A potato salad made using half smashed and half chunky potatoes and finished with a sour cream and mayonnaise-based dressing.

Sour Cream Smashed Potato Salad

Hope y'all don't mind me sneaking in another potato salad before we roll into Fall in a few days!

Not that it matters much what the calendar says in the Deep South because yesterday it was miserably hot and humid. Not that the weather has ever stopped a craving on me, I sure do look forward to some cooler temperatures and some belly warmin' meals though - hopefully soon!

I wrote this version of potato salad in honor of my mother-in-law, who passed away a few years back. Although it's a bit different from her version, very different from my Mama's and different even from the way my father-in-law, who was also a great cook, made his, she prepared her potato salad mostly mashed, something that was very new to me.

A classic, homestyle lasagna, made with a ground beef and Italian sausage, a homemade tomato-based pasta sauce and layered in with lasagna noodles and cheeses.

Classic Lasagna

Lasagna is one of the best loved casseroles there is. Even on the All Recipes website, the all-time, most popular recipe is what's called "World's Best Lasagna," which turns out to be pretty much the same as my recipe, my Mama's recipe, and likely I'd guess, pretty similar to just about every other good, homemade lasagna in the world, really.

Even that recipe has a striking resemblance to the McCalls 1973 cookbook recipe, that I'm certain many homemakers adopted as their own at the time.

A few basic ingredients: cherry pie filling, crushed pineapple, sweetened condensed milk and Cool Whip make up the base for this old school frozen delight! From there, make it your own with easy add-ins.

Frozen Cherry Fruit Salad

I live on the Gulf Coast, and down here, the humidity is as important as the temperature. Maybe even more so! We've been under 100+ degree heat advisories here for awhile now because of that heat index. In June. Already. I pray we don't see a hurricane this year, well, ever again in my lifetime really, that knocks out power for long. Gotta have that air conditioning down here!

When the weather heats up like this, cooling foods are a steady in my house. Watermelon, cucumbers, grapes, cantaloupe, strawberries are consumed regularly around here! Of course, although they may mostly be relegated to those family gatherings more so these days, we have our icebox and freezer desserts too. This cherry salad is one of those that has been around for years.

Wash Day Cake - Gooey Butter Cake

Wash Day Cake, or Gooey Butter Cake as it is more well known, is a simple cake using cake mix to form a crust and topped with a powdered sugar and cream cheese filling.

Wash Day Gooey Butter Cake

Most people associate Gooey Butter Cake with Paula Deen, because it was brought to the forefront of everybody's attention and became famously associated with the Queen Deen, who added a multitude of variations to it.

Classic Southern pecan pie bars with a touch of cocoa in the crust, a layer of melted chocolate, salted and roasted pecans, and a splash of bourbon in the filling... if you like.

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Most Southerners certainly have a pecan pie recipe in their recipe box, and really, these bars are simply an extension of that pie, made into convenient little bite-sized squares. Add a little chocolate to the mix, and, a splash of bourbon if you dare, and you've got some fantastic pecan pie bars.

An easy, pan-style, baked party cheesecake, made with cream cheese, sugar, lemon, eggs and vanilla, on a graham cracker crust, finished with a layer of sour cream and topped with your favorite canned pie filling.

Easy Party Cheesecake

This party cheesecake has been around for many years, and was pretty popular back in the 70s. Yep, you guessed it - this is another old recipe that falls back to the days of my good ole battered Bell's Best cookbook!

I'm pretty sure that it picked up the name party cheesecake because it was easy to make, portable, and it quickly became a potluck favorite. Now, while this is indeed what one would consider a cheater cheesecake - meaning it doesn't qualify for the real deal award requiring a springform pan, water baths and careful handling - trust me when I say it's still a tasty cheesecake that I think you'll enjoy, and certainly a lot less fuss and worry. I don't think you'll have any complaints about it, or any leftovers.

Pork and Andouille Sausage Jambalaya

This nicely seasoned jambalaya, a rice-based dish similar to a low country purlow, starts with the classic trinity of vegetables, contains bacon, spicy andouille smoked sausage, and cubes of pork loin, and is baked to a fluffy perfection.

Pork and Andouille Jambalaya

We enjoy jambalaya year round down here along the coast because it's a perfect party dish and take-along for picnics, reunions and those potluck gatherings that still remain popular in the south. Sort of a deep south take on purlow or even a paella, jambalaya is a rice central dish, but from there it can meet with a wide range of ingredients – usually some kind of pork, shrimp or chicken, and often accented with andouille, a spicy smoked Cajun sausage.

American Shepherd's Pie, known elsewhere around the world as Cottage Pie, is a mixture of ground beef and vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes and cheese and a great way to use up leftovers.

American Shepherd's Pie

What a gorgeous few days it has been down here in South Mississippi, and while it's a tiny bit cooler for a couple of days, I'm gonna sneak this Shepherd's Pie in real quick while I can. I actually made it a couple weeks back when I shared it with a few folks who were asking for my recipe, but then it got kinda hot early, so I held off on sharing it here on the site.

Shepherd's Pie is really not much more than a savory baked meat mince and vegetable casserole topped with potatoes, often using leftovers. It's a little like a beef pot pie made with ground beef instead of roast meat.

A delicious potato casserole, using both leftover vegetables and ham, baked in a creamy cheese sauce.

Ham and Potatoes au Gratin Casserole

If you have leftover ham and vegetables to use, this is a great potato casserole dish to repurpose those into a whole new and delicious meal. All you need to add is a nice side salad, some rolls and iced tea, and you've got a great meal out of those leftovers.

 

A classic vegetable salad of corn, green beans, and peas, marinated in a sweet and sour vinegar and sugar dressing.

Marinated Vegetable Salad

From Fire 'n Ice Salad, to pickles and coleslaw, to cucumber salads and creamed cucumbers, green beans to cocktails and everything in between, I'm sure a sucker for anything sweet and sour.

I just love the combination of flavors. This marinated vegetable salad, often known as "shoepeg" salad, is no exception, and it's another one of those 70s throwbacks for me - might even be older than that to be honest, but that's my first memories of it.

Mandarin Orange Cake is what this dessert is typically known as in this part of The Deep South, but in many other areas of The South, this is more commonly known as Pig Pickin' Cake, though it has many names.

Mandarin Orange Pig Pickin' Cake

How y'all liking that vintage Tupperware Cake Taker plate up there?

I know for photo styling I should have used my mama's fancy footed cake plate, but this is one of those refrigerated cakes so in the cake taker it went. This one, in that classic mustard color, dates back to the 70s of course, and has been used many, many times. I actually have two of them - one was mine from back then and the other my mama's, which she very well may have purchased at a Tupperware party at my house!

I also have the rectangular one for sheet cakes. Anybody else still have one of these oldies hanging around?

 

Creamy mashed potatoes, prepared in the usual manner, then tossed with cheese, baked and topped with more cheese. That's some cheesy goodness there y'all!

Cheesy Baked Mashed Potatoes

It's been a gorgeous spring March week here in south Mississippi, just gorgeous. What? You say it's winter still? Well, not in the Deep South!

We never have much of a winter to speak of down here anyway. Basically, there are one or three quick overnight freezes, just about enough to brown over everything, but the next day it's likely to be in the 70s. I noticed in my Google reader one blogger disappointed about having too much snow and the very next blog, about having no snow. What's the winter been like your way?

Homemade King Ranch Casserole

A Tex-Mex favorite, this homemade from scratch version of King Ranch Casserole is made using a highly seasoned shredded chicken, and a butter roux-based cream sauce, seasoned with a medley of veggies and peppers, and layered in with cheese and corn tortillas. Yum y'all!

King Ranch Casserole

King Ranch Casserole is more Tex Mex than it is Deep South, but since I have roots in that region too, I'll claim it over here as a Mississippi favorite as well!

It's a simple layered casserole, typically made using seasoned, shredded chicken, fresh veggies, and layered with a sauce, in between corn tortillas and shredded cheese. Really, what is not to love about that?!

 

 Probably considered "the" southern chicken casserole for ages, this casserole has birthed multiple variations and remains a popular and beloved dish on the party, church supper and potluck circuits.

Southern Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

This Southern Chicken Casserole is another one of those basic casseroles that has been around for years. Indeed, a fabulous recipe, perfectly delicious all on its own in this bare bones version, but also a great blank slate to build on, making it the foundation for many of our southern chicken casseroles.

You can vary it with a wide range of ingredients by adding in cooked white, brown or wild rice, cooked raw vegetables, or even frozen or well drained canned vegetables. For extra flavor, add in a little sauteed onion and celery. For crunch, include chopped water chestnuts, sliced almonds, or finely chopped pecans.

Crockpot Candy Peanut Clusters

Crockpot Chocolate Peanut Clusters are a favorite holiday candy made from a mixture of almond bark, baking chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanuts.

Crockpot Candy

Crockpot Candy Clusters are a popular confection at Christmastime everywhere, and usually includes pretty much the same combination of ingredients - some kind of mixture of chocolate, along with almond bark and peanuts.

I wanted to use a combination of honey roasted peanuts along with regular dry roasted peanuts this time, so I decided to pair up the almond bark coating, with a bittersweet baking chocolate, instead of the German chocolate that is often typically used.

Shipwreck casserole is a super easy to put together, layered casserole, made with ground beef, onions,  potatoes, and veggies - here I used carrots, bell pepper and celery - and added a layer of rice.

Shipwreck Casserole

There is not a single thing particularly unique to me about this Shipwreck Casserole. It's just one of those meat and potatoes, family-pleasing casseroles with a funny name that's been around a long time. It's actually known by a couple of other names too, like Dinner in a Dish, 7-Layer Casserole or Meal in One Supper, but there are at least two stories of lore that are attached to how the name shipwreck came about.

 

A simple, tender and light, old-fashioned hot milk cake, but the real star here is the broiled, caramel and coconut topping.

Lazy Daisy Cake

Some of you will fondly remember this cake from your mother or grandmother's kitchen from long, long ago. Others of you likely have never heard of it.

Back in the day, dessert was as much a part of the supper plate as were meat and three, and this cake often made an appearance. Called Lazy Daisy Cake, and sometimes Busy Day Cake, because it is just simply so easy to throw together, it is really just a very basic, old fashioned, boiled milk pan cake.

The cake itself is wonderfully tender and light, but what sets it apart, is this lovely, crunchy, broiled caramel and coconut topping.

A classic, old fashioned macaroni salad, made with elbow macaroni, sweet onion, celery, chopped pickles, and pimento - simple, the kind that grandma used to make.

Classic Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad

Before there were pasta salads filled with all sorts of yummy goodies, there was the humble macaroni salad. Usually a very simple concoction containing elbow macaroni, a little celery, most always pickles and pimentos here in the south, and sometimes onion, it's dressed usually with a very classic mayonnaise dressing.

Old Fashioned Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Pecans

Old fashioned broccoli salad, made with red onion, celery, carrots, raisins, nuts and bacon, and a mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar dressing. Serve as is, over spoon over leaves of romaine lettuce.

Old Fashioned Broccoli Salad

This poor ole broccoli salad has been languishing around for me to showcase it on the blog forever. Very patience little green veggie. Truth is, while The Cajun won't even give it a fair run, broccoli is one of my favorite veggies. I love to eat it most just simply steamed to be honest, though I've been known to fry it on occasion too. What can I say?

Summer squash - zucchini, crookneck or a mixture of the two will work - is briefly stewed in onion, garlic and cream, mixed with leftover cooked rice, topped with a Parmesan breadcrumb and baked to a crispy golden brown delicious.

Summer Squash and Rice Gratin

As I watched The veggie hating Cajun shovel this in with our meal, y'all know I had to grin, but he caught me peeking at him! "I know," he says, "what is it?" "It's food," I say, grinning. "Just eat it."  He did! Every, single, speck of it. That says a lot y'all, coming from a non-veggie eating man.

This was a delicious side dish that I adapted from Real Cajun, a cookbook that you may recall I recently reviewed. The photography in this cookbook is simply incredible, so much so that as the book lay by my chair on the floor, my youngest cat was convinced that the crab claw poking out of the gumbo on the cover was a real crab. I wish you could have seen him inching and backing off from the book, and finally reaching out and carefully patting at it multiple times with his paw, only then convinced it was just a photo!  If you're a cat owner, this behavior makes complete sense to you.