A long-held and well-loved casserole, made with chopped cabbage, onions, salt and pepper, and a classic southern combo of mayo and cream soup, topped with a buttery, cheesy cracker finish.

Cabbage Casserole

Any of y'all who have been around Deep South Dish for any length of time, know how much I love cabbage. I especially love the boiled or fried versions, which frankly, is what I make the most, even when my original intention when I bought a new head of cabbage was to write something new for the website!

What can I say?!

Cheese Delights - Broiled Open-Faced Tomato and Cheese Sandwich

An open-faced, broiled tomato and cheese sandwich with bacon and fresh basil.

Cheese Delights

One day, when I was sharing my broiled tomatoes on the Facebook page, Cheryl, one of the readers there, was reminded of an open-faced tomato sandwich her grandmother used to make. She called them Cheese Delights.

You can find a variety of open-faced tomato and cheese sandwich recipes around the net, and while they have different preparations and some with a variation in ingredients, you'll primarily find the ingredients to contain at least:

A vintage sweet treat, pumpkin pudding is a dessert that falls somewhere between a dense cake and a crustless pumpkin pie. Slice into squares and serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and a garnish of freshly grated nutmeg.

Old-Fashioned Baked Pumpkin Pudding

There are a few pumpkin pudding recipes out there, but for the most part, they are just that. Pudding, with pumpkin puree, very often including a box of pudding mix, and usually prepared in individual custard cups.

This, is not that.

Cheeseballs make great party appetizers and the chipped beef version is exceptional. Made with dried beef, green onions, horseradish, Cajun seasoning, Worcestershire and parsley, then rolled in more dried beef and parsley.

Chipped Beef Cheese Ball

Okay y'all... we're going old school today, in the name of cheese balls and this cheese ball in particular! Along with the pineapple one, this has always been one of my favorites in the family of cheeseballs. I don't know why I got away from making them really, but I'm glad I got back to it. They make great party food!

Typically these were made with all of the chipped beef in the cheese ball, and finished with a roll in fresh chopped parsley, but I think that it looks nicer with some of the beef on the outside as well, and it's a pretty good indicator of what kind of cheese ball it is to your guests too.

Just remember, all cheese balls are best made 1 to 2 days in advance whenever possible to allow the flavors to all meld together, and they are also best when allowed to come to room temperature before serving too.

Chicken Cacciatore, an Italian-American comfort food meal, also known as Hunter's Chicken, is made from a whole, cut up chicken, lightly dusted in flour and browned in hot oil, then slow braised in a light tomato sauce with onion, sweet bell pepper and mushrooms.

Chicken Cacciatore

Also known as Hunter's Chicken - or chicken in the style of the hunter - and said to have typically been a dish made using whatever wild game had come from the day's hunt - though today chicken is king.

There is no doubt that Chicken Cacciatore, or Pollo alla Cacciatora, is an authentic Italian dish, though in my Italian cookbook, The Silver Spoon {affil link}, it contains plain unfloured chicken, seared in butter and oil, includes onion, celery, carrots and tomatoes, and is finished with a toss of some fresh parsley. It also states that in some regions of Italy it is heavier in celery and carrots than their recipe, in others white wine is added and in others yet, sliced mushrooms.

Hot Roast Beef with Gravy - Instant Pot

An open-faced hot roast beef sandwich, made with a rump roast and served with white bread, homemade mashed potatoes and topped with gravy.

Instant Pot Hot Roast Beef

Who remembers a hot roast beef? You don't hear much about them these days, but basically, it's an open-faced roast beef sandwich, served over plain or toasted white bread, with a scoop or two of homemade mashed potatoes... and plenty of gravy. Typically a leftovers meal, I had a very specific craving for one, so I had to start from scratch and make a roast!

One of my favorite things to cook in a slow cooker are roasts, but I've really fallen in love with using my multi-cooker/pressure cooker for them. Instead of taking 3 hours on the stovetop, or even longer in a crockpot, you can have a fork tender chuck or rump roast on the table in about an hour.

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 wonderful heirloom recipe dating back 100 years, this simple pecan cookie bar is topped with a brown sugar meringue layer, giving them a slightly crisp, cracked topping.

Original Old Fashioned Mud Hen Bars

You may never have heard of Mud Hen Bars before, or you may have seen them for first time in the last couple of years across the explosion of food blogs, but it's actually one of those recipes that's been around even longer than I have.

Deviled Ham Salad - Bologna Salad

Old School Deviled Ham Salad, made with ground ham, sweet pickles, pimentos and mayonnaise. My version adds in celery and onion, and a little horseradish, spicy mustard, hot sauce and Cajun seasoning with the mayonnaise.

Deviled Ham Salad

Back in the day, this deviled ham salad was made using an old-fashioned countertop grinder - the cast iron kind, that clamped onto the edge of the kitchen counter or a table. Usually, a slice or two of bread would be run through first, just to sort of clean it of any dried, leftover residue, since they were next to impossible to clean well. Everything else was added to the grinder in order, and then the salad mixed together with a homemade mayonnaise.

Apple Dapple is a well loved heritage cake made with apples and pecans, and glazed with a crunchy brown sugar maple topping.

Apple Dapple Cake with Maple Glaze

This is such a tasty and moist apple cake, and you can make it a day ahead, because it gets even better, making it a perfect addition to the holiday table. I first met this cake 30 years ago, though frankly I'm sure it's been around even longer than that, meaning you can count on it being well-tested and reliable too.

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.