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Four years after Where the Crawdads Sing first took the world by storm, author Delia Owens is counting down the days until the movie adaptation reaches theaters on July 15. Speaking with Southern Living Tuesday, the Georgia native describes the film as “stunning” and “100-percent faithful” to the book. “Readers will be so happy,” she promises. Like the book, the movie is told via two storylines set in different time periods....

Filming on season four of Virgin River has officially begun! Fans got their first look at the next installment of the soapy drama thanks to a short video shared on the show’s official Instagram account last week. The clip offers a behind-the-scenes peek at the cast on set, including Alexandra Breckenridge (Mel) and about a dozen other Virgin River residents, taking a break from shooting. “Hey, everybody out there in the internet land....

While we almost always prefer the homemade stuff, there’s something undeniably nostalgic about boxed mac and cheese. Those boxes of elbow-shaped noodles, complete with their packet of powdered cheese, carried us through our childhoods. Now, they make for a quick meal that the whole family will love; we like to keep our pantry stocked with a couple boxes of mac at all times for dinnertime emergencies. Lately, when it comes to mac and cheese, we’ve been thinking outside the box....

We love the notion of the Tiny House movement, but living in such a sliver of square footage isn’t feasible for most of us. Devoted cottage lovers, we believe that it’s possible to live a big life in a small home. In fact, we think there’s a lot of freedom in paring down. Why bother with maintaining any more than you really need? The real question is: How small is too small?...

Ever felt the urge to venture from your normal coffee routine only to realize you don’t actually know another way to take your daily jolt of caffeine? The names of other coffee drinks all sound familiar, but who actually knows the difference between a latte and a cappuccino? A cold brew and a nitro? And how would one even go about making one? Whether you’re learning to be your own at-home barista or just looking to navigate a new section of your coffee shop menu, it can be helpful to understand what actually goes into your mug....

There’s a good reason why another name for a ficus tree is “weeping fig.” That’s because if you own one, sooner or later it’s going to make you cry. The scenario goes like this. One day, you have a healthy-looking ficus tree sitting happily in the living room. The next, you find half of its leaves sitting miserably on the floor. Why? Because out of all the houseplants you could have picked, weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) is probably the most finicky....

While digital kitchen scales are a staple in professional and European kitchens, stateside home bakers (for the most part) stick to measuring cups. If you measure correctly, the cups get the job done, but too often bakers’ are packing ingredients into them and yielding less than delicious results. Measuring ingredients with a scale is not only more accurate, but much easier. Digital kitchen scales are a fairly affordable kitchen gadget, too, and they take up very little space in a kitchen drawer or cupboard....

A trio of playful bear cubs had the times of their lives on golf course in Lake Toxaway, North Carolina, recently—no balls or clubs required. Erin James shared a video with WLOS ABC 13 that shows three mischievous black bear cubs causing the cutest little ruckus on one of the greens. In the clip, (below) two of the baby bears wrestle with each as the third spars with a flagstick. With paws, teeth, and belly, the cub does its best to defeat the pole, but it simply refuses to bend or break....

It is a sure bet that green bean casseroles will be on dinner tables across the South this holiday season. As each hostess makes her potluck sign-up sheet, she will have two or three entries for this dish. Whether it is made using canned, convenience products or straight from scratch, the green bean casserole is always one of the most popular casseroles at the party. It is also one of the easiest to prepare and, to make it even more attractive, it can be made in advance....

When the coronavirus pandemic reached the U.S. and stay at home orders swept the nation, many of us found ourselves adjusting to a new normal. For our friends from our favorite TV network, Hallmark, that meant that production on new movies and episodes of TV series came to a sudden halt. After a year of what seemed like back to back projects that always had her on the move, Hallmark star, Cindy Busby, found herself hunkering down at home with her partner Chris....

If hash browns aren’t on your weekend breakfast menu, you’re doing it wrong. But even if you do, in fact, have this beloved staple on your Sunday brunch menu, you may still be doing it wrong. By not cooking them to their crispy potential, that is. We’re here to fix that. The best way to ensure crispy hash browns every time? Par-cook your potatoes to get rid of the excess moisture that prevents your hash browns from crisping up....

Jenna Bush Hager has many fond memories of Barbara Bush, and her recall of what made Christmas so special in her family rises to the top. Some may not know that the former First Lady was a whiz at handcraft, and that her needlepoint stockings were deeply cherished by her family. Jenna’s beautiful story surrounding these holiday relics has us thinking about what makes Christmas special and which handmade items we look forward to celebrating each holiday season....

While Keith Urban’s marriage with his wife Nicole Kidman may look effortless, it actually took the country crooner a major turnaround to get to this healthy place in his personal life. In a new video interview with Variety for their “Soundboard” feature, in support of the singer’s latest album The Speed of Now, Part 1, Urban opens up about how Kidman helped him reinvent himself in relationships and overhaul his communication skills for the better....

After receiving excellent care, a new mom took her leave from a Florida hospital’s labor and delivery unit. The Southern mama waddled out with 10 babies, which may seem unusual if not for the fact that the mom in discussion is a duck who found herself in just the right place when it was time to hatch her ducklings. Earlier in 2022, a duck flew into the enclosed courtyard of Baptist Medical Center Beaches in Jacksonville, Florida, which happens to be located right outside the hospital’s labor and delivery unit....

Hungry for a snack? You’re a Southerner, if you’re anything like us, a need for heat practically pulses in your snack time veins. Spicy slow cooker Chex Mix? Yes, please. Corn and Jalapeño dip? Make that a double batch. Alabama fire crackers? Stop teasing us. Now, we’ve got a new line of defense in the spicy snacks universe and it’s a mashup of two of our favorite things: Ritz crackers and Tabasco sauce....

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, classrooms have been replaced with Zoom rooms and museum visits with virtual tours. It’s been a steep curve of adjustment for millions of young students and lifelong learners alike, but thanks to technology, there have been some incredible innovations in the realm of online learning. Now, we’re excited to learn of the creation of Smithsonian Associates Streaming. This summer and beyond, Smithsonian Associates, the world’s largest museum-based educational program will bring their popular study tours to the virtual realm with live virtual tours led by a team of seasoned experts....

The pediatric intensive care unit of St. David’s Children’s Hospital in Austin, Texas, can be a scary place for young patients who are battling health conditions. Ly Truong is working to make their days a little brighter, not only through her work as a clinical nurse coordinator, but through her talent as an artist. “Drawing has always been therapeutic for me,” Truong told Southern Living. It’s helped me slow down when I’ve had a hard day at work and it creates a fun outlet for me to be creative....

The tradition of eating king cake is rooted in old-world Europe, but eventually found its way to America—specifically the South and New Orleans. And for this, we’re eternally grateful. Celebrating with this confection is the sweetest way to usher in Carnival, which begins on the Twelfth Night (or January 6, 12 days after Christmas), and culminates on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, for Mardi Gras. Down South, it’s practically a sacrilege to indulge before or after the aforementioned dates, which is why the sight of king cake on the bakery shelf gets our heart’s a flutter....

When Austin, Texas-based interior designer Shannon Eddings wanted to replace the backsplash in her 1950s kitchen, her husband, Sam, encouraged her to go a step further. “Let’s not just replace that,” he said. “Let’s do what you’ve always talked about doing.” But with a busy family of five and a bustling business, she worried about whether they could realistically take on a down-to-the-studs overhaul of their 1,200-square-foot home. “We wondered, ‘Do we have the capacity to do this?...

The weeknight dinner menu is relentlessly predictable around our house. Ground turkey, salmon, and chicken dishes rotate throughout the week like clockwork, some headed to the stovetop, others to the grill. While I like the routine of it all (my grocery list is so reliable that my delivery app can practically autofill everything I need), we’re typically so desperate for something different that we’re dialing in takeout before the week’s over....