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Reese Witherspoon’s hotly anticipated movie adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing is looking for background actors in Louisiana! Houma Today reports that producers of the movie, set to be filmed in and around Houma and New Orleans, are looking for locals to appear as extras in the big-screen version of Delia Owens’ best-selling book. According to the official casting call, no acting experience is required. Adult extras will be paid $105 for 12 hours of work, while minors will receive $80 for eight hours of work....

When shopping for holiday gifts, picking a present based on hobbies is a fail-proof way to go—especially when it comes to people who love cooking. Home chefs can’t get enough of new kitchen gadgets, like a fresh set of pans or a food chopper. So if you’re still searching for the perfect present for someone in your life who loves to cook, we found 13 gifts that will arrive before Christmas....

Whether you most frequently cook for one, love to shop at big-box stores like Costco, or are looking for savvy ways to prevent food waste, the freezer is a magical tool for keeping your grocery bill down and your food safe for as long as possible. We asked Beth Moncel, founder of the popular Budget Bytes blog and namesake Instagram account, for some potentially surprising foods that do well in the freezer, which she says happens to be one of her favorite kitchen tools....

The South has a love affair with flowering plants. From hydrangeas, gardenias, ranunculus, and azaleas to magnolias, crepe myrtles, and more—flowering flora abounds in yards across the South. Common impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) remain one of the most popular annual varieties for their easy-to-grow, low-maintenance care requirements, oh, and the mounds and mounds of blooms they produce. We’re making a major case for adding a few impatiens to your garden, if you haven’t already....

The first principle of organizing is not deciding how to store your belongings—it’s deciding whether or not you need all your belongings. First, decide if you really like it or need it, then part with it if necessary. Once the stuff you don’t need is gone, organize what’s left. Your weekend project will be a lot easier if you have less to put away than you pulled out. 1. Tackle Piles of Paper Create four piles: Recycle, Shred, File, and Urgent....

A hotel in Asheville, North Carolina, has resumed its pioneering foster dog adoption program which gives guests the opportunity to find a furry companion at check-in. Late last month, Aloft Asheville Downtown announced the relaunch of its partnership with Charlie’s Angels Animal Rescue following a one-year hiatus. Through the trailblazing program, which began in 2014 and has since inspired other hotels across the country to follow suit, Charlie’s Angels selects one dog at a time to be fostered by Aloft Asheville Downtown....

In case you missed it last week, Chip and Joanna Gaines announced that Fixer Upper is returning to TV, this time set to air on the couple’s forthcoming Magnolia Network, which is scheduled to launch in 2021. We don’t know about you, but that’s music to our home improvement lovin’ ears. With the news of the hit show coming back, it got us walking down memory lane in Waco and revisiting one other couple we so adored from the show: Clint and Kelly Harp....

Want to step outside the egg-decorating box this Easter season? No surprise here, but we’ve been planning our Easter crafting for months and can’t wait to dye, swirl, and decorate our way to eye-catching Easter eggs this year. These blue-and-white speckled eggs and these Kool-Aid-dyed eggs are already in our DIY plans—but that’s not all. Thanks to Texas-based expert crafter Elizabeth Jones with Country Peony, we’ve also discovered a brilliant new technique for dyeing eggs with a gorgeous marbled finish....

If you’re anything like us, you’ve been listening to Dolly Parton’s first Christmas album in 30 years, A Holly Dolly Christmas, pretty much nonstop since it debuted on Friday, October 2. Well, dear readers, you’re in good company. Lots and lots of good company. In fact, the popularity of Parton’s new collection of holiday tunes is so overwhelming that it has catapulted itself to the number one spot on both Billboard’s country album and holiday album charts, as Billboard....

Berries are a mainstay of Southern tables in the summer. They show up in cobblers, muffins, cakes, bars, trifles, and pies, on cheeseboards, in drinks, and even salads. Those lucky enough to have a little garden can grow blueberries, strawberries, or blackberries to be eaten straight away or pickled, jammed, or frozen for use all year round. Gardeners do need to be a little cautious, though, because not all berries that pop up in a garden are edible....

Nothing goes better with a plate of fried seafood than the deliciously crispy nugget known as the hush puppy. In the South, the golden brown bites are a favorite side dish. Great for any cookout or barbecue, hush puppies are a timeless choice. You may be wondering: what exactly is a hush puppy? The name is cute–and a little quirky. It’s merely a small, deep-fried ball made from thick cornmeal-based batter....

There isn’t a celebrity wedding we’re more looking forward to than that of Hoda Kotb and Joel Schiffman. Now, the TODAY show co-host has revealed that the couple’s two young daughters—Haley Joy, almost three-years-old, and Hope Catherine, almost one-year-old—will play a starring show in their nuptials. In an interview with E! News, Kotb expressed her desire for her kids to be a part of their big day. “I can’t even believe I’m saying that sentence: Our kids being part of our wedding, Haley’s been asking me, ‘What is it?...

If you have never grown broccoli in the garden, you might be surprised to learn that the part of the plant we eat is a flower, or more precisely, a cluster of immature flower buds harvested before they open. Broccoli has an interesting growth habit, one developed through thousands of years of cultivation. To understand how to grow broccoli in the garden, it is helpful to understand how broccoli grows and develops....

Out of all occasions, brunch is an easy thing for everyone to enjoy. After all, there’s no better way to begin the day than by snacking on sweet and savory breakfast dishes alongside good friends—and perhaps a round of mimosas. However, no matter if you’re a seasoned hostess or a first-timer, brunch can pose its own set of complications. Anytime warm eggs are involved, there’s bound to be, right? Southern hostesses take their craft quite seriously, and brunch is no exception....

They say beauty is pain, but I say it doesn’t have to be. Let me introduce you to DIY sugar wax. It’s inexpensive, easy to make, and (you guessed it) way less painful than the store-bought version. Beauty enthusiasts have been buzzing about this all-natural sugar wax simply because it saves you a trip to the grocery store. So, with a healthy dose of skepticism, I gave it a try. And I’m here to tell you it’s well worth the effort....

Parchment paper has saved the day more times than we can count. Not to be confused with waxed paper, this multi-use paper is moisture-resistant and commonly used while cooking with heat. If you walk into any Southern home, you’ll probably find multiple rolls of parchment paper in the pantry that help when baking cakes, cookies, and pies. If we had to share one piece of advice it would be to always, always use parchment paper when baking sweet treats or roasting vegetables in the oven....

Chances are, you and your family saw Disney’s Frozen 2 over the holidays. You may have seen it more than once. This means you are part of the reason that the sequel to the blockbuster original tale of Elsa and Anna has now made history as the highest grossing animated film of all time. Frozen 2 brought $1.325 billion and counting into the global box office and surpassed its predecessor, Frozen, as it earned $1....

The Problem: rotten raised beds. That’s not the promising start to a spring growing season that a Master Gardener would expect—at least not Kelly Smith-Trimble, who discovered the wooden beds she had been using for years were crumbling against the naturally sloped grade of her Knoxville backyard. The solution: Rip out those old beds, and start experimenting. She’s an experienced grower who published an advice-packed book, Vegetable Gardening Wisdom, last year....

Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II opened up his wallet to help the people of Jackson affected by the ongoing water crisis. The 21 year old told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he considers the Mississippi capital a second home after spending a couple of months playing for Double-A affiliate, the Mississippi Braves. “The people there, they just come out and support, treat you like their own,” Harris told the newspaper. “There’s really no hatred over there....

What do you get the Golden Girls fan who has everything for Valentine’s Day? A dozen red Rose Nylunds, of course! This witty take on the traditional bouquet of red roses is available via Prime Party for $79.99. The “Dozen Red Roses Yard Sign Kit” comes with 12 yard signs featuring Betty White’s character from the hit 80’s TV show to delight (and embarrass) your favorite Golden Girl this Valentine’s Day....