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When Michael Blowen decided to start a retirement farm for racehorses, people were skeptical. “They all thought I was nuts,” he says. “I was just going to put horses in my yard and hope visitors would come see them.” He’s toting a bucket of carrots and walking along a fence toward a stallion named War Emblem. He starts kicking the bottom rail in anticipation—the horse, not Blowen. “You’ll get your carrots, but only after you race me,” the former film critic for The Boston Globe teases the former winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes....

Slow cookers are the secret ingredient to a lot of our favorite dishes. Those handy kitchen appliances make it a snap to serve up a bowl of Kentucky Burgoo for an after-church supper, whip up a big batch of Buffalo Chicken Dip for a tailgate bash, or wake up to a Slow-Cooker Cinnamon Roll Casserole. The best part about slow cookers is that they are so darn easy: Just throw the ingredients in the bowl, turn on the heat, and a few hours later, dig in!...

Carly Boyd’s grandfather, Shelton Mahala, 87, is one of thousands of Americans living in nursing homes who can’t receive guests amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic. But when Boyd got engaged over the weekend, she couldn’t imagine not sharing the exciting news with Mahala. The 21-year-old nursing student told Good Morning America that she maintains a close relationship with her grandfather. It was important to her that he learned about her engagement from her personally....

Everyone is now accounted for in Buchanan County, Virginia, after a severe storm struck Tuesday, bringing heavy rain and flooding. As much as seven inches of rain fell in just a few hours causing extensive damage to more than 100 homes and washing out roadways in the rural area near the Kentucky and West Virginia borders. “Combined with the fact that the area is mountainous, rainfall is able to collect quickly, and dangerous runoff occurred,” CNN meteorologist Robert Shackelford explained....

It’s an understatement to say we’re big fans of Connie Britton. She’s responsible for bringing two of the best fictional Southern women to life on TV, is incredibly devoted to her anti-poverty work with the United Nations, and, not to mention, looks amazing while doing it all. And you don’t watch Connie on TV for more than a few minutes without marveling at her stunning hair. Her long, thick strawberry-blond hair is the stuff of Hollywood and Nashville legends—there’s even a Twitter account and a hashtag (#conniebrittonshair) devoted to her envious locks....

Holiday entertaining is right around the corner. Thanksgiving lunches and Christmas dinners are worthy occasions of pulling your silver collection out of storage. Besides special events like weddings, showers, and funerals, the holidays are a wonderful time to pull out your silver to set a beautiful table. You’ll want to give the pieces a good polish to wipe away any signs of tarnish before setting the table. Sounds a lot easier than the polishing task really is....

Get ready to start practicing your roundhouse kicks because we are returning to the roadhouse. The classic 1989 Patrick Swayze film is getting remade with Jake Gyllenhaal stepping in to star. If it has been awhile since you saw Swayze fight some fools trying to start trouble, let us jog your memory. The 80’s favorite gives us the Dirty Dancing star as a unlikely bouncer at a gritty roadside saloon in Missouri that caters to a rowdy crowd....

Once upon a time, in a land before motherhood, virtual schooling, and pandemic outbreaks, there was this magical thing called sleep. Nowadays? All bets are out the window when it comes to getting a truly restorative night’s worth of shut-eye. Just ask Joanna Gaines, who’s at the helm of a new television network, a string of brick-and-mortar outposts in Waco, multiple lifestyle brands, and—first and foremost—a family of five kiddos alongside her husband Chip....

In 1962, Mary Frances Early became the first African American to graduate from the University of Georgia, and this past Tuesday, the university celebrated the naming of its College of Education in her honor. “With her historic legacy at the University of Georgia, it is fitting that Ms. Early is making history once again as the first African American to have a college or school named in their honor at this institution,” President Jere W....

We were curious: Just how many unusual food combos have Southerners dreamed up over the years? And we’re not talking about your standard bacon-and-egg pairings. No, we’re looking for something more innovative. More whimsical. Weird even. To get the conversation started, we consulted our Facebook Brain Trust. Here are some of the unexpected ways they mix it up at mealtime. How about you? BREAKFAST Ketchup (or Tabasco) on scrambled eggs Scrambled eggs with syrup on top Boudin balls dipped in cane syrup Biscuits with red-eye gravy Biscuits with chocolate gravy Biscuits with sausage gravy BETWEEN TWO SLICES Please note: All sandwiches below are made with white bread....

For those of you who are yet to finish Netflix’s Sweet Magnolias, be aware of the spoil alert within. For those of you who gobbled up the show like aunt Frieda’s pecan pie, we feel you. Just like every episode in the hit new Netflix series starring JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Eliott, and Heather Headley, the first season’s last episode has some big-time twists and turns. As it turns out, even Sherryl Woods, the author of the Sweet Magnolias books, upon which the TV series is based, was shocked by the cliffhanger in the season finale....

As we enter a new season, you may be thinking about making some changes to your home’s décor. We have all spent a lot more time in our homes than we did pre-pandemic, and a change could do probably do us some good. Or maybe as some Americans are returning to working in person, you’re thinking of revamping your office or business. Well, we may have some fresh inspiration for you....

Chances are, you have a container of hummus in your refrigerator right now. And chances are, it’s pre-made from the supermarket. There’s no shame in that! There’s a tub of the store-bought stuff sitting in my refrigerator too. With a handful of pita chips or carrot sticks, it’s a quick and healthy any time snack. Although I’ve served it at parties dressed it up with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika....

The Lathams’ Midway, Kentucky, farm is idyllic on all counts. Their home, located in textbook horse country, is in rolling green hills dotted with mature trees and crisscrossed by a spindly web of black wooden fences. The 1850s farmhouse, with wide porches and steep gables piped with gingerbread trim, feels right at home in the bucolic landscape. It’s a friendly-looking house that seems like it’s seen a fair share of celebrations, and it has....

I’ll be the first to admit that I did not always lather up with sunscreen before a day out in the sun. I used to believe in the “burn once then tan the rest of summer” method. Now my naïve days without sun protection are far behind me. I won’t even leave the house without a mineral sunscreen on my face. So as it goes, I was on the hunt for a cute sun hat that would protect me while still being stylish this summer....

Wisteria vines, for the most part, are not for the wimpy gardener. About 99.9% of the plants sold are Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) and Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis)—thuggish Asian imports that frequently escape managed gardens. They climb the tallest trees and utility poles, spreading at light speed, and their muscular, twining stems can bend iron, crush an arbor, or throttle small trees to death. On the ground, the vines sprout up from thick, aggressive roots, forming thickets that smother other plants....

About Walker Hayes Mobile, Alabama, native Walker Hayes broke out last year with one of the biggest hits in country music—the pop sensation “Fancy Like.” Walker Hayes grew up in a neighborhood where his church, school, and girlfriend were all within a mile radius. He met his future wife, Laney, in 11th grade. After they married in 2004, they drove straight to Nashville so he could pursue his music career, but that dream took more than a decade to get traction, and Walker struggled through some very hard times....

She may be a Californian, but Julia Child—for her warmth, pep, and of course her talent in the kitchen—makes the cut as an honorary Southerner in our books. As we learned in an article over on Apartment Therapy, Boston’s public TV station, WGBH, has designated this week “Julia Child Week,” in honor of the legendary chef. The festivities kicked off yesterday on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25th, and run through this Friday with the network airing three hours of Julia Child programming as well as tributes to the culinary star from 3 p....

Even if described as “cold-hardy,” frost and below-freezing temperatures can damage your previously thriving plants. The key to saving these plants is knowing when to prune. Pruning frost-damaged plants too soon can prevent future growth, so even though you might not like the appearance of those browning leaves, keeping them in place can be beneficial. However, if hope springs eternal in the garden, what happens to your shrub or tree that remains bare?...

For those who aren’t skilled bakers or appetizer-innovators, a bottle of wine may seem like an obvious choice for a hostess gift. For starters, it’s great in a pinch—you can pick it up on the way to the party. But more importantly, it’s something we’d be happy to receive for ourselves: Who doesn’t love having an extra bottle lying around for the occasional weeknight wind-down? That said, showing up to a dinner party with a bottle of wine can cause quite the etiquette conundrum for your host....