Red Beans and Rice

An iconic symbol in the Deep South, you'll find some form of Red Beans and Rice in many homes and at most restaurants every Monday in the Deep South. Here are several ways that I personally prepare them - from super speedy for those busy days, to low and slow, homemade from scratch - my personal favorite.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatball Bites with Burger Sauce

Party meatballs in a delicious meatball sauce.

As we speak, football season is in full swing... finally if you ask The Cajun.

Our television has barely left the SEC and NFL Networks since preseason started - and, of course, along with the season, comes the fabulous food!

Meatballs surely must be the quintessential football party food don't you think? Whether you're tailgating or homegating, it'd be rare to be at a party without a crock or three going and meatballs destined to be in at least one of them. Frankly, it's where most everybody seems to gravitate. I know my husband sure does!

Creamy Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Onion. Thick cut slices of cucumber, with sweet onion and fresh tomatoes, mixed with a mayonnaise, sour cream and fresh herb dressing for a creamy cucumber salad.

Creamy Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Fall arrives soon! Where has the year gone?

I can't believe the holidays are just around the corner, but what I can't believe even more than that, is I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done! That folks, is a first for me. I have literally been out on Christmas Eve on more than a few years before y'all. I got an early start this year though, because with three grands, I need to stretch the budget out a bit more these days!

A quick, chicken broth-based soup, made with white beans and greens, spicy andouille smoked sausage and veggies. Add pasta if you like!

Turnip Green Soup aka Swamp Soup

Hello everybody and, if you're landing here when I wrote this in September... Happy Grandparents Week! Okay, okay, I realize it's an "invented" holiday - though not really for the reasons that you probably think. It didn't actually come about because a corporation wanted to sell cards and promote the sale of flowers as rumors would suggest.

Grandparent's Day was initiated at a grassroots level by a West Virginian mother of 15, Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade, who with her husband, Joseph L. McQuade, had 43 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild. Mrs. McQuade wanted Grandparents Day to be a family day, to honor grandparents, and to give them an opportunity to show love for their children's children, providing them with the wisdom and guidance that only older people can offer.

BBQ Sketti, a spaghetti made with leftover pulled BBQ pork, chicken or beef.

BBQ Sketti - Pulled Pork Spaghetti

How was your long holiday weekend? Although we had stormy weather, there were enough breaks here and there to sneak in some fun. I have to say it's been a pretty fab week overall really, beginning with our family reunion last weekend, a baby's first birthday, a delicious family birthday dinner for my sister at Half Shell Oyster House, a Biloxi Shuckers baseball game and a nice firework show afterward, in-between a bit of blog and magazine work, and ending with a cookout at home yesterday with the typical goodies - burgers, dogs, pulled pork, smoked sausage, baked beans and potato salad - and that we managed to get in just before the last downpour.

 

A layered salad made with thick cut bacon, crunchy iceberg lettuce, summer ripened fresh red tomatoes and substantial and chunky croutons finished with a homemade Ranch dressing.

BLT Salad

Pasta salads aside (which I adore), I love bringing a fresh garden salad to an event, potluck or cookout. It sort of balances out what seems to always be an overabundance of meats.

In the summer, that is most likely some kind of a cucumber salad or a layered salad, and this BLT salad falls right into that category. I mean, who doesn't love a BLT sandwich to begin with, but turn those flavors into a salad and it's really a hit!