Making a Quintessential Southern Home-Cooked Meal

If you grew up in the South, having all these Southern staples on your table anytime the family got together for a warm, hearty meal, then you already know the hype behind Biscuits and Gravy. This classic combo is usually enjoyed for breakfast and calls for soft, flaky, buttermilk biscuits doused in creamy, seasoned sausage gravy. To make this decadent dish, start with the biscuits and combine all-purpose flour, grated frozen butter, honey, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Then, take out the dough on a floured surface and lightly knead until everything is folded well.

Use the rolling pin to shape a rectangle gently and your cookie cutter to create equal-sized circles. All that’s left now is to line your baking sheet with some parchment and bake your biscuits at 400° for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Moving on to the sausage gravy, you’ll need to cook your seasoned pork sausage in a saucepan over medium heat. Once done, remove the excess grease and add whole milk, butter, and all-purpose flour before letting it simmer for 5 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle in thyme, rosemary, black pepper, and crushed red peppers according to your liking, and serve over warm biscuits.

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An old-fashioned southern meal can only be complete with Fried Chicken and Fried Okra. Traditional Southern Fried Chicken is crispy, juicy, and greasy. Pour buttermilk, eggs, paprika, dried oregano, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder into a ziplock bag. Transfer your Chicken pieces and coat well with the wet mixture before refrigerating for at least 4 hours. Next, whisk all-purpose flour, vegetable shortening, cornstarch, baking powder, and the same spices as the brine. Additionally, add two tablespoons of the wet mixture before transferring your chicken, piece by piece, to the dry mix.

Pour oil into a deep skillet and place the chicken skin down before cooking at 360° for 9 minutes. Then, flip the piece over and cook for 4 minutes until the second side is golden brown as well. Some say frying okra is the only bearable way of enjoying it. To try this side dish, mix together all-purpose flour, cornmeal, paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and garlic powder in a large bowl. Cut your okra into bite-sized pieces and toss it into buttermilk before covering thoroughly with your dry mixture. Finally, fry in a medium skillet with some olive oil and enjoy.