It started as a way to pass time. “My first child was 7 months old, and he took two naps a day,” says Kate Strickler, who lives in Charleston, South Carolina. “I was bored at home and cooking a lot more.” She began sharing elaborate dishes on her Instagram account (@naptimekitchen) with a small group of her friends and relatives. But as her own family—and her social media following—grew, her dishes changed too....
Roughly a week after thousands of comatose turtles were rescued from the freezing waters off the Texas coast, volunteers have begun the process of returning the rehabilitated creatures back to the sea. Sea Turtle Inc. in South Padre Island, which saved the lives of more than 5,000 cold-stunned sea turtles, shared a video of their efforts on Facebook Sunday. “After an exhaustive 24-hour effort that went through the night and has just ended this morning, Sea Turtle Inc....
For many Southerners, cooking is a love language. Whether it’s a plate of biscuits, a warming pot of soup, or a decadent layer cake, homemade food is often how we show people that we care. There’s no better example of this than a meal train. Typically organized by a friend or family member, a meal train is a way to organize a series of meals that are cooked and delivered to someone in need....
When a Southern family hosts a big holiday meal, it’s basically like the Olympics of casserole-making. And eating. Christmas dinner calls for all sorts of comforting baked dishes like classic green bean casserole and fluffy corn pudding. Additionally, there might be a jiggly gelatinous salad on the sideboard that only a few people will touch. While all of the side dishes are made to wingman the Orange-Glazed Ham, beef tenderloin, or roasted duck that will be residing at the center of the table (in theory), everyone knows that the casseroles are the real stars of the Christmas show....
A dump cake is a silly name for a terrific dessert. As the name implies, all we must do to make one is to strategically dump (sprinkle or spoon, actually) a dry cake mix and a few other convenience products into a baking pan and pop it in the oven. There’s nothing dumpy about that idea, or the finished product, which resembles a tender cakey cobbler. Sure, we Southerners appreciate a stunning layer cake, but we also appreciate smart shortcuts when a casual cake will hit the spot....
We could be biased, but we like to think the South is the best place in the whole country to celebrate Thanksgiving. In some states, it’s still warm enough in November to stretch buffet tables from one end of the porch to the other and enjoy an al fresco holiday feast. Those tables will be so laden with sweet potato casserole, green beans, layered salad, potato salad, and ambrosia—that’s just a partial listing—that you’d think they might collapse at any minute....
Sad news out of Clearwater, Florida. Winter, Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s (CMA) famous prosthetic-tailed dolphin and star of the Dolphin Tale movies, died Thursday evening. Despite life-saving efforts to treat a gastrointestinal abnormality, Winter died while being held by her caregivers as they were preparing her for a procedure, aquarium officials said. Tampa Bay Times reports that aquarium staff first became concerned for Winter’s health back on November 1st when she started to have trouble eating....
Once you’ve captured the perfect picture enjoying the sunshine during the summer, all you need is a caption for your photo to post it on Instagram. Whether you’re enjoying the waves at the beach, hanging at the pool, or boating on the lake, these captions, quotes, and song lyrics are just what you need to complete your Instagram post. Short Captions “Beach Please” “Hello Sunshine” “Seas the Day” “Vitamin Sea”...
Chick-fil-A is known for many things—not least among them its delicious food. There’s Cow Appreciation Day when patrons who come dressed up as cows get a free entree (it’s July 10th, if you missed it this year), the fact that each location is closed every Sunday, and the notoriously generous and sweet attitude of all the franchise employees. And those kind employees understandably know some facts about their employer that aren’t really common knowledge....
Nearly a year into the coronavirus pandemic, many of us have spent more time in our homes than we ever thought possible. While a change of scenery might not be possible right now, redecorating your living space could be the next best thing. Luckily, Birch Lane is making it easy to do just that. The brand just discounted hundreds of home goods as part of its 2021 Presidents’ Day sale, with items like the famously soft Eldon Sheet Set available for up to 40 percent off....
It has been a long day. You’re the Queen, after all. While us regular folks kick off our shoes and relax on our couch or with a book and a drink on the porch, the Queen unwinds from her busy days in the grand setting of home sweet Buckingham Palace. If you’ve ever wondered what these majestic digs are like, get prepared to go inside, even if you can’t make it to London....
For many Southerners, the end of the school year and the arrival of long, hot days meant one thing growing up: camp time. No matter if you went away to spend weeks in the bunks with your best friends or simply went for the day, summer camp was a special summer tradition. It meant long days of adventure, catching up with old friends and making new ones around the campfire....
Raise your hand if you’ve been cooking from your pantry a lot more than normal as of late. (We’re raising both hands and a foot.) With services like Instacart allowing us to order groceries for same-day delivery from our favorite supermarkets from Publix to Aldi, it’s a great way to stock up on shelf-stable ingredients that give our meals a flavor boost. But with a wide array of condiments, beans, sauces, canned goods, and more on our pantry radar, it can sometimes be hard to decide what to buy....
A special snub-nosed opossum named Kewpie is relearning how to walk thanks to a fancy new set of wheels. Kewpie was rescued as a baby by Tonya Poindexter, founder of Wilderness Trail Wildlife Center in London, Kentucky. Kewpie, who suffers from dwarfism, was born with a shorter left hind leg, which made it difficult for him to walk. He also lost an eye in a cat attack. As Kewpie grew, the scope of his disabilities became more and more apparent....
A rash of tornadoes broke out overnight causing mass devastation across several Southern states. The swath of storms covered at least 6 states and the tornado track spans upwards of 227 miles, 200 of which were in Kentucky, according to the state’s governor. The death toll is already at 70 and climbing as of Saturday afternoon. So many communities will need our help in the weeks to come. Some of the hardest hit areas include Kingston Springs, Tennessee, Mt Juliet, Tennessee, Monette, Arkansas, and Mayfield, Kentucky....
I’d been warned she always arrives early: ten minutes before is her “on time.” So I showed up an hour in advance. And waited, sweating, in a worn rocking chair on the back porch of bluegrass legend Jim Lauderdale’s Nashville house. I knew she had arrived even before I saw the blond locks of her wig or the silhouette of her very recognizable figure. The whole house had gone reverently silent....
During the summertime, no unusual Southern food combination gets quite as much flack as salt on watermelon. Coming from a region that also enjoys duos such as peanuts and Coca-Cola, as well as pineapple and mayonnaise, it shouldn’t come across as such a surprise. There’s even a logical reason why Southerners love to sprinkle a bit of sodium on the fruit, and that’s because some find that it makes the watermelon taste better....
Emily Painter is a born hostess. “My mom is a big entertainer,” says the Florida-based interior decorator. “I grew up with her having parties and events at our house all the time, so it’s something that I’ve always done.” Painter, who previously worked for Bahamas designer Amanda Lindroth, wanted to make at-home entertaining more accessible—and stylish—for the average host. “I realized that the rental market was really just for commercial and event-planner use; it wasn’t very friendly to people having dinner parties,” she says....
When you rescue or adopt a dog, barking comes with the territory, right? Some dogs bark occasionally, some rarely bark, and others bark a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. The latter is where owners find themselves wondering, how do I get my dogs to stop barking? Dr. Maureen Murithi, veterinary spokesperson and team vet for Spirit Dog Training, an online dog training resource, says barking is one of the ways dogs communicate with their immediate environment....
Whether you’re buying a car or a pound of ground meat, one rule applies: always read the fine print. Those shrink-wrapped packages of bright red beef at the supermarket may look exactly the same but there is a key difference you should know about. All ground meats have a lean-to-fat ratio; you can find the numbers in fine print on the packaging. If ground beef is labeled “90/10” that means it is made of 90 percent lean meat and 10 percent fat....
