A soft and tender, melt in your mouth biscuit, made with self-rising flour, lard and buttermilk.

Old-Fashioned Lard Biscuits

Back in the day, whole neighborhoods and families gathered in the fall for the boucherie hog slaughter and the big feast and celebration that went with it. Although there are a few old-timers left, that art has all but dried up with rare exceptions in some of the most rural areas of the country.

You know. Those places where folks actually do still live off the land and raise their own meat, instead of buying it at a grocery market. 

Back then, the preferred fat for everything, including biscuits, would have been the rendered pig fat. Lard. And, truth be known, lard was commonly used back then all across the country.

Tuna salad, made and dressed in the style of Jimmy John's sandwich shop.

Tuna Salad Jimmy John's Style

While I have passed by their location in Biloxi several times, I have never eaten at a Jimmy John's and it has nothing to do with any kind of controversy with the original owner.

Truth is, I cook so much so we rarely eat out anywhere, unless I'm just exhausted and there aren't any leftovers that appeal to me! Plus, it ain't cheap to eat out these days now is it?

Heck, fast food isn't even a cheaper option anymore either. A family-sized dinner from a great fried chicken restaurant can be $40 or more y'all!

A cream cheese based cracker spread, made with stuffed olives and simple seasonings, great for dipping veggies, for tea sandwiches or your favorite crackers.

Olive Spread

First things first.

If you don't already have an affinity for all things olives, you won't like this spread. Ya pretty much gotta love olives, which I do. 

Briny olives and anything pickled make for a quick snack for me.

I love it all - from kosher dills, to bread and butter pickles, pickled okra and every kind of olive. And a muffuletta sandwich slathered in olive salad? Um, yes please!

Chicken thighs, seasoned and seared, then slow simmered in a rich, dark roux with the trinity, potatoes and boiled eggs.

Cajun Chicken Stew with Potatoes and Egg

A chicken stew made with the trinity and a roux is pretty common in Cajun country, whether it's with or without the addition of potatoes or boiled eggs.

Adding either of those to a stew or gumbo was common, potatoes to make a stew fill more bellies and boiled eggs to extend the protein because, at least at one time, eggs were a pretty inexpensive source of protein that would substitute for a lack of meat.

Economics aside, it's still a tradition in many families!

White beans, slow cooked with smoked meat and simply seasoned.

Classic White Beans

Mondays in the Deep South are all about the red beans, but did you know as an excuse to eat more beans on the regular, somebody at some point thought up White Bean Wednesdays?

Yep. They sure did!

White beans are right next to red beans to me so I'm not mad about it either.

A chicken, sausage and shrimp gumbo, made with a butter-based roux, the trinity and okra.

Butter Roux Chicken, Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo

A long time ago, I remember hearing an old wives' tale about combining chicken and seafood together in a gumbo, something to the effect of "land and sea, never the two shall meet," a throw back to Kipling I think. Supposedly, you weren't to mix seafood and chicken in a gumbo.

In my growing up, we didn't. There was seafood gumbo and there was chicken gumbo. There was no mixing of the two together in one gumbo.

Seems like it's actually really a thing though!

A Tex-Mex meal made in a casserole dish, starting with a layer of flour tortillas, topped with shredded cheese, Rotel tomatoes, sour cream, tostada shells, cheese sauce, taco-seasoned ground beef and more cheese, folded, brushed with butter and baked.

Crunchwrap Casserole

Okay, confession.

While I can recall having had a Crunchwrap from Taco Bell only once before and, in fact, while I also recall it being pretty tasty, it didn't drive me to have a constant craving so I didn't have much of a memory about how I felt about it!

Now don't get me wrong.

If I have a taste for a taco or three in a hurry, Taco Bell is gonna be my quick run y'all. They get a lot of ribbing, but I've always had a good experience with their food.

Boneless pork chops, nicely seasoned, skillet seared and baked atop sliced potatoes with a cream sauce.

Pork Chops and Scalloped Potatoes

I can't tell you how many times that I hear "my pork chops always turn out dry" whenever I share a pork chop recipe on social media.

Pork chops are so much leaner today than they used to be and that means they cook much faster and well, folks aren't necessarily used to that! The result? People tend to overcook them, rendering them dry and tasteless!

Cooking that long is no longer necessary with today's leaner pork.

Chicken wings, lightly dusted with seasoned salt, pepper and paprika, brushed with a spicy honey teriyaki marinade and baked.

Spicy Honey Teriyaki Barbecue Wings

The Cajun and I eat wings often and not just because there's a football game or party going on, although both of those times are common for sure! Our local Winn Dixie even has a great wing bar and we've visited that for a bucket of wings a few times.

As to my own recipes, you'll sometimes see that when I share a recipe for wings, the whole wing is in play and I've not separated my wings into drums and flats at all. I mean, it's just the two of us most of the time and frankly that's just another step.

Mini smoked sausages in a tangy sauce, perfect for any gathering.

Party Cocktail Sausages

Meatballs and mini smoked sausages - most notably those Lit'l Smokies - are two party staples and the best part? The sauces you use can completely customize them.

One standard mixture is the old school chili sauce and grape jelly blend and frankly everybody I know, even my grandkids, love that, whether it's on meatballs or sausages.