A great sweet Chex Mix treat for Halloween.

Halloween Chex Mix

Can you believe that it's the end of October already? And... guess what? We finally got some cool temperatures y'all. I was so happy I made chicken and dumplings on Sunday! Gonna be a chilly Halloween this year and speaking of that, I decided I needed to make up a batch of Halloween Chex mix. You know, for the grandkids.

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A creamy version of chicken tortilla soup, made with cooked chicken and fajita seasonings. Served with a garnish of crispy tortilla strips, shredded cheese, sour cream and served here with a side of sour cream cornbread.

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Here's the soup I promised to you on the recent post for the Sour Cream Cornbread. Oh. My. Goodness. Y'all really must try this - I insist!

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Cornbread made with buttermilk, sour cream and creamed corn.

Buttermilk Sour Cream Cornbread

The cornbread that most of our grandmothers made was fairly straight forward - not much more than cornmeal, a leavening of some kind, a little salt, and some kind of fat which might be lard, or bacon drippings or even the addition of an egg, but often not. Sometimes there would even be a touch of buttermilk, but not always. The majority of the time, I keep my cornbread pretty simple too, but every once in awhile I do like a change, usually depending on what I'm serving, and this sour cream cornbread has been a reliable recipe handed down for years.

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A moist meatloaf made with lean ground beef, onion, bell pepper, garlic and a crushed saltine binder, cooked in the crockpot. Served here with everyday mashed potatoes and southern green beans.

Slow Cooker Meatloaf

I know that meatloaf sometimes gets a bad rap, mostly I would venture a guess that it's usually based on past experiences with a dry, tasteless glob of meat. On the other hand, I actually enjoy a good meatloaf myself and so does The Cajun, and I've discovered that using the slow cooker is a great way to get it on the table, when you've got a busy day.

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A basic vinegar coleslaw made with the addition of sweet apples and a touch of jalapeno for heat.

Vinegar Coleslaw with Apple

For those who were asking, this is the coleslaw that was pictured with the most recent pulled pork recipe I posted. There are essentially two basic schools of taste on coleslaw - one creamy and usually mayonnaise based, and others, like this, more heavily vinegar based. Considering that it's apple season and apples are plentiful right now, I decided to add in some grated apple to make it a little more seasonal.

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Stewed apples, seasoned with brown sugar and apple pie spices, wrapped in flour tortillas and baked in a buttery sugar syrup.

Apple Enchiladas

Okay, okay.... even though the weather down here isn't completely cooperating with the Fall season, I broke down and did something sweet with apples finally - well, besides just slicing and eating them, that is. Apples are one of my favorite snacking fruits, so I've certainly been doing my share of that! Sure wish the prices would come down some more, but that might be wishful thinking in this economy I guess.

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A quick skillet version of red beans and rice, made with canned kidney beans, the Trinity of vegetables and cooked with instant rice.

Skillet Red Beans and Rice

It's Monday and in this part of the Deep South, red beans and rice are a traditional Monday meal, so yes, this is yet another way to consume those favorite Monday red beans!

Now, I'll be the first to say that these are not traditional. The best red beans and rice are gonna come from a soaked dried bean that is slow stewed for a couple of hours on top of the stove. Hands down, that is my preferred method, even above the shortcut red beans and the slow cooker red beans, both of which are actually delicious too. But, even working from home now, I get stretched for time too.

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Slow Cooker Coke Pulled Pork, often called Three Ingredient Pulled Pork, because it's typically made with a pork roast, barbecue sauce and most often, either Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper or root beer. Pictured here with homemade fries and my Apple Coleslaw

Slow Cooker Coke Pulled Pork

I know, I know, it's supposed to be Fall, well... according to the calendar at least, that is. Although we got another nice blast of slightly cooler air again this week here in the Deep South, blink and we're right back into mid to upper-80 degree temps during the days and, well... it's still hurricane season for us anyway. It's pretty much still summer here, far as we're concerned. The nice parts of summer though, that we love so much here - beautiful blue, sunny skies and warm temperatures - but with that highly coveted lower humidity. Finally come out of the house without melting, nice to be outdoors weather!

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Southern Living Home Cooking Basics

Southern Living Home Cooking Basics: A complete illustrated guide to Southern cooking - good food made simple.

If you think this sounds yummy, I'd sure ♥ it if you'd click to pin it, tweet it, stumble it, or share it on Facebook to help spread the word - thanks!

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Congratulations to Susan C. who said...

"Wow, would love to have a copy of this to share with my 13 year old daughter. She has taken an interest in cooking and is eager to try a lot of different things. Including things I don't usually cook."

Susan, please drop an email to me at mary@deepsouthdish.com before midnight Monday, October 8, 2012, and provide me with your name and mailing address information so I can get this wonderful book out to you as soon as possible!

Thanks y'all for checking out my review and for participating in the giveaway. If anyone would like to purchase a copy for yourself, or as a gift, please look for Home Cooking Basics your local bookstores, or you may also purchase it from online sources, including right here at Amazon.

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So much about blogging about our southern recipes is about memories associated with the great cooks who came before us, but let's face it. Not everybody had the privilege of standing on a step stool in their grandmother's kitchen. Some of us may even have had mothers who were full time career women with little time for home cooking, or who may not have even liked to cook. Enter Southern Living's brand new book, Home Cooking Basics: A complete illustrated guide to Southern cooking - good food made simple.

Touted as a Southern style Joy of Cooking, this illustrated Southern cooking bible, shows, step-by-step, how to make some of the greatest Southern dishes. It’s approachable, comprehensive, and thoroughly covers many cooking techniques, going beyond-the-basics, plus for the more seasoned cooks out there, it comes with more than 200 reliable Southern recipes, all thoroughly tested by Southern Living.

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