Homemade kettle style popcorn, popped stovetop in a sugared oil and butter blend and tossed with Cajun seasoning, mixed with seasoned salt and cinnamon.

Homemade Cajun Kettle Corn

I am not a big fan of microwave kettle corn - it's either not very flavorful, or just too overly sweet for me. But Homemade Kettle Corn with spicy Cajun seasoning?

Count me in!

I was watching Food Network once when Melissa d'Arabian's show came on and she happened to be making some kettle corn.

When I noticed she added in cinnamon, I was intrigued!

Scoops of vanilla ice cream, topped with chocolate syrup and a coffee punch, made with Godiva chocolate truffle coffee blended with more ice cream and homemade whipped cream, makes for a decadent and refreshing coffee punch float.

Coffee Punch Float

Coffee punch is an old-fashioned, familiar and popular adult party punch in the south, that often shows up at wedding and baby showers, ladies teas, potlucks, cookouts, or really any other party or gathering. Ice cream is scooped into a punch bowl, topped with homemade whipped cream and covered in sweetened coffee. I recently had a chance to try out Godiva coffees {affil link} and thought that it would be a good time to transform this familiar southern punch into individual coffee floats, for a refreshing summer treat to serve anytime.

I received samples of both Godiva Chocolate Truffle and Godiva Hazelnut Creme. Both coffees are a medium roast, pre-ground blend, made from 100% Arabica coffee beans, and inspired by signature Godiva chocolates. The inspiration for these two featured coffees is Godiva's rich Milk Chocolate truffle and Open Oyster hazelnut praline truffles - both giving a wonderfully sweet and creamy finish. Godiva coffees are so incredibly fragrant that I gotta say, it was really difficult to settle on one to use for the punch float!

Jumbo shrimp, marinated in a spicy Buffalo sauce then grilled and served on a bed of Cajun Rice Pilaf.

Buffalo Grilled Shrimp

Most people think of Frank's RedHot with wings, or maybe chicken, but I thought that I'd give it a run on some grilled shrimp for a change of pace.

The next time that The Cajun headed out to shrimp with Dad, I put out my request for some proper grilling jumbos. To grill shrimp, you really need colossal or jumbo sized. Anything smaller will overcook too quickly on the grill unless you are quick on the draw and stand over them.

Right off the boat, caught in our Gulf in the mornin', cooked that same day - now that's as fresh as it gets y'all!

A garden fresh casserole featuring sweet summer corn and tomatoes, onion, sweet bell pepper and garden fresh herbs.

Fresh Corn Casserole

I don't watch QVC as much as I'd like to, well except during Christmas time, not because I don't love it, but because I do. I would be flat broke is all! At any rate, Terresa Ray was recently filling in as on-air host for two of my favorite Mississippi "Cookbook Ladies" Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley of the Best of the Best cookbook series fame and the company that published my own cookbook!

She was on the 'In the Kitchen with David' segment to do a pre-sell on their upcoming and QVC exclusive August release, Recipe Hall of Fame Fresh from the Farmers Market cookbook. They sold out thousands of cookbooks on that show very quickly.

A refreshing summer drink of sour cherries and lemonade.

Sour Cherry Lemonade

It's kinda hard being a blogger of food this time of the year, and especially when it's primarily classic and favorite southern recipes you write about. People are cutting back on calories and passing over comfort foods, for swimsuits and vacation time. On top of that, it's just so darned hot down in this part of the world, that it's pretty hard to think about cooking, much less eating, especially if you've spent any of the day outside. On the rare occasion that we want to stand over the stove or turn on the oven in the summer, it has to be for something special, or to satisfy a particular craving.

This is the time of year that I like to try a variety of cold, fruity drinks. I was recently flipping through the July 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine, and saw a recipe for sour cherry lemonade. It sounded refreshing, and a little different, so I thought it'd be a great time to add another lemonade to the mix. Of course Martha's recipe was made with fresh cherries and fresh lemons, neither of which I had on hand. I did know however, that I had a couple cans of Oregon tart cherries in the pantry and a can of lemonade concentrate in the freezer, and so, I wasn't troubled in the least! Fresh cherries would have been nice, although much more work, and canned cherries by Oregon contain nothing but fruit and water and are a great substitute and a winner in my book anytime!

No Bake Frozen Yogurt Strawberry Pie

A little cool slice of heaven is found in Rose Mary's Frozen Yogurt Strawberry Pie. It's perfect for your next gathering!

Frozen Yogurt Strawberry Pie

Today I'm excited to bring you not only a Featured Reader Recipe, but a Featured Guest Post from a lovely lady I have been corresponding with for several months now.  Rose Mary found herself un-expectantly retired by disability, after a long held career in the retail food industry. Not one to be hampered by that, she turned a passion for food and a love of cooking for others, into a self-published cookbook project to help make ends meet. You can find out more about her cookbook at the bottom of this post.

Coming from a background built upon firm parenting under strong Christian values and humble beginnings, Rose Mary is part of a large and accomplished family. She is truly a delight and joy, and the kind of person who can't help but brighten your day. I know you'll enjoy getting to know her, as much as you will enjoy the delicious recipe she is sharing with us. Please welcome and say hello to our special guest.

Boiled or sautéed shrimp, layered with paper thin strips of lemon, red onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic, whole bay leaves and dressed with a vinaigrette. Shown here on a slice of toasted bread.

Pickled Shrimp

The Cajun went shrimping last Friday and I spent most of the weekend heading and putting up shrimp. Of course, his favorite way to eat shrimp, hands down, is my crispy Fried Shrimp, so those were on the menu right away! I mean c'mon... the man certainly earned that in the least!

Pot Roasted Chicken - Chicken in a Pot with Bacon, Onion and Potatoes

Whole chicken, slow-roasted in a covered Dutch oven, with bacon, onion & potatoes. Add a nice garden salad & a loaf of warmed French bread for sopping up those marvelous pan juices.

Chicken in a Pot

I happened to catch whole chickens on sale for 67 cents a pound recently, so of course I stocked up on a few and had in mind one of them would land as another form of roasted chicken for the Sunday Supper series for sure.  But, as I do sometimes, about mid-stream of beginning to prep the chicken for roasting, I decided to pull down Julia Child's cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking {affil link} and do something different.

Southern Strawberry Cake with Coconut and Pecan

Take our well-loved, made from a mix strawberry cake, add the usual strawberries and strawberry gelatin, but bump it up a level with toasted pecans and coconut, and you've got one delicious dessert y'all!

Strawberry Coconut Pecan Cake

I think the heat wave across the country, and especially the drought we're experiencing here in the Coastal South, is making it pretty difficult for most of us to get in the mood for cooking, much less baking. I can't even seem to get focused for recipe development, and that's not like me! I mean you need only look here to see it's been a week between my posts.

Pair the sweet and sour elements of a vinegar coleslaw with the familiar fire and ice dressing combination we Southerners seem to be endeared to, and you've got a sweet and spicy vinegar coleslaw I think your guests will love!

Fire 'n Ice Vinegar Coleslaw

Far as I know there are essentially two basic kinds of coleslaw in The South, though there are a multitude of variations on each one of them too. While they are both certainly some combination of sweet and sour, one is more of a basic creamy style - primarily based on mayonnaise, milk, or buttermilk - and where marvelous things like Pineapple Buttermilk Coleslaw fall. The other is more heavily vinegar and sugar based, with a few that cross lines somewhere between the two.

Thinly shredded cabbage marinated in a fantastic spicy buttermilk pineapple dressing.

Pineapple Buttermilk Coleslaw

Don't let that picture fool ya. I didn't want a big pool of juices for the photo, but soon as I snapped it, I scooped some of those juices out of the bottom of the bowl and poured them right on top of that serving. Y'all, I am not ashamed to say that I actually tilted my plate up to lap up all the juices of this coleslaw. Yep. I sure did. It is that good.

Macaroni Salad with crunchy veggies, in a mayo and sour cream seasoned dressing, and tossed with black and green olives.

Macaroni and Olive Salad

I love pasta salads, even if they aren't all that photogenic. Though this one is loaded with veggies for crunch, the central feature of this pasta salad is olives - both black and green.

I've already included pimentos as an add-in with this pasta salad, even though I use a stuffed olive, or use your own favorite pitted green olives. I've actually even used olive salad before in place of green olives, when I've had some leftover from making Muffuletta Sandwiches, and it is an excellent, tangy addition, but if you prefer black olives over green, it's still a great pasta salad with black alone.

Copper Pennies Carrot Salad - Sweet and Sour Carrots

Copper Pennies, an old fashioned chilled carrot salad, made with thinly sliced carrots, sweet onion and sweet bell pepper, soaked in a sweet and sour vinegar marinade made with canned tomato soup.

Copper Pennies Carrot Salad

Just like pineapple, we southerners also love our sweet and sour dishes.

From salads, to green beans, to pickles, that combination of flavor has long been a southern favorite and Copper Penny Carrots are another dish that falls into that category. Named so because they resemble pennies, it is a cold marinated salad of thinly sliced vegetables - carrots, sweet onion and sweet bell pepper - tossed and left to marinade in a hot, sweet and sour mixture of tomato, vinegar and seasonings.

Also known as bronze pennies, they are as fabulous as a holiday side as they are at a barbecue, and perfect for the Easter table.

Old Fashioned Baked Pineapple Casserole

 

Old School Baked Pineapple Casserole, a favorite holiday side dish in the south, made with the unlikely combination of pineapple layered with crushed Ritz crackers and shredded cheddar cheese. Somehow it works!

Baked Pineapple Casserole

We southerners sure love our pineapple dishes. From sweet to savory and everywhere in between, we enjoy it in a multitude of dishes, and this is one of the oldest. Another one of those tasty dishes that doesn't really photograph all that pretty, and, at first glance, certainly seems an unlikely and odd combination of ingredients to pair together.

Like its southern sisters Watergate Salad, 5 Cup Salad, and Old Fashioned Cherry Coke Salad, it's also another one of those difficult to place recipes in a menu listing - but, indeed, it is intended to be a side dish, and not a dessert.

Often called Banana Split Cake, this layered dessert has the same base ingredients from a banana split but in a convenient and well loved layered pan dessert.

Layered Banana Split Dessert

Take the elements of a banana split - bananas, pineapple, strawberries, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, maraschino cherries, and chopped nuts - layer that on top of a cookie crust, throw in a layer of that fabulous cream cheese, powdered sugar, whipped cream mixture as a stand-in for the usual ice cream, and you have one well loved Layered Banana Split Dessert.

Whole Stuffed Flounder

Whole flounder, dressed with a seafood stuffing mix of shrimp and crab.

Stuffed Whole Flounder

If you've ever visited along a coastal area like the Gulf Coast where I live, you've probably seen lights bobbing around right along the shoreline at night, and may have wondered what exactly was going on. If you've ever actually lived along the coastline, you've probably done it at least once in your lifetime.

Featured Reader Recipe - John's Yankee Pot Roast

Chuck roast, slow braised in convenient canned vegetable soup, providing a great base to spoon over creamed potatoes.

John's Yankee Pot Roast

When a reader, John, shared this recipe with me, I have to say that I was intrigued by his use of canned vegetable soup for a Yankee Pot Roast. Originally from Wisconsin, John was stationed in South Carolina in the 70's and apparently decided to stick around! He refers to himself as a "Southernified Yankee."

Hash Brown Quiche with Andouille Sausage

Smoked sausage quiche with onion, bell pepper and Swiss cheese in a hash brown crust, shown here served with a drizzle of hot sauce and Fire Roasted Green Salsa.

Hash Brown Quiche

The Cajun is not a big fan of quiche, so I don't make it as often as I'd like to, though I happen to love it. It's as good a meal for lunch or dinner as it is for breakfast in my opinion.

Chocolate Sin (Lush) - My Way

A decadent and well loved dessert made with a shortbread pecan crust and layers of cream cheese, pudding and whipped cream.

Chocolate Sin (Lush)

This dessert recipe goes far, far back in my memory, though I was a bit older before I first heard it called "Better Than Sex." I distinctly remember a girlfriend calling it that and with a puzzled look on my face being told, "darlin', this is sooooo good that it is better than sex, that's why," and that was that. It sure has made multiple appearances in my life, that's for sure.

Cooking with Kids - Fruit Pizza!

Today we're turning the kitchen over to the kids to show you how easy it is to get even the littlest ones into the kitchen for some cookin' fun with Rhodes Bake N Serve frozen bread dough!

Available on the Rhodes Bake N Serve Website