Coconut Orange Marmalade Bread - a lightly sweetened, quick bread, made with orange marmalade and coconut, infused both in the bread batter as well as to glaze the top.

Coconut Orange Marmalade Bread

Folks sometimes show up on my site here wondering where all of the wonderful desserts are that are often associated with the South, and that are usually found in abundance on the pages of many of the other Southern bloggers out there. I do admit, a post of sweets certainly draws a lot more attention and shares on Facebook for sure! Folks sure do love their sweets.

Classic cranberry relish, made from uncooked, fresh cranberries, oranges, apples and pineapple.

Cranberry Relish

When I was growing up, there was one cranberry sauce at our house over the holidays. The familiar, cylinder-shaped, super sweet, jellied cranberry sauce, decorated with ridges molded right from the can it slurped out of.

It's one thing in common from our holiday tables past, that so many of us Southerners still connect to nostalgically, no matter where we grew up.

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?

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?

What do you get what you marry the concepts of Paula Deen's Is it Really Better Than Sex Cake and a Mandarin Orange cake? This delectable treat!

Fresh Citrus Cake

These are the two cakes that stuck out in my mind when I had several pounds of tangerines left that I needed to use and I knew I wanted to use them to make some sort of a cake. So I took the two concepts and created this Fresh Citrus Not Better Than Sex Cake But Pretty Darned Good. Hey, don't look at me ... I didn't name it that originally.

Now first, I used the fresh tangerines because I had them and needed to use them, but absolutely substitute canned mandarin oranges! Keep it easy y'all.

Now, I do have to put in a disclaimer here for my local readers, since I can hear y'all saying "that is not a Better Than Sex Cake Mary."

Yes, I do realize that Paula Deen's "Is it Really Better Than Sex Cake" is nothing like the similar named "Chocolate Sin Lush Cake aka Better than Sex Cake" (that I did not name by the way) we know and love down here in this part of the south. Our "Better Than Sex Cake" always involves chocolate and nuts and cream cheese and Cool Whip and a few other ingredients, none of which are actual "cake."  You can find that delicious layered concoction right here and man oh man is it good.

A nice spicy main dish shrimp dish, with a touch of citrus.

Spicy Orange Garlic Shrimp

A nice spicy main dish shrimp dish with a bit of citrus and made in the skillet. Quick, light and just delish!

Baked Chicken with Honey Orange and Garlic Ginger Glaze

Whole cut up chicken marinated and baked in a honey, orange and soy garlic ginger sauce.

Baked Chicken with Honey Orange, Garlic and Ginger Glaze

This chicken offers a fantastic contrast between the tang of the hot sauce with the sweet orange and honey against the traditional flavors of soy and ginger in this dish and is a pleasant surprise from more typical honey and soy combination for chicken.

Frequent basting produces a pretty glazed surface and pulls double duty as a very tasty side sauce as well. Just delicious and The Cajun absolutely loves it. The best part?

It's super easy to put together.

Pusharatas, Prsurate, Purshunate a/k/a Croatian Deep Fried Pastries

Pusharatas - a Croatian doughnut that is fruit and citrus based, and is a traditional recipe included on the Christmas cookie trays for many Mississippi Gulf Coast families.

Pusharatas

Pusharatas were a Christmas standard around my house and if you've never had a pusharata, well, you just don't know what you're missing! Similar to a doughnut fritter, but so much better because they are stuffed with fruit and nuts and cinnamon and nutmeg (and a little whiskey, if you're so inclined). They are a tradition amongst the local community of Slovenian women in Biloxi on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.