Homestyle Southern Favorites

Updated August 05, 2008
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Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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. A sweetness from the chopped pickles, tang from the vinegar and hot sauce, and salty-savory deliciousness from the fried chicken make for a perfectly balanced chicken + eggs-perience. 

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Easy Peach Cobbler

Credit: Greg DuPreeFood Styling: Rishon HannersProp 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine

Baked Smokin' Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

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Cornbread Dressing

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: MindI Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Deep South Barbecue Ribs Recipe

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German Chocolate Cake

Credit: 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

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen

Classic Skillet Cornbread Recipe

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