Cow’s Skirts (Recipe: Beef Fajitas)

Yes, cow’s have skirts. You use them to make fajitas. The cut of steak known as the skirt is close to the diaphragm which means it gets used a lot.  The more the muscle gets used, the tougher it will be and will either require marinating and a quick cook or covering in liquid and a long, [...]The post Cow’s Skirts (Recipe: Beef Fajitas) appeared first on Syrup and Biscuits.

Floundering Around (Recipe: Skillet Fried Flounder)

A simple supper of skillet fried fish is therapeutic. Certainly, it provides nourishment. But it does much more than that. It is a reminder that simple, honest food never goes out of style. It was good years past.  It’s good today.  Years from now, it will be just as good. Don’t over think this recipe.  A [...]The post Floundering Around (Recipe: Skillet Fried Flounder) appeared first

Rooterbeggers (Recipe: Rutabagas)

When you grow up hearing a word consistently pronounced a certain way, you make some assumptions.  First, you assume the pronunciation is correct.  Second, you assume everyone in the whole big world pronounces it the same way.  Your merry little life continues as long as the assumptions remain unchallenged.  Then, something compels you to write the word.  Being [...]The post Rooterbeggers (Recipe:

What’s Up, Doc?(Recipe: Roasted Carrot Soup)

If I knew how to get in touch with Bugs Bunny, he would get an invitation to dinner.  And, if I got in touch with Bugs, extended the invitation, and he accepted, I would hope he likes carrot soup.  That’s about the sum total of what we’re having for dinner. My vegetable bin had two [...]The post What’s Up, Doc?(Recipe: Roasted Carrot Soup) appeared first on Syrup and Biscuits.

Citrus Galore (Recipe: Hot Toddy Grapefruit)

It’s citrus season in Florida.  Such a glorious time of the year! We might groan and moan and fuss and complain about the heat in the summer, but this time of the year we are happy Homo sapiens. Our backyard citrus grove has been very, very good to us and has provided satsumas in addition [...]The post Citrus Galore (Recipe: Hot Toddy Grapefruit) appeared first on Syrup and Biscuits.

Smothered (Recipe: Smothered Beef Brisket)

To suffocate, to deprive of oxygen or to suppress are meanings of smothered.  If you relate more closely to food terms than to oxygen deprivation or constraints,  smothered means covered with gravy or a thick sauce.  If the latter grabs your attention more so than the former, welcome to my world. Ordinarily I smother with gravy. [...]The post Smothered (Recipe: Smothered Beef Brisket) appeared fir

Simply the Best (Recipe: Country Baked Beans)

There’s a whole line of commercially prepared baked beans readily available for busy people who like  baked beans but are short on time.  I’ve never tried any of them, but I hear they are just fine.  I’m sure they are. However, contrary to a marketing tag line, I don’t think they are simply the best. [...]The post Simply the Best (Recipe: Country Baked Beans) appeared first

A Supporting Role (Recipe: Sauteed Mushrooms)

Mushrooms aren’t  included in my list of food cravings.   I like cooked mushrooms, but I don’t crave them.  There’s never been I time where I thought I would die if I couldn’t get my hands on some mushrooms. That doesn’t mean they  don’t play  an important role in my cast of food characters.  They [...]The post A Supporting Role (Recipe: Sauteed Mushrooms) appea

My Addiction (Recipe: Peanut Butter Chocolate Bark)

I would like to kiss the  person who discovered what a magnificent flavor combination results from mixing chocolate and peanut butter.  I mean kiss then smack dab on the lips. Then I would confess.  Not for the kissing, but for  the addiction.  I’m hooked on chocolate and peanut butter. How in tarnation did people survive before this [...]The post My Addiction (Recipe: Peanut Butter Chocolat

Barking Dogs(Recipe: Hushpuppies)

The legend of the hushpuppy is a wonderful part  of Southern foodways.  So the story goes, bits of cornbread were fried up by hunters to feed their dogs so they would “hush”.  The cornmeal used  to make the hushpuppies was probably on hand for use as a batter to cook the hunter’s  food. Cornmeal was a [...]The post Barking Dogs(Recipe: Hushpuppies) appeared first on Syrup and Bis

Frittata Your Omelet (Recipe: Bacon Onion Pepper Frittata)

Following the teachings of my grandmother to “make good with what you’ve got”, the end product of my  kitchen adventures frequently depends on what I happen to have on hand.  Some refer to this as refrigerator/freezer/panty raiding. I say, “Let’s see what we can drag out of the refrigerator/freezer/pantry.” I don’t actually “drag”, as in [...]T

Letter Thoup (Recipe: Turkey Alphabet Soup)

On an average day, letters and numbers floating around in your soup bring warmth and goodness that brighten that average day and make it above average.  We don’t need to aim for royal superlatives everyday such as  best ever or most exciting,  Above average is just fine.  Actually, average is not so bad itself.   [...]The post Letter Thoup (Recipe: Turkey Alphabet Soup) appeared first on Syr

Log Cabins for Lunch (Recipe: Log Cabin Salad)

Searching for fun, interesting food  to feed children is a never-ending mission for Mamas and Grandmamas.  It’s a wonderful way to use some of your creativity and make meals special.  Not that every meal isn’t special.  If you’re eating, it’s special. Maybe memorable is a better word.  Nah, that one doesn’t work either.  Every bite [...]The post Log Cabins for Lunch (

Ring,Ring! (Recipe: Chicken Roasted with Apple, Sage and Onion)

If somebody from FoodBlogSouth offered you a chance to participate in a new twist on the old game “Telephone”, you’d probably say. “Yes”.  That’s especially true if you’re a Food Blogger from the South. Well, it got my attention. The new twist on this old childhood game is: We’re all grown up now…..supposedly. We’re going to [...]The post

Cherish the Ham Bone (Recipe: Slow-cooker Navy Bean Soup)

Ham bones and dried  beans cry out for each other in the night.  They have a natural affinity and love it when they can get together.  You can throw all types of dried beans in a pot with a ham bone and wind up with deliciousness.  You really don’t need to add much of anything except some [...]The post Cherish the Ham Bone (Recipe: Slow-cooker Navy Bean Soup) appeared first on Syrup and Bisc

Simple Elegance (Recipes: Spiced Pears and Pear Gorgonzola Bites)

Pears impress me with their elegance.  They’re  in a class all their own and  different, in some way, from other fruits.  Maybe it’s the shape. Perhaps it’s the stems.  Something about them is special.  And elegant. The elegance of the pear makes it a fitting dessert for a fine dinner party, yet, the simplicity will have [...]The post Simple Elegance (Recipes: Spiced Pears and Pe

Mmm, Mmm, Good!(Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with Crab)

Campbell Soup Company influenced the lunchtime memories of an entire generation.  Alphabet soup, chicken noodle soup, tomato soup. We ate them and loved them.  Mmm, mmmm, good. Campbell’s condensed tomato soup always  made it to the weekly grocery list.  Lunchtime mates for this soup included sandwiches such as peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese, pimento cheese [...]The post Mmm, Mmm, G

Good Soup (Recipe: Blackeye Pea and Collard Green Soup)

If pressed to pick a favorite food category, my answer would be soups. Even given my affinity to all things sugary sweet, soups would win over desserts. A person can live on soups.  I suppose a person can live off desserts, too, but a gut rebellion is surely inevitable along with the associated clothes rebellion causing [...]The post Good Soup (Recipe: Blackeye Pea and Collard Green Soup) appeared

The First Day (Recipe: Rosemary Garlic Pork Loin Roast)

Our New Year’s Day menu follows the Southern tradition of pork, greens, blackeye peas and rice and cornbread.  Each component has a special significance that’s explained by clicking here. Not only do I love the tradition associated with this meal, it keeps me from wondering what I should cook.  Giving my brain a rest is sometimes [...]The post The First Day (Recipe: Rosemary Garlic Por

A Tale of Cast Iron (Recipe: Skillet Roasted Pork Chops)

I love cooking with cast iron.  I love pork chops.  I love cooking pork chops in cast iron. And when the pork chops cooked in cast iron turn out in a spectacular, moist, tender fashion, a fairy tale is born.  Let me tell you ’bout the fairy tale I just birthed. I should also tell [...]The post A Tale of Cast Iron (Recipe: Skillet Roasted Pork Chops) appeared first on Syrup and Biscuits.

A Pig Roots Forward (Compendium of Pork Product Recipes)

Steeped heavily in tradition, the New Year’s Day Southern meal is hearty and familiar. Each component has significance.  As tradition goes, pork is chosen as the primary  protein for the following reason: A pig roots forward.   A chicken scratches backwards.  A cow stands still.   Pork symbolizes forward progress. I’m not pushing my luck.  We [...]The post A Pig Roots Forward (Compendi

Lunchroom Ladies (Recipe: School Lunchroom Hamburger Soup)

The idea of school lunches  evokes a pleasant thought for me.  I grew up in the era of real lunchroom ladies who cooked meals from scratch. They arrived at school before the chickens were up and started cooking.  Wonderful aromas wafted throughout the school letting your lucky nose and sense of smell give clues about [...]The post Lunchroom Ladies (Recipe: School Lunchroom Hamburger Soup) appeared

“Won’t You Come for a Cup of Christmas Tea?” (Menu: Christmas Tea Party)

Tom Hegg wrote two books which capture the essence of the Christmas spirit. The idea of giving of yourself and your time is sometimes overshadowed by times spent at busy shopping malls searching for the “right” gift.  These precious little books remind us that the best give that have to offer someone….anyone….is to simply set [...]The post “Won’t You Come for a

Civilized (Recipe: Cucumber Tea Sandwich)

My husband’s British boss once stated that “afternoon tea is quite civilized”.  I couldn’t have said it better myself, Mr. Hadler.  Taking time in the afternoon to savor a cup of tea, enjoy a bite to eat and possibly have a nice chat with a friend, is nothing but civilized.  It’s a pleasantry that we [...]The post Civilized (Recipe: Cucumber Tea Sandwich) appeared fi

Just a Little Ditty (Recipe: Frosted Cranberries)

  Sometimes it’s all about the details.  A nice little touch, here or there ,makes all the difference. It’s not that people don’t appreciate a big effort.  They do.  But the little things get noticed.  Sometimes it’s little things that are done simply as an after thought. The things that you don’t think will make that much [...]The post Just a Little Ditty (Recipe: Fr

When is a Cookie a Cookie? (Recipe:Saltine Toffee Bars)

A few years back, I hosted a Christmas Cookie Swap along with my friend, Billie.   In addition to the tradition of bringing a big batch of cookies to share, we decided to hold a contest and let all the cookie swap participates vote on their favorite cookie at the swap.  The winner would win [...]The post When is a Cookie a Cookie? (Recipe:Saltine Toffee Bars) appeared first on Syrup and Biscuits.

Oldies, Goodies and Sausage Cheese Balls (Recipe: Easy Sausage Cheese Balls)

I saw that Food Network’s website had posted Paula Deen’s recipe for Sausage Balls. This time-honored recipe has been around for so long and is so well-known, I found it surprising that Food Network would highlight it.  This is a recipe I was certain that everybody and their brother-in-law knew by heart.  I hadn’t ever bother to [...]The post Oldies, Goodies and Sausage Cheese Ba

The Urge to Cook(Recipe: Braised Lemon Rosemary Chicken Thighs)

Delighting in our first crop of Meyer lemons, my little brain immediately went to work deciding how they were to be used.  All sorts of sweet concoctions swirled in my head. They kept swirling and swirling and swirling.  I was gaining weight just doing the thinking part. Certainly, some of those prized lemons will find [...]The post The Urge to Cook(Recipe: Braised Lemon Rosemary Chicken Thighs) a

Saved by the Stripes (Recipe: Peppermint Bark)

I lived through the era of the aluminum Christmas trees that looked nothing like Christmas trees. We even had a color wheel that you would shine on the aluminum tree making it look even less like a Christmas tree as it changed to every color in the rainbow.  My mother loved this tree, however.  After [...]The post Saved by the Stripes (Recipe: Peppermint Bark) appeared first on Syrup and Biscuits.

Trash Talkin’ (Recipe: White Trash)

You just don’t know what you can and can’t say anymore.  The mere act of opening your mouth and having words come out is subject to offend somebody somewhere at sometime.  I’m not talking about stupid and hateful talk.  I’m talking about just regular old everyday talk that you say with the best of intentions. [...]The post Trash Talkin’ (Recipe: White Trash) appeared

For This, I’m Grateful (Recipe: Bacon and Egg Hero)

People  I consider heroes aren’t found on the big screen, athletic fields,  state capitals or Washington, D.C.  My heroes are found in unassuming places like the wiregrass section of southeastern Alabama in little towns with  populations less than 5,000 with somewhat depressed economies.  These same little towns have never hosted a big named music concert, [...]The post For This, I’m G

My Daughter the Hostess(Recipe: Apple Nachos)

My daughter, Amy, recently hosted a trunk showing in her home for her friend Shannon who is an ambassador for Noonday Collections. This big-hearted company travels the world in search of artisans in underdeveloped countries.  They bring their products back to our country and hold private trunk showings in homes to sell them.  The proceeds help [...]The post My Daughter the Hostess(Recipe: Apple N

Be Still My Soul (Recipe: French Onion Soup)

Today is my mother’s birthday.  It’s the fourth year in a row that I haven’t mailed her a birthday card, sent her roses,  called her on the telephone or wondered how she was spending her day.   It’s been four years since she passed away. Significant days like birthdays and holidays are often very sad after [...]

Burnout (Recipe: Slow-cooker Caramelized Sweet Onions)

Well, it happened.  I never thought it would.  People told me to get prepared because I would recognize it sooner or later. “Not me”, I said. I was wrong.  I became afflicted.  It happened just like they said it would despite my protests of “never me”. Burnout won.  It won in the writing department.  And the [...]

Halloween Blog Party!

Old South, New South Giveaway

The South, and all things Southern, are just as much a part of me as my bone  marrow, DNA, and the scar on my left leg that I got when I was 9 years old.  It’s part of my identity. Talking  about, reading about,  cooking or eating my way through the South are activities of [...]

Tupelo Honey Cafe’s Recipe Contest

I live in a world of food.  Good food. Down to earth, stick to your ribs, homesick curing, soul nurturing, bone strengthening good food.  Several roles in my life cause me to have a relationship with food:  food blogger, recipe developer, cookbook reviewer, grandmother of two adorable three-year old twins, columnist, grocery shopper, produce picker, content contributor [...]

Blackberries in the Fall (recipe: Blackberry Cordial)

Blackberries are a summer crop where I live.  I see them as God’s way of helping us through the miserable parts of Deep South summers.  In the midst of stifling heat, oppressive humidity, mosquitoes that will tote you off, we have blackberries.  Luscious, beautiful, black-purple orbs that  bring delight to your lips all the way [...]

“Southern Living Home Cooking Basics” Cookbook Review and Giveaway

Southern Living Home Cooking Basics by: Southern Living publisher: Oxmoor House

Guest Post from Stacey at Southern Bite! : (Recipe: Skillet Cake)

Today is a first for Syrup and Biscuits.  You”ll be treated to the first guest post! And boy, did I pick a good one.  Stacey from Southern Bite is true Southern gentleman in every sense of the word.  His writing will entertain and inspire you as he tells his story and shares a great heritage recipe. [...]

There’s Always a Story (Recipe: Brined Turkey Breast)

Food is love.  That’s all there is to it.  And behind the food and the love, there’s always a story.  Sometimes the story is remarkable, sometimes it goes unnoticed.  But, it’s always there. The magnitude and reach of the story has no correlation with the grandeur of the meal.  The goodness of a  simple peanut [...]

The Alarming Grocery Bill (Recipe: Flank Steak Slow-cooker Fajitas)

As groceries continue to consume larger portions of the household budget, I find myself asking the same question each time I go  food shopping, “How much higher can groceries get?”  I ask myself that question and, of course, I don’t have an answer.  That doesn’t stop me from asking myself the same question each time [...]

A Gooseberry Patch Winner! (Recipe: Hot Chocolate Muffins)

Over 200 people voted on the next selection they would like to see featured from Gooseberry Patch’s 101 Breakfast and Brunch Recipes cookbook.  The winner was Hot Chocolate Muffins!  Good choice, friends.  Good choice.  Actually they were all good choices.  That’s the reason I selected them as choices from which you can choose.  What am [...]

It’s a Gooseberry Patch Giveaway! (Recipe: PB & J Breakfast Bars)

Author: Gooseberry Patch Publisher: Gooseberry Patch

The Baked Potato Face-off (Recipe: Baked Potato Fritters)

Following the teachings of my grandmother to “make good with what you’ve got”, I try hard to use up as much food as possible and not let it go to waste. I disappoint myself when I find the occasional science project growing in my refrigerator.  Containers get pushed to the back of the refrigerator and [...]

The Spend the Night Party(Recipe: Blackberry Syrup and Blackberry Butter)

I’m not exactly sure of the mechanism of action, but blackberries create some sort of chemical reaction that binds grandchildren to grandparents forever and ever.   In order for this magical mystical reaction to occur, grandparents must feed their grandchildren blackberries.  The form and composition of blackberries isn’t important.  It works just as well with [...]

Magic Ice Cream (Recipe: Banana Ice Cream with Honey Peanut Butter Sauce)

Despite the fact that we are a family of banana lovers and eat them like candy, we still seem to wind up with overripe bananas from time to time.   Frozen overripe bananas have covered my freezer shelves  waiting to get  called up.  Some make it to the big leagues and score home runs  in pancakes, [...]

Luncheon with the Girls (Menu: Retro Department Store Lunch)

Back in the day, it was common for department stores to have restaurants. Ladies would get dressed with their hats and gloves, shop in the morning, go to the restaurant for a Salad Plate and continue shopping in the afternoon. As a child, I remember the restaurant at Woolworth’s at the shopping mall in Mobile, [...]

Frozen (Recipe: Frozen Fruit Salad)

Heat and humidity create an affinity for all versions of frozen food: ice cream, popsicles, ice box pies, sherbet. You don’t need to look far to find a Southerner who has a grand tale to share about how Grandpa used to drag out his  hand cranked  ice cream freezer and the grandkids would have to [...]

It’s Fancy! (Recipe: Pecan Sage Chicken Salad)

My Granny loved chicken salad.  She’d boil chickens that  were  seasoned only by adding   salt and pepper added  to the water.  Carrots and celery never made it into her chicken pot, either.  After the chicken cooled, she’d shred it and add boiled eggs, pickle relish and mayonnaise.   That was the only way she ever [...]