Hey y'all,

My mum is originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, has roots in Georgia, SC and Louisiana too. She's been living in Australia for the past 30 years, where she raised me and my sister. Her parents have both passed away, and she hasn't been back to the States in over 20 years.

This year I'm hosting a small Christmas lunch and thought it would be fun to give it a Southern theme, with a Tennessee twist.

While travelling in the U.S. earlier this year, I ended up stuck in Texas for a night and tried some amazing traditional BBQ. When I got home, Mum told me that flavours throughout the South differs slightly by state, with Tennessee having its own unique flavour profile. So, I thought it might be nice to incorporate some of these flavours into our Christmas meal.

Since it's summer here in Australia, I was thinking of a simple menu:

• Two meats (maybe turkey and some kind of ribs?) - you will have a heart attack when I tell you turkey is upwards of $15USD a kg here.

• A few sides: Cornbread, Mac & Cheese (duh!), but I'd love some ideas for other vegetable sides.

• Dessert: peaches are a beauty and in season right now… peach cobbler?

If anyone has recipes or tips for traditional Tennessee-style cooking (or what flavours I should focus on), l'd really appreciate the help. I'd love + make this meal special for my mum and give he little taste of home this Christmas. Thank you!!

I had a good one in Iowa, but I forgot it's name.

I'm an not American. I think my cooking skills are decent. Want to surprise a really nice southern lady who helped me a lot learn about the culture with a traditional Southern dish!

I work in a Southern Cuisine restaurant that’s connected to a hotel so we get all kinds of people from all over who want to try southern food and I just thought y’all would find tonight’s encounter so funny:

Me to a guest: “So where are you visiting from?” Guest: “How do you know I’m not Southern?” Me: “you’re eating your okra with a spoon, sir.”

It's that time of year again. Warm meals, soups, chilis, stews and more. So I thought I would share a recipe for chili that I absolutely love with credit going to https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/spicy-chili/ . So here goes!

The Best Spicy Chili Recipe https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/spicy-chili/

3 lbs ground beef , or use half sausage and half ground beef

▢ 1 green pepper , diced

▢ 1 red bell pepper , diced

▢ 1 medium onion , diced

▢ 3 small jalapeno peppers , diced (seeds and veins removed for less spice)

▢ salt and pepper

▢ 2 teaspoons garlic powder

▢ 1/3 cup chili powder

▢ 1 1/2 Tablespoons cumin

▢ 1 1/2 cups ketchup

▢ 3 Tablespoons lime juice

▢ 1 Tablespoon brown sugar

▢ 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

▢ 2 teaspoons vinegar

▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard

▢ 3 cups spicy hot V8 , or regular 16 oz can kidney beans

▢ 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes

▢ salt and pepper

Instructions

In a large saucepan, brown the ground beef and ground sausage (if using), with a wooden spoon to break it into small pieces as it cooks. Drain most of the grease and remove meat to a plate. Add onion, bell peppers, and jalapeño peppers to the pot and sauté on medium high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add spices, ketchup, lime juice, brown sugar, Worcestershire, vinegar, mustard, and V8. Stir well. Add beans, tomatoes, and salt and pepper. Return the ground meat to the pot and bring the mixture to a low boil. Turn to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 1-2 hours.

Slow Cooker Instructions: Follow steps 1 &2 and add all ingredients to your slow cooker. Cook on low 2-3 hours.

Instant Pot Instructions: Use the sauté setting to brown the meat then sauté the veggies. Add remaining ingredients and select the chili/beans setting and cook for 20 minutes. Allow a natural release or use a quick release.

Meat Substitute: feel free to substitute ½ ground sausage or ground turkey, or leave out the meat and add 2 more cans of beans, to make it vegetarian.

Beans: pinto or black beans would also work well.

Mild chili: for a more mild flavor, use regular V8, less jalapeño pepper, or regular diced tomatoes instead of fire roasted. Or try my classic chili recipe.

Spicier chili: to make chili even spicier, don’t remove the ribs or seeds from the jalapeño. You can also add hot sauce, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes or dice up another hot chili pepper. I recommend trying the recipe as stated and letting the flavors sit for a few hours before adding additional spice.

Make ahead instructions: Make spicy chili up to 2 days ahead of time (depending on the freshness of your ingredients) and store in the refrigerator until ready to reheat and serve. Reheat on low on the stovetop.

Freezing instructions: Allow chili to cool completely and store in a freezer safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Hope you all enjoy as much as I do!

I grew up in Alabama and always had the best thanksgivings! I really want to some of the dishes I remember for my in laws this Thanksgiving but I’m struggling to find recipes that I know I can trust. Unfortunately I don’t have any living family left to get the recipes from and I haven’t lived in the south for decades.

Does anyone have a recipe they wouldn’t mind sharing or linking to that they know is great? Even just a blogger posting recipes that are tested would be great.

I’m trying to make cornbread dressing that I know had sage, onion, and celery, broccoli casserole that had a super cheesy top, and Mac and cheese.

Thank you!

I used to love my mawmaw's biscuits. Unfortunately she died before I really fell in love with cooking. They were these big, misshapen things. Soft on the inside but so buttery with a nice flaky, crunchy exterior. I know it may be a long shot, but would anybody happen to know what style that is? I'm having a hard time finding anything similar online. Thanks yall.

Hey everyone!I just finished reading "Simple Southern Style Cooking" by Gabby DiMarco on Kindle and I couldn't wait to share it with yall. This book is a gem!!!

It covers everything from fluffy biscuits and creamy grits to the ultimate fried chicken and gumbo. Each chapter dives into classic recipes, cooking tips, and the rich traditions behind these dishes. Plus, the dessert section? Absolute heaven! 🍑🥧

What I really love is how it captures the spirit of Southern hospitality—it's all about sharing good food with family and friends.

Whether you’re a seasoned cook or just starting out, this book has something for everyone. If you're looking to bring a little Southern charm into your kitchen, I highly recommend checking it out! Happy cooking! ❤️✨

I see recipes both with flour and without. Any opinions as to whether my first batch should be using a mix of flour and corn meal or just corn meal with leveners?

I don't get the best fry color and texture on my cooking, but I though the sauce was good. I would normally do this as a crawfish cream sauce and grits.

Spending my whole life in the Pacific Northwest, before today I didn’t know anything about southerners. Today I made my first ever tomato sandwich, with a popular cherry tomato in this region called ‘sungold’ that I grew myself- because I don’t know how to grow a good full sized tomato way up here (it’s possible). After the sandwich, I only know one thing about southerners. They are smarter than the rest of us. Oh my goodness I don’t even know what meat is for now. Sorry for the crumbs on the table, I’ve got three young kids at home and I’m lazy.

I'm looking for a good recipe. I know how you make cornbread from scratch but I have not been able to perfect a good hot water cornbread. I wish I could of got my Great Grandmother's recipe before she passed. I want to make some for my kids. Can anyone please share a good recipe.

Smothered chicken, hashbrown casserole, collards and sliced maters 😋

Hi! I only just found this subreddit and wanted to ask y'all something. I watched a video by Joshua Weissman on old "viral foods". I typically hate his content and find it reeks of culinary superiority, but the title intrigued me so I watched. This dude said and I quote "I hate shortening in biscuits". Which shocked me since every old woman in my family for as long as I have known has used shortening to make biscuits down here (I'm from SC). Is this just my family or area? I've genuinely never heard this sentiment anywhere. Either way I don't care since I know *I myself* like biscuits made with shortening, but I'm curious as to how y'all's families made them.

Hi all, I recently visited family in Missouri (yes, I know not southern) I ordered grits at a place called Big Biscuit and man alive were they good!!! They weren’t fancy, no cheese or anything. Just the grits themselves naturally had SO much flavor, almost a green-ness to them. I’ve only ever had instant grits here in California, even though my father was born and raised in Mississippi, it’s what he served. I’m just wondering, what’s the secret to recreating that amazing natural deliciousness that I had in Missouri? Brands appreciated, I’ll order if I can’t get it local.

HELP!!!! Looking for a recipe of the old fashioned chicken and rice…like the white rice and tiny bits of chicken (not canned please). 🤣