Homestyle Southern Favorites

August 05, 2008
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Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Grab a cast-iron skillet, and get ready to make some of our timeless Southern delicacies.
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Weeknight Fried Chicken

Photo: Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Margaret Dickey and Elise Mayfield; Prop Styling: Kay Clarke and Laura Evans
Weeknight Fried Chicken Recipe

Peanut flour gives this chicken incredible toasty flavor, while Wondra flour makes for crave-worthy crispness. It’s a Sunday supper with weeknight preparation.

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Pineapple Casserole

Photo: Alison Miksch; Food Styling: Mary Clair Britton and Kady Wohlfarth; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee
Pineapple Casserole Recipe

We altered this traditional casserole to balance out the sweetness, allowing the pineapple and cheese to really shine. The intense flavor makes it an ideal side dish for baked ham. 

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Hot Chicken Deviled Eggs

Photo: Daniel Agee; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Robin Bashinsky
Hot Chicken Deviled Eggs Recipe

These Southern-inspired deviled eggs say summer fun like nothing else. A picnic-perfect use for leftover fried chicken, these tasty bites are spicy, but not burn-your-mouth spicy. Feel free to increase or decrease the cayenne pepper depending on how much of a kick you like.

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Easy Peach Cobbler

Photo: Greg DuPree Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Prop Styling: Thom Driver
Easy Peach Cobbler Recipe

 

What could be a more perfect ending to a summertime meal than easy peach cobbler? Savor the flavors of summer with sliced fresh peaches cooking away with butter and spices. The topping can made from pantry ingredients you have on hand and peaches can easily be substituted with any fruit you have depending on the time of year. The tang of the lemon juice paired with the sweetness of the peaches is perfectly balanced with the crisp topping. Want to make dessert even better? A dollop of fresh whipped cream or cold vanilla ice cream truly makes it the perfect way to end a summer night.

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Classic Hoppin’ John

Southern Living
Classic Hoppin’ John Recipe

This Southern staple serves up a generous helping of comfort and tradition. We use thick-cut bacon to get the perfect amount of smokiness, as opposed to a ham hock. A ham hock can, at times, overpower the dish. Traditionally, Hoppin’ John is a one-pot recipe, but that often produces soupy results. Instead, cook the black-eyed peas with aromatics and broth until tender; then strain and reserve the liquid for later. Once the rice is done, gently stir it into the pea mixture with the liquid. This method does require washing an extra pan, but we think you’ll agree that it’s worth it. There are three things you do want to keep traditional about your hoppin’ John though: the pork, the peas, and the rice.

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Pecan Praline Deep-Dish Skillet Cookie

Photo: Alison Miksch
Pecan Praline Deep-Dish Skillet Cookie Recipe

Add a nutty twist to your classic cookie with pecans and pralines. Garnish with warm caramel salt and flaky sea salt for the perfect sweet-savory combination. A scoop of vanilla ice cream is all this warm skillet needs to be the perfect dessert for a nut-lover's sweet tooth.

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Frogeye Salad

Photo: Alison Miksch; Food Styling: Mary Clair Britton and Kady Wohlfarth; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee
Frogeye Salad Recipe

It doesn't get more Southern than frogeye salad, which can't help but make eaters reminisce on church potlucks or childhood dinners spent at grandparent's house. 

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Hush Puppies

Photo: Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Mary Claire Britton and Kady Wohlfarth; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland
Hush Puppies Recipe
The Southern Living Test Kitchen raved about the classic flavor of these crispy cornmeal gems. Add chopped fresh herbs or swap chopped green onions for diced onion for variety.

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Super Simple Pimiento Cheese

Time Inc. Video Studio
Super Simple Pimiento Cheese Recipe

This foolproof recipe for classic pimiento cheese comes from Damaris Phillip's cookbook Southern Girl Meets Vegetarian Boy: Down Home Classics for Vegetarians (and the Meat Eaters Who Love Them). The mainstay Southern cheese spread makes for an excellent appetizer served with crackers, and is equally delicious in recipes like this Pimiento Cheese Roasted Chicken.

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Classic Banana Bread

Photo: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro, Laura Zapalowski
Classic Banana Bread Recipe
Quick breads are a Southerner's specialty, perfect for brunch gatherings and potluck suppers. Banana bread should form a crack down the center as it bakes--a sign the baking soda is doing its job.

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Boiled Peanuts

Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Victoria Cox and Elise Mayfield; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen
Boiled Peanuts Recipe

Hot, homemade boiled peanuts are truly delicious, but you can order them already prepared online. Matt and Ted started their business with this regional treat (5 pounds for $26.50); boiledpeanuts.com.

 

Prep: 5 minutes; Soak: 8 hours; Cook: 5 hours; Cool: 1 hour.

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The Ultimate Classic Collards

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
The Ultimate Classic Collards Recipe

Tangy vinegar brightens the earthy flavors, and a touch of honey rounds out the smoke from the ham hock.

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Baked Smokin' Macaroni and Cheese

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine
Baked Smokin' Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

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Cornbread Dressing

Photo: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro, Laura Zapalowski
Cornbread Dressing Recipe
Good cornbread dressing starts with homemade cornbread, ensuring a moist, sweet dressing that Thanksgiving turkey only dreams of.

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Zucchini Bread

Photo: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro, Laura Zapalowski
Zucchini Bread Recipe
Summer zucchini grows in abundance in the South, so where do we put it all? It goes into sweet breads, of course! You'll admire the little flecks of green in this moist, tender bread.
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Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Pie

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Karin Olsen
Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Pie Recipe
Pecans originate in the Deep South, and this sweet pie recipe showcases the nuts at their best. A splash of bourbon and a cup of chocolate take this classic recipe from good to plate-licking, fighting- for-the-crumbs heavenly.

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Sweet Potato Casserole

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Melanie J. Clarke
Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

No Thanksgiving table is complete without this comforting classic. Whip cooked sweet potatoes with evaporated milk, a bit of sugar, and just enough butter until they're fluffy, smooth, and totally dreamy before topping with a buttery-rich brown sugar and pecan topping for a satisfying cool-weather casserole. A dash of cinnamon would be a welcome addition in the sweet potato mixture for an extra touch of toastiness. Be sure to let the casserole cool completely before digging in. 

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Creamy Broccoli-Cheddar Casserole

Jennifer Causey
Creamy Broccoli-Cheddar Casserole Recipe

This fresher take on the traditional casserole is loaded with vegetables and comes together with a homemade sauce instead of sodium-heavy canned soup.

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Old-School Squash Casserole

Photographer: Paige Grand Jean ; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Old-School Squash Casserole Recipe

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Classic Chess Pie

Photo: Jen Causey; Food Styling: Tori Cox and Gordon Sawyer; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis
Classic Chess Pie Recipe

If you've got baking staples in your kitchen, then you probably have everything you need for a classic chess pie. This old-fashioned pie typically has two distinctive ingredients, cornmeal and vinegar, plus other on-hand ingredients such as sugar, flour, eggs, milk and vanilla. This version is made easy with the use of refrigerated pie crusts.

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Herbed Biscuits

Jennifer Causey
Herbed Biscuits Recipe

Two key techniques make these whole-grain biscuits light and fluffy: smashing the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers, and folding the dough to create layers.

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Buttermilk-Dipped Crunchy Chicken Fingers

Photo: Jonny Valiant; Styling: Kate Parisian
Buttermilk-Dipped Crunchy Chicken Fingers Recipe

These delicious homemade chicken fingers are perfect for a kid-friendly and easy weeknight meal. 

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Pan-Fried Okra with Cornmeal

Photo: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Pan-Fried Okra with Cornmeal Recipe

Using two medium skillets gives the okra plenty of room to cook up extra crispy. Or if you prefer, you can make all of the okra in a single large skillet.

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Deep South Barbecue Ribs

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: MindI Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Deep South Barbecue Ribs Recipe
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German Chocolate Cake

Photo: Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Sarah-Elizabeth Cleveland; Food Styling: Julia Levy
German Chocolate Cake Recipe

Sam German created the mild, dark baking chocolate called Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate in 1852; in the late 1950s, a Dallas newspaper published a recipe for German's Chocolate Cake. The dessert took the South by storm and has been a staple ever since.

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Classic Skillet Cornbread

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Classic Skillet Cornbread Recipe
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