Southern Cooking

Southern Lady Style's Top Southern Recipes

Two of my favorite things to do is cook and eat! My all time favorite type of food is down home southern cooking. I decided to share my picks for Top Southern Recipes and feature Paula Deen's recipes on Southern Lady Style. Paula Deen features great recipe catagories on her website pauladeen.com, so I chose my top pick from each. It was not an easy task since she offers so many great dishes. Throughout the post click on the name of each of my picks and the link will take you straight to the recipe. Enjoy!


Appetizer: Traditional Southern Deviled Eggs


Deviled eggs has always been one of my favorite foods. I love to eat them anytime they are prepared, but especially on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Beverage: Sweet Tea

My top picks would not be complete without a recipe for homemade sweet tea. Southern Ladies always have sweet tea in the refridgerator!


I remember the first time I had cheese biscuits. I was at Red Lobster with my family and they brought them out before our meal. They were so warm and delcious. Paula Deen's recipe is quick and easy so now I can bake these biscuits at home!

Casserole: Shepherd's Pie


Shepherd's Pie was the first southern dish I started making when I was just a pre-teen. I brought a recipe home from school and cooked for my family. They all loved it. I still enjoying cooking this very easy recipe!

Dessert: Pumpkin Pie

With fall right around the corner, I could not resist putting this dessert on the list. :)

Kid Friendly: Sausage Balls

Paula Deen has a kid friendly category and I am really glad sausage balls were on her list. This recipe is really simple!

Main Dish: Old-Fashioned Meatloaf


This recipe is one of my top picks because it is one of my boyfriend's favorite southern dishes!



I know this recipe is not technically a sauce or dressing, but Paula Deen feautured the dip in this category so I am going to use it. This dip is one of my favorites!!


One of my favorite pastimes was going catfishing with my MawMaw Faye. We would stay out all afternoon fishing and then come home and she would always cook the fish for us. I love good home fried southern catfish!


Mac & Cheese is good by itself or with any southern meal!

Slow Cooker: Harvest Stew

This vegtable soup recipe is oh so good! I love a good slow cooker stew when it is freezing cold outside!


I love cucumbers soaked in vinegar. This recipe serves the vinegar on the side.

Please visit pauladeen.com for all her wonderful recipes! I would love to hear some of y'all's favorite recipes are! :)


How To: Cook an Engagement Chicken

The editors of Glamour magazine have done it again! They have published a book I think all southern ladies should have in their kitchen, “100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know” The book all started with one recipe, Engagement Chicken. An editor at Glamour gave a recipe for an easy roast chicken to an assistant in the office. The assistant was in need of a dish to make for her boyfriend. She cooked the meal and he loved it. A little while later he proposed to her. J After hearing what a delicious dish the chicken was, three other women in the office prepare it for their boyfriends. Shortly afterward, all three men proposed to the women. After hearing the success of this chicken, the Glamour editors published the recipe. They heard from more than 60 women that they were proposed to shortly after cooking the meal. So, they decided to publish a book with all kinds of recipes women should know about. I fell in love with this book as soon as I flipped through the pages. The recipes range from easy to calls for some work. The recipes are tag with one shoe for easy and up to three shoes for harder. Too cute! ;) So far I have only tackled a few recipes in the book, such as, Bring It Anywhere Banana Bread, Super Bowl Guacamole, and Promotion Rib Eye. I have yet to cook Engagement Chicken for anyone, but I hope to soon! ;)

Engagement Chicken
Roast Chicken with Lemon and Herbs
· Serves 2 to 4
· Tagged with two high heels: Requires a little more effort, yet doable on a weeknight.

Ingredients
1. 1 whole chicken (approximately 4 pounds)
2. ½ cup fresh lemon juice, plus 3 whole lemons-including 1 sliced for garnish
3. 1 tablespoon kosher or coarse sea salt
4. ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
5. Fresh herbs for garnish (4 rosemary sprigs, 4 sage sprigs, 8 thyme sprigs, and 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley)

Step 1: Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400oF. Remove the giblets from the chicken, wash the chicken inside and out with cold water, then let the chicken drain, cavity down, in a colander for 2 minutes.
Step 2: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place the chicken breast-side down in a medium roasting pan fitted with a rack and pour the lemon juice all over the chicken, both inside and out. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper inside and out.
Step 3: Prick 2 whole lemons three times each in three different places with a fork and place them deep inside the cavity. Chicken cavity size may vary, so if one lemon is partly sticking out, that’s fine. (Tip: If the lemons are stiff, roll them on the countertop with your palm before pricking to get the juices flowing.)
Step 4: Put the chicken in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350oF, and roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Step 5: Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Using tongs or two wooden spoons, turn the chicken breast-side up. Insert a meat thermometer in the thigh, and return the chicken to the oven and roast for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the meat thermometer reads 180oF and the juices run clear when the thigh is pricked with a fork. Continue roasting if necessary. Keep in mind that cooking times in different ovens vary; roasting a chicken at 350oF takes approximately 18-20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 15 minutes.
Step 6: Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. And here’s the secret: Pour the juices from the roasting pan on top of the sliced chicken-this is the “marry me juice.” Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon slices.
Glamour Girl Tip
Carving a bird takes lot of practice, so don’t expect it to be perfect on your first try. The most important thing is to have a sharp knife (preferably one made specifically for carving). Start by slicing the breasts, removing as much meat as possible, and then remove the legs and the wings (using kitchen shears works well too). Don’t worry if it looks messy; it will taste just as good!

I would love to hear success stories from all my southern ladies! ;)
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