Oven-baked chicken smothered in a homemade cola barbecue sauce with ketchup, Worcestershire, and dry mustard. Baked then broiled for sticky, crispy, caramelized skin.
Savory cornbread muffins loaded with cheddar, Parmesan, and properly boiled poke salat, an Arkansas Cornbread Festival recipe. A Southern wild-greens twist on cheesy cornbread.
Chicken breasts dipped in mustard butter, pressed with ground pecans, and pan-seared until golden. Finished with a tangy sour cream and mustard pan sauce poured over the top.
Three-layer Southern banana cake with mashed ripe bananas folded into a buttermilk batter. Topped with confectioner's sugar frosting and chopped pecans for a true heirloom finish.
The tartness of the lemons is great with the sweet crust and meringue topping. Perfect in summer.
Lemon butter cookies with fresh lemon juice and zest in a crisp rolled-and-cut shortbread. A tender, citrusy classic dusted with sugar for a sparkly bakery-style top.
Beef patties simmered in a creamy basil-mushroom sauce, finished with shredded cheddar and green onions. Salisbury steak with a sharper, weeknight-friendly twist from pantry staples.
Chewy oatmeal cookie dough shaped into snowmen and decorated for the holidays. A fun winter baking project for kids that makes four big cookie snowmen.
Rice pie baked in a pastry crust with long grain rice cooked in tomato juice, beef broth, and butter, topped with peas, carrots, and a lattice pastry lid brushed with egg yolk.
Potato fudge uses mashed potatoes as the secret binder in a chocolate candy rolled in coconut or walnuts. A Depression-era confection that works better than it has any right to.
Baked bananas layered with cinnamon cream cheese and heavy cream, sauteed in butter first for caramelized edges. A warm, creamy banana dessert with just 6 ingredients.
Honey-glazed chicken baked in a sweet-spicy sauce of honey, brown sugar, lemon juice, soy sauce, and curry powder. Flour-dredged pieces basted until sticky, golden, and caramelized.
Fluffy white buttercream icing made with shortening, powdered sugar, and a hint of almond extract. Stays bright white and pipes like a dream for decorated cakes.
Layered Creole vegetable casserole with okra, lima beans, corn, peppers, and tomato, topped with crumb-coated sautéed okra. A vegetarian gumbo-inspired bake that gets better the next day.
Low-fat pineapple cheesecake pie made with cottage cheese instead of cream cheese, set with gelatin, and lightened with whipped egg whites. A no-bake, fluffy, tangy-sweet dessert with crushed pineapple.
Elegant seafood appetizers with bay scallops, Granny Smith apples, and mushrooms in white sauce, served in individual ramekins. Breadcrumb topping broils golden. Sophisticated starter for special dinners.