If you’ve ever been to a church potluck or Sunday supper in Tennessee, chances are you’ve seen banana pudding on the dessert table. Usually in a glass dish, with golden vanilla wafers peeking through creamy layers, and topped with a cloud of whipped topping — it’s the kind of dessert that disappears...

Don’t worry — there’s no actual possum in this pie. But try telling that to my kids the first time I served it at a Sunday lunch! It’s all part of the charm. Arkansas Possum Pie gets its name because it “plays possum” — looking like one thing on top, but hiding layers of chocolatey, creamy goodness ...

Pulled pork in North Carolina isn’t just food — it’s tradition. I first learned that during a visit to my cousin’s farm outside Asheville. They’d been slow-smoking a whole pork shoulder since sunrise, and by the time dinner rolled around, the smell alone had the entire family floating toward the smo...

I’ll be honest — for years, I avoided cooking artichokes because they felt intimidating. But one spring, I decided to give them a try, and now? Total obsession. When grilled, they turn smoky and tender, and that first dip into garlicky aioli? It’s like restaurant-level flavor from your backyard gril...

The first time I had shrimp and grits, I was sitting on a screened-in porch outside Charleston, with a breeze coming off the marsh and a glass of sweet tea sweating beside my plate. The shrimp were perfectly seasoned, the grits were creamy and rich, and I remember thinking, This is the kind of food ...

There’s something magical about the smell of bubbling peaches, cinnamon, and buttery crust drifting through the kitchen. It takes me right back to summers at my aunt’s farmhouse in Georgia. We’d pick ripe peaches straight from the tree, still warm from the sun, and by dinnertime, there was always a ...

This recipe was born out of one of those “what do I do with all these tomatoes?” kind of weeks. I had a bowl full of ripe ones from the farmer’s market, and on a whim, I threw a few on the grill. That little bit of char brought out all their sweetness, and when I topped them with olive oil and fresh...

The first time I had a lobster roll, I was standing barefoot on a dock in coastal Maine with wind in my hair and a paper tray in my hands. I bit into the soft, buttery roll and the chilled lobster salad inside — fresh, sweet, and barely dressed — and instantly understood why this sandwich is such a ...

Back during the Great Depression, Oklahoma diners had to get creative — meat was expensive, but onions were cheap. So they smashed a handful of thin-sliced onions right into a burger patty and cooked it all together on a hot griddle. The result? Crispy, caramelized onions melted right into the beef,...

This pie has a quiet kind of charm. No fruit, no fancy topping, no complicated crust — just a creamy, custard-like filling nestled in a flaky shell and dusted with a hint of nutmeg. It’s called Sugar Cream Pie, and it’s been comforting Indiana kitchens for generations.

I first tried it when my neig...

Every Christmas, my grandmother would bring out a little tin filled with bourbon balls — nestled in paper cups, dusted with powdered sugar, and so full of rich, chocolatey goodness you had to close your eyes for a second with each bite.

I didn’t know then how Kentucky that tradition really was — bu...

There’s something so comforting about a homemade pie cooling on the windowsill — that buttery golden crust, the bubbling fruit, the sweet smell that fills the whole kitchen. And if you’ve never had a marionberry pie before? Oh friend, you’re in for a treat.

I first tasted marionberries years ago on...