Whether your home is in the South or you’re trying to create a classic Southern feel in your house, nothing brings a breezy, relaxed tone to a room like wicker furniture. Wicker isn’t an actual material, but the style of weaving used in furniture made from rattan or other natural fibers, or synthetic resin. Whatever kind of wicker furniture you have, it’s important to know how to clean it so it looks its best and ages gracefully....
If you want to learn how to make a gorgeous layer cake, you have to start with the basics. Starting with a sturdy, structurally-sound cake is the best way to set yourself up for success in the decorating process. Before you can get to the glitz and glam of cake decorating, there are a few foundational skills you’ll want to have in your repertoire. First, you need to learn how to bake scrumptious cake layers....
Did you throw a birthday party or celebrate a special occasion and somehow have the unthinkable happen? Leftover cake. You know there’s no way you’re going to be able to eat all the cake slices that remain, but it’s way too good to go uneaten—or, worse, end up in a trash can. You’re left wondering, “Can I freeze cake slices?” The answer is a definitive yes. Now, you’ll want to follow some specific cake-freezing steps because how you freeze cake slices makes all the difference in how it will taste later....
A few weekends ago, staying with my parents at their home right outside of Charleston, South Carolina, I found myself with a free morning and a tree full of figs. Despite the fact that the tree has occupied a corner of their backyard since I was young, I didn’t find myself enamored with its fruit (beyond their inclusion in much-loved—and much-processed—Fig Newtons) until three or four years ago. Now, each summer, I eagerly await the arrival of my parents’ figs as impatiently as I anticipate South Carolina-grown peaches at the Pig and the heirloom tomatoes that spill from baskets at roadside produce stands....
When it comes to baking cookies, there are a million and one tips and techniques that bakers use to achieve the perfect batch. We’ve seen it all, from pan-banging to refrigerating dough balls for days before baking. If you grew up in the kitchen, you’re probably attuned to the countless cookie hacks that home bakers and pastry chefs alike swear by. But the problem with deeming one hack to make the “perfect” batch of cookies is that everyone likes their cookies a different way....
Looking for the classic comfort of a warm and savory meatloaf without the guilt? Ground turkeyis a lower fat alternative to ground red meats that doesn’t compromise on flavor or texture. Turkey meatloaves are healthy, low hassle, and can be used to make a handful of different dishes—try a slice between some toast for a hearty sandwich or with mashed potatoes and veggies for a tried-and-true southern staple. Step 1: Lock In Moisture The challenge with how to make a meatloaf with ground turkey is finding a way to lock in moisture for that beloved spongy meatloaf texture....
Last year Hallmark gave viewers something brand new: A trilogy of films that were connected stories rooted in female friendship. The leaders in all things feel-good TV have started off 2023 with a bang. Not only are we getting a sequel to the trilogy of The Wedding Veil films, we are getting a sequel trilogy. Three brand new movies starring Lacey Chabert, Alison Sweeney, and Autumn Reeser kick off with The Wedding Veil Expectations, premiering January 7....
The irony of having wavy hair is that even when you want to wear it naturally, you’re still forced to put in a bit of effort. I have 2b waves, so my hair is neither super tight coils nor pin straight strands. Previously, I would blow dry, flat iron, and then wand-curl my hair to get those tousled, fresh-off-the-beach waves—until I was introduced to the Ouai’s Wave Spray. I’ve been burned by wave sprays before: Many promise to give me the bouncy, shiny, island curls of a mermaid....
Ree Drummond has filmed 15 seasons of The Pioneer Woman from the kitchen of her family’s ranch in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. That’s a lot of food! If you’ve found yourself wondering what happens to the heaps of delicious leftovers when the cameras stop rolling, you’re not alone. It’s such a common question that there’s an entire article on The Pioneer Woman website dedicated to solving the culinary mystery. As it turns out, the answer is quite simple....
“I was in my room I was asleep and I just heard the bang,” Mark Ligondie recalled to WPTV last month. Ligondie woke with a start and ran from his bedroom to the kitchen of his family’s home in West Palm Beach, Florida. In the kitchen, he found the smoldering remains of the refrigerator. “There were fumes coming everywhere,” he added. The four-month-old fridge had exploded, expanding to the point that it bent the metal of the stove....
Cast iron skillets offer plenty of benefits. They evenly distribute heat for more efficient cooking whether you’re browning vegetables or meat, and they can quickly go from the stovetop into the oven for an easy one-pan meal. Plus, a well-seasoned cast iron skillet makes for a naturally non-stick surface that’s easy to clean. Need we say more? The insulating, heat-resistant accessory easily slides onto a variety of pot and pan handles to protect your hands from accidental burns....
It’s no secret that a lot of us have channeled our inner chefs for the past year at home. If you’ve gotten creative in the kitchen—and sometimes so creative that you’ve burned yourself or stained your clothing in the process—you’re not alone. While cooking is often fun, and even therapeutic to some, it does get messy. With nearly 18,000 global ratings, this splatter screen has found a home in plenty of kitchens around the world....
These days you can drive over to Publix and pick up a dozen Christmas tree-shaped butter sculptures to deck out your holiday table. Two hundred years ago, though, if someone wanted fancy butter for their dinner, they had to track down a farmer who used hand-carved molds to create show-stopping dairy displays. In the 18th and 19th centuries, dairy farmers used prints and molds to decorate the butter they churned up each day....
Most young girls dreaming about their wedding day envision walking down the aisle in a white gown. After all, white is traditional, and many Southern brides love a traditional wedding with all the long-held customs on display, from something borrowed to something blue. However, genuinely historically-minded people should know that brides didn’t always wear white down the aisle. According to The Washington Post, no bride wanted to wear white on their wedding day during the 1700s and 1800s as it was associated with mourning....
The Georgia coast has long been a Yuletide destination for Southerners. Driving in over the glowing, golden marshes with a chill in the salty air, you’ll see glimpses of the Christmas spirit at every turn. Two neighboring coastal communities, Sea Island and St. Simons Island are both warm and inviting places to visit. They are bedecked in holiday finery, with locals hanging garlands and bows and erecting towering evergreens festooned with shiny baubles....
In the South, we love our peaches, which the region produces with pride. We can them, make them into preserves, and bake them in classic cobblers. A smaller, looking peach—the apricot—isn’t grown locally and doesn’t have the same cache as its Southern-favorite cousin, but it’s a fruit to consider with its own unique characteristics you may want to try if your usual go-to is peaches. By May, in-season, fresh apricots and peaches appear on supermarket shelves....
Everybody wants good neighbors. In these trying times, having a strong community to fall back on is particularly important. But where in this vast and diverse country can you find the best neighbors? This week, storage company Neighbor shared a list of the Top 25 Most Neighborly Cities, which identifies the locations where people are looking out for each other, doing favors for one another, and “generally acting like good neighbors....
Surprise: It’s not just Frosted Coffee and Frosted Lemonade —“Frosted” is the term Chick-fil-A uses when a beverage is made with their signature Icedream frozen dessert—you can order at The Chick. Little did we know, there’s a whole world of Frosted beverages out there for us to enjoy. In a recent TikTok video from Brooke Anderson, the former Chick-fil-A employee reveals this"secret menu" tip, explaining that you can order any of Chick-fil-A’s soda options “Frosted” to transform your carbonated beverage into a dessert-like experience....
Extra-virgin olive oil is freshly squeezed fruit juice. I know, that might sound weird, but olives are a type of fruit, and olive oil is what you get when you crush and process them. Fruit juice. While a bottle of olive oil has a much longer shelf life than a carton of OJ, it will go bad eventually—especially if you store it improperly. Once it has been bottled and sealed, olive oil has an 18 to 24 month shelf life....
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was cookin’ up some healing vibes for a very special fan on Tuesday. The Baywatch star choked back tears in an emotional video dedicated to Justin Rodriguez, a 12-year-old from Lawton, Oklahoma who has an inoperable brain tumor. After recently finding out that he has just weeks to live, Rodriguez made a bucket list of things to do before he dies that includes meeting The Rock, getting a tattoo, watching the Oklahoma City Thunder play, going on a trip to the beach, and helping his mom pick out her wedding dress....
