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It’s Bo time, because on this day in 1977, the first ever Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ’n Biscuits opened its doors in Charlotte, North Carolina, and introduced the world to its spicy fried chicken. The ever-expanding restaurant chain, which is opening 21 new Bojangles outposts in Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the next year or so, has been a Southern staple ever since. The company was founded by two men who knew a lot about fried chicken and biscuits—John Fulk, a North Carolina local who owned a Hardee’s franchise and helped make their breakfast biscuits famous, and former KFC President of Operations, Richard Thomas, who got his start at the chicken company after sleeping outside Colonel Sanders’ office to ask for a job....

Here’s a fun piece of soda trivia for you: The vessel it’s served to you in can slightly impact how it tastes. According to Sara Risch, a food chemist and member of the Institute of Food Technologists, per Popular Science, the formulas for soda stay the same whether they are in a can, plastic bottle, or glass bottle. “While packaging and food companies work to prevent any interactions, they can occur,” Risch explains to Popular Science....

There’s nothing better than getting lost in a good book while on vacation—especially when you’re relaxing by a body of water. The only downside is your books don’t love the water as much as you do. If you’ve ever returned from a trip with a stack of books that are a little worse for the wear—we’re talking warped, stained, dog-eared, and fanned out like an accordion—we may know the perfect vacation destination for you....

Whether you call it “stuffing” or “dressing” varies based on where you live, according to Google Correlate search data. But no matter where you’re from, you’ll very likely call this Thanksgiving side dish “delicious”—especially if you’re starting with one of our best Thanksgiving dressing recipes of all time. However, in addition to overcooked turkey and lumpy gravy, dry dressing is one of the most common Thanksgiving cooking mistakes. “A dry stuffing or dressing is usually dry after baking simply because the recipe lacked enough moisture or fat,” confirms Bridget Lancaster, executive editorial director at America’s Test Kitchen....

You don’t need to travel to South Africa to enjoy one of its finest flowers. Crocosmia, a member of the lily family, grows in the South and is often a pass-along variety that grows in cottage gardens and old homesites. Known to many as “montbretia,” this flower blooms in clusters during the hottest summer days, like fireworks on the Fourth of July. Cousin to the gladiolus, the foliage is similar in its upright, sword-shaped leaves....

“I’ve always been someone who dresses for myself,” says Elizabeth Damrich. “It’s one thing you can do to make yourself feel better. Even in this pandemic year, it’s so important to be creative and to use dressing as a way to lift your spirits.” With her penchant for fluid silhouettes and artful accessories, the interior designer’s style feels inherently festive, like she could move from a quiet afternoon at home with her family to a formal dinner party without changing a thing....

About Margo Price Margo Price grew up in the small town of Aledo, Illinois, a rural farming community that would shape her as a person and an artist. In 2016, she burst onto the Americana scene with a soulful, deeply personal album called “Midwest Farmer’s Daughter.” The songs have a timeless quality, especially in the singer’s old-school country voice, but they also tell stories of loss, heartbreak, and the disappearing American dream....

The finalists of the 2021 Cadbury Bunny Tryouts have been announced, and we’re proud to report that the South produced a particularly strong batch of contenders. Among the 10 finalists vying to be named the next Cadbury bunny are two Texans: a Nigerian dwarf goat named Dog and an alpaca named Waylon; and two Floridians: an Australian White tree frog named Betty, and a Persian cat named Pepa. With help from last year’s winner Lieutenant Dan, Cadbury combed through 12,000 submissions to select the 10 cutest contenders....

Dreaming of setting down your roots somewhere new? If you or your partner is employed as a remote tech worker, then you may want to set your sights on Savannah, Georgia. The historic city along Georgia’s coast is looking to help ease the financial burdens of making the move thanks to a new program from the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA. The newly created Savannah Technology Workforce Incentive mimics other programs such as Tulsa Remote, to compel remote workers, in this case specifically in tech, to move to a new city that might not otherwise be on their radars....

The most surefire way to a better day isn’t pie nor cookies, Sweet Magnolias nor sweet tea, it’s Loretta Lynn. More specifically, playing her ever-soothing 1970 country music smash hit, “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” Just play that timeless first verse, and we’re teleported to a calmer state of mind: “Well, I was borned a coal miner’s daughter / In a cabin, on a hill in Butcher Holler / We were poor but we had love / That’s the one thing that daddy made sure of / He shoveled coal to make a poor man’s dollar....

Pimiento cheese: There are infinite variations of this Southern spread, and some, admittedly, are more delicious than others. The options are endless when it comes to combining cheeses, mayo, pimientos, and add-ins, and the opinions about those combinations don’t end once the cheese has been plated. There’s another presentation choice that has Southern Living staffers choosing sides: Should you serve pimiento cheese with a knife or a spoon? Divisive, we know....

Fans of Dana Sue’s chemistry with her estranged husband Ronnie on Sweet Magnolias will be excited to learn what Lifetime has up its sleeve for the upcoming holiday season. According to Deadline, Brooke Elliott (Dana Sue) will executive produce and headline A Country Christmas Harmony with her Sweet Magnolias co-star Brandon Quinn (Ronnie) as part of the network’s annual “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” lineup of holiday programming. Below is the official synopsis for A Country Christmas Harmony, via Deadline:...

As the season of crunchy leaves and cozy bonfire nights approaches, the preparations for fall-time activities are beginning, too. But the best parts of summer don’t need to leave just yet. With the help of one rather comfy outdoor blanket, you can enjoy a few more nights of stargazing and home-cooked meals outside, even as the weather transitions. Brawntide’s outdoor waterproof blanket is your secret to extending the life of your days spent outside....

What can make a hot buttered biscuit even better? A dollop of your favorite strawberry jam, that’s what. Or maybe you prefer grape jelly or peach preserves? The South enjoys an abundance of fresh, seasonal fruits and many home cooks love to “put up” jars of jams, jellies, and preserves to use and share with friends throughout the year. If you aren’t into canning, however, and are wondering exactly what is in the jar of Aunt Betsy’s famous mystery jam you have just been gifted, read on for a quick rundown on the difference between jams, jelly, and preserves....

Peonies are naturally beautiful, so an eye-catching peony arrangement can come together with very little fuss. Buy peonies at their freshest, when they are still in the bud stage; this will allow you to enjoy the entire blooming process. If you get peonies that are already fully open, they will only last a few days at most. Whether your peonies arrive from a local market or from an online source, you need to quickly get them in the water, but first, you need to prepare your vessel....

I have called the Lowcountry home for 19 years. My wife and I live about 20 miles southwest of Charleston on a sea island named Wadmalaw. Our house got its start as a shrimper’s shack and sits atop a bluff overlooking a weathered commercial dock on a deepwater creek. Beyond that lies a half mile of teeming salt marsh, giving way to the mighty North Edisto River just above where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean....

Burning a beautiful candle in a soothing scent (we love lilac) at the end of a long day is a great way to unwind and relax. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to actually burn that expensive candle—they often feel too pretty to use. Making your own sounds like a hot mess waiting to happen, but not if you have the right candle making kit for the job. The kit gives you the tools to melt your wax, mix in a color and fragrance, pour it into a mold, and add a wick....

Picture this: You step outside your house at lunchtime, hungry for a classic tomato sandwich (with your choice of mayonnaise, of course; I prefer Duke’s). You walk across your yard toward the garden and lean down to pick a fat juicy tomato, maybe a Cherokee Purple. It’s warm, and when sliced, makes for a delicious sandwich. And if you’re looking out at your backyard right now and not seeing a garden, it’s not too late!...

Sometimes we wish we could go back to simpler times, when it was socially acceptable—nay, preferred—to start any dessert with a packet of gelatin or can of condensed milk. Vintage recipes like the weirdly popular Circus Peanut Jello Salad and impossibly indulgent Hello Dolly Bars were as simple and crowd-pleasing as it gets, calling for just a handful of ingredients—funky and otherwise—and rarely an oven. Another retro dessert that certainly fits the funky bill: Tang pie, a creamy orange treat with a not-so-secret ingredient....

If every walk around the neighborhood or hike through the woods has your dog carrying home a big stick, take heart, this doggie-favorite activity is quite common. “Dogs are naturally curious creatures and a walk in the park or trip around the backyard offers so many sights, sounds, smells, and flavors,” says Dr. Antoinette Martin, Associate Veterinarian and Virtual Care Developer at Petfolk, a pet health company with locations across North Carolina....