An enhanced sweet cornbread that starts with Jiffy mix.

Hacked Jiffy Cornbread

I started this recipe website Deep South Dish back in 2008, when there really weren't many food blogs, much less many focused in any manner on southern cooking. Boy has that changed and talk about competitive!

There are now some very ambitious and focused 30-somethings out there and hey, I'm super proud of them. Support them please! They are hard workers.

On the other hand, me, I'm just a home cook, twice their age, sharing my recipes and just a tiny little bit outside of that league, so a special shout out to those of you who have been here and supported me and my old-school ways and recipes from the beginning. I love y'all!

South Mississippi-Style John Wayne Casserole

A Tex-Mex style casserole with seasoned ground beef, layered between a biscuit crust, with tomatoes, topped with a sour cream and cheese sauce and finished with a cornbread topping, perfect for potlucks, church suppers, or just dinner at home!

Mississippi-Style John Wayne Casserole

So, it seems lots of folks around the country and in my own home state of Mississippi seem to love this casserole, and I went all my life without knowing that!

How it came by the name John Wayne Casserole is uncertain, though some say it appeared as a contribution in a 1979 cookbook of celebrity recipes, as a favorite recipe of Wayne's. I can see why. It's super tasty!

An easy cobbler made from canned peaches and cake mix.

Cake Mix Peach Cobbler

It's a little early yet for fresh peaches, and thank goodness after a few weather-related bad years, this summer's peaches are looking to be a bumper crop!

I love fresh peaches and the past several years, I've been purchasing peaches from different orchards all across the south, just so that I could get a taste of peaches from lots of regions. It's actually rare for me to buy grocery store peaches, although I will search out some regional peaches at our farmer's markets at peak season.

In the meantime, thank goodness for frozen and canned peaches!

Explore a mouthwatering lineup of cornbread recipes from Deep South Dish - ranging from classic cast iron skillet Southern-style to sweet, savory, and spicy favorites. Whether you're craving comfort or a bold twist, there's a cornbread here to complement any meal.

Cornbread Collection

I didn't grow up with a lot of cornbread in my life here in the Deep South. We seem to have been more sliced white bread, yeast roll and French bread kind of people.

Over the years of blogging food recipes to the world, I've learned that folks in the Southern U.S. can get very territorial about their cornbread, and boy will they let you know what they think!

But, having the advantage of writing recipes over these years, I've been able to play around with many different variations of cornbread. 

Here's all of the wide variety of ways I've shared here on my website on how to make cornbread. Be sure to check back for updates in the future, as there are many more recipes on the horizon!

Real Southern Cornbread

Cast iron skillet Southern cornbread made with buttermilk and stone-ground cornmeal.

Southern Fried Hand Pies

Little fried hand pies made with fresh fruit or dried, your choice of pastry and either pan fried, deep fried or baked. No matter how you prepare them, they are a true Southern Classic!

Southern Fried Hand Pies

A reader over on the Facebook page asked about these little southern delicacies and we started chatting about everybody's favorites, and of course, impressionable me, decided I had to make some right away! I get cravings thrown on me like that all the time.

The Great Southern Cornbread Debate

A Southern Born and Bred Southerner's Take on the Cornbread Debate

The truth is ... in my little ole humble opinion, the two things that make cornbread Southern is 1) using a cast iron skillet to make it, and 2) pouring the batter into a very hot cast iron skillet that has been coated in some kind of fat. That's the secret that makes cornbread Southern - that yummy, crunchy bottom. Believe it or not, it's less about the recipe than the method itself. Gasp! Did she really just say that??

Why yes, I did.

And listen, don't you go lettin' people tell you that it's not Authentic Southern Cornbread if it's got sugar or flour in it. That's a myth and you know what I say about that?

Labor Day Recipes

 

Your favorite menu ideas, cookout and BBQ recipes from Deep South Dish for Labor Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July or for any day, all in one place!

Perfect for leftovers or just for a cool presentation,
try a Barbecue Sundae using your cookout ingredients!

Labor Day Cookout Recipes

Beverages

Southern Sweet Iced Tea

No Calorie (Milo's Copycat) Diet Iced Tea

Southern Fruit Iced Tea

Cherry pie, with a filling made easy by canned cherries, and finished with a lattice topped crust.

Lattice Topped Cherry Pie

I love a good homemade cherry pie, but I'm not too likely to pit cherries for an hour to make one, and yes, that's pretty much how long it takes to hand pit enough fresh cherries for a single pie. Okay, I might do that exactly once so I could blog about it, but I doubt it and I'm pretty sure there aren't many of us who would. Plus, it's messy, and believe me when I say, I make a big enough mess in my kitchen as it is.

Made from Scratch Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes

My personal recipe for more than 30 years, these make simply perfect homemade buttermilk pancakes that I know you'll love.

Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes

Besides tweaking the baking powder and baking soda, I've been making my homemade pancakes this way for more than 30 years, and I think they've stood the test of time.

Don't get me wrong - I do realize that just adding water to a pre-packaged mix sure makes things a bit easier in this hurry-up world we live in, but honestly it doesn't take any time to mix up a fresh batch of pancake batter and no worries over weird ingredients or preservatives lurking in there either because you know what went in it.

Chicken and Herb Dressing Casserole

 

Chicken and dressing made with a whole cooked chicken, a homemade herb dressing and homemade gravy.

Chicken and Herb Dressing

Okay. Fair warning. This chicken and dressing is a bread dressing and it has a butter roux - puh-lenty of butter. Like 1 full stick of Paula Deen worthy butter. And this one is made with a combination of chicken and herb dressing, meaning bread dressing and not cornbread, so don't go balking at me.

Cookout and Party Food Menu Ideas

Your favorite menu ideas, cookout and BBQ recipes from Deep South Dish for Labor Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July or for any day, all in one place!

Here's my collection of Best of the Best from Deep South Dish cookout and party food recipes, all tried and true, just in case you're still looking for some menu ideas. Some of these are outdoor recipes, some are "cheater" style crockpot and some are for the oven.

There are beverages & cocktails, appetizers and dips, salads of all kinds, chicken, pork, a little seafood and even steaks, and of course there's always room for dessert.

I hope you find some inspiration here - enjoy!

 

My classic barbecue menu - get all the recipes right here on the blog - just click on the links! Grilled ribs, classic southern potato salad, southern baked beans, corn on the cob, marinated tomatoes and old fashioned macaroni salad.

Yum y'all!

Cookout Recipes

Beverages

Southern Sweet Iced Tea

No Calorie (Milo's Copycat) Diet Iced Tea

Southern Fruit Iced Tea

Corn spoon bread goes by a number of names, but it's basically a souffle made of cornmeal, corn, sour cream, milk, eggs and butter. A wonderful side dish for any holiday.

Corn Spoon Bread

Corn Spoon Bread, is an old fashioned dish that has been around since the establishment of the colonies, and goes by many names these days - Corn Casserole, Corn Pudding, Corn Spoon Bread, to name a few - though all of those actually started out as completely separate recipes. Pretty much they all now represent a single dish similar to this one.

Social Media Roundup FOOTBALL 2 - What You Missed!

Social Media Roundup FOOTBALL 2: Deviled Chicken Wings, Party Shrimp, Buffalo Chicken Dip with Bacon, Cold Corn Dip, Crockpot Barbecue Beef for Sandwiches, Meatball and Burger Sauce, Hot Corn Dip and Fire 'n Ice Pickles.

Social Media Roundup FOOTBALL FOOD 2 - What You Missed!

Well y'all, summer is about to roll on out of here!

I know that some of you aren't that happy about that because you actually have a winter that you're not looking forward to, but personally I'm ready to move on to some cooler temperatures. It's actually been a tiny bit less oppressive down here along the Gulf Coast for the past week, but it'll still be a ways to go before sweater weather shows up.

I'm looking forward to wearing my fleece Cuddl Duds y'all!

In that spirit, I'm not quite moving into the recipes of fall on my social media shares yet, so we're focused on mostly quick weeknight meals and football food because my husband, also known to y'all as "The Cajun," loves his football!

Here's the next round of what you may have missed on my social media - FOOTBALL 2!

Tap or click on the title or the photo for any recipe you want more information on.

Join Deep South Dish on Facebook, X - Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

To see other social media round-up posts, tap/click here.

Be sure to check out all of my FOOTBALL Social Media Roundups on Pinterest for your game time inspiration!

'Deviled Chicken Wings'

Meaty chicken wings, coated with a lightly spicy rub and marinated in the fridge for an hour or up to overnight, baked and tossed with a simple, classic buttery hot sauce or tossed in a wing glaze. Try them in your air fryer!

'Party Shrimp'

Large shrimp, baked in a buttery seasoned beer, oil and vinegar sauce, great for a party, for football food, or the beach!

'Buffalo Chicken Dip with Bacon'

My version uses fresh cooked chicken, Louisiana hot sauce, ranch instead of bleu cheese dressing, bacon, and a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. So good y'all!