A classic butter cookie made using a cookie press, lightly glazed and decorated with sprinkles, candied cherry halves and nonpareils.

Classic Butter Spritz Cookies

Simple spritz cookies. You gotta love them for the ease and simplicity!

A basic, if not a little extra buttery, sugar cookie dough, that's easy to work with, and that you stuff into a tube and press a button that squirts out a perfect little cookie. In fact, spritz comes from the German word spritzen, meaning to squirt - oh my. I think spritz sounds so much nicer don't you?!

 

Fresh carrots, pearl onions and sweet green peas, slow simmered in butter and finished with a toss of fresh herbs.

Classic Buttered Peas and Carrots

I am a vegetable lover and frankly, there are very few that I don't like. Brussels sprouts would be one.

Oh, I'll eat them, and I've even tried them multiple ways to put them up on the blog since many of you do enjoy them, but they just aren't in my top favorites. Other than that, I pretty much love any vegetables, including carrots and peas, and I especially love this classic combination of the two, slow simmered in butter and finished with some fresh herbs.

 

 A classic Christmas cookie for many families, this soft and puffy butter cookie uses anise for flavoring and is finished with a lemony, powdered sugar glaze and colorful nonpareils.

Italian Anise Cookies

These are a classic Christmas cookie all around the country, and yes, even in the Deep South for many! I love them, for one, because they are as easy to make as spritz cookies, but also because they are a slightly different take on the classic butter cookie.

One bite and you wonder, hmmm.... what is that?

 

A beef broth and tomato based, meatball and vegetable soup with bowtie pasta, made super easy with frozen Italian-style meatballs.

Meatball and Vegetable Bowtie Soup

Christmas is upon us y'all and once we slip past the Thanksgiving holiday, well... the days, they seem to come and go faster than ever, until before we know it, Christmas is here!

Shopping and wrapping, planning and decorating, and all the hustle and bustle take over, multiplying our already busy lives... and in the midst of it all, we still have to eat and sometimes there are house guests on top of the usual crew.

Those quick drive through windows can sure look tempting during this busy season, but something from home is on the way with a little help from a few common pantry items, and a bag of frozen meatballs.

A traditional baked ham popular in the south, glazed with a mixture of brown sugar, pineapple and mustard, and a little whisky if you're so inclined, baked in a 7-up or ginger ale tub and decorated with cloves, pineapple rings and cherries.

Old School Pineapple Glazed Baked Ham

If there were a classic combination for a "southern" baked ham, it would probably include brown sugar, mustard and pineapple. Every once in awhile we throw in a little "coke"... whether that's Co-cola, 7-up, Sprite, or Ginger Ale. If you're from The South, you completely understand that statement!

Book Review - The Southerner's Cookbook from Garden & Gun

From David DiBenedetto and the editors of Garden & Gun magazine, comes their heirloom quality, newly released, first cookbook, The Southerner's Cookbook, Recipes, Wisdom, and Stories, already joining the ranks on the best seller list.

Now that we've finished up Thanksgiving and opened the door on Christmas shopping, I want to tell you about a fantastic book gift that celebrates the best of Southern culture, in recipes, traditions, tales and techniques.

On the heels of the widely successful and New York Times Best Selling Garden & Gun Book of Southern Know-How, The Southerner's Handbook and Good Dog: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Loyalty, comes Garden & Gun's newly released, first cookbook, The Southerner's Cookbook, Recipes, Wisdom, and Stories, already joining the ranks on the best seller list.

My classic oven roasted turkey begins with a brine, then is left uncovered in the fridge overnight, is trussed, then stuffed with aromatics, and basted with a turkey or chicken stock or broth that is infused with apple cider throughout the roast.

Classic Oven Roasted Turkey with Cider Gravy

It took me a few years to get the Cooking of the Holiday Turkey down, but this method has worked out so well over the years that it is how I have finally settled on doing my holiday birds.

I would love to show you step by step pics, and the finished slices, but they are currently being held hostage by my iMac, thanks to me stupidly doing an OS update, that I should have waited on. 

Green Bean Casserole made with a homemade, butter roux based cream sauce, enhanced with bacon, fresh vegetables and mushrooms.

Green Bean Casserole with Homemade Cream Sauce

Let me first clarify here before anything else, that I have no opposition to cream soups. None. Nada. I have them in my pantry and I use them all the time - always have, always will.

And, like bacon, sausage, deli meats, bologna, hot dogs, red meat, grilled and otherwise, and all those other things somebody else is always trying to tell us that we shouldn't be eating, I love the cream soups! They are convenient and tasty and Southerners have been using them as a shortcut cream sauce in recipes since they were created, somewhere around the early 1930s. I suspect we always will. There's a reason our southern béchamel has been around for this long y'all!

A casserole made with fresh broccoli and cauliflower, in a simple butter roux-based white sauce made with The Trinity, a little cheese in the base, and topped off with those buttery crackers we all love so much... and a little more cheese.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole

I believe that there are far more people who love broccoli and cauliflower than who don't, although those who don't are certainly more vocal about their dislike of one, or the other, or both. Okay by me, because they don't know what they're missing if you ask me, and that means more for those of us who love them.

Boneless country style ribs are browned and cooked down with a mirepoix of onion, carrot and celery and slow braised in a vinegar, stock and mustard cream sauce. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice or cheesy grits.

Slow Braised Country Style Ribs

A lot of us prepare country style ribs by cooking them in the oven, or on a smoker or a grill with some kind of sauce, typically barbecue sauce, and I love them that way too, of course... but I'm here to tell you if you have never slow braised them like this, you must!

Spaghetti Lover's Soup is easily made either from scratch, or using leftover meat sauce and spaghetti noodles or store-bought pasta sauce. Starting with The Trinity of southern cooking and adding carrots, provides intense flavor to this broth and tomato based soup. Spoon over pasta, sprinkle with a bit of parsley, torn fresh basil and freshly grated Parmesan for a nice finish. Pair it with some garlic bread or slices of a crusty, whole grain bread.

Spaghetti Lover's Soup

Do you find it hard to find balance in your life anymore?

Seems that there are so many demands on moms and dads and even grandparents these days, that it's hard to get everything done that needs to be done. Children and chores - just those two topics encompass so much on their own... I honestly do not know how all of y'all do it with more than one child. I have a lot of respect for you, that's for sure, and that includes my son and daughter-in-law. Their lives literally exhaust me.

Spicy Sweet Andouille Sausage Bites

Andouille smoked sausage, grilled, browned in a skillet or broiled, cut into bite-sized pieces and tossed in a spicy sweet sauce. Great party appetizer!

Spicy Sweet Andouille Bites

There is literally some kind of football on in this house every single day. Don't get me wrong - I like football just fine! The Cajun is a fanatic though, so on those three days of the week that a live football game of some form isn't on, he's catching up with a replayed game he didn't see live, because he was watching another game.

In between that, there's all the commentary shows where they show highlights, talk about all things SEC and NFL, with team reports, developing stories, player interviews, player injuries, breaking news and all other things football. He really needs a man cave with about a half dozen televisions. That probably wouldn't even be enough!

Potatoes, cabbage and onions, simply seasoned and smothered down in broth with a spicy andouille sausage, is definitely a favorite in the Deep South.

Smothered Potatoes and Cabbage with Andouille

I love cabbage, well... just about any way that you can make it, but The Cajun ... not so much. Not at all actually. I can't figure out what is wrong with him! I still buy it anyway, of course. I'm not gonna deny myself something that I really enjoy because someone in my family doesn't, and neither should you.

Over the years of blogging, I have heard so many of you saying that you really love something, like cabbage or okra, but nobody else in your family will eat it, so you never make it anymore. I can only speak to being a woman, mother and wife, but those titles often mean that we do for others and put ourselves at the bottom of the list and we really need to stop doing that, yes, even with something as simple as a vegetable. I'm not saying that we should become selfish, but that we should treat ourselves as well as we do others is all - that's the message we should give to those we love. We count too.

Oven roasting intensifies the flavor of many vegetables, giving a browned and often crisped exterior, against a creamy, soft feel inside. It's one of my favorite ways to cook them, and they're a perfect addition to your table any time of the year.

Roasted Zucchini, Onions, Peppers and Tomatoes

It's mid-October and that means that we just finished up with "America's Largest Block Party" down here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. If you have a classic car, or even if you just love them, but you've never been, I don't know why! Put it on your calendar and get on down here next year and check it out. It's quite an event, there are beautiful cars everywhere, and it always starts the first weekend in October every year, continuing on through the next Sunday.

The weather has been perfect for it too, as it usually is for this event. By October, things have usually cooled off a tad here in the Deep South finally - mid-80s during the day and low to mid-60s at night. There was one night there on the ball field with No. 1 Grandson that I was literally shivering in a t-shirt and jeans! Humidity has not been too bad either and frankly that's really the biggest factor around here because even when the temperature is up, if the humidity is down it's pleasant, and that it has been. Really gorgeous weather.

 

The pared down version of my fabulous and famous special occasion holiday macaroni and cheese. This version is the same, super creamy, gooey and rich mac and cheese, but in a smaller version, perfect for those family and church gatherings.

Super Creamy Mac and Cheese

By popular demand, I'm bringing you this pared down version of my well-loved, Big Batch, Special Occasion, Super-Creamy Macaroni and Cheese. The one I first published on my blog in December of 2008. The one that has been pinned more than 99,000 times since. And the one that I got a happy dance from David Venable when I was on QVC with my first cookbook, not once, but both times!

Red Beans and Rice

An iconic symbol in the Deep South, you'll find some form of Red Beans and Rice in many homes and at most restaurants every Monday in the Deep South. Here are several ways that I personally prepare them - from super speedy for those busy days, to low and slow, homemade from scratch - my personal favorite.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatball Bites with Burger Sauce

Party meatballs in a delicious meatball sauce.

As we speak, football season is in full swing... finally if you ask The Cajun.

Our television has barely left the SEC and NFL Networks since preseason started - and, of course, along with the season, comes the fabulous food!

Meatballs surely must be the quintessential football party food don't you think? Whether you're tailgating or homegating, it'd be rare to be at a party without a crock or three going and meatballs destined to be in at least one of them. Frankly, it's where most everybody seems to gravitate. I know my husband sure does!

Creamy Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Onion. Thick cut slices of cucumber, with sweet onion and fresh tomatoes, mixed with a mayonnaise, sour cream and fresh herb dressing for a creamy cucumber salad.

Creamy Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Fall arrives soon! Where has the year gone?

I can't believe the holidays are just around the corner, but what I can't believe even more than that, is I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done! That folks, is a first for me. I have literally been out on Christmas Eve on more than a few years before y'all. I got an early start this year though, because with three grands, I need to stretch the budget out a bit more these days!

A quick, chicken broth-based soup, made with white beans and greens, spicy andouille smoked sausage and veggies. Add pasta if you like!

Turnip Green Soup aka Swamp Soup

Hello everybody and, if you're landing here when I wrote this in September... Happy Grandparents Week! Okay, okay, I realize it's an "invented" holiday - though not really for the reasons that you probably think. It didn't actually come about because a corporation wanted to sell cards and promote the sale of flowers as rumors would suggest.

Grandparent's Day was initiated at a grassroots level by a West Virginian mother of 15, Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade, who with her husband, Joseph L. McQuade, had 43 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild. Mrs. McQuade wanted Grandparents Day to be a family day, to honor grandparents, and to give them an opportunity to show love for their children's children, providing them with the wisdom and guidance that only older people can offer.

BBQ Sketti, a spaghetti made with leftover pulled BBQ pork, chicken or beef.

BBQ Sketti - Pulled Pork Spaghetti

How was your long holiday weekend? Although we had stormy weather, there were enough breaks here and there to sneak in some fun. I have to say it's been a pretty fab week overall really, beginning with our family reunion last weekend, a baby's first birthday, a delicious family birthday dinner for my sister at Half Shell Oyster House, a Biloxi Shuckers baseball game and a nice firework show afterward, in-between a bit of blog and magazine work, and ending with a cookout at home yesterday with the typical goodies - burgers, dogs, pulled pork, smoked sausage, baked beans and potato salad - and that we managed to get in just before the last downpour.

 

A layered salad made with thick cut bacon, crunchy iceberg lettuce, summer ripened fresh red tomatoes and substantial and chunky croutons finished with a homemade Ranch dressing.

BLT Salad

Pasta salads aside (which I adore), I love bringing a fresh garden salad to an event, potluck or cookout. It sort of balances out what seems to always be an overabundance of meats.

In the summer, that is most likely some kind of a cucumber salad or a layered salad, and this BLT salad falls right into that category. I mean, who doesn't love a BLT sandwich to begin with, but turn those flavors into a salad and it's really a hit!

Southern purple hull peas are cooked down with salt pork or bacon, onion and simple seasonings, then finished with a Creole-style stewed tomato.

Purple Hull Peas with Creole Stewed Tomatoes

Summer is winding down and I sure hope y'all put up some purple hulls - I sure did!

Simple process really - good rinse, pick through, toss in some boiling water, boil for about 2 minutes, drain, plunge in ice water till cool, drain and bag. I've tried several methods of putting up, and in my experience, blanching keeps them better and they retain a fresher taste for a longer period of time in your freezer. I use my FoodSaver so I don't freeze them in water, though some folks do. So good to pull out a bag of fresh purple hulls in the middle of the winter, I'm tellin' ya!

A skillet meal made from the best of summer veggies - squash, zucchini, bell pepper, green beans, Vidalia onions and tomatoes, with red potatoes and fresh garden herbs and the addition of some pan-seared fresh wild-caught Gulf shrimp.

Garden Vegetable Skillet with Shrimp

I get strange cravings, and most times, they're not at all what you'd expect in the way of a craving.

I get very strong cravings out of the blue for beef. For McDonald's french fries. Or their iced coffee. Homemade chicken noodle soup and creamy Chicken and Noodles. Egg drop soup from the local Chinese restaurant. And vegetables, in general. It was that way in my pregnancy - I didn't crave sweets, or odd combinations. I craved a meat and three dinner!

 

Tri-color rotini pasta is paired with some of my favorite pizza toppings, purple onion, green and red bell pepper, black olives, pepperoni, bacon, mushrooms, grape tomatoes and mozzarella and dressed with a spicy tomato dressing.

Pizza Pasta Salad

Hey, y'all should be very proud of me!! I have managed to post more than two recipes in August so far. Seems Grandma Mary needed to get her back-to-school routine going too I guess. :) Just in time too, because fall is right around the corner now, and I've still got some summer left to share yet!

I love a good pasta salad in the summer and I sure can make a meal of this one.

Southern Caviar - a vinaigrette dressed, festive southern vegetable salad twist on salsa, made with black-eyed peas, celery, pimentos, jalapeno, garlic, green onion and fresh tomato, and beloved on the church supper, potluck and entertaining circuits.

Southern Caviar - Black Eyed Pea Salad

I spent the weekend clearing away clutter and doing a bit of organizing. Seems like I had a pile of this and that, here and there and everywhere! Course, I've never been one of those folks who has had a "magazine" house, where it all looks beautiful and pristine, with the latest furniture and decorating trends, and not a thing out of place, as if nobody actually lived there, but... things are lookin' just a tad bit too lived-in around here lately.

Apparently I can either spend time with my grandbabies, review products, develop recipes, write columns, style and photograph food, blog, cook or clean... but not any one of them simultaneously, never mind several at the same time. (Y'all already know which one of these takes priority though, right? ::smile::) And to think... I used to be such a great multi-tasker, ha!

Country style ribs baked or grilled over indirect heat and brushed with a pepper jelly barbecue sauce.

Country Style Ribs with Pepper Jelly Barbecue Sauce

Well, the grandkids are in their last week of freedom with school just about to start here. We got to spend lots of time with them in between all of their summer activities and I know they've had a blast this summer, but I think they've also missed their routine and structure from school just a bit to be honest.

They are still at the age where they are also excited about going back actually, and shopping for school supplies and clothes. That used to be my favorite thing!

An old fashioned dish made from tuna, macaroni, chopped egg, celery, peas, salt and pepper - and for my additions, Old Bay and Cajun seasoning. Lots of potential add-ins will make this your own too!

Old Fashioned Tuna Macaroni Salad

Along with tomatoes, cucumbers and watermelon, I have eaten this macaroni salad so many times over the summer, I figured it was about time to share it!

It's not anything new of course, or even anything I've created - frankly it's been around longer then me - but if you're a little younger than me, you may have grown up with it. If you're closer to my age, you may remember it through your early days of marriage, or those struggling first apartment or college years, because it was both easy to make and economical. I'd be willing to bet that at least some of you also still make it yourself!

Mrs G's Pepper Jelly

Mrs. G's Pepper Jellies are not your average pepper jellies. Loaded with flavors from sweet and hot peppers, like jalapeno and habanero, garlic, lime, ginger, mango and peaches, and hand-crafted in small batches, there's no commercial taste here - you'll swear these were made in your own kitchen y'all!

This has sure been one hot summer down south y'all! Has it always been this hot? Seems not to me but I reckon I probably say that about this time every summer. Mercy!

Now that I have a nice, shady covered patio with a ceiling fan though, since early spring I have sure been working my grills around here... instead of my oven. I don't mind cooking in the kitchen during the summer really - I just crank down the air and put a fan at the door - but grilling is faster, easier and doesn't heat up the kitchen at all, so it's an awfully nice alternative.

Bone-in pork loin chops, first marinated in a brown sugar, vinegar and soy marinade, then grilled and brushed with a pepper jelly glaze to finish. Shown here with my chargrilled corn and grilled veggies.

Grilled Pork Chop with Pepper Jelly Glaze

Everybody around the country who gets snow in the winter waits for the summer ritual of opening up their patio grill, but we grill all year round in the Deep South and honestly, summers here are really our least favorite time for grilling. Oh we do it, but it's hotter than hot, and not super pleasant.

Now that I have a nice, shady covered patio with a ceiling fan though, it's made a huge difference, and I have sure been working my grills around here! I think I've grilled more this last year than I did in years at my old house. Grilling is fast, easy and doesn't heat up the kitchen - which is a bonus in this summer heat. I've even baked on my Traeger pellet grill {affil link} instead of using my oven! But... for me, there is one issue.

 

Frozen chunks of watermelon stand in for ice cubes in this refreshing lemon-lime frozen watermelon slush.

Frozen Watermelon Slush

Here we go, another southerner whining about the heat, but frankly y'all, it's been unbearable for me this summer and it doesn't seem to get any easier as the years go by.

Part of blogging on a full-time basis, means that you work from home, and I tell ya, it's gets mighty comfortable here in more ways than one, air conditioning certainly being one of them.

A homestyle gravy, made with a flour roux, bacon drippings and broth or water here, or for a creamy version, use milk. Shown served over a baked pork tenderloin and rice.

Bacon Gravy

Sunday I made a pork tenderloin. You know the ones - the packages of pre-seasoned pork loins that you literally don't have to do a thing to except pop in the oven or on the grill? Yeah, that's the one. My mother in law picks them up on sale from Winn Dixie all the time and the Cajun happened to comment how good one was when we were over there one Sunday. Lo and behold, next thing I knew she was sending him home with a couple. I told y'all, she's like that!

 

A hot pork BBQ dip, made easy with leftover pulled pork.

Hot BBQ Pulled Pork Dip

Summer means BBQ and one of the biggest BBQ holidays of the summer is just around the corner - Independence Day! It's one of my favorite holidays with time spent with friends and family and festivals galore along the Gulf Coast the entire weekend.

For those of us who live here, it often means time spent on the boat out and on the barrier islands, followed by backyard cookouts with all of our favorite summertime foods and songs like Lee Greenwood's classic "God Bless the U.S.A.," droning in the background.

Fire 'n Ice Watermelon Salsa, made with bell pepper, jalapeno, red onion, garlic, lime and cilantro, and watermelon, shown here with my Frozen Watermelon Margaritas.

Fire 'n Ice Watermelon Salsa

I have already been eating cucumbers, cantaloupe, strawberries, watermelon and tomatoes, like I'm never gonna see them again, and summer only just arrived.

Far as I'm concerned they need to move the official beginning of summer up, and just cut spring short, because in the Deep South spring is, oh, I don't know... about two weeks at most I'm guessing. Summer heat and humidity run right on in like it's been waiting. Much of the rest of the country has been pretty hot too from what I'm seeing, so clearly it's not just the south. At least some of y'all do get a reprieve once in awhile. We don't, at least not until it's pretty much winter. Apparently my body just needs hydration or something, because those cooling foods absolutely have been a regular part of my diet here lately.

Fresh shrimp in a tomato basil cream sauce, made from fresh tomatoes and garden herbs, and tossed with bowtie pasta.

Shrimp and Bowties in Fresh Tomato Basil Cream Sauce

Whew, things have been crazy here for a few months as of this writing - a cookbook launch (#ad) (something I never thought I'd do) {affil link}, 3 trips to Philadelphia for QVC (and I've still not seen any of the historical sights or had an authentic cheesesteak), and let me tell you... I don't know if it's because I'm pretty much a homebody and happy to be, or that I'm older, or both, but travel sure puts a strain on me these days, both for days before and days after.

Then there was a very important family graduation, two potluck dinners with my Uncle Jim before he heads back up to Maryland (thanks for hosting Nikki!), a special honors recognition ceremony for my eldest grandson and a dance recital for my granddaughter.

Now that they are out of school and with summer activities lined up, they're here at the house with us more of the day, and we're also trying to help out where we can with getting them to and fro. The Cajun and I both love having the grandkids - we have a good time and we've both grown very close to them over the last year and I tell ya... they sure have their Paw Paw wrapped around their little pinkie promise fingers.

Full Moon Bar-B-Que Ultimate BBQ Box Review

Rub - Top - Mop - Dip Check out the Ultimate BBQ Box from Alabama's Full Moon Bar-B-Que - one of the top ten restaurants in the U.S.! Southern Seasoning (rub), Chow-Chow (top), their award winning Bar-B-Que Sauce (mop) and the fabulous and famous, north Alabama white sauce (dip). Heaven in a box!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have taken notice in a few posts here and there, some products from Full Moon Bar-B-Que making an appearance. You may have also noticed, one or the other has made its way into a few of my recipe posts here on the blog in the past few weeks too.

Well, that's because the good folks there at Full Moon were kind enough to send me a sampling from what they call their Ultimate BBQ box, containing their award winning line up of sauces and seasoning, including Southern Seasoning, Chow-Chow, Bar-B-Que Sauce and their Alabama White Sauce.

Southern Living: A Southern Gentleman’s Kitchen Cookbook Review

Just because I've now published my own cookbook doesn't mean I will stop bringing you new finds around the cookbook world, and here's one that is absolutely perfect for Father's Day!

Chicken, marinated in beer, oil, vinegar and seasonings, then grilled and brushed with French dressing. Shown here with roasted green beans and sour cream, cucumber and onion salad. Fabulous.

Beer-B-Q Marinated Grilled Chicken   

I can't believe we've been in our new/old house over a year now. Wow, time is a flyin' y'all! This house is an older home... 20 years older even than the one that we left. It's had a few makeovers over the years though, and besides being close to the grandkids, there were so many features to the house that I loved, that even though we had looked at a lot of newer houses, I knew this was the one, as soon as I saw it.

Mississippi in a Box Review

Mississippi has the beautiful ability to make anyone feel at home, and the Mississippi box is perfect, whether it's something you'd enjoy for yourself, to share Mississippi hospitality with someone else or as a gift for a homesick Mississippian.

Mississippi in a Box

I stay busy enough with Deep South Dish that I very rarely have to reach out for products to review, but I saw a brief segment about Mississippi in a Box on our local WLOX station and had to go find out more. Y'all know I am always happy to introduce Mississippi products to you, so when I saw the segment I knew I had to!

Well, Lookie What Y'all Did!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! And I mean that in every possible way, because not only am I humbled by the astonishing success of Deep South Dish Homestyle Southern Recipes and grateful for every single one of you, but I also have more exciting news and, once again, it's all thanks to y'all!

Byron's Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese Celebrates National BBQ Month

Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese made easy with Byron's fully cooked Pork BBQ, hickory smoked for 8 hours and hand pulled, with a spicy-sweet sauce, exclusively from Sam's Club.

Byron's Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese

Hey, in case y'all haven't noticed it's halfway through May, spring has arrived and the dog days of summer are just around the corner. Oh yeah, and May is National BBQ Month, and I don't know about you, but I've certainly been grilling up a storm.