Sweet Tea 5 regular size tea bags (orange pekoe is what we generally use) 3/4 cup sugar Makes 2 quarts Place tea bags in sauce pot fill about three inches and bring just to a boil, then remove from heat. Fill pitcher 1/2 of the way with cool water and add sugar. Stir. Add hot [...]
This is a staple at barbecues, family gatherings, and reunions. During our Southern Summers, we love the juicy and refreshing experience of eating this salad! Although I had seen it plenty as a child, the first time I actually tasted fire and ice salad was when I was pregnant with my daughter. My husband’s company [...]
I’m bringing you a little treasure which I discovered buried among our belongings at the old house this past weekend. This is a recipe of Granny Jordan’s, whom I’ve mentioned here several times before – and if you haven’t tried her frozen cranberry banana salads, you’ve lived a wasted life. (Sorry to break it to [...]
(Originally posted July 10, 2008. Please see letter at bottom) Tea rooms in the south are a far cry from formalized locales where you sit up straight, sip hot tea, and nibble on a scone. In the south, our tea rooms have a relaxed and bright atmosphere. They are filled with smiling ladies gathered together [...]
*Please see letter to readers at bottom of this post (Originally published July 1, 2008) I told my mother I was going to do a web tutorial on how to make buttermilk biscuits, a staple in the south. She said “Oh, you HAVE to do those from Southern Living!”. Now, admittedly, they are awfully good. [...]
Several readers have emailed me asking about ideas for Christmas entertaining when hosting gatherings. Seeing as how this is the best time of the year, we don’t want to be sweating away in the kitchen when our family comes to pay call! (Mama would object to me using the term “sweating”. She says ladies do [...]
I have so many things photographed and ready to bring you that my mind is reeling with what to do first! Today I decided to bring you a super quick and easy recipe to give us all a break during the rushed holiday season. Can you believe, after all you do, your family STILL expects [...]
As kids, one of our favorite Sunday desserts was pecan pie. It seemed like Mama made one almost every Sunday, too. That was the day when we always had even more dinner guests than usual. You see, people tended to gravitate towards our house at meal time (Mama has always made amazing meals) and my [...]
Today, I’m bringing you a real rarity. In fact, it is pretty much unheard of outside of North Alabama. White BBQ Sauce, even my husband (who is from a town in Georgia only four hours away) had never heard of it. A lot of folks in south Alabama have never heard of it. This is [...]
If you’ve never had a southern tea cake, they are rather difficult to describe. I can assure you though, despite appearances, it is nothing like a cookie. This tender little cake is soft and pillowy, with just a touch of sweetness. A very simple and comforting flavor, they are generally only iced for company or [...]
Nothing, I mean nothing, is more Southern than sweet tea. We drink it at almost every meal (yes, iced tea for breakfast is quite good, actually), we make it daily, and we even put it in our baby’s bottles. Dr. Phil once jokingly mentioned that Southerners started drinking sweet tea at age three, but Mama [...]
I am going to start this post off by asking a favor of you all. Please make this chicken stew. Its that good. Its so good that it actually bothers me to think that some of you might only look at the photos, read the tutorial, and never make it. Its so good that if [...]
I got an email from a reader, Terri (Who is originally from Georgia -Go Dawgs!) telling me she made world famous cornbread. I was intrigued. Then she told me that her husband said she made better cornbread than his MAMA. I was stunned. THEN she told me that her cornbread recipe included TWO CUPS OF [...]
The first time I remember hearing of a chess pie was as a little girl at my grandmother’s house. There was this pie on their dining room table and my grandparents and their friends had practically swarmed it until there was only a tiny piece left. Fortuantely, that piece went to me. A thick, custardy [...]
This is one of my absolute favorite meals that my mother made growing up. Tender steak smothered in creamy and flavorful milk gravy, this dish is yet another bit of proof that simple food is often times the best! My mother says the first time she remembered having this was when she was just a [...]
One Skillet Chili Bake 1 lb ground beef 1 can red kidney beans 1 can Ro-Tel (or one small can diced tomatoes and small can chopped green chilies) 1/2 C uncooked rice 2 T chili powder 1 C shredded cheddar cheese 1 Cup water, if needed In large skillet, brown beef and drain well. Add [...]
This is an Apple Skillet Cake from my husband’s grandmother, Granny Jordan. I have written a little about Granny Jordan before when I posted her Frozen Cranberry Banana Salads, but I won’t miss out on an opportunity to praise her further! Granny Jordan was the quintessential southern lady in absolutely every fashion. She collected recipes [...]
Raisin Bran Muffins 6 cups raisin bran cereal 2 ½ cups plain all purpose flour 2 cups buttermilk 1 cup sugar ½ cup oil 2 eggs, beaten 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt In large bowl mix well all ingredients. Refrigerate overnight. Next morning, stir well and bake as many as needed [...]
Perfect Peach Preserves 2 – 29 oz cans peaches in heavy syrup 2 Cup sugar “separator” style=”clear:both;text-align:left;”>Pour peaches and syrup into medium sized pot. Heat over medium low for half an hour, stirring occasionally. Gently stir in sugar. Raise heat to medium and continue cooking for an hour and a half to two hours, or [...]
Fruit Cocktail Cake 2 Cups self rising flour 1 can fruit cocktail 2 unbeaten eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 ½ Cup sugar Mix all ingredients at low speed. Pour into greased and floured 9×13 in pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Sauce 1 [...]
Chicken and Dumplings 3 or 4 chicken breasts 32 oz Chicken Broth (feel free to use water with bouillon cubes added) 1 can cream of chicken soup 1-10 count can Pilsbury layers biscuits salt and pepper to taste flour Cook chicken breasts in approx. 4 c. of water until fork tender, about 45 [...]
Grandmama’s Sweet Potato Pie Sweet Potatoes: 1 C sugar 2 Eggs 1 Stick Margarine 1 tsp Vanilla 1 tsp cinnamon (optional) 3.5 oz sweetened flaked coconut Peel and slice sweet potatoes. Place in pot and cover with water until fork tender. Drain well and place in mixing bowl. Add margarine and beat until smooth. Add [...]
Chocolate Cobbler 1 Cup self Rising Flour 3/4 Cup sugar 2 Tablespoons Cocoa 1/2 Cup Milk 1 teaspoons Vanilla 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar 1/4 Cup Cocoa 1 3/4 Cup hot tap water 1 Cup chopped pecans (optional) Mix together flour, sugar, and cocoa. Add milk, vanilla, oil, and nuts (if [...]
My friend, Michael, called me this week and threatened to put a hit out on me if I keep proliferating our once guarded recipes. He said “It ain’t right you giving all of these things out!”. I mentioned Paula Deen and he quickly let me know that he wasn’t too happy with her for her [...]
Pizza Rolls 2 lbs ground beef, browned and drained 2 Cups Mozzarella 1 Dozen sub rolls 2 – 15 oz jars of pizza sauce Add one and a half jars of pizza sauce to beef in skillet. Stir and cook on medium until bubbly. Slice each bun almost through and spoon beef mixture into the [...]
Yellow Cake Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Icing Duncan Hines yellow cake mix, made according to package directions and cooled 1- 1/2 Cups sugar 7 Tablespoons milk 2 Tablespoons Shortening 2 Tablespoons margarine 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 Cup creamy Peanut Butter Combine sugar, milk, shortening, margarine, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil [...]
Crock Pot Chicken and Dressing ~My grandmother, Lucille 4 chicken breasts, cooked 2 pans of cornbread or two quarts 2 hamburger or hot dog buns (can use a few slices of white bread) 2 Tablespoons sage 1 medium onion, chopped 2 eggs, hard boiled 2 cans cream of chicken soup 1 stick margarine, melted 2 [...]
Homemade Banana Pudding 1/2 Cup Sugar (or splenda) 1/3 Cup Flour 3 egg yolks 2 Cups milk 1 box Nilla Wafers 5 bananas 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla dash salt Place a layer of Nilla Wafers in the bottom of a medium sized mixing bowl. Slice a banana over the top. Repeat two more times with another [...]
