Classic Southern style pinto beans, stewed with salt pork and cayenne pepper and always served with a side of cornbread.

Classic Southern Pinto Beans

We've had so many days of rain now that I've literally lost count, and according to our weatherman, there's more to come this week. Generally speaking, I don't mind the rain at all, well, so long as I don't have to drive anywhere in it at least. It's relaxing and cleansing, sort of washing away the world's residue and making everything fresh once it moves along.

Boy don't we need that in this world today!

A marinated squash salad using summer vegetables, including squash, zucchini, vidalia onion, sweet bell pepper and jalapenos and dressed in a horseradish infused, sweet and sour "Fire and Ice" vinaigrette.

Fire 'n Ice Marinated Squash Salad

I have mentioned many times here, that like most other Southerners, I am a huge fan of the flavor of sweet and sour, most especially when it comes to salads. To that, however, I also like a little heat added too, so from pickles, to coleslaw, to one of my favorite cucumber and tomato salads, I love the "Fire 'n Ice" versions that bring in a bit of fire.

Marinated squash salads are popular here in the summer, so I thought why not bring those fire and ice elements in there too?

Bone-in, skinned chicken thighs provide plenty of flavor for this slow cooker pulled chicken. Great on sandwiches, as a pizza topper, or stuffed in a taco or burrito. Shown here with a side of Red Slaw and Sweet Potato Fries.

Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken

I love slow cooker "pulled chicken" because of its versatility. Not only is it good piled on rolls and buns, but its great rolled up in tortillas, stuffed into taquitos, tacos or burritos, or if you're trying to reduce carbs a bit, piled up in lettuce cups and topped with coleslaw or for barbecue pizza.

Baked Bean Medley (Calico Baked Beans)

A medley of mixed beans make up this baked bean dish, often referred to as Calico Baked Beans because of the variety.

Baked Bean Medley

I'm pretty sure that The Cajun has had his fill of baked beans, after the Hawaiian Pineapple Baked Beans that I made last month and my classic Southern baked beans I made before that, and now this Baked Bean Medley.

Sweet potato biscuits made with mashed, seasoned sweet potato and spices.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

I'm a lover of sweet potatoes in pretty much any form you can make them - baked, fried, glazed, roasted, grilled, mashed, cut up into soups, in casseroles, in a pie or quick bread, and yes, even in a classic biscuit!

Seafood Pasta Salad

A seafood pasta salad made from crab, crawfish and shrimp, dressed with a Cajun seasoned buttermilk mayonnaise blend.

Seafood Pasta Salad

This is a great coastal Deep South seafood pasta salad that is pretty common down here, and I love it, although it's more often known as Imitation Crab Salad.

I know, I know... imitation crab seems to scare some folks as if it's some kind of weird, alien substance, pretending to be food, when really, it is generally just a basic mix of Alaskan Pollock, King Crab meat and other seafood, and... it actually works great for salads like this. Personally?

I really love it in this pasta salad as well as my crab salad.

Cherry-O Cream Cheese Pie, an icebox pie made with cream cheese, condensed milk and cherry pie filling.

Cherry-O Cream Cheese Pie

This has always been one of my favorite summer pies and I swear it is literally the easiest pie in the world.

I almost hate to post recipes like this because they are so simple that even if you've never made it before, once you have, you really never need the "recipe" again.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with a crunchy ramen and nut topping and dressed with a creamy mayonnaise-based poppyseed dressing.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

You may have noticed by now that salads make an appearance in the background of many of my photographs, and that's because we eat salads almost every single day in my household. It helps us to balance our plates and still enjoy our favorite Southern recipes in moderation.

A creamy homemade poppyseed salad dressing, made from mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar and poppyseeds.

Creamy Poppyseed Dressing

Poppyseed dressing is a sweet and sour vinaigrette-style dressing that was popularized in the 1950s by chef and cookbook author Helen Corbitt. A young Irish Catholic gal from New York, she became a real tastemaker for Texas after moving there to take a teaching job for the catering and restaurant management department at the University of Texas and holding a career that spanned nearly 40 years in the state of Texas.

Kitchen Stories from the Iron Lake Fishing Club Book Review

Recipes from the Old Shoebox and ... Kitchen Stories from the Iron Lake Fishing Club Book Review.

"There's nothing quite so sad as an empty skillet." ~Bob's Grandpa

That's the way this book begins as Bob's grandpa arrives in the kitchen from a good night's rest and takes notice that although the coffee is brewed, the skillet is cold and empty. Didn't take long from there for the other fellas to catch on and get the bacon and eggs going and it is a telling introduction for all the goings on in the kitchen and at "The Camp."