Cranberry Chicken Salad, made with shredded chicken, dried cranberries and pecans, and tossed with a honey mayo dressing, perfect on a cracker, over shredded lettuce or made into sandwiches.

Cranberry Chicken Salad

I do love me some chicken salad! Anytime I have a little bit of chicken leftover from a meal, I pull it and whip it into some form of chicken salad for lunch the next day. I even get the larger rotisserie chickens when I buy them just so I can make some chicken salad the next day. Might be a good basic deli style chicken salad, which I love. Might be a slightly fancier grown up chutney style version served on some still warm croissants. It might just be this one!

Wedges of cabbage, seasoned, sprinkled with bacon, and wrapped tightly in foil packets, great for the oven, campfire or grill.

Foil Packet Cabbage Wedges

Oh my, isn't foil packet cooking just too cool? Of course, it's really intended to be campfire cooking, or even outdoor grill cooking, but they're just as easy to bake right in your oven.

The advantage of cooking in foil, is that the flavor really intensifies in whatever you tuck away in those little squares. Remember that foil packet corn? Oh my gosh is that stuff good or what?! And yes, wrapping things individually is different than putting everything in one pan and just wrapping the pan - trust me. I've tried it! Not the same at all.

South Your Mouth Some More Cookbook Review

Many of you already know Mandy Rivers from the release of her first cookbook South Your Mouth and her blog of the same name, but available now, is her follow up cookbook and newest release, South Your Mouth Some More! If you're already a fan of Mandy's blog, and have the first, you'll love adding this cookbook to your collection too, but even if you're new to her blog, if you like the way that I cook, I know you'll enjoy a copy.

Though Mandy and I have never actually had the opportunity to sit across the table from one another, I've liked her from the moment we met across the net. We've shared many conversations via email over the years of blogging and I find her to be not only funny, but very down to earth and authentic.

Seasoned mashed fresh sweet potatoes, stuffed inside crescent dough bundles, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and baked in a flavored sugar syrup.

Sweet Potato Dumplings

I may have mentioned before that I love sweet potatoes. They're an easy side and so many ways to enjoy them. Plain baked or twice baked, as chips or fries, roasted, grilled, mashed, in a skillet hash, tossed in a buttery glaze or candied in a simple syrup, added to soups, in a casserole, in fried pies or a classic sweet potato pie, in biscuits, or added to quick bread, I'll take them all.

When I bake them, you can be sure I'll bake off a few extra, since they keep several days in the fridge and are super easy to reheat in the microwave. Well, that is when you have a microwave.

Country Green Beans with Ham and Potatoes - Green beans, slow stewed in a ham broth, with chunks of torn ham or tasso and potatoes, and served with a flavorful pot likker.

Country Green Beans with Ham and Potatoes

If I had to pick only one vegetable I could eat for the rest of my life, it'd sure be hard.

While The Cajun's veggie list is very limited, I pretty much love them all. Just take a look at the cover of my cookbook and you'll see one of my favorite meals ever!

Yep, I'm a veggie plate gal and I can make a meal out of just about any vegetable pairing. Well... actually that cover shot was my supper that day!

Deep South Dish Cookbook, available at your favorite local bookstore, or online at Amazon!