The recipes requests I get most often from family, friends and readers are for appetizers – “something different, that I can make ahead.” I have developed a host of recipes over the years that fit the bill, but people still seem to want more. So here’s another one. It’s a riff on the classic cheddar and pecan cheese ball so popular at parties, but this dish is amped up with … [Read more...] about Southern Blue Cheese Pecan Spread
Southern specialites
Hummingbird Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling and Pineapple Cream Cheese Glaze
I love a traditional Southern cake, but my ability to successfully make beautiful layered creations is limited at best. So I am always looking for ways to reimagine the classic layer cakes in Bundt, loaf or sheet form. I can’t make a tall caramel cake or a lusciously frosted red velvet, so I developed cheats that offer all the deliciousness without the wonky, lopsided, … [Read more...] about Hummingbird Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling and Pineapple Cream Cheese Glaze
Old Fashioned Chicken Salad with Cooked Dressing
I am a late in life lover of chicken salad. As a child, I had an aversion to this type of mixed up dish coated in dressing – I felt they were primarily tools my mom used to hide things I didn’t want to eat. I was always concerned that chicken salad or casseroles were stealthy ways to get me to eat my vegetables. But I got over that as an adult, in part because I reached a stage … [Read more...] about Old Fashioned Chicken Salad with Cooked Dressing
Slow Cooker Southern Black-Eyed Peas
I feel very strongly about the importance of eating black-eyed peas on New Years day to ensure luck for the coming year (and greens for prosperity). But New Years Day is also not always a day I want to be slaving over the stove. Peas and greens are generally pretty hands off foods, but this has got to be the simplest recipe around for getting your dose of good luck with a nice … [Read more...] about Slow Cooker Southern Black-Eyed Peas
Homemade Southern Hash Brown Casserole
I rather hope this recipe becomes an internet sensation. Because I know I have searched and searched through websites, engines, magazines and books looking for an old-fashioned style hash brown casserole that doesn’t use canned soup. I cannot abide canned soup, so I finally took it upon myself to come up with a can-free casserole. I don’t know why I was so stymied, going … [Read more...] about Homemade Southern Hash Brown Casserole