Bone-in chicken breasts, marinated overnight or up to 24 hours, in a brown sugar and apple juice or cider-based brine, then flame grilled.

Apple Brined Grilled Chicken

Y'all. Summer is coming to an end soon and I am not unhappy about it.

While I know many of you, including some of my very good friends who also live down south, and those of you who live in cold climates especially, y'all do love the heat of summer. I don't. And, it gets HOT in the Deep South. Fall can't come quick enough!

A smoked bone-in half ham, baked and finished with a glaze of Maker's Mark whisky, Creole mustard, pepper jelly and lemon juice.

Whiskey Glazed Baked Ham

My favorite baked ham, hands down, has always been what is probably the most classic southern baked ham - a brown sugar and mustard glazed ham with a Coca-Cola pan sauce. It is so good! Still, like everything else, I do enjoy mixing it up occasionally and this whiskey-glazed ham is a mighty fine version too!

Sliced whiskey-glazed baked ham, pictured here with cornbread from the recipe in my cookbook, purple hull peas from the freezer, and my favorite steamed broccoli recipe. {affil link}

Apple Julep, a refreshing drink made with apple juice, pineapple, orange and lemon juice, is bumped up to a sangria with the addition of white wine and rum for a refreshing adult drink.

Apple Julep Sangria

If you've ever been to the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant in the Sevierville/Pigeon Forge area of Tennessee, chances are you've had their signature Applewood Julep. The restaurant, a renovated farmhouse, serves good ole country cooking and is so homey that it even has a great sittin' porch - if you're so inclined. It's been awhile since I was up that way, but isn't that area of the country just beautiful?

 

    A pork roast rubbed with sage and ginger and cooked in a hot tub of apple juice.

Sage Pork Roast with Apple Pan Sauce

This is my second pork roast posted - the first one has an amazing spicy and sweet onion sauce and has been my favorite way of doing pork roast for years.

This one, is a simple roasted pork, crusted with a layer of herbs and seasonings, resting in a hot tub of apple juice that makes one mighty fine pan sauce and gravy.