southern cooking

Learn how to make toast points with this step by step guide. These Toast Points are little breads that are perfect for dips. They are especially great with smoked salmon and can be used in the mornings as a breakfast idea or at night as a party appetizer or hors d'oeuvre. Spice them up with a little cayenne or or garlic or go traditional with a pinch of black pepper.&nbsp;

How to Make Perfect Toast Points

white bread

tbsp butter

tsp black pepper (- see note 2)

Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small pan on the hob.

Use a serrated knife and a sawing action to cut the crusts from the slices of bread. (see note 3)

Lightly brush 1 side of bread with butter mixture. Sprinkle with pepper

Cut each slice of bread into 4 triangles.

Place the bread, buttered sides up, onto a baking sheet.

Bake 6-8 minutes or until golden and toasted.

Allow to cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes.

Classic, creamy deviled eggs topped with Old Bay seasoning and pickled shrimp.

Deviled Eggs with Old Bay Shrimp

rock shrimp

c. white wine vinegar

eggs

mayonnaise

tbsp. dill pickle juice

tsp. Old Bay seasoning

salt

Old Bay seasoning

dill

If you want a hearty white gravy that you&#x27;d find in a good Southern restaurant, but you don&#x27;t have or don&#x27;t want to use bacon grease, then this is the recipe for you!

Restaurant Style Southern White Gravy Recipe

unsalted butter

tbsp. all purpose flour

milk

Salt

black pepper

Melt butter over low heat in a small...

Melt butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Add flour and combine. Add ¼ tsp salt and around 10 grinds pepper.

Stir until the flour is about the color...

Stir until the flour is about the color of peanut butter and smells nutty. Add ½ of the milk and increase heat to medium.

Allow to come to a simmer, stirring constantly...

Allow to come to a simmer, stirring constantly to avoid sticking. On the first run, the gravy is likely to nearly seize, be ready with more milk.

Add milk by quarter or half cups until...

Add milk by quarter or half cups until gravy has thickened considerably. If using a whisk you’ll know the gravy is ready when drawing the whisk through the gravy leaves “tracks” from the wires that remain visible for at least 5 seconds.

Add at least 10 more grinds pepper and...

Add at least 10 more grinds pepper and another pinch of salt, to taste.

Screechin&#x27; Peach Cobbler. An old fashioned favourite southern dessert made even better with the addition of dark rum to the ripe fresh peaches!

Screechin' Peach Cobbler

flour

tsp baking powder

tsp salt

sugar

butter,

whipping cream

tsp vanilla extract

peaches

cinnamon

tsp fresh grated nutmeg

butter

brown sugar

Screech (or other dark rum)

tbsp corn starch

Southern Sausage Gravy. Great biscuits and gravy is easy with this no cream added recipe to turn any kind of sausage into a delicious comfort food breakfast or brunch.

Southern Sausage Gravy

sausage meat

garlic, chopped

onion

tbsp all purpose flour

milk (I used 2%)

chicken stock (sodium free

tsp black pepper

chili flakes (optional

Start by breaking up the sausage meat into...

Start by breaking up the sausage meat into small pieces and brown it well over medium to medium high heat. You want to get some good color when browning the sausage, to add extra flavour to the gravy.

When the sausage is cooked, remove it from...

When the sausage is cooked, remove it from the pan and set aside for later.

Turn the pan down to medium to medium...

Turn the pan down to medium to medium low and melt the butter.

Add the onions and garlic and cook for...

Add the onions and garlic and cook for only a minute or so to begin softening the onions.

Add the flour to the pan and mix...

Add the flour to the pan and mix it in well. Cook for a minute until foamy.

Combine the chicken stock and milk and add...

Combine the chicken stock and milk and add to the pan along with the black pepper. Don't add salt yet.

Turn the pan to low and simmer slowly...

Turn the pan to low and simmer slowly for 5 minutes or so, stirring often, until the gravy thickens.

Taste the gravy to see if it needs...

Taste the gravy to see if it needs additional salt. Depending on the type of sausage you use, there may be enough salt in it to season the gravy properly. I recommend low sodium chicken stock but if not, this will also add salt to the dish. In any case, seasoning at the end is best way not not OVER season the gravy. 

Serve over warm biscuits.

These cheese grits are perfectly rich, creamy, and cheesy - the very best way to eat grits if you ask this Southern girl! With options for stone-ground grits or quick grits, this might just be the only grits recipe you&#039;ll ever need.

Cheese Grits (Stone-Ground &amp; Quick Grits Options)

water

grits (stone-ground OR quick grits)

½ cup half and half (or heavy cream

½ cups shredded cheese

Bring water to brisk boil in large saucepan, then slowly stir in grits and salt.

Reduce heat to medium-low and cover saucepan with lid. Stirring occasionally, cook approximately 5 minutes, or until thickened.

Remove lid. Stir in butter and ¼ cup of half and half. Continue stirring, adding remaining half &amp; half in one tablespoon increments. Stir until mixture thickens and begins to sputter slightly. This should happen quickly, about the same time you finish stirring in cream.

Taste grits and add more salt, if desired. Stir in cheddar cheese until melted and smooth. Top with additional shredded cheese (optional) and serve hot.

For Quick Grits

Bring 4 cups salted water and 1 tablespoon butter to boil in large saucepan.

Slowly add in stone-ground grits. Stir constantly to avoid lumps.

Add ½ teaspoon salt and partially cover saucepan with lid. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low. Simmer mixture approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Note: grits should simmer, bubbling slightly but not violently. My stove runs hot so I usually simmer on medium-low.

Remove lid and stir in remaining butter and ¼ cup of half and half. Continue stirring, adding remaining half and half in 1 tablespoon increments, until mixture thickens and begins to sputter slightly, approximately 15 minutes.

For Stone-Ground Grits (Recommended)

A Dark or Red Roux - essential to so much cooking from Louisiana!

Dark or Red Roux

oil/fat/clarified butter

Warm oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add flour carefully (it can spatter and sputter) stirring with a whisk to dissolve clumps. Make certain your whisk fits into the corners of the pan, and switch over to, or alternate between, a large spoon if not. Turn the heat to medium-low. Bubbles, rather small, should be forming but it should not be spattering. Stir constantly at this point, as the roux begins to thicken.

After a few minutes, the roux will begin to lose its floury look, the bubbles will begin to diminish. Lower the heat so only a few bubbles are forming. At this point it is possible to leave the roux for a few seconds to do small tasks (and I do mean seconds &#8211; do not walk away at any point in the cooking process or there could be terrible results and/or fire!) and it is very helpful to have a small plate handy to set the spoon or whisk &#8211; if left in the pot, it may become too hot to handle; when it needs to be stirred. It does need to be stirred; a roux can easily burn in the short amount of time it takes to grab a hot pad or another whisk.

After about 15 minutes or so, the roux will begin to be noticeably darker, blonde in color, and much thinner. It&#8217;s normal to see some separation between the flour and the oil, and it is important to keep stirring so the flour doesn&#8217;t settle to the bottom of the pan, sit in one place too long and burn. At this point, there will be very few to no bubbles, and that&#8217;s ok. If you&#8217;re up to standing and giving the pan constant attention, the heat could go up just a smidge. If you would like to be able to still walk away a few seconds here and there, just keep it where it&#8217;s at. My opinion: slow and steady is best.

In about 20 to 25 minutes, it will reach the brown stage and begin to smell &#8220;nutty&#8221; or &#8220;toasty.&#8221; Generally, it will be finished and to the dark stage at around 30 to 35 minutes or so. Even when it&#8217;s done and you&#8217;ve turned down the heat, do not leave the hot roux in the hot pan without continuing to stir; it will be at risk of burning. Once it has cooled down a bit, you&#8217;re fine.

Chopped cabbage cooked in chicken broth with fried bacon and onion.

How to Make Fried Cabbage with Bacon

bacon

onion (chopped)

chicken broth

cabbage

salt and black pepper (to taste)

In a stock pot or dutch oven, cook the bacon and onion over medium heat until the bacon is cooked through and the onions are tender.

Add the chicken broth, scraping the bottom to release any stuck on bits.

Place the chopped cabbage into the pot and season with salt and black pepper as desired. (Optional: If you like vinegar in your cabbage, this is where you could add it in.)

Cover the pot and continue cooking over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the cabbage is tender and the broth has been absorbed, stirring as needed.

Delicious homemade crawfish enchiladas recipe that is a great use of those leftover crawfish tails.

Crawfish Enchiladas Recipe

Tablespoon Unsalted Butter

Each Yellow Onions (chopped)

Each Green Bell Pepper (chopped)

Cloves Garlic (chopped)

1-1/2 Cups Cooked Long Grain Rice

(15 Ounce) Can Red Kidney Beans

(15 Ounce) Can Fire Roasted Corn

Cup Chicken Broth

Pound Smoked Sausage (chopped into small pieces)

Pound Crawfish Tails

Creole Seasoning

Salt and Pepper to taste

(10 Ounce) Cans Red Enchilada Sauce

Cups Provolone cheese (shredded)

Each Flour Tortillas

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Add the butter to a large skillet and turn on medium-high heat.

Add the chopped onions, bell peppers, and garlic and cook until translucent.

Add the cooked rice, canned red beans, fire roasted corn, chicken stock, smoked sausage and Creole seasoning. Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and add the crawfish tails, cook for a further 2 minutes, until the crawfish is warmed through.

Pour a little of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.

Spoon some of the crawfish mixture into a tortilla, sprinkle some cheese and roll it up. Place seam down into the casserole dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and crawfish mixture.

Pour the enchilada sauce over the tortillas then sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until bubbly around all the edges.

Garnish with chopped parsley or green onions.

These turned out pretty good.   Way too much enchilada sauce.   Probably would have worked better with only 1 can.  Also, the filling was twice as much as needed for the pan of enchiladas.   Unfortunate since you can't refreeze crawfish tails. But surprised how I didn't even notice the rice when eating them.   Definitely improves the flavor to add plain yogurt (or sour cream) and avocado.

You don&#039;t have to &quot;deep-fry&quot; it to call it Southern-Fried Squash. Learn how to make crispy fried squash, yellow or zucchini, without a lot of oil in this easy shortcut recipe. No messy batter and with cornmeal and 3 other ingredients, it&#039;s so simple!

Southern Fried Yellow Squash

Just enough vegetable oil

cornmeal (Not cornmeal mix) (I prefer yellow)

all-purpose flour (optional) (Optional: Many people like to add flour)

Pour enough oil in a high-side skillet (not nonstick) or large saucepan to reach a depth of about 1/4 inch. No more! Bring temperature up to between 360 and 375F degrees over medium high heat.

I use a digital thermal thermometer you can buy online and at hardware stores for a quick and easy way to measure the heat.

Meanwhile,  Cut the squash into 1/8 to 1/4-inch-thick slices. Lightly sprinkle salt on both sides of the squash slices. Let stand 5 minutes.

Press the cut sides into the cornmeal. If you choose to add the flour, simply stir it into the cornmeal on a paper plate for easy clean up. I find that the flour prevents some of the cornmeal from sticking to the squash.

Gently drop the coated squash slices into the oil one by one in a single layer. Be sure they are not touching each other. If there are too many slices in the pan, the temperature may drop too quickly and take too long to come back up to 360 to 375 degrees.

Cook the squash about 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. I usually cook 2 to 3 minutes on first side, flip, then 1 minute on the other side. Drain on paper towels.

We cooked squash this way tonight and it was so delicious!  This is now my favorite way to serve (and eat) squash.  Thank you for sharing this recipe.

I made these last night, Delish! I also chunked up a green tomato and cooked it the same way. That was delish too!!

What a pleasant, easy way to serve summer squash. I couldn't believe how tasty these are. Also, I had about 10 rounds of squash left and stored them in the fridge. They were excellent cold for breakfast this morning. I'll be using this recipe for sure as they come in from the garden.

So is it better to only use yellow cornmeal and omit the 2 tablespoons of flour
 If I remember correctly my Grandma used yellow cornmeal and always added a little bit of flour, Tony Chachere's Seasoning, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder 
 A few times she dipped in a wet batter before coating with dry ingredients, What is the difference in the 2..???

I fried strips of green pepper with fried squash, very good.

Grandma's Slow-Cooked Lima Beans Recipe

lbs dried lima beans

ham hock

onion,

green bell pepper, diced

garlic,

Chicken stock or water

Salt and pepper

Begin by inspecting the dried lima beans, discarding any discolored or damaged ones. Rinse them thoroughly under cold water to remove any debris. Place the lima beans in a large pot or bowl and cover them with water, leaving about an inch of water above the beans. Cover the pot or bowl with plastic wrap and let the beans soak overnight.

After soaking overnight, drain the lima beans and rinse them again under cold water. In a large pot or Dutch oven, place the ham hock and cover it with chicken stock or water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the ham hock starts to soften. While the ham hock is simmering, prepare the vegetables. Dice the onion, bell pepper, and mince the garlic.

After the ham hock has simmered, add the soaked lima beans to the pot, along with the diced onion, bell pepper, and minced garlic.

Add more chicken stock or water to cover the beans and vegetables by about an inch.

Cover the pot and let it simmer over low heat for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Make sure to keep an eye on the liquid level and add more stock or water if needed.

During the last 30 minutes of cooking, check the ham hock. If it's soft and tender, remove it from the pot and shred the meat, discarding any excess fat and bones.

Return the shredded ham back to the pot and stir well to combine.

Taste the lima beans and season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Chicken Divan is a classic casserole made with chicken and broccoli, baked with a creamy filling with a hint of curry, then topped with cheddar cheese, bread crumbs, and melted butter. Using rotisserie chicken and steam-in-the-bag broccoli cut down on prep time and onto your table faster!

Quick and Easy Chicken Divan

rotisserie chicken (all meat removed and chopped or shredded)

broccoli

cream of mushroom soup

lemon juice

curry powder

cheddar cheese

Panko bread crumbs pork rinds)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Steam the broccoli in the microwave per the package directions, till tender-crisp (drain excess liquid). 

Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray.  Lay the broccoli and chicken at bottom of dish.

With a whisk, mix the soup, mayo, and lemon juice in a bowl.

Pour the soup and mayo mixture on top.

Sprinkle the seasonings on top. Blend well.

Sprinkle cheese and then the bread crumbs (or pork rinds) on top.  Drizzle melted butter on top and bake uncovered at 350F for about 30 minutes or until the topping is slightly browned.

Chicken divan with curry was delicious even my grandkids loved it!

Top 12 southern cooking recipes from across the web

The most viewed southern cooking recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

How to Make Perfect Toast Points

Deviled Eggs with Old Bay Shrimp

Restaurant Style Southern White Gra...

Screechin' Peach Cobbler

Southern Sausage Gravy

Cheese Grits (Stone-Ground & Qu...

Dark or Red Roux

How to Make Fried Cabbage with Baco...

Crawfish Enchiladas Recipe

Southern Fried Yellow Squash

Grandma's Slow-Cooked Lima Beans Re...

Quick and Easy Chicken Divan

Top 12 southern cooking recipes from across the web

The most viewed southern cooking recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

How to Make Perfect Toast Points

Deviled Eggs with Old Bay Shrimp

Restaurant Style Southern White Gra...

Screechin' Peach Cobbler

Southern Sausage Gravy

Cheese Grits (Stone-Ground &amp; Qu...

Dark or Red Roux

How to Make Fried Cabbage with Baco...

Crawfish Enchiladas Recipe

Southern Fried Yellow Squash

Grandma's Slow-Cooked Lima Beans Re...

Quick and Easy Chicken Divan

The most viewed southern cooking recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Cheese Grits (Stone-Ground & Qu...