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A months-long Outer Banks mystery has finally been solved. The sleuthing began Tuesday when Cape Lookout National Seashore shared a photo of a “mysterious mass” that washed up on the beach a few months ago to Facebook. “Do you know what this mysterious mass is?” the national park asked alongside a photo of what appears to be a blob of finger-shaped clear sacks containing tiny white eggs. “So far it has escaped being identified—although it might be something like the egg sacks of a squid (but we aren’t sure)....

The fifth season of HGTV’s Home Town kicked off this January, and short of packing our bags for Laurel and moving into one of Ben and Erin Napier’s designs, reserving our Sundays for viewing parties at home — i.e., ourselves and a good cookie recipe — is pretty darn superb. For the show’s January 24th episode, we’ll be baking up an especially standout cookie for an show that’s bound to be one of the season’s most special, in which Ben Napier teams up with Andrew Reid of Reid Classics, who has built beds for Southern Living’s own Idea House for years (see their 2019 creation below)....

Magnolias are a dime a dozen in the South. Their leaves and flowers are familiar sights, and they’re popularly used in landscape design. There’s a particular magnolia that’s been catching our eyes, and its massive, bright green leaves are a far cry from the waxy, deep green magnolia foliage that we’re used to. While certain magnolias—M. grandiflora, M. x soulangeana, and M. stellata—can be found in nearly every yard in the South, bigleaf magnolia (M....

During the coronavirus pandemic, countless Southern chefs have stepped up to help people in incredible and impactful ways — even in some cases as their own businesses barely stay afloat. From a Baltimore restaurateur raising nearly $500,000 for competitors struggling during the pandemic to Houston chef Chris Shepherd helping restaurant workers nationwide through his Southern Smoke nonprofit, there’s been no shortage of inspiring examples from the Southern food community during this difficult chapter....

As the holiday season approaches, our calendars start to fill up with festive gatherings and seasonal soirees. While we adore holiday cocktail hours and tacky sweater parties, one theme remains near and dear to our Southern hearts: the cookie swap. A cookie swap is a great chance to show off your baking skills and share your well-loved family recipes with all of your friends. It provides a perfect excuse to get your family baking together—recruit the kids to help roll out the dough and decorate the cookies with icing and sprinkles....

Even those of us who swear by (instead of swear at) grits must admit that they don’t look or taste like much when you don’t fix them right, but grits are full of flavor and charm in the right hands. Cooks who know how to stir up a proper pot of grits understand that it pays to start with stoneground grits that retain toasted corn flavor and to salt them generously....

Equally at home in the vegetable garden, containers, or flower border, lettuce presents garden-fresh flavors and jewel-like colors that money just can’t buy. And no produce market can match the freshness and variety of lettuce that you can grow in your own backyard. How To Grow LettuceFrom early spring straight into summertime, lettuce grows fast and flavorful. Choose a location that receives direct sunlight for a minimum of four to six hours....

Nothing makes our hearts go pitter-patter like a delicious, juicy shrimp. The best part? If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, it’s a gift that keeps on giving the next day. Reheating shrimp can be tricky though. “When shrimp get overcooked they get rubbery,” says Jamie Adams, head chef at the renowned eatery Lagarde, in Chamblee Georgia. Here, Adams gives us his best tips and tricks for reheating shrimp. How do you reheat frozen shrimp?...

Krispy Kreme is rolling out an all-new collection of mini doughnuts featuring the season’s most iconic pie flavors. The doughnut giant’s Thanksgiving minis are available in 16-count boxes for a limited time beginning today, November 7. “We show our thanks in many ways and there’s no better environment to share gratitude than by coming together over food, including sharing something sweet,” Dave Skena, Global Chief Brand Officer for Krispy Kreme, said in a news release....

Hillary Scott joins Sid Evans on Biscuits & Jam to talk about what kept Lady A together for so long, her relationship with her grandfather, and some of her favorite meals, like chicken bog. Get to Know Hillary Scott Hillary Scott performed both in her church and with her family growing up and was attempting to get her solo career off the ground when she met her eventual bandmates in Lady A – Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood – in 2006....

Our love for Dolly Parton is bountiful here at Southern Living, and it’s always nice to hear why her fellow country music artists adore her as much as we do. Most recently, Georgia native and country singer Lauren Alaina spoke with Holler.country about the songs, records, and artists that have shaped her into the singer she’s become and — no surprises here — chief among them is the Smoky Mountain Songbird....

Leslie Jordan was at the beginning of an exciting new chapter in his decades-long career when he died unexpectedly Monday morning. Two weeks prior to his passing, in what is likely his final television interview, Jordan sat down with CBS News’ Anthony Mason. The interview was originally scheduled to air in November, but news of his tragic death moved up its release. Portions of the nearly 10-minute interview take place at Eastside Bowl in Nashville, where Jordan was filming a music video with country stars LoCash and Blanco Brown....

It’s been a strange and surreal year, to say the least, and things just got stranger. In some lighthearted news, we’ve learned that an emu on the loose caused quite the frenzy in Jacksonville’s Westside neighborhood before being safely captured by authorities. As News4Jax WJXT originally reported, the emu escaped from its home while its owners were away (though it was under the care of an “emu sitter”) and scooted over to the grounds of local truck repair shop, Nichols Truck Bodies....

Every holiday season, for over twenty years now, Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, turns into an illuminated holiday wonder known as Nights of A Thousand Candles. The Gardens spark to life each evening from the glow of more than 2,700 hand-lit candles and countless sparkling lights. This year’s event kicks off on November 26th and will have many dates through the first of the new year. Visitors can walk the pathways among all the twinkle of the festive lights from 4 pm to 9 pm nightly while sipping on a cup of warm cider....

When you and everyone you know eat something regularly, with relish, it’s hard to imagine there are people elsewhere who have never even heard of it. Friends, people outside the South have never had a banana sandwich. What is a Southern Banana Sandwich? The construct is that of a tomato sandwich: flimsy white bread, Duke’s, sliced banana—lightning quick and delightful. While some people replace the mayo with peanut butter, others hit the trifecta with all three....

It’s brave enough to become a first-time entrepreneur. Imagine becoming a first-time entrepreneur to sell a product never before sold in the entire state. That’s Jeri Carter, a former kindergarten teacher who opened Mississippi’s first meadery. When she first opened Queen’s Reward in Tupelo as a side project to her teaching career, most visitors hadn’t even tried mead. They entered her tasting room somewhere between skeptical and curious. Now, four years later, mead is Carter’s full-time job, and her biggest business challenge is making enough of it to keep up with everyone who wants it....

You may already know that bulk shopping giant Sam’s Club has serious fast food inspired chicken game. Last year, they launched Member’s Mark Southern Style Chicken Bites that swept the country by storm thanks to their resemblance to Chick-fil-A’s much beloved chicken nuggets. But now, they’re boosting their bird offerings yet again and we’re seriously over the moon: Sam’s Club has officially debuted the Member’s Mark Southern Style Spicy Chicken Sandwich....

There’s a variety of options available from popular brands like iRobot Roomba, Dyson, Shark, Bissell, and Hoover. Alongside the well-known brands there are a few customer-loved under-the-radar models on sale, too, like the iLife Pro Robot Vacuum with over 10,900 five-star ratings for only $112. If you need a lightweight stick vacuum that converts into a handheld vacuum cleaner, check out this Bissell model that’s only 7 pounds on sale for $100 off....

For two weeks each February, Texas’s Rio Grande Valley lights up in celebration of Mexican-American unity and culture. The historic Charro Days Fiesta, which began in 1938, honors the friendship between Brownsville, a town at the southmost point of Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, and Matamoros, its sister city in Mexico. The historic festival marks the continued cooperation between the twin Rio Grande cities which, although separated by national borders, are bound by shared traditions and culture....

It’s hard to find a dip more popular than pimiento cheese. Nicknamed “the pâté of the South,” this classic spread is a staple at events like tailgates and baby showers as well as a must for having on hand in the refrigerator as an afternoon snack. This effortless appetizer is a Southern hostess’ secret weapon: It’s quick to prepare and satisfies hungry guests before the main meal. Basic Pimiento Cheese is a perennial crowd-pleaser, but it can also be kicked up a notch with twists on the traditional flavors....