All hail the chocolate cake! As you can see, I’m quite a fan of the cocoa-laden baked treated. I love my chocolate cake moist, and I love it piled high with frosting. How do you prefer your chocolate cake? Perhaps you like to add a little mayonnaise to it. No, I’m not joking. Mayo makes chocolate cake super moist.

It might seem weird to you to put mayo in a chocolate cake, but don’t knock it until you try it, sister. It’s so good! I have to admit, the first time I read this recipe, I thought the author was crazy. You’re probably thinking the same thing about me right now. Just lock me up in the looney bin with my mayo-laced chocolate cake 🙂

Recipe courtesy of Kansas City.

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Quick Tip: I think that Hellmann’s is the best mayo to use in this recipe. Do you have a favorite mayo brand?

I Could Eat This for Every Meal, Every Day, Until it’s Gone!

Summer barbecues are all about the pasta salads, and oh how many different varieties there are to make. This Hawaiian pasta salad is one that you NEED to try, and once you do, you’ll never make it any other way! The pasta, ham, and pineapple combination is so perfect with the sweet and savory pairing. Not to mention the homemade dressing that is so good you’ll find yourself putting it on your spinach salad too! Bring this to your next pot luck and everyone will be asking who made it and for the recipe – better keep it on hand!

Here’s what readers over at Spend With Pennies had to say about this recipe:

I’m expecting my children, grands for Easter Break. I live in the Deep South so it’s almost like summer here. This was shared by a friend on FB. I just made it and it’s chilling in the refrigerator. It is unique, delicious, colorful and refreshing and would be a great accompaniment for many dishes or on its own for lunch.

Image courtesy of Spend With Pennies

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Quick tip: Use any pasta noodles for this lovely salad!

Nothing Beats This Classic Southern Recipe

This Southern Chicken Salad is great for a lunch or light dinner at home, but it also makes a bunch, keeps well for a couple of days in the refrigerator, and is readily expandable, making it a great tailgate, picnic, or potluck option. I also enjoy snacking on this salad for lunch. So yummy – this recipe certainly is a keeper! Chicken salad is one thing that is easy to make but also easy to mess up. This recipe uses just the right amount of mayo and a good balance of sweet and savory flavors to bring everything together beautifully.

Leave it to the southerners to come up with such an amazing recipe. They never seem to fail! And if you want to make this extra healthy, you can leave out the sugar and use low-fat mayonnaise. It will still taste absolutely scrumptious!

If I can recall right, i do beleive thatw e had this chicken salad recipe for my sister’s bridal shower. Yes! Yes, we did! It was so good and we ate it on croissants. Whata  great memory of good food and fun times 🙂

Recipe and photo courtesy of Taste of Southern.

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Quick Tip: Serve this chicken salad on freshly baked crescent rolls.

Make a Tasty Side For Any Gathering Without Straining Yourself Too Much Doing It

Give that favorite mac salad recipe of yours a new rival with this Hawaiian Macaroni Salad recipe!  It’s incredibly simple to put together and makes for a great side for most any large gathering. To be honest with you, sometimes I have this for lunch on its own, instead of serving it as a side dish! Though perhaps not QUITE as ubiquitous as cole slaw or potato salad, you will see macaroni salad, or “mac salad” as it is often called, at many a tailgate, barbecue, potluck, and picnic across America, particularly in the South.

This Hawaiian mac salad, though very similar to the Southern version of which I am the most familiar, does something a little different with the dressing and makes use of a somewhat different vegetable mixture, so I thought I would give this variation a try.

My husband really enjoyed this version of mac salad and I was super surprised. You see, my hubby is quite particular about his mac salad and he doesn’t like the recipe to be changed up in the least. Welp, he enjoyed this version. Winning!

Recipe and photo courtesy of I Believe I Can Fry

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Quick Tip: For a heartier salad, add in a few peeled and sliced hard-boiled eggs.

Well, I Haven’t Had These Quite Like This Before – WOW!

Forget making them the plain way – kick the appetizer tray up a notch and make some Breaded Deep-Fried Deviled Eggs.  Sure to wow your palate, neither you nor anyone else will be bored by these yummy treats.

These will be the center of attention at the dinner table, but not for long. They will be gone in a heartbeat! You could say that deviled eggs are victims of their own success in a way.  Though they look just lovely on a plate and could hardly be said to taste bad as-is (if you like egg and a touch of spicy flavor, that is), they’ve become such a commonly seen and eaten item at parties and tailgates that they’re kind of a yawner.  “Oh, okay, great.  Now what’s next?”

Well, it turns out, with just a little twist (an extra step or two, basically), you can make this classic but a bit clichéd party food item into something extra-savory and exciting. I’ve made these for a few parties already, and they were a great success!

Recipe and photo courtesy of The Temptations

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Quick tip: If chili powder isn’t your favorite, use pepper instead.

I LOVE these, with all my heart and soul.

Those Maryland crab cakes are a classic seafood treat, sure to be a winner as a part of any meal.  These Panko Maryland Crab Cakes have a crust strong enough to hold everything together but light enough to let that delicious savory crabmeat flavor shine!  They pair nicely with the Quick & Easy Homemade Tartar Sauce. I happen to love crab cakes.  It’s really hard to go wrong with that great crab flavor for a good seafood dish, either as an appetizer or as part of the main meal.

Sadly, it is possible to mess up crabmeat; the most common mistake is to mix it with something that drowns out its great natural taste.  This simple recipe deftly avoids that and is also kind enough to provide a great-tasting tartar sauce–no need to settle for the store-bought tartar, when you can make some yourself so quickly and easily.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Once Upon a Chef

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Quick tip: Make a double batch for a larger crowd (or just so you can have more yourself…)