Ground beef, chili and beans, spooned over rolls and topped with cheese, quickly passed through the oven and served open faced.

Hot Beef and Chili Bean Plank Sandwich

I'd never heard of a "plank sandwich" before, but apparently it really was a thing because this one was featured in Bell's Best 2 published in 1982, the second in the series of Mississippi Telephone Pioneers community cookbooks. Even still, I thought it was just one of those recipe names that a family came up with.

So, I turned to AI to find out if there was such a thing as a plank sandwich and was told:

A plank sandwich typically refers to a sandwich made using thick slices or "planks" of bread or other ingredients, often layered with various fillings. It can also refer to specific recipes, like a Monte Cristo breakfast plank, which involves dipping bread planks in an egg mixture and cooking them with fillings.

-AI Assist

See? Even us folks of a certain age can still be learning new things everyday y'all!

Skillet Angel Chicken - My Way

My variation of the viral Angel Chicken recipe, made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, wrapped in seasoned bacon, and finished on the stovetop in a sauce made of chicken stock, cream soup, cream cheese, butter and dry Italian dressing mix.

Skillet Angel Chicken

I'm sure by now you've seen some version of this Angel Chicken recipe, because it's literally all over the internet. It's usually made in a slow cooker, but if you've been around here any length of time you know I'm not a huge user of that appliance in general.

Oh, I like it just fine, especially for those tougher cuts of meat that need a longer cook time. It's not my favorite mostly because it involves advanced planning which I'm not that great at doing! Still, readers here enjoy using a slow cooker, so I've shared a few recipes here and there.

Chicken breasts in the slow cooker though? Those are my least favorite protein to cook in one.

A fully cooked, bone-in, shank portion smoked ham, baked in an oven bag, then opened and finished with a root beer based glaze.

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Oven Bag Root Beer Glazed Ham

It's been quite a few years since I've used an oven cooking bag, though there was a time when they were pretty popular for home cooks. Considering they are still available today, apparently some folks continue to use them, most often I think for cooking holiday turkeys, since they are so easy to overcook otherwise and can be very dry. Better chances with an oven bag!

Initially I bought these to try one of Justin Wilson's recipes - he seemed to have used them quite a bit back in the day - but never got around to that recipe, so I thought why not try one with a ham since at the time of this writing, Easter is right around the corner! Ya gotta admit. That looks really good doesn't it?

A quick and easy snack cake made with pineapple, topped with brown sugar and walnuts and finished with a simple powdered sugar glaze.

Pineapple Cake

Every once in awhile a gal just wants something a little sweet. Something that tastes good but is easy and not fussy.

This is the cake for that.

In fact, one of the names that it's picked up over time is "Preacher Cake" because it's a cake that one could potentially throw together right after church and before the preacher's home visit, although folks tend to add spices to it now.

A breakfast or brunch strata layered with sliced bread, fresh crabmeat and cheese, baked in a milk and egg custard.

Hot Crab Strata Brunch Casserole

I ran across this recipe in a 1977 The Southern Junior League Cookbook (#ad), which is a collection of recipes from different Junior Leagues across the south. Talk about an oldie but goodie! This recipe was submitted by the Huntsville, Alabama group and in the cookbook is called Hot Crab Sandwich.

I had never heard of anything like it before and I just so happened to have a half pound of crabmeat that I needed to use up, so thought I'd give a half recipe a try, although I did make a few changes, including to increase the egg.

Y'all. This turned out to be so absolutely delicious that I wished I would have made the full casserole! I do think while it would certainly make a great addition for any holiday breakfast or brunch, it'd be great for any other time too!

Highly seasoned shrimp tossed with a mayonnaise and mustard dressing and served as a cold sandwich, dressed simply with shredded lettuce on soft sandwich buns. Serve with chips and pickle spears, pickled okra or briny olives.

Cold Shrimp Rolls

Lobster rolls aren't exactly a thing down here because while you will find some, including a Caribbean spiny lobster, in the continental shelf of the Gulf of America, they have a short peak season from September to November and aren't nearly as plentiful or as well known as those lobsters found in the Northeast waters.

I've lived here all of my life and never once eaten a Gulf lobster. Never.

So lobsters are not so common here along the Gulf Coast, but we make up for it with an abundance of all kinds of other seafood, including shrimp!

Beautiful, tasty, delicious Wild American born Gulf Shrimp - the best in the country in my opinion, but then seeing as I grew up in Biloxi, I guess I'm a little biased too.

Amish Wedding Noodles - My Way

Medium egg noodles, cooked in chicken stock or broth, then combined with cream soup and Velveeta.

Amish Wedding Noodles

At some point along the way, you've probably seen those viral TikTok Cafeteria or Buttered Noodles making the rounds on social media. I really don't know the origins of them, but by the name I am assuming that they came about from back in the day when school cafeterias actually served real food instead of the sad excuses that often grace the plates of kids today.

I personally don't remember a noodle dish at all, but I'll be honest. While I remember all of the food being homemade and tasty, the one thing that stands out the most from my school lunches are those awesome homemade yeast rolls!

A roux-based stew made using a quick cooking ground beef instead of a roast, and a shortcut of frozen vegetables. Pictured here with my Old-Fashioned Lard Biscuits.

Hamburger Stew

If you happened to see my previous post for Old-Fashioned Lard Biscuits, you probably saw a bowl of this Hamburger Stew there, so I figured I'd slide this one in before Spring is upon us, although it's fast approaching!

Nevermind that the forecast says we'll be in the high 30s when it does roll in! 

Not that seasons mean a thing to those of us in the South when it comes to food. We don't really have much of a Winter season down here to begin with, but yes, even in the heat of Summer you'll find us making a gumbo, or even a soup or a stew... if that's what we want!

A soft and tender, melt in your mouth biscuit, made with self-rising flour, lard and buttermilk.

Old-Fashioned Lard Biscuits

Back in the day, whole neighborhoods and families gathered in the fall for the boucherie hog slaughter and the big feast and celebration that went with it. Although there are a few old-timers left, that art has all but dried up with rare exceptions in some of the most rural areas of the country.

You know. Those places where folks actually do still live off the land and raise their own meat, instead of buying it at a grocery market. 

Back then, the preferred fat for everything, including biscuits, would have been the rendered pig fat. Lard. And, truth be known, lard was commonly used back then all across the country.

Tuna salad, made and dressed in the style of Jimmy John's sandwich shop.

Tuna Salad Jimmy John's Style

While I have passed by their location in Biloxi several times, I have never eaten at a Jimmy John's and it has nothing to do with any kind of controversy with the original owner.

Truth is, I cook so much so we rarely eat out anywhere, unless I'm just exhausted and there aren't any leftovers that appeal to me! Plus, it ain't cheap to eat out these days now is it?

Heck, fast food isn't even a cheaper option anymore either. A family-sized dinner from a great fried chicken restaurant can be $40 or more y'all!

A cream cheese based cracker spread, made with stuffed olives and simple seasonings, great for dipping veggies, for tea sandwiches or your favorite crackers.

Olive Spread

First things first.

If you don't already have an affinity for all things olives, you won't like this spread. Ya pretty much gotta love olives, which I do. 

Briny olives and anything pickled make for a quick snack for me.

I love it all - from kosher dills, to bread and butter pickles, pickled okra and every kind of olive. And a muffuletta sandwich slathered in olive salad? Um, yes please!

Chicken thighs, seasoned and seared, then slow simmered in a rich, dark roux with the trinity, potatoes and boiled eggs.

Cajun Chicken Stew with Potatoes and Egg

A chicken stew made with the trinity and a roux is pretty common in Cajun country, whether it's with or without the addition of potatoes or boiled eggs.

Adding either of those to a stew or gumbo was common, potatoes to make a stew fill more bellies and boiled eggs to extend the protein because, at least at one time, eggs were a pretty inexpensive source of protein that would substitute for a lack of meat.

Economics aside, it's still a tradition in many families!

White beans, slow cooked with smoked meat and simply seasoned.

Classic White Beans

Mondays in the Deep South are all about the red beans, but did you know as an excuse to eat more beans on the regular, somebody at some point thought up White Bean Wednesdays?

Yep. They sure did!

White beans are right next to red beans to me so I'm not mad about it either.

A chicken, sausage and shrimp gumbo, made with a butter-based roux, the trinity and okra.

Butter Roux Chicken, Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo

A long time ago, I remember hearing an old wives' tale about combining chicken and seafood together in a gumbo, something to the effect of "land and sea, never the two shall meet," a throw back to Kipling I think. Supposedly, you weren't to mix seafood and chicken in a gumbo.

In my growing up, we didn't. There was seafood gumbo and there was chicken gumbo. There was no mixing of the two together in one gumbo.

Seems like it's actually really a thing though!

A Tex-Mex meal made in a casserole dish, starting with a layer of flour tortillas, topped with shredded cheese, Rotel tomatoes, sour cream, tostada shells, cheese sauce, taco-seasoned ground beef and more cheese, folded, brushed with butter and baked.

Crunchwrap Casserole

Okay, confession.

While I can recall having had a Crunchwrap from Taco Bell only once before and, in fact, while I also recall it being pretty tasty, it didn't drive me to have a constant craving so I didn't have much of a memory about how I felt about it!

Now don't get me wrong.

If I have a taste for a taco or three in a hurry, Taco Bell is gonna be my quick run y'all. They get a lot of ribbing, but I've always had a good experience with their food.

Boneless pork chops, nicely seasoned, skillet seared and baked atop sliced potatoes with a cream sauce.

Pork Chops and Scalloped Potatoes

I can't tell you how many times that I hear "my pork chops always turn out dry" whenever I share a pork chop recipe on social media.

Pork chops are so much leaner today than they used to be and that means they cook much faster and well, folks aren't necessarily used to that! The result? People tend to overcook them, rendering them dry and tasteless!

Cooking that long is no longer necessary with today's leaner pork.

Chicken wings, lightly dusted with seasoned salt, pepper and paprika, brushed with a spicy honey teriyaki marinade and baked.

Spicy Honey Teriyaki Barbecue Wings

The Cajun and I eat wings often and not just because there's a football game or party going on, although both of those times are common for sure! Our local Winn Dixie even has a great wing bar and we've visited that for a bucket of wings a few times.

As to my own recipes, you'll sometimes see that when I share a recipe for wings, the whole wing is in play and I've not separated my wings into drums and flats at all. I mean, it's just the two of us most of the time and frankly that's just another step.

Mini smoked sausages in a tangy sauce, perfect for any gathering.

Party Cocktail Sausages

Meatballs and mini smoked sausages - most notably those Lit'l Smokies - are two party staples and the best part? The sauces you use can completely customize them.

One standard mixture is the old school chili sauce and grape jelly blend and frankly everybody I know, even my grandkids, love that, whether it's on meatballs or sausages.

Fresh salmon fillets, marinated with a seasoned olive oil blend and baked.

Marinated Baked Salmon

I grew up with fresh seafood and I love it all.

But, of course, salmon is not a fish that I grew up with here on the Gulf Coast.

In fact, it is only in recent years that I have come to appreciate it and the salmon I've been enjoying for the last few years is from Faroe Island, which in my opinion is superior over any other.

Peeled russet potatoes, cut into chunks and gently boiled in water until tender and reduced, thickened with a slurry.

Creamed Potatoes with Thickening

Potatoes are a staple across the country I suppose, but like rice, they sure are a pretty big part of life in the South.

Not only do they act as a side dish, they can also serve as an inexpensive and filling main dish for those times when the money has fallen short of the month. In fact, this meal topped with whatever leftovers were in the house, or whatever was on hand from the pantry, actually comes from the Depression Era.

An appetizer bread, spread with a mix of mayo, shredded cheese, bacon, nuts and green onion, spread on French bread, baked and sliced for serving.

Million Dollar Cheese Bread

You've probably seen Million Dollar Dip and Neiman Marcus Dip all around the internet at some point. As to bloggers of food, it seems to be offered everywhere!

Million Dollar Dip was originally known simply as Almond-Bacon-Cheese Spread and later as Neiman Marcus Dip because that's where the original developer of the recipe, Helen Corbitt, happened to work as Director of Food Services at the Neiman Marcus restaurant, Zodiac Room in Texas, where it is said many of her recipes are still offered.

A quick and easy, classic cold bean dip, made using a combination of seasoned, thick and creamy pinto and white beans, with a hint of heat from Creole or Cajun seasoning and pickled jalapenos.

Quick Cold Bean Dip

You can't beat a classic bean dip and there's a reason it's stood the test of time!

Everybody seems to like them, whether it's baked, or served cold like this one, though this one may certainly be warmed up to serve as well. Personally, I enjoy them equally, but when I'm in the mood for a quick bean dip, this is the one that I lean to.

A very basic and simple soup, starts with a stewed smoked pork hock and made with chicken stock, potatoes, turnips, carrots, onion, cabbage and tomatoes.

Dolly's Stone Soup

There are many stories of the origins of the folk tale of Stone Soup, and it seems to cross many cultures as well, but essentially it centers around the tale of a hungry traveler who arrives in a village where the residents don't seem to want to share their food.

The traveler goes to a stream, fills a pot with water and drops a stone into the water - promising the stone will result in a very special soup.

Russet potatoes, peeled and cut up, smothered with onion, smoked sausage and Rotel tomatoes and cooked in a rice cooker.

Rice Cooker Smothered Potatoes

Rice cookers may be a bit old school, but believe it or not, they're still a thing down here and for the most part, it's an appliance that is completely uncomplicated.

One simple "start" button is usually all there is to them!

You press it, it cooks your rice, kicks over to warm when your rice is done, and it actually holds the rice for a long time. As far as timing goes, it's really going to depend on your cooker, so holding on to that product manual is key to timing for the rest of your dinner.