Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

You are spot on, jessleigh! After moving to NC in the mid-70's, I learned quickly you don't get between a local and a good 'mater sandwich...just the way you described it.

I have a Lodge and like it a lot. If I'm not mistaken, the pot is made in the US and the enameling done in China. Could be wrong, but I believe that's what I read in a review somewhere before I made the purchase.

I do a Pecan Noodle Ring (a decadent version of a simple kugel) that is always a hit. I also agree with the mac and cheese and deviled egg crowd! geez, i'm hungry.....

Pintos and cornbread. When I moved to North Carolina from the Chicago area in 1976, there was a traditional blue-collar diner (across the street from a cigarette plant) close to my office. They always had a pot of pintos with onions and ham hocks going. Everyone in the building knew when I brought lunch back...the smell permeated everywhere!
Also love the traditional Moravian chicken pies you can buy around here. I realize these are not specifically "Southern", but the Moravians came to this area in the 1700's. They don't waste space with vegetables...all chicken, all gravy, nice thick crust on the top and bottom....fabulous!

Smoked fish is fabulous...but make sure you stick to the fattier, oilier varieties, such as salmon, trout, bluefish. They will stay moister and the fat absorbs more of the smoke flavor. Have fun!

many years ago, the friend of a friend had a stock pot on the back burner of his stove that had been simmering for at least a couple of years. I have wondered over the decades if it is still bubbling away.
So yes, Tobey...there is some truth to the eternal soup pot!

Ah yes. I used to call it Freezer soup, because it was only made when the freezer needed defrosting. Everything went in; small remnant bags of various frozen vegetables, always some form of frozen chicken to help in the broth-making, maybe a can of tomatoes from the pantry. Never the same twice! But....thank goodness for frost-free refrigerators!

Well, I'm sure her heart is in the right place, but I agree...she certainly needs to be more active in the ingredient department. Also, fyi, her deceased dog's name was Boo. The new puppy is Isaboo. Every dog owner owes it to him or herself to check out the wonders of the raw diet. Dogs in the wild do not cook their food....why do we? Grain is also a minimal part of their natural diet and not at all a part of a cat's natural diet. I feed my dog a mix of raw ground turkey or beef, raw eggs (shell included), a myriad of vegetables, fresh fruit. The boy eats better than I do! The cost is about the same as that of a "premium" dry food. If you are going to do the dry routine go to Flint River Ranch online.