A one pot spaghetti dish made with ground beef, tomatoes with green chilies, taco seasoning and shredded cheese.

Cheesy One-Pot Taco Spaghetti

Although most of the time when I make spaghetti, I use my favorite semi-homemade recipe. It's easy, it's reliable, it's tasty, and The Cajun absolutely loves it. That's really what counts the most, isn't it?

Still, spaghetti is so easy to make and delicious that I also like to mix it up a bit from time to time. In the summertime when the backyard tomatoes are in abundance, you just cannot beat a homemade, fresh tomato sauce and my big batch recipe is enough for two meals - spaghetti, usually followed by a lasagna or ziti. When the garden is overflowing with fresh vegetables, there's my veggie spaghetti, and my smaller batch fresh tomato pasta sauce is fabulous for those weeknight meals.

 

  A chicken stock based soup, made with a homemade cream sauce, sauteed vegetables and fresh mushrooms.

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

Did you know that if you transfer mushrooms from the plastic wrapped, Styrofoam container they come in from the grocery market, to a plain brown paper bag, they will last longer? It's true, try it.

Unfortunately, they still won't last forever, and if you're like me, sometimes we buy them with the intention of making something in particular and then forget about them and end up with some mushrooms that need to be used up quick like!

Enter fresh mushroom soup.

Classic and basic tuna noodle casserole, made with a homemade cream sauce, tuna and peas and topped with kettle chips.

Old Fashioned Tuna Noodle Casserole

Canned tuna is always a good standby, anytime really, and definitely during Lent.

We eat it most often in its most basic forms, straight out of the can over white bread slathered with mayonnaise, or on a melt, in tuna and egg salad, tuna mac, or even a slightly more fancy tuna pasta salad.

And then, of course, there's this classic tuna noodle casserole to stretch it out into a full out meal.

Kielbasa sausage, braised with cabbage, onions and potatoes in chicken broth.

Braised Kielbasa and Cabbage

Between Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, there are some pretty awesome smoked sausages to be found down here. Distinctly Deep South, they are unique, highly spiced and incredibly flavorful, and the sausages we use the most in our cooking.

And then there's unassuming, simple and mild, soft-textured Polish kielbasa.

Very much different than Conecuh, Savoie's, Polk's or Country Pleasin', but we love it down here just as much as anywhere else in the country. There are times you just want something simple and basic. Something that's comforting and delicious.

This cabbage dish is just that and kielbasa is perfection here.

Garlic and butter scampi pasta with white wine, fresh herbs, lemon and red pepper flakes, tossed with seasoned, pan-seared shrimp.

Pan Seared Shrimp with Scampi Pasta

I always thought shrimp scampi was, well, just shrimp scampi. A very simple, but flavorful dish, and so satisfying for those of us who love shrimp with plenty of garlic and butter, tossed with some pasta. Accented with a little white wine, some fresh lemon and herbs, and a dash of red pepper flakes, it's a quick to the table dish and just delicious!

Apparently, the word scampi actually refers to the name of a pale pink crustacean called langoustines, or lobsterettes, according to my Italian cookbook The Silver Spoon {affil link}, which has a variety of recipes dedicated to using them... but oddly, nothing like this! Langoustines come from the North Sea, and look and taste similar to lobster, although it's far smaller. Reminds me of a pale pink version of our local crawfish, but with more slender claws. It is, apparently a very important part of European cuisine though. Who knew?

Photo Credit

Chili Collection

A collection of chili recipes from Deep South Dish blog.

Chili season has definitely been alive and well this winter season, so thought it'd be a good time to make a one page compilation of my collection of chili recipes here on Deep South Dish blog. Be sure to bookmark and come back as I add to the collection!

Quick Chili for Chili Cheese Fries, Frito Pie and Walking Tacos

A quick skillet chili perfect for some chili cheese fries, Frito pie and walking tacos.

Quick Chili

I love a good homemade chili and I've got several recipes up on the blog. Like anybody else though, I try to keep a few cans of chili on hand too, stocking up whenever I find them on sale.

It's just mighty convenient when you're in a hurry for something like a couple chili dogs, mini-Frito pies, walking tacos or some chili cheese fries. and there are some really good brands out there these days, including both Hormel and Wolf brand, which are two of my own personal preferences.

A classic potato soup, made with bacon drippings, cubed ham, onion, celery and milk, and finished with cheese.

Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup

So, The Cajun was Super Bowl bonding with his Dad Sunday, and I wasn't all that interested in watching, so I made zero football snacks this year. Instead, I made this soup!

It's a variation of my Grandma's Homemade Potato Soup, this one starting with a little bacon and drippings, and adds in some cubed, baked ham and cheese! Delicious, comforting and easy... how could you not love that?

A tomato-based ground beef and sausage meat sauce, baked with rotini pasta and a mix of Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses.

Baked Rotini in Meat Sauce

Wow, has this cold and flu season been a challenge for me this year. You hear about how frightening it is around the country, but when it hits home and you experience it in your family multiple times, it's exhausting. 

The Cajun, who is exposed to those pesky little germs much more often than me, and has such a strong constitution and rock solid immune system, he's done well fighting it, unlike me. I'm feeling okay today, but that seems subject to change at any time this winter. Hope y'all are faring better than I have, whew!

Russet potatoes and chunks of carrots and onion are cooked stovetop in a tomato-based sauce with seasoned pork chops or pork steaks, for an easy one pot meal.

One Pot Pork Chop Dinner

The Cajun is a big meat and potatoes man. I may have mentioned that before I think! He's just not that into vegetables, so he's always a little disappointed when the first of the year rolls around and I'm back to trying to eat more balanced, and maybe even a bit healthier than usual. Meaning more greens and vegetables.

I'm a little bit slow starting this year, as I've been under the weather since right before Christmas and let's just say it's been one thing after another. Haven't had much of an appetite, but I think I dropped a couple pounds as a result. I'm actually still on the mend today and frankly, still not feeling that well, so food hasn't been all that appealing to me. I guess I'll let him have his meat and potatoes way.