Fried okra with a light and crispy cornmeal batter is a tasty side dish for any of your favorite Southern meals. And it’s easy to make! Fried okra has become one of those trendy items that almost every restaurant features on their appetizer menu. And most of them are all the same: chunks of heavily …

This Butter Beans recipe is an old family favorite made just the way Granny made them. Butter beans are easy to cook with bacon, butter, and the secret—a touch of sugar! Try this butter beans recipe today and you’ll have an easy side dish that goes with almost anything.  You won’t find a meat-and-three in …

Squash Casserole is a favorite at every potluck gathering. With grated Cheddar cheese, crumbled Ritz crackers, and fresh yellow squash, this casserole is a great way to use those summer vegetables! Squash Casserole with Ritz crackers is ubiquitous on the Southern table in the summertime, probably because nearly everyone who has a garden grows squash …

Southern Broccoli Casserole with crispy bacon, cheese, onion, and topped with toasted cheese crackers is the best broccoli casserole we’ve ever had! Your family will love this one! My friend, Janis, gave me this broccoli casserole recipe back in 1990 and I’ve been making it the exact same way ever since. It is so good …

Easy Grilled Eggplant Salad with tomatoes, fresh herbs, garlic, lemon zest, and green onions. This eggplant salad is a great side dish for your favorite grilled meats! This eggplant salad recipe is just what you need to perk up your summer staples like Broiled Shrimp or Garlic Crusted Chicken. The recipe was inspired by one …

Apple Sausage Stuffing with mushrooms, sage, and other fresh herbs and vegetables is a delicious variation of traditional stuffing. Stuffing is not a traditional Southern Thanksgiving dish. We always have Southern Cornbread Dressing with Giblet Gravy, but every now and then I like to throw this Apple Sausage Stuffing out there as well. I’ve tweaked …

This spicy roasted cauliflower is flavored with smoky cumin and chili powder, taking it from bland to bold and flavorful! I think I’ve mentioned a few times on this site how we love roasted vegetables—it’s almost the only way we eat them. And anything can be roasted: onions, squash, peppers, green beans…the roasting process adds …

This Skillet Dressing Recipe with Pear, Sage, and Bacon is just right for a smaller crowd—and it’s bursting with fresh flavor! Why is it that we only have dressing at Thanksgiving? Or is that just me? Are the rest of you eating fabulous Southern Cornbread Dressing all year long and I just don’t know about …

Easy Kale Salad with Mango Chutney Dressing is simple, elegant, nutritious, and delicious! Filled with assorted dried fruit and toasted sunflower seeds, this salad is a pretty addition to any meal.  Oh my goodness, let me tell you about this easy kale salad that goes great with my Jalapeno Turkey Burgers. It is amazing. And …

Prosciutto wrapped asparagus crispy from the grill and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese is one of our favorite and easiest appetizers! The plate is empty almost before it hits the table.  I admit it, we have a thing for prosciutto: Prosciutto with Pears, Arugula, and Goat Cheese; Prosciutto, Arugula, and Cheese; Fig Jam, Caramelized Onion, and Prosciutto …

Cucumber and Onion Salad is a simple, classic recipe of sliced cucumbers and onions in vinegar. The cucumbers are crisp and tangy with a touch of sweetness—perfect for a snack or simple side dish. If you want a cool, refreshing summer salad for your next picnic, you will love this recipe for old-fashioned cucumbers and …

This colorful Pesto Pasta Salad features a zippy lemon basil pesto salad dressing, along with bowtie pasta, sundried tomatoes, asparagus, artichoke hearts, and more lemon zest…it’s overflowing with flavor and color and pizazz! Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta Salad…you know you can’t resist a pasta salad with a name like that. It’s superb and has a …

Southern green beans are flavored with bacon and cooked low and slow until tender. These green beans are so easy to make and a must-have side dish on every Southern table. I’ll tell you a secret: I prefer my Garlic Roasted Green Beans, but my family loves these old-fashioned Southern green beans, cooked to death and …

Southern Deviled Eggs are creamy with a touch of sweetness from pickle relish and a sprinkle of paprika on top. Very simple and tasty! A Southern gathering isn’t complete without a plate of deviled eggs…and that plate is always a deviled egg plate. Every good Southern hostess should have one, usually passed down from her …

The best baked macaroni and cheese — this one is a classic family favorite! No eggs, just a creamy sauce with LOTS of cheese! It’s the cheesiest and the best! Cold, rainy, winter days…or hot, steamy, summer weekend cookouts with barbecue—both are perfect for a warm, comforting, cheesy plate of creamy macaroni and cheese. It’s a …

Pickled Red Onions may be the easiest and best condiment ever, with just sliced red onions, vinegar, and a little salt and sugar. These pickled red onions can enhance the most mundane of dishes, like sandwiches or a simple green salad. I am in love with these pickled red onions. They are so easy to …

Mac and cheese muffins are super easy to make with leftover macaroni and cheese. Add some diced ham and you’ll have a great snack! Kids love these mac and cheese muffins after school or even for a quick dinner. You can freeze them and pull one out when you need to feed hungry ones fast! …

Stovetop Mac and Cheese—The water and milk that cooks the noodles also makes the sauce for the creamiest, cheesiest, EASIEST ONE-POT mac and cheese ever! I’ve talked on this blog before about feeding my children the blue box of macaroni and cheese when they were growing up and you know what? I’m not ashamed of …

This cauliflower rice recipe makes a carb-free alternative to rice and potatoes that can accompany almost any meat or vegetable dish.  I know y’all have seen the cauliflower rice recipe on Pinterest or floating around Facebook, so I’m not going to reinvent the wheel here. There aren’t too many ways to tweak it and every recipe …

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts topped with a lemon and Dijon vinaigrette, then sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and bacon—a new twist on a favorite vegetable! So you might have noticed that I have a thing for Brussels Sprouts—this is the third Brussels Sprouts recipe to make this site. The first, and maybe my favorite, was for Caramelized Roasted Brussels …

Roasted Spaghetti Squash is a healthy alternative to carb-heavy dishes like pasta and rice. It’s nutritious and delicious and super easy to prepare! Have you ever wondered how to cook a spaghetti squash? Don’t be intimidated—it’s so easy! I frequently serve roasted spaghetti squash as an alternative to pasta, but don’t be fooled by folks …

Sautéed mushrooms are probably my favorite side dish to serve with steak or most roasted hearty meats. I love the earthy, meaty texture and flavor that you get from mushrooms after roasting or sautéing them. These sautéed mushrooms are so easy you can make them for a quick dinner, but the flavor is intense and …

Quinoa salad with corn, red bell pepper, jalapeno and fresh herbs is a great way to incorporate healthy eating into your family’s lifestyle. Doesn’t September feel like a renewal month? I think regardless of your season of life, back-to-school is a feeling that never leaves you. Of course, in Georgia back-to-school starts around the first of …

When I was a young girl, my family attended Mt. Zion-St. Luke Lutheran Church in Oglethorpe, Georgia. The Methodist church was directly across the street from our church and most of my friends were either Baptist or Methodist, so I felt a little like an outcast sometimes at school. I loved our church though and …