina Pickle Festival in Mount Olive saw a pickle-stuffed chicken recipe, much like this one, win the recipe contest’s main dish category.
Yield: 4 servings.
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 cup celery, diced
⅓ cup unsalted butter (or 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon)
½ cup sweet pickle relish, drained
6 cups day-old bread, cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 whole chicken, quartered
Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Sauté onion and celery in butter until onion is translucent. Stir in pickle relish, bread cubes, curry powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Spread stuffing over bottom of prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining salt over chicken. Place chicken, skin side up, on top of stuffing. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until chicken is tender.
— Recipe adapted by Lynn Wells
photograph by Matt Hulsman
May 20, 1950 • Gelatin, or congealed, salads became so popular in the ’40s and ’50s that Jell-O distributed booklets instructing home cooks about which fruits and nuts would float in gelatin and which would sink.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
1½ cups cold water, divided
5 teaspoons plain gelatin (2 packets)
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups ginger ale
1 cup diced pineapple, drained
1 cup pitted cherries, halved
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 head iceberg lettuce (for serving)
Boil 1 cup of water, then pour into a large bowl. Dissolve gelatin and sugar in boiling water. Add remaining water to the mixture and stir. Stir in lemon juice and ginger ale.
Prepare a 4-inch-deep Bundt pan with a light layer of cooking spray. Pour liquid mixture into pan and refrigerate for 30 to 45 minutes or until gelatin has thickened.
While gelatin chills, mix pineapple, cherries, celery, and pecans in a bowl. Set aside.
Pour fruit mixture into gelatin and evenly distribute, lightly pressing to combine. Return pan to refrigerator and chill overnight. When ready to serve, place lettuce cups on salad plates.
Place a large plate over pan and flip over. Slice salad and serve in lettuce cups.
— Recipe adapted by Lynn Wells
photograph by Matt Hulsman
July 1978 • The 1970s saw the beginning of a tourism wave to North Carolina’s coast. Washington’s waterfront downtown was redeveloped, Beaufort pivoted from a fishing town to a vacation destination, and, in 1971, the first Sneads Ferry Shrimp Festival celebrated the area’s shrimping community.
Yield: 4 servings.
1 pound fresh medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup warm water
In a large mixing bowl, toss shrimp with flour to coat. In a shallow skillet or frying pan on medium heat, add oil and butter. Add shrimp and any extra flour. When shrimp begin to turn pink, flip them over and reduce heat to low. Add salt and pepper, and stir in 1 cup of warm water. Cover with lid and simmer for 3 minutes to let gravy thicken. Serve over rice or cornbread.
— Recipe adapted by Lynn Wells
photograph by Matt Hulsman
December 1989 • This recipe comes from the 1987 edition of the Love Yourself Cookbook by Edie Low, the food editor at The Charlotte Observer. Each of Low’s recipes was published as a single serving and could be easily adjusted for a party of any size.
Yield: 2 servings.
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons spicy mustard
1 (16-ounce) can peach halves
3 green onions with stems, sliced
½ cup plain bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 425°. Prepare a 9 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Cover chicken with plastic wrap and pound until chicken is even in thickness.
Place chicken in baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove pan from oven and turn on the broiler. Remove foil and spread mustard over chicken. Place peach halves and pour juice over chicken. Evenly distribute green onions and bread crumbs on top.
Broil chicken for approximately 2 minutes or until bread crumbs are golden brown. Serve immediately.
— Recipe adapted by Lynn Wells
print it
Mark our words: Whether they nod to North Carolina or were penned by its residents, these notable, quotable passages remind us of the power of speech inspired by our state.
When one stream flows into another, the two chart a new course for the future — together.
When the weather outside is frightful, one chef serves loved ones dishes so delightful.
A historic Rose Bowl pitted Duke University against Oregon State in Durham. Then, in the dark days of World War II, those same football players — and a legendary coach — joined forces to fight for freedom.
