A name like Red Velvet suggests something decadent, luxurious, perhaps even a little naughty, such as a slinky red velvet party dress or a Red Velvet cocktail, and the classic Southern Red Velvet Cake is all of the above. The cake’s history is not entirely clear, though both Canada and the U.S. have laid claim [...]
SHF #34 – Mini Chocolate Pecan Pies
August 26, 2007 By 16 Comments
Someday, I would like to have pecan trees in my yard. I say things like this all the time, whether it could actually happen or not. “Someday, I would like to have ______________ in my yard.” Insert any of the following: nut trees, pecan and almond bay laurel trees lemon trees, Meyer lemon and true [...]
Sweet Iced Tea
July 11, 2007 By 5 Comments
Some of my earliest memories are of drinking sweet iced tea. I come from a family of iced tea drinkers, and whether it’s hot or cold, no matter the season, I always have a pitcher of iced tea in my refrigerator. In fact, it’s my preferred summer beverage, even beating out fresh squeezed lemonade. My [...]
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Green Chiles
November 16, 2006 By 2 Comments
My husband isn’t fond of sweet potatoes because they are, well, too sweet. I can certainly understand his sentiment given the many sweet potato dishes incorporating sugar or marshmallows and taking on a noxiously sweet flavor. I don’t like that kind of sweet potato dish, either, but due to my Southern heritage I enjoy and [...]
Mom’s Banana Pudding
May 22, 2006 By 4 Comments
Banana Pudding is an old Southern treat. The basic recipe involves pudding, sliced bananas, vanilla wafers, and whipped cream stacked in layers. My mom’s version is a quick and easy recipe using instant pudding and whipped topping, although you can certainly use cooked pudding and make your own whipped cream. My mother often gets requests [...]
Southern Fried Apples
April 23, 2006 By 11 Comments
And now for the last in the Southern Country Breakfast series. We enjoy fried apples for breakfast, but they also make a great side dish for a holiday ham, or even a dessert—just add a scoop of french vanilla ice cream on top of warm apples. They are very simple to make—you just need apples, [...]
Southern Sausage Gravy
April 21, 2006 By 2 Comments
This is the next recipe in the Southern Country Breakfast series. Sausage gravy is a Southern tradition that my family has indulged in for many years. Now that we are all watching our waistlines, we only have it for family get-togethers, but it always tastes yummy and brings back wonderful memories of the big country [...]
Southern Pinch Biscuits (aka Squeeze Biscuits)
April 18, 2006 By 14 Comments
When I was growing up, I truly loved my grandmothers’ big Southern, country breakfasts. They would put out salty country ham, sausage gravy, bacon, eggs, biscuits, fried apples, sliced tomatoes, homemade apple butter, and just about anything else you could think of to put on a biscuit. My maternal grandmother made these pinch biscuits, which [...]
Grandma’s Coconut Cake
April 15, 2006 By 15 Comments
We love this cake for holidays and birthdays. The nearly 100-year-old recipe was handed down to my mother from my late paternal grandmother, who learned it from my great-aunt Gladys. My mother tried for years to get the recipe right because it’s my father’s favorite cake. When Mom finally made a coconut cake that tasted [...]
Mardi Gras King Cake (the recipe)
March 5, 2006 By 8 Comments
King cakes are a traditional Mardi Gras dessert, and according to legend the royal colors of purple, green and gold on the cake honor the three kings who visited the Christ child on Epiphany. But King Cakes can be made year-round for many festive occasions, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, weddings, birthdays, etc, just choose the [...]
