Pair the sweet and sour elements of a vinegar coleslaw with the familiar fire and ice dressing combination we Southerners seem to be endeared to, and you've got a sweet and spicy vinegar coleslaw I think your guests will love!

Fire 'n Ice Vinegar Coleslaw

Far as I know there are essentially two basic kinds of coleslaw in The South, though there are a multitude of variations on each one of them too.

While they are both certainly some combination of sweet and sour, one is more of a basic creamy style - primarily based on mayonnaise, milk, or buttermilk - and where marvelous things like Pineapple Buttermilk Coleslaw fall. The other is more heavily vinegar and sugar based, with a few that cross lines somewhere between the two.

Not a pickling recipe, but a fun way to dress up some plain dill pickles with some sweet and spicy flavor. Super easy and if you prefer them on the milder side simply eliminate the jalapeno and red pepper flakes.

Fire 'n Ice Pickles

Fire and Ice Pickles are not a true pickling recipe, so no scoffing at me okay y'all? It's just a yummy way to dress up a jar of plain ole, cheapo, boring sour dills into a pickle that has fire and ice flavor, with a combination we southerners seem to be endeared to - sweet and spicy. We have a tendency to turn a sour thing into somethin' sweet down here, don't y'all know? Yes, that can also mean personalities. It's kinda hard to frown when you get around these thick accents we have.

One of my favorite southern salads for the summer, this spicy, sweet and sour Fire and Ice salad, gets it's name from the contrast between the red onion, green bell pepper, horseradish and jalapenos, and the cool crunchy cucumber and sweet tomatoes.

Fire and Ice Summer Salad

A great use for that summer harvest of garden fresh tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and jalapenos, this is another southern favorite and certainly a personal favorite of my own. I can make a meal out of this salad alone on a hot summer day.