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There was a time when you’d find a breadbox on nearly every countertop in the country. They were a fixture until the mid-20th century. Although they might not be as common today, this doesn’t mean you don’t need a place to store your bread. If you want to maintain a clutter-free kitchen, you might find yourself looking for an out-of-the-way place to store your loaves. A place like the refrigerator might make sense aesthetically since it frees up counter space, but is a cold environment like a fridge really the best place to store bread?...

When it comes to monogramming, everything old is new again. Once reserved strictly for hand towels in the guest bath, monogramming is now a great way to personalize practically anything in your home. Yes, your parents gave you your initials, but where you put them is totally up to you. A. Monogramming EtiquetteThe classic three-letter monogram will never go out of style in the South. But the rules can–and should –be broken....

When it comes to crowd-pleasing sandwiches, Southerners know exactly what they’re doing. We pick up Mama’s recipe cards, find her egg salad, chicken salad, or ham slider recipe, and listen to our guests ooh and aah over our party-perfect spread. These potluck favorites are Southern classics for a reason: they’re fail-proof, oh-so-yummy, and easy to make in bulk. Without a doubt, egg salad is set apart for its inexpensive and tasty formula for a large crowd....

One of the least original things we did during the pandemic was to bring home a puppy. This was in the spring of 2020, when the experience of quarantining was still new. Like many people, we were looking for a diversion—anything to take our minds off the news. We already had a dog we loved, an easygoing Jack Russell terrier named Rocky, but when some good friends of ours in Charleston, South Carolina, said they had a litter of Boykin spaniels on the way, it seemed like fate....

There’s more than a little magic in Hope Floats. The romantic comedy is the perfect combination of heartbreaking and heartwarming with enough romance to make it fun. Much of that electric butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling is due to the incredible chemistry between the film’s two leads, Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick Jr. If it’s been a minute since you watched, the film follows Birdee Pruitt (Bullock) who very publicly discovers her marriage —and her relationship with her best friend—is over....

When playwright Robert Harling wrote Steel Magnolias back in 1987, he undoubtedly had no idea that more than 30 years later, people would still be quoting it regularly. Its original incarnation was a play that had a successful off-Broadway run. Then Paramount bought the movies rights and Harling wrote the script, transforming the play into a movie. Thanks to his witty words, a poignant story, the powerful portrait of strong Southern friendships, and an all-star cast that included Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts the movie became a smash hit that has lasted through the ages....

While the calendar still firmly says it is fall, if you’ve taken a trip to Target or Home Depot recently, it’s clear the holidays are coming soon. If you’ve managed to avoid seeing Christmas lights, winter wreaths, and inflatable Santa Claus lawn ornaments so far, don’t worry: soon you’ll just have to turn on your TV to get in the spirit of the season. TNT and TBS are going all in on the holidays this year with round-the-clock runs of two Christmas favorites....

It was only a matter of time before Topo Chico—the carbonated mineral water that serves as one of three key ingredients of a classic Ranch Water—came out with its own rendition of the fizzy house cocktail of Texas. In 2021, Topo Chico first explored the canned spiked seltzer industry with a selection of unique flavors, including Tangy Lemon Lime, Tropical Mango, Strawberry Guava, and Exotic Pineapple. Now, after the exploding popularity of canned ranch waters, it’s only appropriate that the brand gets in on the fun....

If you have ever been in the middle of a baking project only to realize you don’t have the right kind of brown sugar, you are definitely not alone. Your recipe for sweet potato casserole calls for dark brown sugar, and you only have light. Or you need light for your favorite Christmas cookies, and you wonder how much the recipe will be altered if you use dark, instead. Honestly, there are many times I have used whichever brown sugar I had on hand–dark or light–and didn’t flinch; it never seemed to impact the outcome of my baked item....

Thanksgiving always brings to mind that famous Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post cover. It’s practically a cliche: The family and friends all smiling and eager; the table and turkey, both looking picture perfect. And while Thanksgiving is personally my favorite holiday of the year, even I have to admit, that image does not tell the whole story. Being with family and friends around the table sounds idyllic. But is it? Preparing for the meal can be stressful, and seeing people you may not have seen for a while can also be awkward....

Autumn is the time to eat warm soups and stews with fresh bread. Of all meals, homemade bread and soup fills our stomachs and fights off the chill of incoming cold fronts like nothing else. However, many breads are difficult to make and almost all of them are time consuming. Irish soda bread is unique. After a long day at work, you can throw it together in less than 10 minutes and slide it into the oven to bake while you make dinner....

It’s the eating event Southerners have been training for their whole lives. We’ve all seen some impressive banana pudding consumption in our day, but this is guaranteed to be on another level. Next week, top-ranked competitive eaters from around the country will participate in the first-ever Major League Eating World Banana Pudding Championship in Madison, Alabama. According to AL.com, competitors will test the limits of their waistbands with pans of Apple Lane Farms’ famous banana pudding in the inaugural event....

In the kitchen space, one of our favorite early deals is Lodge’s classic 8-inch pre-seasoned cast iron pan, but that’s not the only markdown you should add to your cart fast. There are plenty of bakeware, cookware, and appliance deals worth your attention, and we’ve narrowed them down to the 17 best deals below. Think: Nordic Ware’s popular bundt pan for $45, Ninja’s Creami ice cream maker that makes tasty frozen desserts for $30 off, and Le Creuset’s sauteuse oven for $60 off....

If you’re a novice in the kitchen, cooking can be rather intimidating. There’s the recipe complexity factor, the use of fancy terms, and, let’s face it, it’s hard to compare to Mama’s cooking standards. But don’t fret. Cooking can be fun even when a recipe calls for “blanching” and “chiffonade.” Instead of googling the answer or throwing in the towel, we gathered and deciphered important kitchen terms to make cooking a little bit easier....

Attending prom is a rite of passage. It’s the night when we get all gussied up, pose for some pictures with friends and a date, and then dance the night away under a disco ball or “starry night” lights. Before placing your copies of prom photos in a dusty shoe box with your parents’ photos—puffy sleeves and all—or storing it on a desktop folder, there is still the custom of posting a picture on Instagram....

There’s a lot that goes into taking care of ourselves as we age gracefully. Prioritizing health and happiness, Southern women like to feel good—and look good while they’re doing it. Tweaking your beauty routines continually over time is one surefire way to embrace maturing and natural beauty without sacrificing your signature look. Beyond making sure you’ve traded in suntanning for a sunhat, there are plenty of easy tips for enhancing and protecting your favorite features, including your hair....

If you’re a fan of the Bloody Mary, you’re probably very particular about the way you like it to be made. Do you like it spiked with horseradish or hot sauce? Heavy on the vodka? Rimmed with salt? Served over lots of ice? When no one is looking, do you add a splash of clam juice? And we haven’t even started on the garnishes yet. For a relatively simple cocktail, there are countless ways to make a Bloody Mary—and none of them are wrong....

A beach trip calls for food that’s as easy and breezy as the setting. Because even if you’re staying somewhere with a fully stocked kitchen, you don’t want to spend any more time inside than necessary. There’s relaxing to be done! For my family, lunch at the beach usually looks like packing a picnic or running up to the house for a quick bite of leftovers. And though we love cooking (even on vacation), no one ever wants to leave the beach early to fix dinner, as that would mean missing out on our favorite time of day there—the early evening when the crowd heads out and it finally starts to quiet down....

Many well-loved, classic recipes have one thing in common: their origins, while rooted in history, are sketchy and hard to trace. Such is the case for the Cola Cake. Most will agree that this indulgent creation is of Southern origins; Coca-Cola was, of course, created in Atlanta, Georgia. Plus, Southern bakers are well known for creating rich desserts using whatever food items are on hand. One theory as to the cake’s beginning goes back to the days of World War II, when sugar, as well as other food items, was rationed and hard to come by....

It’s a fish, it’s a plant, it’s a dolphin succulent! Every day it seems like there’s a new kind of succulent out to steal our hearts. From the itsy-bitsy ones endorsed by Joanna Gaines to the hearty stonecrops beautifying our gardens, we never grow tired of their quirky vibe and fuss-free presence in our home. And now, we have Apartment Therapy to thank for introducing us to dolphin succulents, A.K.A. our latest succulent obsession....