I try to teach optimism to my kids. I’ve always felt that teaching children the benefits of a positive attitude is a vital lesson which will benefit them the rest of their lives. I tell …

(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 …

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 …

This is my Dad’s favorite cake at Christmas time and Easter and its just divine beyond compare. Another great refrigerator cake, it can be made three days ahead of time and then left to sit …

*Today is the last day to earn your entries into the Southern Beauty Magazine Giveaway of a beauty basket with over $200 worth of products! Southern Plate readers can also get buy one, get one …

Life during the depression in rural Alabama wasn’t too different from any other time of year for my people. You see, they were sharecroppers – dirt farmers who didn’t even own their own dirt. They …

Katy and I went out to lunch last week, while her daddy was at work and her brother in school. It was a little girl time and produced some great conversation. Anytime you get an …

I am THRILLED to be able to post this recipe on Southern Plate from Laura over at Real Mom Kitchen! I asked Laura if she would like to be a guest blogger, knowing she’d bring …

Today I’m bringing you another kid friendly recipe sure to please! I don’t know any child who doesn’t love hot chocolate, but very few who have gotten  to make their own hot chocolate mix! This …

This is the first of many gift giving mixes I plan on bringing to you this holiday season. In the age of outlandish holidays with ever growing price tags, just about everyone appreciates a heartfelt …

This mix is special for two very important reasons.
1. It is a coffee drink!!
2. Thanks to sugar free products, I can actually drink it!
What a perfect gift for that person who is dieting or has …

I had planned on being a good girl and bringing you another mix yesterday and today, but you know how life can interrupt your plans! I was a wee bit under the weather yesterday and …

I love making quick breads to give away. They make the perfect little gift and are always appreciated, especially at Christmas time. A few years back, I decided to try tossing some dried cranberries into …

While I dig in to do several tutorials today, two guest bloggers are here to bring you a great and inexpensive gift idea for classmates, young children, or even a thoughtful little gift for coworkers …

Many of us are getting ready for our big dinner tomorrow and most of those will be starring our favorite bird! I thought y’all might be interested in how we cook our turkey. Mama actually …

Perfect Pecan Pie (Guaranteed not to be pecan soup!)

With just two days until Thanksgiving, I thought I’d give y’all some last minute ideas by showing you Southern Plate recipes which will definitely be on our …

Alright, I know I always tell you how much I love everything I post here. Well, I decided when I started Southern Plate that if I didn’t love a recipe, I just wouldn’t post it. …

These pecan pie muffins have been a huge hit on Southern Plate. I’ve had so many readers email me singing their praises that I thought they’d make the ideal gift mix for the holidays! For …

I don’t know how Thanksgiving works with your family but I imagine it is somewhat similar to how it works with mine. Siblings, spouses, kidders, grandmothers, aunts, uncles, and anyone else who happens to want …

This year we all seem to be feeling or at least dreading the crunch on our wallets more than ever. Whether its fear of job security, more payments than usual, or a simple lack of …

I don’t know if pumpkin is a southern thing. You always hear of pumpkin pie on Southern tables at Thanksgiving and such, but no one in my family has ever made a pumpkin pie to …

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 …

When I was a little girl, we didn’t have CD’s or even cassette tapes. This will come as no surprise to all of you but my nine year old simply can’t comprehend it.
I imagine he …

This is the first of many cookies recipes to come! Tune in every week through December for a new
(and unique) cookie recipe as well as a gift mix, complete with preprinted tag and instructions! …

Southerners LOVE congealed salads! We have recipes for them which include all manner of fruits AND vegetables. They are a throwback to days when food was scarce and gelatin was cheap. Door to door salesmen …

I’m the one posting, but this tutorial was all done by Mama so I’ll let her voice take over from here!

This was a favorite dish that I enjoyed as a child at Mama Reed’s. …

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, …

I suppose I’ve always had a soft spot when it comes to homemade cookies. As a girl, my mother made fresh homemade cookies twice a week, every week!
She didn’t realize how long cookies would keep …