A tasty stew of southern-seasoned beans and greens with smoked sausage.

Easy Southern-Style Beans and Greens

Whenever I make a pot of white beans and greens close together, a stew of beans and greens are sure to follow.

I believe that Italians have a similar dish, possibly known by the name of Zuppa Di Scarola E Fagioli from what I found on the net, though I was not able to locate a recipe by that name in my copy of The Silver Spoon. They would likely use cannelloni beans and include escarole as the greens, but in the U.S. south, we all know what greens are king. Collards, turnip and mustard greens rule the south.

A classic spinach casserole based on Spinach Madeleine, made with spinach, sauteed vegetables and a simple, cheesy cream sauce.

Spinach Madeleine Bake - My Way

Known by a couple of names with some variations - Spinach Madeline, Calhoun's Spinach Maria, Spinach Supreme, Spinach Justine, Spinach Gratin, Spinach Pauline, Spinach Dorinne, or just simply Spinach Bake - if you enjoy spinach you're sure to like this.

It's really a basic skillet dish made of spinach, seasonings, some kind of cheese, half and half, milk, or heavy cream, sometimes eggs and is sometimes topped with cheese or buttered bread crumbs. Each recipe has its own unique twist and variation. I've even seen one recipe that uses phyllo! Spinach Madeline is a holiday favorite for sure - be sure to double the recipe!

Sweet potatoes, baked, split, mashed and combined with butter, spices and milk, stuffed back into the shell and rebaked. A delicious side dish anytime, but great for a holiday meal.

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

I love twice-baked potatoes! Just the expanded flavor from the additions and fluffy texture of the potato after you baked it, mash it, mix it with all the goodies and then bake it, again... outstanding! 

Bet you didn't even think of sweet potatoes. Yep, they're good twice baked too!

Brown Sugar Orange Glazed Ham

A simple clove-studded baked ham, made with orange marmalade, spicy mustard and brown sugar, easy but full of flavor!

Monte's Brown Sugar Orange Glazed Ham

You may not have heard of Monte's Ham. It's been around awhile, dating back to 1995, when Monte Mathews developed it for, and it subsequently became, one of Saveur magazine's most popular recipes, earning the author a bit of fame back then.

I haven't seen much talk of it as Monte's ham these days, though to be honest, I'm thinking the origins just got lost in the shuffle, as the popularity of a ham glazed with some form of orange became more commonplace. I'm pretty sure that Mr. Monte drove that trend though.

A delicious corn casserole side dish, made with a good seasoning base of bacon and drippings with onion and bell pepper, a light roux, and just a touch of sour cream along with some Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies.

Rotel Corn Casserole

I just love corn and I especially love the versatility of it!

Don't get me wrong - I love it pretty good right from the cob, unadorned, with the exception of some butter and salt, of course, and there are a lot of ways to prepare it just for that. One of my top favorites is the no-shuck, no silking, 4-minute microwave method, especially when I need just an ear or two for another dish.

Of course, fresh corn on the cob is best at its peak and in season, but it's now available year-round, and though you pay a little more for it, I still find it to be pretty tasty even though it's having to do a bit of traveling. I also enjoy both frozen and canned corn, and you'll find a wide variety of recipes using all of those right here on my website.

A super-easy, homemade, buttermilk batter biscuit, baked in a pool of butter. No kneading, no rolling pin and no cutting necessary! Just pour the batter in a baking dish, score into nine squares and bake.

Butter Swim Batter Biscuits

How can you just not be in love with a biscuit that has "butter swim" in the name? I mean seriously y'all!

These biscuits have been making the round on the internet for awhile now, so I thought I'd finally give them a try, well, my way. All I can say is they sure did not disappoint! Not one bit.

A baked rice dressing, made with freshly shucked Gulf oysters, with sautéed onion, green onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, rice and seasonings, and always a holiday favorite here in the Deep South.

Oyster Rice Dressing

Rice stands in for bread and cornbread in this common dish here in the Deep South and is what we refer to as a rice dressing.

A mix of meats or seafood, or sometimes, as with this oyster rice dressing, a blend of them, along with onion, green onion, bell pepper and celery, rice and seasonings, it's very often offered as a side dish, though it is also used as a stuffing at times.

One thing is for sure. It's a favorite here in the Deep South year-round, and super popular for  Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.

Wild-caught American shrimp, preferably Gulf shrimp, nicely seasoned and sautéed in butter with fresh basil and mushrooms, tossed in a sour cream sauce and served with parsley rice.

Shrimp Victoria

This is another one of those easy, yet superb, New Orleans restaurant shrimp dishes, once popular at both Brennan's restaurant and Commander's Palace. It became a classic New Orleans favorite and was, at one time, served in many homes here in the Deep South.

Once again, however, nobody seems to know how the name came to be!

A classic and simple Deep South version of fish stew, made with farm-raised, Mississippi catfish, and gently stewed in a trinity-enhanced, Creole tomato sauce with potatoes.

Catfish Stew

Unlike Cajun Coubion (aka Courtbouillon), in which the creole stew is prepared through and the fish, most often redfish or snapper, is laid out on top of the stew to poach near the end of cooking, this is prepared with the catfish stirred into the gently simmering stew, and allowed to lightly break down.

A classic pork roast, simply seasoned, cooked in the Instant Pot and served with gravy.

Instant Pot Pork Roast

This is a classic, very basic pork roast done in the Instant Pot, or whatever electronic pressure cooker you have.

I say that, because long before the Instant Pot craze, I had purchased three other cookers - two are QVC branded Cook's Essentials pots and the other a Power XL pressure cooker. They all did such a fine job, that I didn't get on the IP bandwagon for quite some time.

Y'all Sweet Tea comes in large pouches to make one full gallon of tea at a time. Made from a grandparent approved combination of an old family recipe, with a custom-blended black tea, their claim to fame is "One Glass 'n You'll Be Back!" They are correct!

Y'all Sweet Tea Review

As someone who has been blogging for a few years now, I occasionally get samples of cookbooks or products to review, and in turn, if I like it, and only if I like it, I share my review of said cookbook or product with y'all here on the Deep South Dish website.

This, actually, is not one of those times.

A delicious ground beef, macaroni and tomato meal made quick and easy using the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot American-Style Goulash

I have truly enjoyed having an Instant Pot. Even though, much like the whole air fryer thing, I was skeptical, I own several pots now and I use them all the time!

For plain rice, rice dishes and boiled eggs. Potatoes for both mashed potatoes and potato salad or just for a side. Fresh green beans and carrots and cabbage and dried beans, done in no time. Pork roasts and ribs and pulled pork. Soups and stews and chicken, especially good for chicken and dumplings. And, given enough time, it's great for a nice, tender pot roast too.

It sure is fantastic for a quick pasta meal!

Corn tortillas, stuffed with a seasoned, cooked shredded chicken or beef, rolled, fried to crisp and garnished with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and fresh cilantro.

Mexican-Style Rolled Chicken Tacos

Depending on who you're talking to, these are sometimes known as taquitos, Spanish for small tacos, flautas, which is Spanish for flute, or simply rolled tacos.

I have read that taquitos are generally smaller than flautas and usually made with corn tortillas, and flautas are longer and usually made with flour tortillas, though both are prepared much the same and sometimes one or the other of them are made with the other kind of tortilla!

All the flavors you love with a loaded baked potato, in a dip! Serve with sturdy potato chips or crispy cooked waffle fries.

Loaded Baked Potato Chip Dip

Dips are one of my most favorite appetizers! Well, that and wings. And cheese balls. Ah heck, just about any appetizer really... but dips are super easy to make and so tasty.

I especially love the dips that are intended to served cold, because you don't have to worry over keeping them heated up. Just set them out on a sidebar or the coffee table, and forget about it to enjoy the game, or the party!

Ribeye steak, lightly marinated, then air-fried, combined with a mix of air-fried sweet peppers and onions and served over rice.

Air-Fryer Marinated Ribeye Steak and Peppers

Okay. I'm not gonna lie. When I first thought to do a ribeye steak, my favorite cut of steak, in an air fryer, boy was I leery about it.

I mean a good ribeye steak, besides being my favorite, is not cheap, and I was so fearful of ruining it! When I cook steaks, they are grilled most of the time, whether it's outside or inside on a countertop grill. (I love my Ninja Foodie grill and use it multiple times a week!)

A small batch, quick and delicious soup made with cooked chicken and chicken stock, loads of vegetables, and tiny shell pasta.

Chicken and Vegetable Soup

We've had a nice, though likely temporary, reprieve from the heat and humidity these last couple of days. It's so nice when the oppressive heat goes away even for a bit and we can breathe a little easier, but... it is still September. We have lots of summer still to go around in the Deep South!

Hot water cornbread is a fried cornbread, tender on the inside, thanks to a precook of the cornmeal with boiling water, and crispy on the outside from a quick fry in a blazing hot cast iron skillet.

Hot Water Cornbread

What sets this fried cornbread apart from its cornbread cousins, is the boiling water, giving the meal a head start on cooking and resulting in an inner creamy texture, with an outside crunchy crust.

Goes well with chili, beans and southern peas, though I'll be honest with you. I can make a meal from a plate of them!

Fresh tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, fresh lime juice and cilantro make up this fresh salsa. Use it as a dip for tortilla chips, as a garnish for tacos, fajitas and quesadillas, or as a side condiment for grilled meats.

Pico de Gallo

Although we are nearing the end of backyard season, tomatoes, like most other once seasonally available vegetables, are actually now available year round.

Even still, you and I both know that winter tomatoes are picked early to survive their long travel path and just do not taste the same as our summer tomatoes, especially those backyard tomatoes, straight off the vine. Now is the perfect time to enjoy this fresh salsa as much as you can.

Thing is, with pico de gallo, there really is no "right" recipe. It's strictly personal.

A classic, southern-seasoned stewed chicken and gravy, made easy using the Instant Pot!

Instant Pot Stewed Chicken

I love my slow-stewed chicken, but it's just that - a bit of a timely process since the chicken slow simmers for awhile. Once I gave it a try in my Instant Pot, it was a game changer!

With whole chickens on sale regularly around here under $1 a pound, and a faster cooking process, it has become an easy, comfort meal to enjoy anytime.

A quick and easy skillet meal made with ground beef, fresh tomatoes, rice and summer squash and finished with shredded cheese.

Ground Beef and Squash Skillet

Y'all probably already know that I am into skillet meals. They're quicker than their more involved counterparts - like my skillet jambalaya, gumbolaya, skillet lasagna or ziti, and great for busy weeknights.

Like a lot of you, I also love summer squash, but mostly it gets pushed into being either a snack or a side, rather than a featured dish. This version makes it more main dish with the addition of ground beef and rice, though it's really a very versatile dish. Well drained canned or thawed frozen mixed vegetables or corn may also be added to expand it even further.

Chicken drumsticks, marinated with a dry rub, air fried and finished with a spicy glaze.

Air Fryer Spicy Drumsticks

While I know we're heading out of summer, I have sure been enjoying my air fryer in this summer heat!

It was an appliance I didn't really think I needed, so I was on the fence about getting one for quite awhile, but I sure am glad that I finally took the plunge. I literally use mine in some way almost every day, though I would say that if you are going to go beyond snack foods, french fries and frozen convenience foods, go for a larger oven style.

Wild American shrimp, seasoned and pan-seared, with a stir-fry of fresh vegetables and an Asian inspired orange sauce. Serve over hot, steamed rice.

Spicy Orange Pecan Shrimp Stir Fry

I actually adapted this recipe from one of my older Southern Living recipe books from a long time back, just in case somebody wants to give me some guff for posting an Asian recipe... because someone will.

Hey, the reality is that Southerners eat Asian food too! We love it actually, and, in fact, one of my favorites is Chap Chae, a dish my Korean neighbor used to share with me when she made it. We've got some pretty good pho around here too, thanks to our Vietnamese population.

Classic cornmeal-coated fried green tomatoes with a twist! Instead of slices, these are cut into chunks but breaded the same way, creating bite-sized fried green tomato nuggets with more of that surface crunch we love.

Fried Green Tomato Nuggets

First, a little housekeeping nugget before we move on to the recipe!

If you are already signed up to get notifications of new posts by email, the notification summary that you were receiving, has changed. The Feedburner service I was using is being discontinued, but no worries. I have found a Feedburner replacement in a service called follow.it. If you aren't yet signed up for notifications when I post a new recipe and you'd like to, click here to sign up. If you change your mind, no worries there either. It's easy to unsubscribe too.

So, the good news is you should have a seamless transition for your notifications whenever I publish a new recipe post - without doing a thing.

Quick Small Batch Refrigerator Corn Relish

Whether you serve as a condiment alongside grilled meats, or a simple snack with tortilla or corn chips, this small batch, quick refrigerator corn relish will be a refreshing addition to the menu.

Quick Refrigerator Corn Relish

I had a craving for some corn relish, but didn't want a huge batch made for canning. I wanted more of a snack-sized, easy version to enjoy right away!

A simple one pot chicken, sausage and rice dish, regional to South Carolina and one that dates back to the 1700s, using a whole chicken and made super easy with the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Chicken Bog

I was a bit intrigued when I first heard about bog. It's not something that is known much around here as far as I know. It's more of a regional dish born in South Carolina.

Every region seems to have some sort of chicken and rice dish like this though, and of course in my area of the Deep South, it's all about jambalaya!

So... what is the base difference between a Deep South jambalaya and bog?

A hot corn dish, Veracruz Corn may be served as either a side dish, great alongside your barbecue, or as a hot corn appetizer with crisp tortilla chips. Filled with goodness of fresh, off the cob corn, marinated in a fiery blend of Southwestern seasonings, tossed with veggies and then dressed with a chipotle aïoli and cheese, and passed under the broiler.

Veracruz Hot Corn Dip

I based this corn dish off of one that I saw in Eva Longoria's cookbook, Eva's Kitchen: Cooking with Love for Family and Friends. It sounded a little like maque choux, but with some spicy flair, which it most certainly has!

Veracruz corn was a popular dish on the menu at the now shuttered Beso Steakhouse in Hollywood, owned by Longoria, and though I believe it was considered a side dish on the menu, I really enjoyed it best as an appetizer, served hot with some crisp tortilla chips.

Piggy Mac Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese

Piggy Mac and Cheese made with leftover pulled pork, elbow noodles, a little onion, Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies and shredded cheese.

Piggy Mac and Cheese

Like everybody else, I love a slow-smoked pork butt that has been lovingly tended to and watched over for hours and hours... usually by somebody else in my case!

Let's face it. Most of us home cooks aren't going to be die hard Q'ers who spend all afternoon bent over a smoker for the perfection of slow-smoked meat, but we sure will enjoy it when somebody else does!

A fresh salsa of tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro and lime, tossed with freshly poached wild American shrimp. Serve as a garnish to grilled foods, fish, on tacos, as a topping or as an appetizer with some sturdy tortilla chips.

Shrimp Salsa

You may have seen something like this around the net or social media referred to as shrimp ceviche. I guess that's okay, though a tad bit misleading, since ceviche is usually made using a raw fish marinated in heavy citrus juices.

This one, while it begins with raw shrimp, for this recipe, the shrimp is first poached, though it is an excellent salsa with roasted or grilled shrimp as well.

Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, these fried chicken livers get the classic southern fried chicken treatment, with a hot sauce enhanced buttermilk marinade, followed by a dredge in nicely seasoned flour and deep fried.

Southern-Style Fried Chicken Livers

I know that some of you ran the other way when you saw the title of this post, but y'all... just like a good beef liver and onions, I love fried chicken livers. But I do understand. The Cajun won't touch those either.

So let's just say that this post is only intended for the common lovers of fried chicken livers.

The rest of y'all, hang on!

A mixed garden salad made with romaine and iceberg lettuces, fresh parsley, Romano and bleu cheeses, lot of freshly cracked black pepper and a tangy, lemon-garlic vinaigrette.

Sensation Salad

This salad is a slight revision of the well-loved salad found in the Junior League of Baton Rouge's River Roads Recipes II cookbook.

While it became more widely known across Louisiana and her sister states from the cookbook, it actually originated as a creation of a now closed, Baton Rouge restaurant called Bob and Jake's, and soon took on a viral life of its own among other local area restaurants.

A quick skillet version of white beans and rice with ham, made with canned beans, the Trinity of vegetables and rice.

Ham and White Bean Skillet

Beans and rice are a big deal in the south, always have been really. Back in the day, they were an important part of the dietary needs of the people, because families were large and relatively poor, so any kind of bean was an inexpensive, nutritious and filling dish.

Mostly our beans are slow cooked from dried beans, on the top of the stove, and that's really the way I still love them best to this day. Don't get me wrong. Electronic pressure cookers like the Instant Pot do an excellent job and makes a great pot of beans from dried, but slow-stewed still rules in my book. Fresh frozen sometimes fill in, and though faster, still take a little care to make.  

A tender, fluffy and light classic buttermilk biscuit, made with the addition of an egg.

Egg Biscuits

So, as if I needed yet another entertainment source to distract me, I subscribed to Discovery+ and I have to say, I really enjoy the channel.

One of the first things that I did, was to binge watch one of the new featured shows, Magnolia Table, after which I felt compelled to pick up Joanna Gaines cookbooks. Now, a confession.

Potato salad, made with red and green onions, celery, jalapeno, cilantro and boiled eggs, tossed with a sour cream and avocado dressing.

Sour Cream Avocado Potato Salad

I am a big fan of potato salad, and while I make the more classic, southern-style potato salad most often, I love all different kinds, and I love experimenting too.

Well, except mustard potato salad.

And when I say mustard I mean like heavy mustard based, and not the little dab of mustard that I do like to include in mine. For some reason, that heavy mustard just doesn't appeal to my taste buds at all, though I know some folks absolutely love it.

A skillet meal of seasoned, sautéed chicken breasts, in a tomato basil pasta sauce with bow tie pasta and finished with Italian cheese.

Chicken in Tomato Basil Sauce with Bow Tie Pasta

When I don't know what I want to eat, much less cook, pasta always comes to the rescue! With some pantry basics and some good seasoning, you can whip up a delicious meal in short time. This is one of those meals.

A sweet potato salad, made with roasted sweet potatoes and marinated in an olive oil, apple cider and honey vinaigrette dressing.

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

So, I ran across this book called The Sweet Magnolias Cookbook written by New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods, from one of those suggested previews on Amazon... which, of course, sent me down a huge rabbit hole.

I soon found out that it was a cookbook based on a book series, of which a Netflix original video series was also created, so of course, you know what was next, right?

Buttermilk drop biscuits, made with bacon drippings and cooked, crumbled bacon bits, baked in a cast iron pan.

Bacon Drop Biscuits

What's not to love about biscuits? I sure love them and probably a little too much, as I love a wide variety of them. Sometimes, I just get a craving for biscuits y'all. That's it. Biscuits. Just biscuits!

Yes, I understand that when you are new to biscuit making, they can be frustrating and a challenge to perfect, and frankly, there really is only one solution to that. Keep making biscuits! The old rule of practice makes perfect really does apply here.

From scratch, chicken and dumplings, made in a slow cooker and using a whole chicken for a homemade stock, a creamy roux base and drop dumplings.

Slow Cooker Chicken with Drop Dumplings

I love chicken and dumplings. Love it! It's one of my favorite dishes and that goes for any time of the year, not just winter.

While I do tend to follow the same basic guidelines, even with a variety of methods, I'm not married to any one of them. So many folks make chicken and dumplings one way all of their life, but I love playing around with it!

Fresh, wild caught shrimp, cooked in a buttery, well-seasoned sauce with mushrooms and served over pasta.

Shrimp Diane

I have no idea the origin of the name of Shrimp Diane, but what I can say, is that it is both super easy to make and mighty delicious!

It's really not anything like Steak Diane in comparison, so who knows how the name came about, though it appears to have been created by Chef Paul Prudhomme, who wrote this for only two servings, though you could absolutely stretch that out a number of ways.

Fresh asparagus, oven-roasted with an olive oil and lemon vinaigrette. Top with cheese and buttered bread crumbs for a gratin.

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

Asparagus is my number one spring veggie. Yes, I know that it's available year round these days, but out of season it's not the best in my little ole humble opinion. The spears are often tiny and tough, and not nearly as flavorful as when they are at peak and in season in April and May.

It's very easy to cook also, with my number one favorite being a butter-steamed skillet method, followed by oven roasted. Air frying is really good too!

A smoked bone-in half ham, baked and finished with a glaze patterned on our Southern Jezebel Sauce, made with apple jelly, pineapple preserves and pepper jelly mixed with lemon-lime soda.

Apple and Pineapple "Jezebel" Glazed Ham

I love cooking a baked ham all year round, so it's not just a holiday thing for me. I cook them for a planned meal, then put up freezer bags of vacuum-sealed ham chunks and the ham bone for later.

I wanted to give y'all another ham and had in mind the old school, traditional pineapple ham made with 7-up, Sprite or ginger ale, but decided to step it up a little bit by incorporating elements from my jezebel sauce, which is often used as a side condiment with baked ham, but using it here instead as a glaze.

South Mississippi-Style John Wayne Casserole

A Tex-Mex style casserole with seasoned ground beef, layered between a biscuit crust, with tomatoes, topped with a sour cream and cheese sauce and finished with a cornbread topping, perfect for potlucks, church suppers, or just dinner at home!

Mississippi-Style John Wayne Casserole

So, it seems lots of folks around the country and in my own home state of Mississippi seem to love this casserole, and I went all my life without knowing that!

How it came by the name John Wayne Casserole is uncertain, though some say it appeared as a contribution in a 1979 cookbook of celebrity recipes, as a favorite recipe of Wayne's. I can see why. It's super tasty!

A simple bean soup, made with navy beans, ham hocks, onion, celery and a few dried herbs. Simple. Easy. Tasty!

Simple Navy Bean Soup

Beans, along with their cousins, Southern peas, are a very common meal in the Deep South. They're filling, easy to stretch and tasty! What more could you want to feed a family?

There are lots of ways to make them and I've got quite a few of them here on the website myself! 

A quick and easy, one pot spaghetti and meat sauce, finished with shredded Italian style cheese.

One-Pot Skillet Spaghetti

Spaghetti is such an easy meal that it's pretty much one of the first meals that everybody learns how to make.

Sometimes it starts as simply as boiling some noodles and topping it with a quality commercial sauce. Then it might graduate to adding beef, pork, or even a mix, chicken or seafood, using a mix of canned tomatoes instead (Cento San Marzano highly recommended) - and even better if they are home canned!

Hands down my personal favorite is a spaghetti made in the heat of the summer, from fresh, homegrown, backyard tomatoes.  You just can't get that flavor any other way. Yum y'all.

Couche Couche - Cajun Breakfast Cereal

This Cajun Breakfast Cereal, known as Couche Couche, Cush Cush or Coush Coush, is made from a cornbread batter, poured into a hot, cast iron skillet, crusted and turned several times, then covered and steam cooked to finish and served with milk or cream.

Couche Couche

Unless you live down in this part of the Deep South, you've probably never heard of this dish. Often referred to as a Cajun breakfast, cornmeal cereal, though it's enjoyed just about any time of the day. It comes under a few different names, including  Cush Cush, Couche Couche or Coush Coush, all pronounced "coosh-coosh."

Although some folks will want to compare this to a cornmeal mush, it's actually quite different.

A classic, homestyle lasagna, made with a ground beef and Italian sausage, a homemade tomato-based pasta sauce and layered in with lasagna noodles and cheeses.

Classic Lasagna

Lasagna is one of the best loved casseroles there is. Even on the All Recipes website, the all-time, most popular recipe is what's called "World's Best Lasagna," which turns out to be pretty much the same as my recipe, my Mama's recipe, and likely I'd guess, pretty similar to just about every other good, homemade lasagna in the world, really.

Even that recipe has a striking resemblance to the McCalls 1973 cookbook recipe, that I'm certain many homemakers adopted as their own at the time.

Chicken wings, air fried naked, then tossed in a lemon pepper sauce and finished in the air fryer. 

Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings

Wings. I love, love, love them as football food. Or, anytime food really. The Cajun and I eat them all the time and you can find my collection of recipes by tapping or clicking right here.

Whether you grill, smoke or bake them, they are an excellent addition for any gathering, whether it's a party of many or a party of two. I was really astonished how easy and good they are in the air fryer too!

Slow Cooker Bourbon Beans

These bourbon baked beans are a perfect classic side for anything grilled or smoked, pulled pork, burgers and dogs, chicken or ribs. Made with beans and bacon, chopped onion and sweet bell pepper and a savory, sweet and spicy sauce, made easy using a slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Bourbon Baked Beans

So, if you've been hanging around this blog for any amount of time, you already know I'm not super big on slow cooker usage. I have some recipes here and there, and I still use one occasionally, mostly to write recipes for the website and for those of you who do use them regularly.

Do I like baked beans the best when they're, well... baked? Yes indeed!

Chile Cheese Tex-Mex Cornbread

Easy to make, this tender and moist Mexican Cornbread brings a sweet heat to those Tex-Mex and Mexican meals, soups, stews and chili dishes. 

Mexican Cornbread

I know for a southerner it's likely to sound a little sacrilegious, but we aren't super huge on cornbread down here along the Gulf Coast. 

Sure, we eat it and we enjoy it, but French bread and yeast rolls are much more prevalent down here. Because of that, we don't necessarily subscribe to the idea that there is only one way to make cornbread, and, we don't even mind, if occasionally, it's got a little sweetness to it. I know. I can hear the gasps.

A blend of Tex-Mex seasonings, pantry staples and some cooked chicken make for a quick and hearty chicken soup. Shown here with my Honey Jalapeno cornbread.

Chicken Taco Soup

I absolutely love this soup, whether it's made with ground beef or chicken. It's got such great flavor and it's about the easiest soup there is to throw together.

You can start with raw chicken that you poach, a deli chicken or chicken that you previously put up in the freezer, which I tend to have the most. Thanks to on-sale whole chickens, an Instant Pot and a Food Saver, there is always some cooked chicken in my freezer. I chose to chop up my chicken this time, though shredded is also good for this.