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Pork is a big part of Southern culture. It’s our go-to for a backyard barbecue and the main event at football tailgates. Ribs, pulled pork, smoked sausage—when it comes to pork, we don’t discriminate. A Saturday morning wouldn’t be complete without the smell of sizzling bacon, and there’s nothing more satisfying than a gravy-smothered pork chop after a hard day’s work. For those who were raised under the “waste not, want not” philosophy, whole hog (also known as snout-to-tail) cooking is no mystery....

Tailgating in the South is synonymous with big gatherings of friends and family, fabulous food, and of course, 60 minutes of exciting, nail-biting football. You may arrive at the stadium hours before kickoff, set up tents and tables on the grounds, and lay out an eye-popping tailgate menu of smoked wings, pulled pork sandwiches, and an assortment of chips and dips. If you watch the game at home you can still tailgate in your kitchen or backyard with a pot of slow-cooker soup and homemade appetizers....

We eat some questionable things in the South that others would balk at—pickled pigs feet, boiled peanuts, hog’s head cheese, gator meat—but nothing is quite as quintessentially Southern as chitlins. Chitlins are the intestines of a pig, boiled down, fried up, and served with apple cider vinegar and hot sauce. This utterly unique delicacy represents one of the earliest values of Southern cooking: Use everything you’ve got. Waste Not, Want Not It’s understandable to have a love-hate relationship with chitlins, or “chitterlings,” as our neighbors up North might call them....

I am a firm believer in the philosophy that salt makes everything better. Boiling water? Add salt to build flavor from the beginning. Tenderizing meat? Salt and sugar work in harmony to break down the proteins in the meat, making it more tender. No matter what dish you’re making, you’ll almost always find salt on the ingredient list, and for good reason. If a dish tastes bland or lacks flavor, I’ve found that adding salt is almost always the solution....

In a Florida city ravaged by Hurricane Ian, somebody’s luck is about to change. Friday’s Mega Millions drawing resulted in two winning tickets, including one sold in Fort Myers. According to the Florida Lottery, both tickets matched all six numbers: 9, 22, 26, 41, and 44 for white balls, and a gold Mega Ball of 19. The two winners will split the giant $494 million prize. Florida’s winning Quick Pick ticket was purchased at a 7-Eleven on Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers....

Charleston area readers, do we have the event for you: “Drive-In the Woods” at the Woodlands Nature Reserve—a sprawling haven for hiking trails, wildlife, and forest magic just outside of Charleston—is running a socially-distanced drive-in movie theater experience with Halloween-themed films all month long. As part of Woodlands Nature Reserve’s “Spaced Out” series, the event will feature safety protocols in light of the coronavirus pandemic and all attendees should wear a mask....

We’ve all been guilty of keeping a pillow for way too long before. Sometimes it’s because we’re not sure if we’ll find something comparable that we love, or we’re simply too overwhelmed by all the options. Other times it’s because we’ve become so used to it that we don’t even realize it’s in that bad of shape. Staying on top of the condition of your pillow is important because it impacts your sleep, allergies, spine, and skin....

On December 11, 2021, several violent and deadly tornadoes swept through several states in the South and Midwest, including Kentucky. Bowling Green endured a large amount of damage. At least 17 lives were lost, and many neighborhoods were devastated. Now, months later, the work to rebuild continues and this community still needs our help. We Are BG Strong has a list of resources if you would like to donate. Another way to help the local economy is if we are still visiting the local attractions and businesses that are up and running....

The Laundress has voluntarily recalled about eight million detergent and household cleaning products due to the possible presence of harmful bacteria. The recall involves The Laundress laundry detergent, fabric conditioner, and other cleaning products manufactured at the affected facility through September 2022. Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled products with the following lot codes: Those that begin with a prefix letter F and the last four digits numbered 9354 or less....

For a few months, a pile of 200-year-old oak boards was the hottest property on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. “People would walk by and say, ‘Can I buy these?’ " Donivon Glassburn remembers. The answer was always no. He had dismantled the trusses and hardwood flooring of the 1894 former officer’s quarters that he and his wife, Anne, bought in 2015. With a lot of TLC, he added them back as part of a comprehensive renovation....

Holiday creep is real. Starbucks released its Pumpkin Spice Lattes in August when we were all still planning our Labor Day cookouts and now, days before Halloween, Blue Bell has announced its holiday flavor. Apparently, it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas (in October) at everyone’s favorite creamery. On Thursday, they released a new holiday flavor—Peppermint Bark Ice Cream described as a “mint ice cream loaded with dark chocolate chunks and tasty white chocolate containing crushed peppermint candies....

As you may or may not know, Luke Bryan met his wife Caroline Boyer Bryant almost 25 years ago while in college at Georgia Southern. It was the fall of 1998, and they both happened to be at a local hangout called Dingus McGee’s. And while we now know that their epic love story would lead to a happy 15-year marriage, Caroline wasn’t so easily convinced—at least at first. In a video interview series with Jockey called “Intimate Moments,” the loving couple and Jockey brand ambassadors opened up about their first impressions of each other and how they each remember that fateful night....

When you’re making deviled eggs, potato salad, or deviled-egg potato salad, yellow mustard is the key to getting a good tangy flavor and a brilliant yellow hue. Sure, you could use Dijon or spicy brown mustard, but it’s just not going to be same in taste, color, or zip. The same is true when making South Carolina mustard barbecue sauce or topping off a Pub Sub. The only down side to good old French’s yellow mustard is trying to get the condiment out of the bottle....

Unlike a tall layer cake, a beautifully shaped Bundt cake needs no fancy embellishment; the distinctive shape of the pan gives the cake an interesting design that can be highlighted with a light glaze, a drizzle of powdered sugar, or simply left unadorned. Making a homemade cake takes time, money, and effort, so you want to make sure you start with a great cake recipe, the best ingredients, and the best cake pan....

All Aspen wants is to be a mermaid. So, for her eighth birthday this year, her grandma lined up the perfect surprise: a mermaid photo shoot with Desirae Deal of Desirae Deal Photography. But that’s not where the surprises ended for the little girl—or her dad Michael. When Michael showed up at the end of Aspen’s session, Deal was struck with an idea. “I said ‘Well you know I think I have a mermaid tail that he could wear,’” the photographer from Lamar, Arkansas, told CafeMom....

Darius Rucker’s latest endeavor has nothing to do with music. In his new show on The Design Network, Rucker’s Reno, the legendary crooner trades in his guitar for a hammer as he tackles a home renovation project of historic proportions. “I’m a guy who likes stories and I can’t wait to tell this one,” Rucker, Southern Living’s 2021 Person of the Year, says in a video promo for the new series....

Christmas just came (a whole lot) early! The coronavirus outbreak has all of us craving a bit of magic right now, and Hallmark Channel is more than willing to provide. Everybody’s favorite dispenser of warm and fuzzies has yet another extra-special Christmas movie marathon lined up, allowing us to relive some holiday cheer and pass the time while we’re all cooped up inside. The first-round of festivities kicked off on Friday, March 20 at 12 p....

In the late summer of 1920, the final battle of the women’s suffrage movement played out in the state of Tennessee. Women had been fighting the war to have the right to vote for decades by this point. The official mark of the movement was the 1848 Seneca Falls convention, however ten years earlier, Sarah Grimke, of South Carolina, wrote in Letters on the Equality of the Sexes and the Condition of Woman; Addressed to Mary S....

You will never have to worry about what to fix for supper as long as you have a package of meatballs in the freezer. Use your slow cooker to make the classic Grape Jelly Meatballs and serve over egg noodles for a weeknight meal. A package of frozen meatballs can also be used when making comfort food casseroles, such as a satisfying baked pasta dish. We all have our favorite commercial brand of frozen meatballs, but it is very easy to make and freeze homemade meatballs....

Lots of side dishes are delicious when eaten at room temperature. Mashed potatoes are not one of those dishes. They need to be smooth, creamy, and most of all, piping hot. Yes, gravy can help with that, but it’s also a good idea to make sure your potatoes don’t get cold by the time people come back for second helpings. This is where your slow cooker comes in. This handy kitchen appliance isn’t necessary to make mashed potatoes (although you can make them in a slow cooker), but it’s the best way to make sure they stay hot, especially if you’re feeding a big crowd....