Day

And for my last share of the day I offer you a light, dreamy Southern dessert. You won’t be able to resist this!

This Southern Sour Cream Coconut Cake is a lovely twist on your classic white cake. It is super-easy to make, bakes in just 40 minutes, and is melt-in-your-mouth wonderful!

This makes for a lovely summer dessert option for your family or next party. And you know what? If I wasn’t married already, I might even consider making this my wedding cake! Yes – it really is THAT delicious, and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear someone had this at their wedding!

Sometimes, I get so caught up finding those wonderful appetizers, entrees, and side dishes for all of you beautiful readers that I forget to share all of those irresistible desserts out there.  This Southern sour cream coconut cake should not be overlooked.  You don’t have to be a master baker to put this one together, and it is so moist and refreshing!  The way it melts in your mouth, it is like eating a sweet piece of cloud.  I really was carried away by the flavor.

Recipe courtesy of The Southern Lady Cooks

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Quick tip: Cut the cake into bite-sized pieces and freeze for a delicious treat when you want one!

Fried food really doesn’t have to be unhealthy.  These Pan-Fried Zucchini Fritters are cooked in olive oil, giving you great flavor with low carbs, a good helping of the “good fat,” and little or none of the bad.  You can make a nice batch in about 20 minutes.  It’s great for a family snack and a tasty choice for your next picnic or tailgate party.

Once the rain finally ended and the sun showed itself today, I felt inspired and wanted to find a nice, summery snack to enjoy and share with all of you.  I remembered reading about a lot of culinary enthusiasts looking for different things to do with all of the zucchini that their home-garden “Beasts” were producing this time of year, and this recipe just seemed perfect.  Oh, and remember that Wild Southwest Dip that I told you about recently?  It turns out that it and these zucchini fritters go wonderfully well together.

Recipe adapted by 12 Tomatoes

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Quick tip: If you’re not a big fan of dill, use your favorite fresh herbs instead!

This Slow-Cooker Beef Stroganoff may have a fancy name, but it is surprisingly simple to make. It has only six ingredients (including the water!), requires just two simple steps to cook, and gives you creamy, savory gourmet flavor with all of the easy convenience of a slow-cooked meal.

Beef stroganoff was another one of Mother’s classic go-to meals. It really was good for all seasons. It was a great, hearty supper, and the leftovers warmed up well for a tasty lunch the next day. It is nice and filling, and it has a good creamy, savory flavor. Of course, Mother always insisted on cooking everything traditionally, on the stove, but the Crock-Pot version makes this popular Russian dish much more accessible to the person on the go without sacrificing that classic gourmet flavor. I tried it recently, and I was very pleased with the results.

Recipe courtesy of Jessica at AllRecipes.com

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Quick tip: Double the batch to make sure you’ll have delicious leftovers for lunch the next day.

So many Creole and Cajun dishes make for great comfort food, but they are all really complicated and take forever, right? WRONG! With this Creole Jambalaya recipe, you can bring all of the savory, rich flavors of Louisiana into your home in under an hour. It’s great and easy enough for a warm, everyday family dinner but also a fantastic idea for your next tailgate or potluck!

Though I don’t think that the Gulf Coast is quite as different from the rest of Mississippi as some people say, there is no denying that that proximity to New Orleans has had an effect on the locals’ food choices. Though I live a good bit north of the Coast now, after a few rainy days in this small college town, such as we have had here recently, my Deep South roots really come out in some of my comfort food cravings. I have so many fond memories of Mother slaving over a richly aromatic seafood gumbo…even on a summer day, when it was storming outside, I loved to curl up under a blanket with a full bowl of gumbo and feast on its delightful smells and beautifully mixed, spicy Louisiana flavors.

I didn’t really feel up to a full day in the kitchen, though, and let’s face it:  making a good gumbo can be really hard and time-consuming. Thankfully, there are recipes like this delicious Creole jambalaya that can be made in under an hour and still offer all of that uniquely comforting, gourmet New Orleans-style Deep South flavor to your dinner table in under an hour. (I ate plenty of jambalaya growing up, too.)

Original Recipe Gimme Some Oven

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Quick tip: If possible, use fresh shrimp for this dish. It makes all the difference!