Saltine crackers get a flavor boost from a toss in a Ranch flavored, garlic and onion seasoned oil.

Firecracker Saltines

Y'all... make some of these to go with that Hissy Fit Dip I just posted. I swear you will love them together.

Although I've been acquainted with a version of these since the 70s, we got real close when The Cajun and I moved our household almost 4 years ago. No, we didn't get rich from my blogging (far from it actually) and get to build our brand new dream home from it.

Au contraire, we, in fact, bought a house that was older than the house we left. We moved from outside the city to town to be closer to the grandkids - and don't you know 2 years ago they went and moved on us! Can't blame them really. They got a bigger house for a great price and we're all in town and close still, so it's all good.

 

A hot dip, made with breakfast sausage, a mix of cheeses, sour cream, Worcestershire, hot sauce, vibrant seasonings and green onion. Serve with your favorite crackers, chips or assorted raw veggies.

Sausage and Cheese "Hissy Fit" Dip

Make. This. Dip.

I'm serious!

It is soooooo darn good y'all, you will fall in love with it and want to eat the whole thing.

By your little ole self.

Chewy oatmeal cookies, with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips scattered throughout!

Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal cookies are my number one favorite cookie.

Although I do enjoy all kinds of cookies from shortbread to tea cakes, to chocolate chip to classic snickerdoodles, oatmeal has always topped the list.

A mix of tender frozen and creamy corn, baked in a savory egg custard.

Corn Pudding

Corn Pudding suffers a similar identity crisis as corn casserole. What defines it is most often what you grew up with and nobody makes any of it the same way.

What some folks call corn spoon bread, others call corn casserole... and vice versa.

What some call corn casserole, yet others call corn pudding... and vice versa.

Sweetened pear halves, stuffed with a cream cheese and whipped cream filling, garnished with a light sprinkling of mild cheddar cheese, and if you're feeling fancy, finished off with a maraschino cherry.

Pear Salad

This is not so much a recipe, as it is a nostalgic reminder of this delicious holiday side from the past. It's so old school, that some of you my age and older may even remember seeing this at school.

Hardly anybody really thinks about pear salad much anymore, and I'd venture a guess that very few of the younger generation even know anything about it and likely wouldn't be all that receptive to it either.

Classic Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo (Gumbo Ya-Ya)

A classic light roux-based gumbo, made with a cut up chicken and andouille sausage, served over hot steamed rice.

Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo

I've been making and sharing Miss Lucy's chicken gumbo with y'all for years, but admit, her classic Cajun-style method is not exactly the way that I usually make my gumbo.

Miss Lucy's recipe makes a roux, then adds water to the roux and then adds the chicken, sausage and trinity (onion, bell pepper and celery) to the pot, a classic Cajun one pot prep.

I prepare my gumbo in a way that is more traditional where I live - brown the meats, prepare the roux, cook the trinity in the roux, then add the water or stock and the rest.

However you make it, we eat a lot of it and it's mighty good!

Make Ahead Turkey Gravy - a flavorful gravy, made ahead from roasted turkey wings or legs.

Make Ahead Turkey Gravy

There is nothing as delicious with that holiday turkey than a gravy made from the drippings, but it becomes just one more of those last minute things that has to be done in the whole process of all the other last minutes things. All too often folks just skip it and use a canned gravy, which of course, while there's not a thing wrong with that, it just doesn't have that same home-cooked, Thanksgiving flavor.

Enter the make ahead gravy!

Mirliton (Chayote Squash) Seafood Casserole

Mirliton (Chayote Squash) Seafood Casserole, a casserole made with mirliton, the trinity, shrimp, andouille, crab, bread crumbs and seasonings. Increase bread crumbs for a mirliton dressing.

Mirliton Seafood Casserole

It's mirliton season in the Deep South! I'm guessing that some of you are likely thinking right now... what the heck is that?

Mirlitons, or in Cajun Country, Alligator Pears

A near lost south Louisiana classic, calas are a flour and yeast fritter, made with cooked rice and flavored with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Creole Calas (Rice Fritters)

I've certainly mentioned this before, but we eat a lot of rice here in the Deep South, and there's almost always some leftover. We have lots of ways to use that leftover rice (just click that link to see a few) including sweet things, like rice pudding and these sweet rice fritters, called calas.

A near lost classic, Calas hold a past in the city of New Orleans, though their origins date back more likely to Africa. In the French Quarter, Cala ladies would wrap fresh, piping hot Calas in towels and carry them in a covered bowl on top of their heads, hurrying to the streets to sell them, shouting "Calas, belles calas, tout chauds!"

Photo Credit: Times Picayune

Shrimp and White Bean Stew - Great Northern, cannellini, navy or your favorite small white bean, cooked in a ham bone broth, with the trinity, Rotel tomatoes, andouille sausage and small shrimp.

Shrimp and White Bean Stew

I literally have been trying to get this recipe written and uploaded to the blog for almost two weeks! What can I say... seeing as I'm at the age of being mostly retired now, we techically at least because, trust me, a recipe website is as much work as what I did in my corporate legal career!

Anyway, I don't spend too much of my time being in a hurry to do much of anything anymore.

You may have also noticed that the Deep South summer-like fall heat finally gave way to some much cooler, near winter-like fall temperatures. Though it's sure been nice having some cooler temps the past couple of weeks, along with that comes a certain degree of laziness on my part. Though I do still cook, not a lot of writing happens.

A flavorful grilled chicken, marinated in a bold and zesty blend of oil, citrus, garlic and fiery seasonings. Traditionally served with white rice, shown here with a mild, Spanish rice and skillet fried green beans.

Mojo Chicken - Pollo Asado

Literally translated, polo asado means barbecued or grilled (and sometimes even roasted) chicken, though it appears that it most often refers to chicken that is soaked in a mojo-style marinade and cooked on a grill. It's another one of those roadside/food truck favorites, in the same camp with the vinegar chicken I shared recently.

In this case I'm using a homemade mojo marinade in place of a commonly used commercial sour orange product {affil link} which not only is next to impossible to find here on the Mississippi coast, but also tends to contain additional sugars and preservatives you may not want.

Deep South Spaghetti with Andouille Sausage

A spaghetti meat sauce made with the trinity and thin slices of spicy, andouille sausage, for a taste of the Deep South.

Dad's Deep South Spaghetti with Andouille

When I make a pot of meat sauce for spaghetti, I usually toss the cooked noodles with a few spoons of the sauce, then top each serving with more sauce. Dad mixes the cooked pasta and sauce together and also adds thin slices of Andouille sausage to his meat sauce. I admit, I sure love when he sends a plate of his spaghetti over to me and since The Cajun also loves his Dad's spaghetti, I patterned this version after his.

Sausage Reubens aka 5 Finger Banjo Picker Sandwich

Sausage Reubens, a sandwich spread with Creole mustard and made with grilled or pan-fried sausage and onions, topped with sauerkraut, sliced tomatoes, sliced jalapenos and white cheese, patterned after the 5 Finger Banjo Picker Sandwich from a Decatur, Alabama tavern known by locals as The Brick.

Sausage Reubens

Here's the sandwich I promised you with the last post on how I dress up store-bought sauerkraut and boy y'all is it a good one!

We eat sandwiches for supper all the time, sometimes with a side of chips, sweet potato fries or French fries, sometimes a bowl of soup or a side salad. Thank goodness it qualifies for a meal around here because we've been eating a lot of sandwiches this past summer, and a lot of them have been made in a microwave grill pan.

A dressed-up sauerkraut dish, made from commercially bagged or canned sauerkraut, adding in some bacon and bacon drippings, brown sugar or honey, and a few simple seasonings. Perfect for sandwiches or in a sausage and potatoes skillet meal.

Dressed Up Sauerkraut

Oh dear. I know that some of y'all are thinking... "a sauerkraut recipe?" Well, first it's not really a recipe.

Making sauerkraut takes about a two week commitment and a lot of tending to with skimming and such. Too long for me and I don't like it enough for that kind of investment - but, what I will do, is take an off the shelf commercial product and dress it up a bit!

I'll be right up front with ya though. While some folks love the stuff, I've never been a super big fan of sauerkraut. As with many other southerners, while I do love the flavor combination of sweet and sour, whether in the refrigerator packages or cans, commercially prepared sauerkraut right off the grocery store shelf is just too weird for my tastebuds. Still... I sure do enjoy it on a classic Reuben sandwich. Shaved corned beef dressed with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing on toasted Rye bread - it's downright delicious.

Spanish Rice - a side dish made with bacon, rice, tomatoes, the Trinity of veggies and a few simple seasonings.

Spanish Rice

With some variations in cooking method - stovetop, oven or a combination of both - and ingredients - tomatoes versus sauces, pastes or purees - that, which is defined as Spanish Rice across much of the country, is quite similar to Red Rice from the Lowcountry and the base of our beloved Creole Jambalaya of the Deep South.

Roadside-Style Grilled Chicken

Chicken, boneless, skinless thighs pictured here, marinated in a seasoned vinegar and oil mixture, then grilled. Saucing is completely optional!

Roadside Vinegar Grilled Chicken

Outside of private parties, special events and festivals, you generally won't find many food trucks around south Mississippi, and sadly, not in many other locations around the state either.

While I do recall back in my corporate career days, a truck that came around occasionally at lunchtime, it was really more like a traveling version of those breakroom vending machine lunches. You know the ones.

Cold sandwiches mostly, cheese snack packs and maybe some microwaveable meals. Nothing wrong with that! I've eaten a few of those sandwiches myself, for breakfast even, when I was in a rush to get out the door some mornings.

 

A skillet meal of smoked sausage with rotini pasta in a creamy, cheesy sauce and topped with French fried onions.

Cheesy Conecuh Skillet with Rotini

This southern heat seems to get harder and harder on this old body every summer and it has been unbearable some days, to the point where a minute outside is more than enough. When it's not hotter than hot, it's raining. Like bucket-loads kinds of rain. There were a few times I thought the Gulf Coast was gonna float away into the Gulf of Mexico!

My gardens that were so beautiful this spring, are now loaded with weeds, but with the heat index it's impossible to get out there long enough to make a difference. Doing it early in the morning or late in the afternoon just means getting carried away by gnats. It's just a no-win situation!

Gumbo Love Cookbook Review

Lucy Buffett's newest cookbook, Gumbo Love, is a love letter to the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, containing mouthwatering recipes, heartwarming stories, personal adventures and stunning Gulf Coast photography. If you love our Gulf Coast, you need this cookbook!

Ooooo y'all... have I got a good one for you! If you live along the central Gulf Coast, or frequently vacation in Gulf Shores, AL or Destin, FL, you've probably visited LuLu's Restaurant. It's owned by southern businesswoman, author, restaurateur, and sister of the famous singer and songwriter, Jimmy, Lucy Buffett - aka Crazy Sista... for being a lifetime rule breaker of the best kind and her livin' out loud personality.

Sausage and Garlic Potatoes - skillet fried potatoes, cooked with Italian, breakfast or turkey sausage, plenty of garlic and fresh or canned tomatoes.

Sausage and Garlic Potatoes

Okay, right up front, I reckon this isn't the prettiest picture, and I'm sure, due to the nature of the internet, somebody is gonna feel free to let me know that.

Truth is though, you and I know that a lot of the best tasting foods aren't necessarily the most photogenic. As a person with a blog of recipes, some are a little difficult to "style." Have you seen my mandarin orange fruit salad, aka to many of you as ambrosia salad? There is no way to make that dish look good, but man is it delicious! I've already told y'all what I think about all that photography business anyway. I'm just more about the food around here! Heck, I didn't even take this one out of the skillet I cooked it in.

Skillet Pork Steaks and Onions - Pork steaks or chops, seasoned, pan seared and braised in caramelized onion broth on the stovetop.

Skillet Pork Steaks and Onions

Many of y'all already know and love my oven pork chops and onions recipe, and it's one of our favorites too. It's a bake though, and I don't know about you, but I've found it awfully hard to use the oven this summer.

Now, there are always exceptions of course, like when I have a craving for something like homemade buttermilk biscuits! Or a squash casserole with all the garden squash rolling in. For the most part though, we've been living on hamburgers and hot dogs, sandwiches, salads, basic grilled foods and quick skillet meals.

After the Boil Seafood Potato Salad

 

A potato salad, made with leftovers from a seafood boil, using highly seasoned red-skinned potatoes, shrimp, crawfish and crab. Shown here with fried catfish and collards If you didn't have a boil, no worries - you can still make it!

Seafood Potato Salad

What some areas of the country refer to as Frogmore Stew or "low country boils," are simply called seafood boils here in the Deep South, and they might involve shrimp, crawfish or crabs. With access to the best seafood, boils are actually a favorite addition to summer cookouts here along the Gulf Coast, and certainly one of my favorite parties to attend. If there's a boil-master manning a massive outdoor cooker that's loaded with Gulf seafood, I'm definitely in!

An unbaked, baked bean recipe, made with navy beans, onions, jalapeno, bacon, brown sugar, and prepared on the stovetop.

Stovetop Pork and Beans

It was just The Cajun and me for the 4th of July this year, so I kept things very simple. Smoked rib chops from Corky's, warmed on the grill, my classic potato salad, no husk microwave corn on the cob and these unbaked baked beans.

I call them that because it's essentially my baked beans recipe, without baking it, and using canned navy beans - sort of a semi-homemade, stovetop pork and beans, that I enjoy serving as a side dish anytime.

A fresh tomato pasta sauce, made with garden vegetables - peppers, squash, zucchini, corn, eggplant, okra, beans - whatever you have! For a protein boost, add leftover roasted chicken, seasoned and sauteed shrimp, cooked ground beef, sausage, or other meats.

Garden Fresh Vegetable Spaghetti

I have been up to my ears in garden fresh tomatoes the past few weeks... not that it's a bad thing, don't get me wrong! It's just that as fast as I process some into sauce, I'm plucking a near equal amount off of the plants.

The last picking right before the tropical storm and steady coming!

Snickerdoodles, a light, pillowy-soft and chewy sugar cookie, finished with a roll in cinnamon before baking, are a long held favorite.

Classic Snickerdoodles

Most of y'all who have followed this blog for awhile, know that I am not super huge on sweets and I am certainly not much of a baker. I do love to make all kinds of bread (because I am a bread addict), and I especially enjoy the quick and easy, sweet batter breads, because they aren't overly sweet like layer cakes tend to be. I do love a simple old school coffee cake, but overall, I'm one of those people who scrapes off the icing from most layer cakes. Yep. Blasphemous, I know.

The South's Best Butts Cookbook Review

The unofficial opening of summer BBQ season is on the books now, and it's the perfect time for the launch of this new cookbook by Matt Moore.

You may know him from his music, or you may remember him from my review of his previous cookbook, A Southern Gentleman's Kitchen. Now Matt has moved on to the next project, The South's Best Butts: Pitmaster Secrets for Southern Barbecue Perfection, offering up one of his favorite indulgences.

A garlic butter bread with Parmesan cheese, reminiscent of Sizzler Steakhouse Cheese Toast, toasted on one side in a skillet, or on a griddle or flat top!

Skillet Parmesan Cheese Toast

I have a favorite garlic bread butter blend that I have been using for years. It's an awesome blend for garlic bread that not only goes with many meals, but I also use some form of it for other things, like my over the top cheesy bread, my French bread pizza with a twist, and an oven toasted garlic bread that adds a sprinkle of Parmesan to the mix, and what this is patterned after.

I love them all, though my biggest problem with any of them I guess, is that I am a complete and total bread addict. I. Love. Bread. And, I can easily overeat it.

My take on the popular Crockpot Angel Chicken that's going around the internet, made with Italian dressing mix and cream cheese, except using pork chops, a homemade cream sauce, and cooked on the stovetop.

Creamy Angel Pork Chop Skillet

Although it's been around for years, I'm guessing that you've likely seen this recipe around the net a lot here lately using boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cream soups in the slow cooker. What is it they say? All things old become new again? Kinda like the rage here lately with the Instant Pot {affil link}. It's a basic, multi-function electronic pressure cooker pot that's actually been around awhile now, but for some reason, this one brand has picked up a big cult following here lately.

I'm not the biggest fan of boneless, skinless chicken breasts to begin with, and I prefer using my slow cooker more for longer braising types of things like bone-in thighs, whole chickens, beef roasts and even sauces, rather than things that I can whip up on top of the stove in 30 minutes or less. I also didn't have chicken breast, but I did have some assorted pork chops, so I went with those because it sounded good.

A super easy, cheesy and creamy, delicious slow cooker corn side dish, perfect for any gathering, church social, reunion or holiday.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Creamy Corn

It's been years since Charlotte, one of our Facebook family members mentioned a corn dish similar to this, and I've missed multiple cycles of major holidays getting it posted, failing to remember to get that final shot of what it looks like on a plate! Eh, what can I say?

These days, sometimes, it takes me awhile to do things.

Well, although those major holidays have once again passed, because peak summer corn is still a bit away from us and since I made this for Easter, I'm posting it now. Besides those big holidays, it's an equally great side dish for those backyard family barbecues, church socials, family reunions and potlucks you'll be attending anyway, and, it's so easy to both make and transport too!

Bone-in, skin-on, chicken thighs and legs, or a whole chicken, cut up, seasoned and baked with cream soup and rice for a flavorful, tender baked chicken.

Old School Baked Chicken and Rice

With the usual errands and chores of life, it can sure make for busy days and I'm happy to turn to the old school dishes like this chicken and rice when days are super active. It's simple - throw it all together and throw it in the oven. This truly is old school y'all, as it's been around as long as I have, but it's delicious too!

Sometimes called "no-peek" chicken, I like to uncover it toward the end of cooking to brown the top of the otherwise pale chicken.

A quick skillet meal, made from andouille sausage, broccoli, leftover, cooked veggies, bow tie pasta, and a touch of sour cream added at the end for creaminess.

Creamy Andouille and Pasta Skillet

Don't you just love a good, quick skillet meal? This one I especially love because it's so versatile. In this instance, I just used some good andouille sausage, making it super easy because it's something that I always have on hand, and smoked sausage thaws pretty quick, making it an easy last minute meal. It's delicious with both chicken breast and shrimp also.

A cabbage and rice dish, commonly called dressing here in the Deep South, made with the trinity sauteed in bacon drippings, stewed down with cabbage, browned ground beef or sausage, cooked rice, and cream soup, baked, and finished with a buttered bread crumb topping. Pictured here with my collard greens and squash salad.

Cabbage Rice Dressing

Okay all you kindred cabbage lovers - if you've been around here any length of time, y'all know how much I love the stuff... though to be honest, 99.9% of the time when I pick up a new head of cabbage, thinking I'll bring something different to the blog, good intentions fall the wayside and I end up making fried cabbage. What can I say? It's an easy dish, and it really is my number one favorite.

Chargrilled Oysters on the Half Shell

Freshly shucked Gulf oysters, grilled in the shell, with a lemon and garlic butter sauce, and served on an ice or rock salt covered platter with cocktail sauce, horseradish, lemon wedges and hot sauce and French bread on the side.

Chargrilled Oysters

Oysters are so common along the Gulf Coast, most folks who grew up here, eat them in some form. Most of us buy them already shucked, by the pint, quart or gallon, from our favorite seafood or grocery market. Many others, like my father in law, and like my daddy did, buy them by the sack and shuck them fresh. Sweet and salty, fresh from the Gulf - those are the absolute best oysters you will ever put in your mouth, y'all!

A super flavorful way to prepare fresh or frozen chicken breasts to use in chicken salads, soups, skillet meals, casseroles and other recipes.

Oven Poached Ready Chicken

Usually when folks need already cooked chicken for a recipe, they poach a couple of chicken breasts in a saucepan on the top of the stove. It's a quick and easy process when there isn't some already put up, or leftover from another meal.

Sometimes we pick up an over-sized deli rotisserie chicken, just for the purpose of a quick meal on a busy day, with some intentional leftovers. Very often, however, those are heavily seasoned and super-salty, making them less adaptable for some recipes.

Guacamole, made with a little Deep South regional influence, incorporating some spicy Louisiana flavor.

Cajun Guacamole

I love avocados and I especially love that they have moved into the mainstream of eating everywhere nowadays, even here in the Deep South! I can remember a time back in the day, when finding a fresh avocado wasn't so easy around here. Mostly we were forced to that neon green, pre-made guacamole in a plastic container from the dairy case, when building things like our layered Mexican dip. Fresh is certainly so much better.

Now... right out of the gate, I want to say that I know somebody reading this will likely get all up in arms about this being called "Cajun Guacamole." Just relax and roll with it y'all. In fact, go ahead and Google it... turns out it really is a thing.

 

An easy chili, made leaner with ground turkey, more hearty with vegetables and beans, and gets a flavor boost from basic pantry seasonings.

Turkey Chili with Beans

You may have noticed that boneless, skinless chicken breasts are not my favorite piece of chicken to cook... but of course, they're on sale often enough that I still buy them. With a little help, they can make for a quick and inexpensive meal.

While I very much love a brined and roasted turkey, I don't use a lot of ground turkey either. Though it is less fatty and therefore more attractive to those dieting and trying to cut back on fat, the lack of fat also means lack of flavor. In my dig through the New Year Freezer Cleanse however, I found a pound of mixed (85/15) ground turkey I had picked up at some point to make something that I've now long forgotten. With winter in the Deep South waning, and the Big Game coming up, I thought I would give some turkey chili a spin.

Egg noodles, seasoned simply, tossed with butter, Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley.

Parmesan Cheesy Noodles

Growing up, I'm guessing that your mom, like mine, had a few, very simple, go-to side dishes that made it to the table. Buttered egg noodles or chunks of boiled potatoes or corn, usually from frozen at my house, seasoned simply with salt and pepper, tossed with butter and often, a bit of parsley were pretty common for us.

Looks like economic conditions are calling for these simple but filling meals again.

Add some cheese to those egg noodles, oven roasted potatoes when the weather isn't too hot, dressed up canned southern peas and my quick fix green beans to the repertoire, and you've got my most common, easy fix, side dishes today.

Chopped cabbage, smothered down with the trinity of vegetables, ground sausage and tomatoes.

Smothered Cabbage with Sausage and Tomato

Well hey y'all - wow, it's a new year already... Happy New Year! Okay we're more than a week into it now, but what can I say? I've been busy with life.

Mercy was it cold enough this January for everybody though?

I know that in comparison to the rest of the country, here on the Gulf Coast we had it pretty easy. No snow, but the cold rain that rolled in right when the temps started dropping sure would have made for a pretty blanket of snow. We did have three nights in a row where things were freezing, two of which were hard freezes, and with the high winds, daytime temps weren't a whole lot better, so for us here in the Deep South, it was cold!