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It seems to me that some people were designed for life at home. In the past eight weeks, I’ve watched friends cultivate sourdough starters, needlepoint a tree’s worth of Christmas ornaments, and whip up batch after batch of beauty products made from all-natural ingredients. I, unfortunately, am not one of those people, prone to flying through books or binging Netflix docs instead. But on a rainy Sunday afternoon two weeks ago, desperate to do something that felt productive, I signed up for an Ancestry....

Stephanie Davisson knows all too well that Christmas doesn’t fall on December 25th for every family. The Texas mom of two was inspired to write her first “Elf-approved” letter from Santa Claus in 2018. Her husband, who serves in the Army, had to work on Christmas Day, meaning the family would be celebrating on the 24th. Moving Christmas can be a tricky thing, so Davisson decided to come up with template letters from Santa that explain to kids like hers that they’re not missing out on anything, they’re just doing it a different day....

It’s no secret that it gets hotter in the South than chicken and dumplings just off the stovetop, and we’re more privy to the ways of eluding sweat stains and makeup disasters than anyone else, sans maybe pageant girls. What becomes imperative—nay, the difference between life and us melting into a puddle of sweat—is air conditioning. Which is something, by the way, some places tend to be seriously lacking. Walking into somewhere with less-than-stellar air conditioning power is one of the greatest disappointments in life for anyone who knows summer in the South, especially if it’s a place you’re going to kick it for a while: the front porch, a vacation rental or hotel, your office cubicle, that weird room in your house that seems to always be at least 10 degrees hotter than the rest, your friend’s wedding....

In most parts of the country, people brace for the cold, cold winter months when there aren’t enough wool socks to keep the toes from freezing up and staying inside is better than facing the howling wind. But down in the South, we brace for the summer—when the humidity is like breathing in a big gulp of lukewarm mist and staying inside merely keeps us from unmentionables like gnats, sweat stains, and the occasional heat rash....

For many folks who are house hunting in the hamlet of Highlands, North Carolina, a rambling 28-acre farm with four tumbledown cabins might send them running in the other direction. But when it comes to real estate, Margaret and Chris Shutze aren’t afraid of anything. “It doesn’t matter what shape it’s in, but it needs to have some essence that we can build upon,” Margaret recalls telling their agent. “Nothing scares us, not even the most dilapidated building....

Every week is Shark Week off the coast of Wilmington, North Carolina. One location, situated between 26 to 40 miles off the coast of Wrightsville Beach, is known as a hot spot for a particularly unique find: giant prehistoric Megalodon teeth. “It’s really rare,” marine biologist and owner of WB Diving, Chris Slog, told WTVD. “In North Carolina, we’re really lucky, and specifically Wilmington, North Carolina, it’s one of a few places in the world where you can find the Megalodon teeth in those numbers,” Slog explained....

At a mobile food pantry, a woman looked inside the bag of donated food she received and cried. Tina Postel had just given her the bag. Postel, CEO of Loaves & Fishes, a network of emergency food pantries in Charlotte, North Carolina—asked the woman if she was OK. It was the oranges, she told Postel. The previous week when her children asked for apples, she had to tell them that she couldn’t afford fresh foods....

If you picked up some ready-to-eat chicken at the grocery store recently, you may want to check the label. Turns out that some of those pre-cooked chicken breasts, weren’t as precooked as they should be. Decatur, Alabama-based Wayne Farms has expanded its nationwide recall of ready-to-eat chicken breast fillets because they may be undercooked, Food Safety News reports. This is particularly important news for Southerners, because those undercooked chicken breasts were shipped to retail locations in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia....

When you’ve stuffed or cooked a turkey in years past, were you surprised to find a bag of unidentified poultry parts hanging out in the cavity? What’s in that bag? It’s giblets. My grandparents loved giblets. They knew the background and benefits of giblets because they could break down poultry on their Midwestern farms. Their goal was to use the entire bird—in cooked meat, gravy-making, and soup stock. Today’s cooks buying a grocery store turkey often use giblets in recipes like Overnight Giblet Gravy or Homemade Turkey Stock....

Wander down the baking aisle of any grocery store and you’ll notice several boxes labeled baking chocolate. Some say unsweetened, others bittersweet or semi-sweet, another labeled German’s sweet chocolate. Have you ever wondered what this chocolate is used for and how it’s any different than the chocolate over in the candy aisle? There’s actually quite a big difference. For baking, it’s important to understand the difference between regular chocolate and baking chocolate—plus, know how to select the right kind of chocolate for every recipe....

Determining crawfish season isn’t as simple as picking dates on a calendar and sticking to them year after year—weather, especially temperature and precipitation, significantly affects crawfish availability. The length of the season also depends on your location. Louisiana’s crawfish season stretches a bit longer than the Texas season. But even though crawfish season has a different beginning or end, there is still a right time to get your crawfish. What Is Crawfish?...

They say that there are two things in life a person can count on: death and taxes. My sisters and I can count on one more: a handkerchief in our dad’s pocket. It’s nothing fancy or embroidered, just a simple square of white cotton that he folds a few times before unceremoniously stuffing it into the back pocket of his jeans or tucking it into his coat. There are practical reasons that he carries a handkerchief: It’s an easy way to address a runny nose, sweaty forehead, or the occasional tractor-grease-covered fingers....

What is wrong with the world? Even in gardening, our security blankets are being yanked away. Take, for example, the South’s crepe myrtles. We love them for months of glorious blooms even in the most blistering summers, which is why nearly every yard is home to at least one. Yet the flowers this summer have been far from glorious in numerous places, including my home. If this paucity continues, we’ll remember 2021 as “The Summer Without Crepes....

In the South, there is quite literally no bad time to enjoy Blue Bell ice cream. In fact, we insist on indulging in the Texas-based creamery’s creations year-round, from the limited-edition holiday releases—the Eggnog and Peppermint flavors certainly got us in the spirit—to quintessential summer flavors like peach and Homemade Vanilla. Is there really anything better to pair with buttermilk pound cake or ooey-gooey cobbler? Per the creamery’s slogan, it “tastes just like the good ‘ole days....

If you love plants but live in a space that’s lacking in light, don’t despair. There are plants that you can grow even in the darkest of corners and dimmest of rooms. From long-loved houseplants like philodendrons and parlor palms to new favorites with beautiful leaves, like calatheas and arrowhead plants, there’s a species on this list that’s perfect for your window-challenged abode. Once you’ve chosen a new plant or two, remember that the most important part of tending houseplants is to pay attention....

The snarl of a chainsaw never sounds sweeter than when slicing through the trunk of a nasty Bradford pear. As you know, I have railed against the spring-blooming, white-flowering tree for years. It explodes in windstorms, its flowers smell like fish, it grows too big, and thousands of its thorny seedlings now consume roadsides and the woods. If you’re ready to get rid of the Bradford pear in your yard, try one of these Bradford pear alternatives....

Antiques Roadshow, the storied program that has the reputation of being PBS’s most-watched ongoing series, is returning for its 27th season. In the coming months, the Antiques Roadshow 2022 production tour will travel to five locations in the United States, one of which is located in the South. On Tuesday, May 10, the show will be filming at Cheekwood Estate & Gardens in Nashville, Tennessee, which is an invitation for curious collectors to enter to win tickets and bring their treasures for appraisal....

Todd Richards remembers that sausage biscuit well. He was only about 4 years old then, but he can still taste the peppery meat with its crisp edges and the flaky bread layers that left butter on his fingers. The biscuit itself was nothing special, just a pit stop meal at a Bob Evans restaurant, but for a Chicago-born kid on a road trip to the South, it was a revelation. “I didn’t know what biscuits were,” he says....

Brittney Spencer joins Sid Evans on Biscuits & Jam to talk about growing up in Baltimore, her Grand Ole Opry debut, and her hit song “Compassion.” Get to Know Brittney Spencer As Brittney Spencer honed her craft, she also toured as a backing vocalist for Carrie Underwood and other artists. The spotlight turned Brittney’s way in 2020, as she released her first EP called Compassion to rave reviews. The country superstar Maren Morris in a CMA award acceptance speech credited Brittney and other Black women in country music for their contributions to the genre....

While the familiar adage that homemade is always better typically rings true, there are always special exceptions, even in the South where Mama’s recipe cards and passed-down dishes rule all. When it comes to baking, Southerners tend to take a situational-specific approach. It’s perfectly acceptable to use store-bought pie crust for time-crunch purposes, but there are few scenarios in which pre-packaged frosting should top a homemade layer cake. Priorities! Brownies are one such treat that is totally reasonable to lean into the store-bought shortcuts....