White beans, slow cooked with smoked meat and simply seasoned.

Classic White Beans

Mondays in the Deep South are all about the red beans, but did you know as an excuse to eat more beans on the regular, somebody at some point thought up White Bean Wednesdays?

Yep. They sure did!

White beans are right next to red beans to me so I'm not mad about it either.

Belly warming and hearty, a slow stewed ham bone stock is finished with drop dumplings.

Ham Bone Dumplings

In the south, we'll drop some biscuit dough in just about any dish with a soup or stew consistency - beans, soup, stews, they're all game. All dumplings require is a full-bodied stock and you're in business.

Starting ham and dumplings with a nice leftover ham bone, or absent that, a couple of meaty ham hocks, makes for a beautiful, rich stock base. The freezer preserved leftover holiday ham bone makes ham dumplings a pretty common thing in the first of the new year, especially when the weather outside's been frightening.

A classic soup combining dried split peas and ham, with a mirepox of onion, carrots and celery, enhanced with a ham bone or ham hocks.

Split Pea and Ham Soup

As much as I look forward to all those delectable holiday dishes that we wait all year to eat, I tire of it all pretty quick. By a day or two later, I usually start craving simple things like egg salad or grilled cheese and tomato soup, and anything that hasn't been consumed is destined for the freezer, where it will be re-purposed in another way, another day.

Homemade stock made from a ham bone or ham hocks.

How to Make Homemade Ham Stock

For most Southern households, major holidays mean ham and most often ham means a leftover ham bone. If you don't have an immediate use for that ham bone, save it and freeze it, or use it to make a stock that you can freeze for later.

Stuff to Make with Ham Bones and Leftover Ham

A collection of Deep South Dish recipes with ideas for what to do with that leftover ham.

Recipes Using Ham Bones and Leftover Ham

Looking for some ways to use up that leftover holiday ham or ham bone? I've gathered some of my favorite recipes here in one spot for you. Don't fret if you're not one to cook a whole bone-in ham, because these days you can get a mighty fine, plump ham bone at your local ham store, like Honey-Baked Hams, where they generally charge by the pound. They're beautiful bones and well worth the investment.

Old School Ham Bone Beans

Somewhere between a soup and stew, all thick and creamy and soothing, this full bodied and flavorful pot of white beans is all due to the ham bone.

Ham Bone Beans

I don't know about the rest of y'all but I sure have had a difficult time getting back into the swing this week. I've been busy enough writing new recipes and even cooking, but it's the post writing part that has me pulling off my best procrastination act this week.

For instance, I fully intended to have this recipe up on Monday... and here it is already Wednesday. I had it mostly done, I just kept putting off finishing the final cut and the coding that goes with all this website business.

Green Gumbo - Gumbo Z'herbes

Gumbo Z'herbes is a traditional green gumbo made with multiple greens, a wide variety of meats and traditionally served on Holy Thursday before Easter. Sometimes it is prepared meatless to be served during Lent.

Gumbo Z'herbes

Gumbo aux Herbes, better known as Gumbo Z'herbes, or just simply Green Gumbo, is a traditional Lenten dish here in The Deep South, though it is an excellent dish served anytime for us lovers of all things greens.

I feel certain that its origins were based on a completely meatless gumbo, and while it is sometimes still served meatless during fasting Fridays of Lent, it is more often served with an over-abundance of meat, and most traditionally on Holy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter.  Frankly, while I do adore greens, I am much more fond of Gumbo Z'herbes flavored with the meats.

Homemade red kidney beans made with dried beans, and slow stewed with the Trinity, bacon, smoked sausage and a good ham bone or ham hock if you have one, served over hot rice with fresh French bread.

Homemade Southern Red Beans and Rice

Monday. Wash Day. Red Beans and Rice day.

Back in the day at least, that was the way that it was, and the tradition of eating red beans & rice on Mondays, either for lunch or dinner, carries on down here in the south, even if nobody’s doin’ laundry.