Every time you make a casserole ahead of time and freeze it, an angel gets its wings. (Or something like that.) Everyone can agree that any meal prep done ahead of time is time well spent. And a heat-and-eat casserole can be convenient when faced with an unexpected dinner crowd, a week when you’re too busy to cook, simply don’t want to, or if you have a neighbor in need of meal delivery....
On the North End of Virginia Beach, the winter months are pretty quiet. Most beachcombers and vacationers are long gone, but throughout the month of December one avenue is busier than ever. On 43rd Street, just one block from the ocean, every single house is covered in Christmas lights, inflatable snowmen, Santas and more Christmas cheer than anywhere else on the oceanfront. Friends, family and curious beach dwellers flock to the street in total awe and delight to stare at the carefully curated homes all decorated with a level of holiday spirit that is rarely seen in such strong unison, but most don’t know the whole story behind this cheery display....
“Everywhere else, the end of the holiday season feels like a downer,” says Beetle Hillery Antonatos, the New Orleans native behind Palm Orleans, a textile and wallpaper collection inspired by her hometown and upbeat Palm Beach, Florida. “I lived in New York for a while, and January was just the beginning of the year. But here, that’s when all the Mardi Gras balls start taking place.” While the preliminary celebrations begin ramping up just 12 days after Christmas, it’s not until the weekend before Fat Tuesday that the Crescent City enters full party mode and groups of revelers (dubbed “krewes”) fill the streets for the parades....
A Southern-bred pup was named top dog in the 21st American Kennel Club National Championship Presented by Royal Canin. Four-year-old Bayou made history as the first-ever Giant Schnauzer to be awarded the coveted Best in Show prize. Bayou was born in Port Allen, Louisiana, but resides in Houston, Texas, with professional handler Alfonso Escobedo. He beat out 5,000 of the nation’s most impressive show dogs to earn the title. “We are thrilled to have crowned Bayou as America’s newest champion out of more than 5,500 dogs that competed at our show,” AKC VP of PR and Communications Brandi Hunter Munden told Southern Living....
Paige Drummond has enjoyed an exciting freshman year at the University of Arkansas (though her mama misses her so). Recently, the college student spent some time away from life “on the hill” to return home to her family’s ranch in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. “Paige and her Arkansas friends, Fayettechillin’ on the ranch. Walter was honored to be a part of their sorority, if only for a day,” The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond captions the group photo of Paige and her girlfriends and Walter the dog, signing off with a playful “#kappakappabasset....
Last minute gifting doesn’t automatically mean unintentional gifting. For the perfectionists of the world, it can be difficult to pinpoint the right choice for friends, relatives, and other loved ones who are difficult to shop for. They may have it all already, be frustratingly mysterious, or have finicky taste that previous gifts have never quite satisfied. Enter Huckberry, the Texas-based home and outdoor goods retailer that curates a polished assortment across price points....
Our obsession with white cakes began more than twenty years ago in the soft rolling hills of Northern Kentucky. We traveled to Longfield Farm, the childhood home of Louisville chef Kathy Nash Cary, to photograph a Christmas bluegrass celebration: a bountiful farm-to-table dinner that ended with a lemon-filled coconut layer cake crowned with fresh cranberries and greenery. This snowy-white Christmas dream of a coconut cake was too picture-perfect not to make the cover....
My mom has been making Milk Chocolate Bar Cake ever since it first graced the pages of Southern Living in the April 2000 issue. From potlucks to birthdays to Christmas Eve dinner, this cake has seen it all. My sister and I made one for my mom’s birthday this year, and my dad, who isn’t really much of a chocolate fan, requested the same cake for his birthday a few weeks later....
Whether you’re making stuffed peppers or prepping for taco night, peppers of all varieties make dishes more flavorful. The only caveat to cooking with jalapeños, banana peppers, and bell peppers is the process of deseeding their cores. Carving the insides with a knife can be dangerous, and spooning seeds out isn’t very effective, either. Not to mention that digging out jalapeño seeds and then accidentally touching your eyes or nose can cause painful stinging and burning....
What’s for dinner? Oh, what’s that you say? You’re not sure. We hear you. As the long months of hunkering down at home (and washing our hands!) drag on, it can be tough to find dinner inspiration. That’s why we love slow cookers—so easy to use and they help us create such satisfying, spectacular meals. And when it comes to cooking a grand slam dinner, there’s perhaps no celebrity chef we trust more than Ree Drummond....
Who remembers their grandmother’s candy dish? A hostess must, the candy dish stayed filled by the door, though it honestly didn’t always taste good. The grandkids ate it anyway, happy for any treat that included sugar. There’s a reason every Southern grandmother had that dish ready for her guests to sample: The candy dish held a simple souvenir of the evening, a sweet note at the end of a gathering. The tradition should be front and center at your own events....
Attention, gardeners: Just because we are in the waning weeks of summer and cool weather is on the horizon, doesn’y mean you have to hang up your gardening gloves. There are still plenty of plants you can grow and, since it won’t be so warm and humid outside, working in your garden will be a bit more enjoyable. One of the easiest plants to grow in the fall is lettuce. Considered both a spring and fall crop, lettuce thrives when temperatures are between 60 to 70 degrees F....
What began as a classic case of a misdialed phone number, has blossomed into a deep, decades-long friendship. Gladys Hankerson first called Mike Moffitt more than 20 years ago. She was trying to reach her sister in Maryland, but dialed area code 401 instead of 410. Hankerson was surprised when a young man in Rhode Island answered. “At first, it was just like her saying, ‘Oh I’m sorry!’ and she’s really Southern, very hospitable, polite, very sweet, she’s like, ‘I’m so sorry, child!...
You heard it here first: Afternoon tea is happy hour’s elegant and sophisticated big sister, and it has never been as trendy as it is today. In fact, according to Pinterest, searches for vintage tea parties are up by 70%. And the theme isn’t reserved for little girls and their teddy bears; adults are equally as eager to partake in afternoon tippling. From tea party recipes to tea party decor, it’s clear people are craving opportunities to crunch on a cucumber sandwich or pop in a petit four....
In the fall, when greens are in, Dan Doodles sell," says Sam Edwards, third-generation proprietor of S. Wallace Edwards & Sons, which has been commercially curing hams and other pig parts in Surry County, Virginia, since 1926. “Most people serve them like my mother did. They boil one with collards, then slice and serve it alongside.” Also known as Tom Thumbs, Dan Doodles are ground pork sausages that are stuffed in the large intestines of pigs and smoked for a day in a billow of hickory until they shade toward mahogany....
This holiday season, you can go on an Elf-themed adventure without traveling through the seven levels of the Candy Cane Forest, past the sea of twirly-swirly gum drops, or even walking through the Lincoln Tunnel. Instead, check into one of the Gaylord Hotels located across the South. The hotels, which are already favorite destinations during the holiday season, are going all in on Elf, bringing the 2003 Will Ferrell Christmas classic to life....
For the first time since the 1980 season, the University of Georgia has claimed the College Football National Championship. The Bulldogs defeated Alabama in a nail-biter of a game. The SEC took over Indianapolis tonight for an all-Southern College football Championship where the reigning champions, Alabama Crimson Tide took on the Georgia Bulldogs. Coach Nick Saban traded in his stylish leather bomber jacket for his game day attire to face off against his former assistant coach, Kirby Smart....
What if I said you’re just two hours away from bringing a new decorative touch into your home? It’s true—even though DIY projects can often be a bit intimidating. Some of us eagerly await a free Saturday to tackle a long list of transformative DIY fun, while others recoil in fear at the mere mention of a do-it-yourself task. Honesty time: I’m usually in the latter category. I’ve admittedly wasted money on overpriced home decor just to avoid working with my hands....
Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear raincoats and come brandishing camping chairs. The latter is the kind of hero that came to the aid of a bald eagle found on a Tennessee road Monday. Nathan Van Gundy told WVLT that he and his wife Lori were on the way home from the grocery store when they spotted the eagle in the middle of Ruggles Ferry Pike in East Knoxville....
Nashville is growing at a rapid pace. New restaurants and hotels are popping up all of the time and people are moving to Music City in large numbers. But despite the expansion, Nashville maintains a very small-town vibe. Case in point, a recent story we heard about Nicole Kidman and Dolly Parton. Kidman sat down with her longtime friend and her Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann for an interview in a recent issue of Vogue Australia that People pointed us towards....
