Catch of the Gulf: Top Favorite Shrimp Recipes You’ll Crave

Celebrating the flavor and tradition of Wild American Gulf shrimp with a collection of my top favorites from Deep South Dish website!

Top Favorite Shrimp Recipes You’ll Crave

There’s nothing quite like the flavor of Wild American shrimp, especially those harvested from the Gulf of America! Y'all already know how I feel about that.

Sweet, tender, and brimming with the taste of the sea, Gulf shrimp have long been a staple of Southern kitchens and coastal gatherings. They’re the heart of so many beloved dishes—whether fried golden and crunchy, simmered in a spicy Creole sauce, or tucked into a comforting casserole.

Cooking with Gulf shrimp isn’t just about the food; it’s about honoring a tradition that connects family tables, shrimp boats, and the rich waters of the American South.

Quick Smothered Greens

Quick Southern-style smothered greens with bacon, butter, and bold flavor—ready in under 30 minutes for easy weeknight comfort.

Smothered Greens: Quick and Flavorful

I'm pretty sure that I am one of the few, if not the only person in my immediate family who absolutely loves greens. The reason that I say that is because I can't recall a single time that they've showed up at a family gathering.

If I toss a small amount in a soup, The Cajun might eat them, but otherwise he's not much interested. You know what though?

That doesn't stop me from making them just for me!

I can make a meal out of them honestly and well... he can eat leftovers - or a sandwich.

Giada's Borlotti (Cranberry) Beans

Borlotti beans embody rustic Italian cucina povera—nutty, creamy, protein-rich, antioxidant-packed, wholesome, and deeply satisfying.

Borlotti (Cranberry) Beans

You've probably noticed that Southern influencers who video their recipes for social media tend to be pretty heavy-handed on the seasoning. Honestly? I gotta admit, it kinda freaks me out sometimes just how much they use!

I try to keep my published recipes with a lighter hand, with the understanding that everybody can choose to omit, reduce or increase certain seasonings to their own tastes.

Measure with your heart as they say!

Still, there are some things that just taste good out of the simplicity of them.

Smoked Traeger turkey infused with citrus, herbs, and aromatics—juicy, flavorful, and perfect for holiday gatherings.

Wood Pellet Smoke Roasted Turkey

Now I understand that if you aren't a pellet grill user, this post might not appeal to you, but for me, this worked out so well I need to hold onto it for future use! Yes, you can, of course, also roast this turkey in your oven if you don't have a pellet grill.

I have a Traeger (#ad) and while I'm not a weekend warrior with it, I do really enjoy using mine, even in the summer, since it doesn't require standing over it, and during busy holiday seasons it can act as a second oven as well!

Dad’s skillet dressing starts with classic cornbread dressing ingredients, with layers of flavor built the way Cajun cooks do best: bold seasoning, tender chicken, and a skillet that never left the stovetop. Moist, savory, and full of family memories, this dressing carries the spirit of his kitchen straight to the table.

Dad's Cajun Skillet Chicken and Cornbread Dressing

In the season of classic dressing recipes, there are so many different ways out there to make this coveted dish, but I thought I would share one with you that you likely haven't seen before or even ever thought of!

My in-laws are gone now, but when Dad wasn't traveling with the oil business, which he did a lot to all sort of places I'll never see, he did a lot of the cooking at home. He actually enjoyed it, but I think it was something that he naturally picked up as a kid growing up with folks from Cajun Country.

I'm sure my mother-in-law didn't mind one bit. Wish my husband had picked up on that!

This comforting baked casserole brings together tender Gulf shrimp and crisp asparagus in a creamy, savory base enriched with onion, pimentos, and a touch of sour cream. Finished with melted cheese and a golden, buttery panko topping, it’s a vibrant dish that balances freshness with indulgence—perfect for a family dinner or a special gathering.

Shrimp and Asparagus Casserole

This casserole is based on a vintage recipe from the 70s, that was apparently very popular as it appears in every single community cookbook I have!

It used canned asparagus and almost always cream of mushroom. From there ingredients can vary widely, as every single recipe I researched was pretty different and seems to be personal from cook to cook.

Sometimes made with the addition of cream, milk or evaporated milk, sliced or chopped boiled eggs, sliced stuffed olives, peas, pimentos, water chestnuts, sometimes sliced almonds and topped with fresh breadcrumbs, cracker crumbs or even potato chips.

This rustic one-pan dish combines smoky sausage, tender cabbage, and sweet-tart tomatoes for a comforting Southern-style sauté. Enhanced with onion, seasoning blends, and optional touches like vinegar, brown sugar, or hot sauce, it’s a flavorful, flexible recipe perfect for weeknight dinners or hearty lunches.

Cabbage and Smoked Sausage with Tomatoes

I love cabbage and I make it as often as I can!

Problem? My husband, aka here as The Cajun, does not eat it.

If there's some cabbage that's in something, say soup for instance, he'll eat it, but something that's cabbage central?  He's not interested.

That means when I make a pot of cabbage, it's gonna be my meal for a week y'all! I really don't mind that too much to be honest though, because I actually do love it.

The bold, briny viral cousin of Southern pimento cheese, but made with Swiss and other white cheeses in its base, plus tangy pepperoncini, pickled jalapenos and green onion folded into mayo. It's a creamy scoopable sensation that takes on the appearance of a slaw and one that’s taken social media by storm.

Southern Cheese Slaw, My Way

When I first saw this across social media, I have to say I was certainly intrigued! I mean, who puts cheese in their coleslaw?

Turns out, apparently in the UK there is actually a cabbage coleslaw that contains shredded cheese and actually is called Cheese Slaw, but that's not the concept here.

Crispy, golden pork cutlets meet creamy, peppery gravy in this Southern comfort classic. Boneless ribeye chops are seasoned, dipped, dredged, and pan-fried, then topped with a rich milk-based gravy. Serve over mashed potatoes for a hearty, satisfying meal.

Chicken-Fried Pork Cutlets with Milk Gravy

One thing that I constantly hear from folks whenever I share any pork chop recipe on social media is "my pork chops are always so dry!" 

Back in the day pork was much fattier and could handle a longer cooking time, but today's pork is bred so much leaner that a dry chop is probably caused by overcooking. We just don't realize how quick they cook now!

But the cut can matter too.

I have been buying pork ribeyes for several years now, so I'm always trying different things with them, recipes that will all eventually make their way here. 

They do cost a little more and I love the texture and tenderness of the ribeye pork chops, but other than cost, what makes them different?

A bold, crunchy snack featuring oversized cheese crackers topped with tangy pickle slices, creamy pepper jack cheese, and a sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning. It’s a quick bite that balances salty, spicy, and savory flavors—perfect for party trays or an elevated snack fix.

Everything Cracker Pickle Bites

This time of year between fake fall and actual cooler weather is an odd time for a food blogger from the south.

Some bloggers jump right into fall foods even when soups and stews and nice hearty casseroles just don't quite fit yet for us. I'm telling y'all, it's hard for me to focus on fall and winter recipes when the heat is still on outside!

But... there's football in the fall, so that's where I tend to keep my focus, on snackable foods for game day viewing and recipes that fit no matter the season, at least until the weather actually cools off down here.

These sweet-and-spicy party bites bring the heat with a Southern twist! Frozen meatballs simmer low and slow in a bold blend of grape jelly, barbecue sauce, and Louisiana hot sauce until sticky, saucy, and irresistible. Perfect for game day, potlucks, or anytime you need a flavor-packed crowd-pleaser.

Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

My husband, aka The Cajun, loves meatballs. If there's a crockpot of meatballs at a party, you'll find him close by!

He also loves football, although that's a bit waning here lately with the performance of his favorite New Orleans Saints team, but... I regularly make meatballs and/or wings for him to enjoy over the college and NFL weekend.

Easy Mexican-style rice starts with toasted medium grain rice, then simmered with tomato sauce, aromatic spices, and a duo of bouillons for rich depth. A wedge of onion infuses subtle sweetness, while fresh cilantro offers a bright finish.

Easy Mexican-Style Rice

This vibrant, flavor-packed rice dish is a comforting staple inspired by classic Mexican home cooking and pairs beautifully with any Mexican or Tex-Mex main dish. 

I've made quite a few variations of this side dish based on the old school Spanish rice dish I've shared here on the website before, and this version is what I've settled on. It's not a heavily seasoned dish, so the flavor is subtle enough that it's really a great side dish for pretty much any meal.

Not your average queso, Velveeta and cream cheese bring the richness, taco-seasoned meat adds depth, and Rotel and jalapeño kicks up the heat. With a secret twist that keeps everyone guessing, it’s bold, creamy, and impossible to stop dipping.

Creamy Queso

I first learned about this recipe from an Oklahoma friend, Tommie. She and I met on a low carb board online many years ago and she's inspired quite a few recipes here on the website! (She's actually done a whole lot better with the low carb thing over all these years than I have, but I digress...)

Her family calls this one "The Greatest Queso That Ever Lived!"

I've since learned from social media that a few people have shared a similar secret ingredient queso, so I finally got around to trying Tommie's version, and I have to say... trust me on this. It's really delicious y'all!

Never would I ever have thought to use this ingredient in queso, even though it's actually a staple in my kitchen as it is in many other southern cooks' kitchens, but... who knew?!!

Viral Bacon Ranch Cheeseburger Sliders aka Crack Burgers

These irresistible Bacon Ranch Cheeseburger Sliders — often dubbed the viral 'Crack Burgers' — pack bold flavor into bite-sized patties. Made with seasoned ground beef, melty cheese, and a punch of ranch mix, they’re the ultimate crowd-pleaser for game day spreads and casual gatherings alike.

Bacon Ranch Cheeseburger Sliders

These cheeseburgers have been trending on social media for a while now, though they are actually a take of a recipe that's been around forever called Hidden Valley Original Ranch Burgers.

Originally made with just ground beef, ranch seasoning mix and cheese, the internet thought to enhance that a tad and it got the reputation of being called "crack" burgers.

Anything that tastes so good it's a bit addictive gets that designation in our modern world, though for the record, I really dislike that. But... the internet is what it is.

Beef chuck roast, generously seasoned with all-purpose seasoning, seared to a rich golden brown, then simmered with sweet onions and aromatic dried herbs in a hearty beef stock - all brought together effortlessly in the Instant Pot for a tender, comforting, flavor-packed finish.

Instant Pot Pot Roast

My favorite way to cook a pot roast is always going to be low and slow whether on the stovetop or in the oven. You just can't beat the result and the aroma while it's cooking is enticing.

When I'm in the mood for a roast but a little more short on time, I've become a big fan of using the Instant Pot for a pot roast too, but I've certainly learned one thing.

Even with the Instant Pot, you still can't rush the process.

Explore a mouthwatering lineup of cornbread recipes from Deep South Dish - ranging from classic cast iron skillet Southern-style to sweet, savory, and spicy favorites. Whether you're craving comfort or a bold twist, there's a cornbread here to complement any meal.

Cornbread Collection

I didn't grow up with a lot of cornbread in my life here in the Deep South. We seem to have been more sliced white bread, yeast roll and French bread kind of people.

Over the years of blogging food recipes to the world, I've learned that folks in the Southern U.S. can get very territorial about their cornbread, and boy will they let you know what they think!

But, having the advantage of writing recipes over these years, I've been able to play around with many different variations of cornbread. 

Here's all of the wide variety of ways I've shared here on my website on how to make cornbread. Be sure to check back for updates in the future, as there are many more recipes on the horizon!

Real Southern Cornbread

Cast iron skillet Southern cornbread made with buttermilk and stone-ground cornmeal.

English Muffin Chicken Melts - Dolly's Chicken Feed

Chicken breast, folded into a creamy blend of mayonnaise, butter, cheese and savory seasonings, spooned open-faced onto lightly toasted English muffins and passed under the broiler until golden and bubbly.

English Muffin Chicken Melts

Last year, Dolly Parton, together with her sister Rachel, published a cookbook called Good Lookin' Cookin' (#ad) and y'all know, with a name like that, I had to grab me one!

On page 23, there was a recipe for an open-faced sandwich that they called "Chicken Feed," a recipe they had received from a friend years ago and one that had become a family favorite ever since.

Fresh chicken wings, tossed with lemon, seasonings and herbs and air fried.

Air Fryer Lemon Herb Chicken Wings

I love the combination of lemon and herbs with chicken, certainly one of my top favorites for a roasted chicken, so I thought, why not wings?

Afterall, as I write this it's football season and wings are just another football staple now, aren't they?

And let me tell you that if you haven't tried wings in your air fryer you are missing out!

Whole kernel frozen corn and creamed corn, paired up with a thickener and shredded cheese for a quick and easy, cheesy creamed corn your family will love.

Cheesy Creamed Corn

I realize we're on the waning side of in-season summer corn, so while you might just find the last of some fresh corn at the market, as I write this it's September and we're heading into fall.

Think about it. September.

Meaning Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner and this is a great side dish for either of those holidays. Others too and, it works well with a slow cooker! I'd say worth a bookmark.

Rotini pasta, tossed with pickle juice, cubed baked ham, cheese and pickles and dressed in a mayonnaise, pickle juice and sour cream-based dressing.

Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

I'm a pickle fanatic.

It would be a rare day that I didn't eat one with a sandwich or even just as a snack. Although I love bread and butter pickles, sweet gherkins and kosher dills the most, anything pickled is fair game - pickled okra, jalapenos, squash and beets - yep, love them all!

So, when I saw a dill pickle pasta salad going around social media I thought heck yeah, I gotta try that!

A creamy cracker spread made with cream cheese, butter and jumbo shrimp seasoned and sauteed in a skillet with butter and extra virgin olive oil.

Biloxi Butter - Shrimp Cracker Spread

Once upon a time it was pretty common here for home gatherings that usually involved some kind of card games, and maybe sometimes a little wager might have occurred.

Unfortunately, as society has changed and legal casinos arrived here in Biloxi, those home gatherings have pretty much dropped off - but the snacks served live on!

Biloxi Butter, a creamy cracker spread made with seasoned cream cheese, butter and local shrimp sauteed in a skillet with butter and extra virgin olive oil, is one of those snacks.

An old-school, cafeteria open-faced sandwich, made with seasoned ground beef, trinity vegetables and pizza sauce, finished with cheese.

Jack and Jills - My Way

I've actually never heard of these sandwiches before and I don't have any memory of them being served in my school cafeteria, although some of you may. 

I also have no idea how the name came about either, but it's another one of those vintage recipes that passed by on my browser start page and sounded good enough to try!

They are delicious! And bonus? They're also super easy to make.

A sheet pan meal of fish, shrimp and smoked sausage with broccoli and potatoes.

Sheet Pan Seafood Dinner

A few years back, sheet pan dinners were all the rage.

I never quite got into them to be honest, mainly because with a mix of proteins and different varieties of vegetables, cooking stages are often involved in order to cook everything evenly and not overcook others.

New York Pushcart Style Hot Dog Onion Sauce

Highly seasoned sweet onions, simmered in a tomato-based vinegar and brown sugar sauce and spooned over baked hot dogs, dressed with a spicy brown mustard.

Hot Dog Onion Sauce

Y'all. I feel so left out about onion sauce, or more specifically, pushcart onions. I had never even heard of them before now!

Food trucks aren't a big thing where I live, though we do have a few around here and there. We don't exactly have pushcarts here in the Biloxi area either, although Lucky Dog pushcarts do exist in New Orleans and apparently now in Bay St. Louis, over on the Louisiana/Mississippi state line. I've had a few of their dogs over the years.

You'll certainly find hot dog vendor booths at our festivals, though I'm more likely to buy a corn dog there than a plain hot dog!

A chicken salad mixed with shredded lettuce, sliced green onion, chopped tomato, shredded cheese, chopped pecan and dressed with mayonnaise, pictured stuffed in a toasted pita.

Patsy's Cheesy Chicken Salad

I love a good chicken salad recipe and occasionally I enjoy adding lettuce and tomato to my chicken salad sandwiches, but it had never occurred to me to include them in my chicken salad!

Enter me browsing through some of my old cookbooks and seeing this recipe in the cookbook Bless Your Heart: Saving the World One Covered Dish at a Time (#ad), and y'all, it also adds in the unusual ingredient of shredded cheese, so I knew I needed to give it a try!

A pasta salad made with farfalle bowtie pasta and cooked chicken, tossed with ranch dressing, bacon, grape tomatoes and baby spinach.

BLT Bowtie Chicken Pasta Salad

Good gracious the heat!

As I publish this here in July we've been under an extreme heat warning, not just the average heat warning, for days. I'm intensely thankful for air conditioning these days, and frankly the ability to pay for it cuz y'all... it ain't cheap for sure!

How's that heat going for the meal planning here lately?

A classic tuna salad made with grated, boiled eggs.

Grated Egg Tuna Salad

I liked the texture of the grated egg salad I shared recently so much, that I decided to make a tuna salad like it! Grating the eggs makes for a creamier result over chopping them.

I pretty much followed the lines of my classic tuna salad, though I did change up the proportions a bit - more tuna, more egg and onion powder in place of green onion.

Flour tortillas filled with pan-seared seasoned Gulf shrimp, sauteed green onion and cheese, folded and browned in butter.

Shrimp Quesadilla

Quesadillas are good anytime, even for breakfast, and they are the perfect summer meal because they are not heavy, they're quick and easy to make, filling versatile and they just taste great!

Serve them up with salsa and a side of fruit like summer peaches and you've got a great meal.

I keep flour tortillas and shredded cheese on hand all of the time so I make them often, with various meats and cheese, or even with just plain cheese, and in this case, I decided to go with some Gulf shrimp.

My homemade take on the viral TikTok fast food salad hack, made with a kale, cabbage and lettuce base, dressed with a honey mustard vinaigrette and topped with honey and hot sauce tossed crispy chicken tenders.

Cabbage and Kale Chicken Strip Salad

If you're not a big fan of kale, stay tuned y'all. I think you'll love this, I really do! Read on.

The inspiration for this salad came from a video that passed my timeline on social media one day.

The gal shooting the video was sitting in her car in the parking lot of Chick-fil-A with a drive through order. The hack was with their Kale Crunch Salad and an add on 3-piece chicken strip meal which she tossed in the box with a packet of buffalo sauce and honey. She tore the strips with her fingers and topped her salad with them.

I thought it sounded good and since I don't have a Chick-Fil-A nearby, I got one of those well "I can make that at home" vibes y'all.

Raw shrimp, preferably Wild-caught American, peeled and deveined, passed through a milk and egg mixture, then into a seasoned cracker meal dredge and deep fried to golden brown delicious!

Cracker Meal Deep Fried Shrimp

Growing up, my Mama did not use flour on her fried seafood. She used boxed cracker meal.

If I had to guess, I'd say that once I started cooking for myself, I ventured away from using it because it can be a bit pricey and these days, even hard to find, but flour? Well, I always have that on hand.

I do prefer to use self-rising flour because it contains baking powder, which contains cornstarch, and seems to me to give a more crisp and crunchy texture than plain all-purpose flour does.

I know some folks have disagreed with me, and that's okay, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it y'all!

Crispy thin cucumber and onion slices in a more sweet than tangy vinegar and sugar dressing.

New York Deli Style Cucumber Salad

I'm gonna be honest here. I've never been a big traveler, so there's a lot I've never experienced.

I don't like flying commercial. I hate being in a car for very long.

Day trips locally? I'm all for that if I can go and get back home that same day.

Long story short. I've never stepped foot in New York, much less New York City. The only time I've traveled even close to there was to air my cookbook (#ad) on QVC!

A creamy egg salad made with grated boiled eggs, finely minced onion, mixed herbs and finely shredded Italian-style cheese, dressed with mayo and mustard and served on buttered and pan grilled bread.

Grilled Cheese Grated Egg Salad Sandwich

I have a classic egg salad that I make most of the time and I'm perfectly happy with that!

Still, I do enjoy trying new things. I mean after all, I do run a recipe website, right?

And... unlike a lot of you who manage to do everything from one of those smartphones, I do my work from a desktop computer. It opens to a Microsoft tab when I start up, where I ran across a version of this on one of the featured articles, and thought it was different and interesting enough to try!

A chicken salad made with cooked chicken, celery, green onion, cold processed refrigerated dill pickles (like Grillo's) and dressed with a quality mayonnaise.

Grillo's Dill Pickle Chicken Salad

I love a good chicken salad, and my standby is still the one I lean on the most. It's a good solid deli-style chicken salad and I love it.

Since entering this food blogging experience many, many years back though, I've tried a bunch of different ones, so when I saw Elizabeth Heiskell making this one on social, I got a little curious.

Now. Pickles are a thing I do love in my chicken salad, but I use relish or pickle cubes usually and most often I lean toward a sweet relish.

A salsa made with the best flavors of summer - bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, chilies, zucchini and corn - nicely seasoned and tossed with a quality creamy Italian dressing.

Summer Vegetable Salsa

Okay. Question.

Is this a salsa? You know, like meant to be eaten with chips? Or as a condiment for grilled or pan seared proteins?

Or, is it a dip, solely meant to be scooped up on a chip?

Or, is it a salad? Meant to be eaten on its own?

A perfect pasta salad for any gathering, or just because! Rotini pasta, paired with vegetables, meats and cheeses, mixed with a salad seasoning blend and dressed with a quality homemade or commercial creamy Italian dressing. Pictured here with a tuna salad wrap and pickled baby beets.

Party Pasta Salad

It's pretty easy to make a pasta salad, and you don't really need a "recipe" so to speak. You just toss some cooked pasta with favorite vegetables, sometimes some kind of protein and dress it with a favorite salad dressing and voila, you've got a pasta salad!

Of course, you may not be able to recreate that combination unless you wrote it down and that's where a recipe comes in handy.

This pasta salad is one of those that went viral on social media, though, as usual there are lots of comments from folks talking about how they "have been making this all of their lives!" 

An easy cobbler made from canned peaches and cake mix.

Cake Mix Peach Cobbler

It's a little early yet for fresh peaches, and thank goodness after a few weather-related bad years, this summer's peaches are looking to be a bumper crop!

I love fresh peaches and the past several years, I've been purchasing peaches from different orchards all across the south, just so that I could get a taste of peaches from lots of regions. It's actually rare for me to buy grocery store peaches, although I will search out some regional peaches at our farmer's markets at peak season.

In the meantime, thank goodness for frozen and canned peaches!

This barbecue sauce made with classic Coca-Cola, is a sweet and tangy finish for all of your smoke and grill cooks as well as a delicious condiment for those burgers.

Coca-Cola BBQ Sauce

Yep. Recipes with Coca-Cola is a thing in the South!

I mean, after all, it is an Atlanta product. The company has been headquartered there since its founding in 1892.

Cola has found its way to recipes from marinades and sauces, to pulled pork, ribs, beans and even desserts and if you want the real deal, the bottled version is still the best in my humble opinion, even better when you have access to cane sugar based Mexican Coke.

Thick cut, bone-in pork chops, marinated in a seasoned oil and vinegar mix and grilled. Pictured here with green peas and sweet potato casserole.

Marinated Grilled Pork Chops

I had these two beautiful bone-in pork chops in the freezer just waiting to do something with!

There were four in the pack originally but since since there are only two of us at home, I used them two at a time. First, to make those fabulous stuffed chops again and I just froze the remaining two for another time.

I thought that I'd do a simple marinade and grill the remaining two.

A simply seasoned ground beef and noodle casserole, tossed in a sauce made with condensed cream soups, finished with shredded cheese and baked.

Amish Country Casserole

Unlike some of you, I can't function in an online world with just a little handheld smart phone. Heck. I don't even know where my phone is half the time, but I watch my son, daughter-in-law and my grandchildren who do everything on their devices with such ease and I'm pretty amazed, but yeah. I still use a desktop, so I'm just Old School I guess!

Anyway... there's a start up page associated with desktop browsers that shows you headlines and featured articles for topics that you've chosen and since my life is so food centric, I often get recipe inspiration from something that appears there.

That's actually where this recipe originated and it popped up on my launch page so many times that I figured it was a sign to make it. Glad I did!

A one pan meal of smoked sausage, potatoes and sweet bell peppers, tossed with simple seasonings and olive oil and topped with pats of butter.

Smoked Sausage, Peppers and Potato Bake

The combination of flavors in this dish is one of my favorites, especially when I'm not much motivated to cook, because it's such an easy dish to throw together.

This version includes a hickory smoked Conecuh sausage, tender yellow potatoes and frozen mixed peppers with onions, seasoned, tossed with extra virgin olive oil, dotted with butter and baked. It's simple, easy, tasty and super flavorful.

Fresh asparagus, trimmed, tossed with extra virgin olive oil and seasonings and air fried.

Air Fryer Roasted Asparagus

I love asparagus and I especially love it roasted and let me tell you, if you haven't tried it in your air fryer, you don't know what you're missing.

Roasting really brings out the sweetness in vegetables and intensifies the flavor and the air fryer is just another great option.

A vintage appetizer made with a seasoned Boursin-style cream cheese filling and pickled okra, rolled up in slices of luncheon ham and sliced.

Pickled Okra Roll Ups

We're going old school here y'all!

I know some of you won't care for these because, well... okra. It's one of those somewhat divisive foods that folks either love or hate. More for me if you're in the latter group, because I love it!

Those of us who do love okra and are of a certain age, will likely remember this party appetizer from year's past. I'm not sure exactly when it became popular, but I seem to remember it from back in the 70s.

Ground beef, chili and beans, spooned over rolls and topped with cheese, quickly passed through the oven and served open faced.

Hot Beef and Chili Bean Plank Sandwich

I'd never heard of a "plank sandwich" before, but apparently it really was a thing because this one was featured in Bell's Best 2 published in 1982, the second in the series of Mississippi Telephone Pioneers community cookbooks. Even still, I thought it was just one of those recipe names that a family came up with.

So, I turned to AI to find out if there was such a thing as a plank sandwich and was told:

A plank sandwich typically refers to a sandwich made using thick slices or "planks" of bread or other ingredients, often layered with various fillings. It can also refer to specific recipes, like a Monte Cristo breakfast plank, which involves dipping bread planks in an egg mixture and cooking them with fillings.

-AI Assist

See? Even us folks of a certain age can still be learning new things everyday y'all!

Skillet Angel Chicken - My Way

My variation of the viral Angel Chicken recipe, made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, wrapped in seasoned bacon, and finished on the stovetop in a sauce made of chicken stock, cream soup, cream cheese, butter and dry Italian dressing mix.

Skillet Angel Chicken

I'm sure by now you've seen some version of this Angel Chicken recipe, because it's literally all over the internet. It's usually made in a slow cooker, but if you've been around here any length of time you know I'm not a huge user of that appliance in general.

Oh, I like it just fine, especially for those tougher cuts of meat that need a longer cook time. It's not my favorite mostly because it involves advanced planning which I'm not that great at doing! Still, readers here enjoy using a slow cooker, so I've shared a few recipes here and there.

Chicken breasts in the slow cooker though? Those are my least favorite protein to cook in one.

A fully cooked, bone-in, shank portion smoked ham, baked in an oven bag, then opened and finished with a root beer based glaze.

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Oven Bag Root Beer Glazed Ham

It's been quite a few years since I've used an oven cooking bag, though there was a time when they were pretty popular for home cooks. Considering they are still available today, apparently some folks continue to use them, most often I think for cooking holiday turkeys, since they are so easy to overcook otherwise and can be very dry. Better chances with an oven bag!

Initially I bought these to try one of Justin Wilson's recipes - he seemed to have used them quite a bit back in the day - but never got around to that recipe, so I thought why not try one with a ham since at the time of this writing, Easter is right around the corner! Ya gotta admit. That looks really good doesn't it?

A quick and easy snack cake made with pineapple, topped with brown sugar and walnuts and finished with a simple powdered sugar glaze.

Pineapple Cake

Every once in awhile a gal just wants something a little sweet. Something that tastes good but is easy and not fussy.

This is the cake for that.

In fact, one of the names that it's picked up over time is "Preacher Cake" because it's a cake that one could potentially throw together right after church and before the preacher's home visit, although folks tend to add spices to it now.