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Your favorite drive-through date night destination just got even better. That’s right, Zaxby’s has made their fried pickles a permanent fixture on their menu. Zaxby’s, the Athens, Georgia-based fast food chain, used to make their customers wait and wait for their thinly-sliced, cornmeal-coated, perfectly-fried dill pickles to appear on the Zappetizers menu. Then they would arrive in all their salty, crispy glory, but for a limited-time only. Now, they’ve realized the error of their ways and are giving their loyal customers what they so richly deserve—fried pickles with a side of their signature buttermilk ranch served hot and on demand....

Everyone who is fortunate enough to have a basement can agree that an additional floor is a game-changer for anyone who is looking for more storage space or elbow room. But, on the design front, the lower level is often placed on the proverbial back burner. Since a basement is usually out of sight, decorating it to the nines is not as pressing as, say, a living room or kitchen. Also, it’s important to note that a basement is not always an option when renovating a home in the South, especially in certain areas like Texas, where the landscape is not the most accommodating....

Choose the right potato Russets are traditionally used in latke recipes because they are naturally starchy, which helps the shredded potatoes brown and stick together. Save a little time and don’t bother peeling them, but make sure they are well scrubbed and clean. A food processor with a grater attachment is the best and easiest way to grate a pile of potatoes. You can also use the large holes of a box grater, but a food processor will give you the most even results....

Whether you’re recently engaged and just can’t wait to put your feelings down on paper, or it’s the night before your wedding and you’ve procrastinated as long as you possibly can, writing your own wedding vows is not for the faint of heart. These words are some of the most intimate you’ll ever pen. Not only do they represent the passion and respect you have for your partner today, but they also hold promises for the future....

A New Orleans public broadcasting station is celebrating the life and legacy of Leah Chase with a new cooking series featuring the late icon’s family members. According to a news release, WYES began filming Dooky Chase Kitchen: Leah’s Legacy this summer on location in the legendary Dooky Chase kitchen. The show features Leah’s grandson, Edgar “Dook” Chase IV, who now oversees the restaurant’s kitchen; her niece Cleo Robinson, who joined Leah in the kitchen in 1980; and the restaurant’s newest chef, Leah’s great- granddaughter Zoe Chase....

After a hectic few months, you might want to slow down and unplug with a short getaway—and do it with mom at your side. Our choice to downshift for a few days? Florida’s Anna Maria Island is a little slice of Gulf Coast heaven that makes the perfect backdrop for a laid-back, mother-daughter vacation. We packed up the car and set out on our drive from Orlando with the lure of a quiet, coastal weekend leading the way....

It looks like Mr. Yellow, Alabama’s famous one-in-a-million yellow cardinal who made headlines last year, has another Southern doppelganger! Last week, Jeremy Black, the wildlife photographer who runs Mr. Yellow’s Facebook page, shared that another supremely rare male cardinal with yellow plumage had recently been spotted—this time in the Atlanta suburb of Tucker. The yet-to-be-named fowl is reportedly the third yellow cardinal identified this year. Interestingly, all three sightings have taken place in the South....

One whiff of Bio-Oil Multiuse Skincare Oil and you’ll be taken back—maybe to high school days, maybe to Mama’s house, or maybe all the way back to this morning when you slathered it on post-shower. It’s been called on for more than 30 years to soothe scars, treat stretch marks, and to provide lightweight, non-greasy moisture. All this time, we’ve thought of Bio-Oil as a one-hit wonder brand with amazing staying power....

Team USA swimmer Caeleb Dressel teared up on the medal stand after winning his first individual race at the Tokyo Olympic Games—setting an Olympic record while doing it. Dressel, a native of Green Cove Springs, Florida, narrowly beat Kyle Chalmers, of Australia, for the gold in the 100-meter freestyle. A split-screen showed his family at a watch party in Orlando, Florida, as the 24-year-old phenom touched the wall in a scorching 47....

For those of us living and now working in the small spaces we call home, quarantine life has been an interesting progression of laptop in bed –> laptop on the couch –> I’m too old for this — what do I do? “This desk was even more beautiful than the pictures on the site…we love farmhouse rustic and the wood look is amazing,” wrote one happy reviewer. “This is one of the best desks you can purchase....

Grocery stores can be confusing places, and the meat department is no different. From free-range chicken to wild-caught salmon and everything in between, it can be hard to know which way to go—and more importantly, what’s worth the extra dough. When it comes to beef, there are the obvious decisions, like which cut and how much, but from there things can get a little dicey. In particular, when you have to decide between grass-fed vs....

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) thanked one of its hardest-working employees with an all-expenses paid trip to Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles. Caroline Ray, Hospital Teacher/Educational Advocate at CHOA’s Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, received the ultimate surprise in the middle of a meeting back in January. “I was totally shocked,” Ray recalled. “I’m overwhelmingly grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” According to a news release, CHOA’s executive team randomly selected Ray from a raffle of previous Hope and Will Award and DAISY Award winners....

Five months after my grandmother Margaret Louise Johnson died, my dad and I spread her cremated remains on the Alabama land where she’d grown up. The farm had since been abandoned and then strip-mined and was overrun by young pines and briars. A lone mulberry tree stood near the road. “This thing had berries as big as your thumb,” Dad said, then began shaking the plastic bag filled with Granny’s ashes in the same way I’d seen him spread fertilizer....

A slow cooker can be nothing short of a lifesaver during busy weeks. The handy appliance lets you prep your pot and move on with your day. The result? A delicious, home-cooked meal without spending hours in the kitchen. There’s only one problem: some foods don’t lend themselves to slow cooker preparation. According to Allie Echeverria, a Fresh Starts Registry Expert and nutritionist from Atlanta, Georgia, certain foods are actually unsafe to prepare in a slow cooker....

You’ve already torn apart your attic looking for Beanie Babies, Precious Moments figurines, Polly Pockets, and antique skillets in hopes of striking it rich. But now it’s time to get back up there and find out if you’re still harboring one of the trendy 90s toys everybody has spent the last two decades trying to forget: the Furby. Debuting in 1998, these furry, emoto-tronic toys blinked, cooed, spoke Furbish, and could even learn English....

Curcuma is a genus of plants native to the tropical regions of Asia. You’ll know Curcuma, which belongs to the ginger family Zingiberaceae, by their eye-catching, angular blooms on tall spiked stems. The Southern Living Garden Book describes them as “a group of highly ornamental gingers” that includes turmeric and Siam tulip plants. Curcuma bloom in summer. During the flowering season, tiny, bright blossoms appear on the plant’s lengthy stems, adorned with long, green, lance-shaped leaves....

It is one of the first harbingers of spring and warmer weather. Encouraged by the daffodils, which have already braved the cold weather and opened their faces to the sun, clusters of purple and pink wisteria blooms can be seen suspended on vines, trailing in and out of the still barren tree branches and along fence lines. In a matter of days the entire wisteria vine will be a riot of bright green leaves and fragrant, opulent flowers....

Joe Spano has owned Aqua-Rama Pet Center in Fayetteville, North Carolina, for more than 40 years. When the pet store went up in flames on Sunday night, he and his family rushed to the scene to try to rescue as many animals as possible. Sadly, despite the best efforts of the family and the Fayetteville Fire Department, only a small number of creatures survived the blaze. Shayanne Orme, Spano’s granddaughter, told The Fayetteville Observer that about 3% of the hundreds of animals inside Aqua-Rama that night lived....

Twenty-six-year-old NFL lineman Dawuane Smoot has made some big plays over the years, but none hold a light to the one he made Tuesday morning when his wife unexpectedly went into labor in the couple’s Florida home. The fifth-year defensive end barely had time to celebrate his team’s London win over the Dolphins on Sunday when he was given something even more exciting to celebrate. Smoot’s wife Aumari recounted the story of that fateful morning to NFL Network’s Good Morning Football....

Say the word “Lay’s” and our ears perk up. Say the word “BLT” and you really have our attention. Well, aficionados of crunchy potato chips and savory bacon-lettuce-tomato sandwiches are in luck: As our friends over at lifestyle website Best Products discovered, Lay’s has re-released its BLT-flavored potato chips for the first time in three years and our mouths are officially watering. Though the chips were first launched in 2012, and made a brief renaissance in 2017, this is the first time they’ve returned to store shelves since then....