A modern Appalachian woman's kitchen adventures
Did you know that country style ribs aren’t ribs at all? Honestly, I did NOT know this until recently. They are actually cut from the pork shoulder-the same area as a Boston butt (which isn’t from the butt). Pork is just full of misnomers, huh? Country style ribs are thick and meaty and perfect for…
Super Bowl Sunday is nearly here! I’m not much of a football fan and my husband pulls for the Cowboys so safe to say, the game isn’t too exciting to us (wink). But even in the years when the commercials aren’t great, the food is still a winner. Here are some of my game day…
There’s a certain shimmer to holiday memories, and for our family, it often came in the form of a green Jell-O salad. My husband’s Aunt Peggy made her Emerald Salad for every holiday meal—Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter—you name it. It was always there, nestled between the ham and the rolls, bright as a jewel and sweet…
I was listening to a podcast the other day that does a dip dive on episodes of The Golden Girls. The particular episode they were discussing featured a scene where Sophia was accused of “pilfering cheeseballs”. The hosts had never HEARD of cheeseballs and one of them began reading Google descriptions of it. The podcasters…
People in Appalachia love a good hot dog and that hot dog has to have chili. In fact, we love the chili so much that we don’t care if there’s an actual dog on that bun or not. We’ll eat just chili and a bun and call it a chili bun. In many rural areas,…
This recipe is all over the internet with various names and cooking methods. I first discovered a variation of it in Magnolia Table a few years ago. My husband had often mentioned the awesome beef roast that his grandmother made for Sunday dinner when he was growing up. I tried several different tricks and recipes…
I saw this meal on Instagram a couple of weeks ago and was so excited to try it (thank you @healthyeats_amberleigh). Then we all get sick. And even with feeling crappy and having a reduced appetite, I kept thinking about this dish. So, I put the ingredients in my Wal-Mart Plus cart so I’d be…
California Chicken Salad is a recipe that I’ve been making for almost twenty years. I can’t believe I didn’t have it on my site before now! I’ve made this chicken salad for a wedding reception, a bridal shower and numerous other events. I don’t make it enough for myself though. It’s a delicious lunch especially…
I’ve written before about my confusion when my husband spoke of “cake with pudding on top”. While I finally did figure out the art of the Poke Cake, I did mistakenly think this cake was called “Strike It Rich” for about 15 years. It wasn’t until I saw a Pinterest post with a copy of…
Last week, my husband and I hosted Thanksgiving for my family. It was our first time to play host and I was both nervous and excited since Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. The evening before Turkey Day, my husband nonchalantly said “We should make punch!” Now, I’m not a big fan of punch of any…