A quick, small batch creamy chicken and rice soup with herbs.

Small Batch Cream of Chicken Soup with Rice

You cannot beat a homemade soup, though there's not a single thing wrong with canned soup either, and in fact, you can always find a can or three in my pantry.

I mean how can you not at least have some Campbell's chicken noodle soup on hand?! Seriously.

Some canned soups are better than others of course, but... sometimes, you just want a few servings of soup that's homemade, fresh and hot and not out of a can, but without a lot of work or that makes a massive pot! This is that.

Seasoned shrimp quickly air fried and finished in a toss of a garlic butter blend. Use as a snack shrimp, great when served in individual appetizer cups for a party pass around or toss with cooked pasta for a main dish meal.

Air Fryer Garlic Shrimp

I love my air fryer! I may have mentioned that before??

It's great for reheating certain leftovers to bring back the crisp - like fried chicken - and it does an amazing job of reheating pizza. A lot of busy moms use them to cook freezer foods - like chicken nuggets and tenders, French fries and tater tots, corn dogs, egg rolls, and, in fact, many products have begun putting air fryer instructions on their packaging.

But I love it for cooking too!

Pork steaks or chops, seared in oil and placed over caramelized onions tossed with cabbage, covered and smothered down with a little chicken stock.

Smothered Cabbage with Pork Chops

I love cabbage and I love it all kinds of ways, though honestly, I make it most often smothered or fried.

Seasoning meats usually center around bacon, salt pork or fatback for those two. Most often, when it's smothered, its usually salt pork or fatback. For fried, bacon is king and the cabbage is also often finished with a deeper caramelization.

Mexican-style sandwiches of refried beans and cheese, served on sturdy rolls and toasted, then topped with pico de gallo, make for a nice snack, though they are often served at breakfast, lunch or dinner as well. Add your own favorite toppings!

Molletes - Mexican-Style Bean and Cheese Sandwiches

I am an animal lover. Most of y'all who have been hanging with us know that because you've heard me talk about the TNR program I have participated in the past 7 years since moving and discovering a neighborhood filled with strays and discards that needed to all be fixed. 
 
My dog Boo has been with me since he was found as a puppy, left behind in a box, inside a buggy in a Walmart parking lot in 2008. Hurricane Katrina had already changed the course of my life and I was just entertaining the idea of Deep South Dish. Boo and I have literally been together 24/7 ever since, so we became best buds.

We're both aging and it shows, but it's the natural course of life isn't it? You don't think about that much when you're younger.

Ropes of dough made from refrigerator biscuits, tied in a knot and baked, finished with a seasoned blend of butter and olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Garlic Parmesan Knots

It's very rare that I use canned biscuits on a regular basis for biscuits.

I understand people love them, and yeah, they make quick biscuits for sure, but personally I prefer to make my own biscuits from scratch for biscuit consumption. There's just no comparison.