Innholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2026 i Southern Living

ONE OF THE BEST parts of my job is getting the chance to meet with our longtime readers. Every one of them has a different Southern Living story, but the themes are often the same. Aside from the rare occasions when they have a bone to pick with me—about a cover they didn’t like or a favorite barbecue joint we omitted—they want to talk about their connection to the magazine. In many cases, it’s been in their family for generations and they associate it with memories of their mother or grandmother. I hear about the stacks of issues and cookbooks they’ve collected, Idea Houses they’ve visited, and recipes they’ve been making for decades. At a recent event we hosted in Lexington, Virginia, a charming woman asked me to sign her…

WHILE BOURBON STREET BUZZES and beads rain down like confetti on Fat Tuesday, you won’t see Shaka Zulu or his extravagant, feather-studded suits anywhere near the French Quarter. “I’ve never been to the Mardi Gras you see on TV,” he says with a grin. Instead, you’ll find the celebrated artist on the other side of town, his voice cutting through the air as he leads a colorful procession of drummers, dancers, and marchers through the streets of the Sixth Ward. Zulu is chief of the Golden Feather Hunters, an Indigenous masking society tribe that he founded in 2018. He’s part of the resplendent subculture known by many as the “Mardi Gras Indians” or “Black Masking Indians.” Born in the 1800s, this living, breathing tradition serves as a vibrant vessel of…

PEOPLE FROM all over the world travel to New Orleans to savor the beignets and chicory coffee at Café Du Monde and to watch the spectacle at Arnaud’s as the skilled servers flambé brandy and curaçao and combine it with the famed dark roast for their tableside Café Brûlot. But before chicory became a popular coffee add-in, it was just a humble wildflower. It’s believed that this plant first came to America as a stowaway weed on ships from Europe. Part of the Asteraceae (daisy) family and closely related to dandelions, the plant has roots (which are caffeine-free) that are ground, roasted, and seamlessly blended with coffee to make the city’s bold signature drink. This pairing wasn’t just culinary creativity—it was born of necessity. During the Civil War, the Union…

Pimiento Cheese Taquitos ACTIVE 30 MIN. - TOTAL 1 HOUR, 10 MIN. SERVES 8 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (8 oz.)1 (7-oz.) jar diced pimientos, drained1 (4-oz.) can chopped green chiles, drained¾ cup cooked and crumbled bacon (from 9 slices)3 Tbsp. mayonnaise¾ tsp. kosher salt½ tsp. garlic powder½ tsp. cayenne pepper, divided16 (6-inch) corn tortillas, lightly coated with cooking spray1 large egg, beaten2 Tbsp. canola oil½ cup ranch dressingChopped fresh cilantroChopped fresh dill 1. Stir together Cheddar cheese, pimientos, green chiles, cooked bacon, mayonnaise, kosher salt, garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper in a large bowl until combined. Set aside. 2. Stack 8 tortillas (coated with cooking spray); wrap in damp paper towels. Place on a micro-wavable plate, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH until…

Appetizers Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken Wings, P. 91 Pimiento Cheese Taquitos, P. 90 Beverages Café au Lait Martini, P. 80 Planter’s Punch, P. 14 Breakfasts Five-Ingredient Morning Buns, P. 92 Mama’s Breakfast Casserole (Green Chile-Egg Casserole), P. 17 Mains Greek-Diner Lemon Chicken, P. 89 Mississippi Minute Steaks, P. 88 Pot of Gold Soup, P. 87 Vegetarian Skillet Chili, P. 87 Sweets Chicory-Chocolate Icebox Cookies, P. 81 Chicory Coffee Cake, P. 81 Chicory Coffee Tiramisu Brownies, P. 81 Coconut-Lime Loaf, P. 84 Grapefruit-Poppy Seed Loaf, P. 84 Lemon-Pistachio Loaf, P. 84 Extras Chicory Coffee Glaze, P. 81 EDITORS’ PICKS “You’ll love how curry powder adds color and warmth to our cozy Pot of Gold Soup.”—ALANA AL-HATLANI Associate Food Editor “This sparkling, citrusy Planter’s Punch is a much-needed ray of sunshine on rainy…

Sunliner Diner GULF SHORES, ALABAMA The past is alive and well at this 1950s-themed restaurant that has the chrome booths, checkered floors, and red vinyl seats to prove it. Sunliner serves breakfast all day alongside tasty options for lunch (starting at 11 a.m.) and dinner. Have your pick from classics like omelets, waffles, patty melts, country-fried steak, and milkshakes—and don’t forget to bring a few quarters for the jukebox. With their second location in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and a third spot that recently opened in Orange Beach, Alabama, Sunliner’s charm is reaching even more of the South. The Diner NORMAN, OKLAHOMA Nostalgia fills every corner of this Sooner State treasure, where vintage photos of chili cook-offs and other small-town mementos cover the walls. Owner Bonnie Amspacher’s father opened The Diner…

Sunliner Diner GULF SHORES, ALABAMA The past is alive and well at this 1950s-themed restaurant that has the chrome booths, checkered floors, and red vinyl seats to prove it. Sunliner serves breakfast all day alongside tasty options for lunch (starting at 11 a.m.) and dinner. Have your pick from classics like omelets, waffles, patty melts, country-fried steak, and milkshakes—and don’t forget to bring a few quarters for the jukebox. With their second location in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and a third spot that recently opened in Orange Beach, Alabama, Sunliner’s charm is reaching even more of the South. The Diner NORMAN, OKLAHOMA Nostalgia fills every corner of this Sooner State treasure, where vintage photos of chili cook-offs and other small-town mementos cover the walls. Owner Bonnie Amspacher’s father opened The Diner…

Float Your Flowers Camellias are the true gems of Southern winter gardens, and our favorite way to enjoy them indoors is to suspend them in a crystal bowl HOW-TO: Fill a shallow, wide vessel—even your grandmother’s punch bowl will do—with just enough water to submerge the stems (about 1 to 2 inches, depending on your container). Then gently add an assortment of fresh-cut camellias. Vary the colors, tuck in a few buds, or layer greenery for more texture. It’s also a great method for salvaging flowers with broken stems. Give That Amaryllis a Second Life Don’t toss your bulb after the holidays—coax it to rebloom with a little TLC HOW-TO: Once the flowers have faded, trim the stalks 1 to 2 inches above the bulb, retaining the green foliage. Place…

I’d like to put up a fence around my house and garden to keep out the deer but don’t want to spend the money to hire someone to do it. We’re by some woods, so I thought about making a brush fence myself using all the sticks and branches lying on the ground. What do you think? —ROY It’s a great idea if you want to turn your house into a raging bonfire. A brush fence consists of two parallel rows of wooden posts or metal stakes that are set 12 to 18 inches apart to corral dry, dead timber. Looks natural, doesn’t it? That also provides shelter for small rodents and birds—until, of course, it goes up in flames. But as it’s cheaper than hiring someone, don’t let me…

Five-Ingredient Morning Buns ACTIVE 30 MIN. TOTAL 1 HOUR, 5 MIN. MAKES 2 DOZEN ⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar2½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice, divided1 (17.3-oz.) pkg. frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed according to pkg. directions2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and divided½ cup granulated sugar 1. Preheat oven to 375°F with racks in upper and lower third positions. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir together brown sugar and 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl; set aside. 2. Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a work surface; roll into a 12- x 10-inch rectangle. Brush with 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle with half of brown sugar mixture. Starting on long side, roll into a 12-inch log. Place seam side down, and cut log crosswise into 12…

I LIKED JUST about everything my mama cooked back when I was a boy. Her little kitchen on Roy Webb Road piled hot biscuits up to the moon and poured forth rivers of white milk gravy. There was always, always a pot of beans bubbling on her stove. That was what I believed true wealth to be. We banged through the screened door, wild-eyed and starving, and were fed like kings. Well, almost always. About once every week or so, it was sauerkraut-and-wienie day, and I wept. I mean it. I really cried. “Someday,” she told me, “you’ll like it.” “No, not now, not never, nohow,” I said, running off to pout. Why would this woman who claimed to love me ruin a perfectly good hot dog by chopping it…

Sunliner Diner GULF SHORES, ALABAMA The past is alive and well at this 1950s-themed restaurant that has the chrome booths, checkered floors, and red vinyl seats to prove it. Sunliner serves breakfast all day alongside tasty options for lunch (starting at 11 a.m.) and dinner. Have your pick from classics like omelets, waffles, patty melts, country-fried steak, and milkshakes—and don’t forget to bring a few quarters for the jukebox. With their second location in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and a third spot that recently opened in Orange Beach, Alabama, Sunliner’s charm is reaching even more of the South. The Diner NORMAN, OKLAHOMA Nostalgia fills every corner of this Sooner State treasure, where vintage photos of chili cook-offs and other small-town mementos cover the walls. Owner Bonnie Amspacher’s father opened The Diner…

WITH ITS HAPPY-GO-LUCKY PALM TREES AND HONEYDEW SHUTTERS, designer Cece Bowman’s 1940s Colonial home in West Palm Beach revels in its Florida-ness, which is just one reason she and her husband, Nick, loved it from the start. “It wasn’t even listed on MLS. We drove by, and there was a sign outside that said ‘For sale by owner,’ ” she remembers. “We called, and then, when we walked in, we gave each other the eye. We were like, ‘This is it.’ We moved in when I was eight months pregnant…and we’ve had three kids there. It’s all they’ve ever known, and it’ll be the house they grow up in forever. It really is our family home.” Consequently, for the past nine years, child-friendly durability has always been top of mind…

Let’s Get Rolling Four steps to baking Pimiento Cheese Taquitos 1. BRUSH Working with 1 tortilla at a time, brush the upper half with beaten egg to help it stay closed after it’s been rolled. 2. FILL Spread 2 tablespoons pimiento cheese mixture evenly over lower half of each tortilla, leaving a thin border. 3. ROLL Tightly roll each filled tortilla into a 1-inch-thick log; place seam side down. Freeze 30 minutes. 4. BAKE Brush frozen taquitos with oil, and place seam side down on a hot baking sheet. Bake 10 to 14 minutes, turning once. Flour Vs. Corn Tortillas Our taquitos call for the corn version for an important reason ALTHOUGH BOTH are used for tacos, these two types have different strengths. Corn tortillas are made from corn that’s…

Sunliner Diner GULF SHORES, ALABAMA The past is alive and well at this 1950s-themed restaurant that has the chrome booths, checkered floors, and red vinyl seats to prove it. Sunliner serves breakfast all day alongside tasty options for lunch (starting at 11 a.m.) and dinner. Have your pick from classics like omelets, waffles, patty melts, country-fried steak, and milkshakes—and don’t forget to bring a few quarters for the jukebox. With their second location in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and a third spot that recently opened in Orange Beach, Alabama, Sunliner’s charm is reaching even more of the South. The Diner NORMAN, OKLAHOMA Nostalgia fills every corner of this Sooner State treasure, where vintage photos of chili cook-offs and other small-town mementos cover the walls. Owner Bonnie Amspacher’s father opened The Diner…

Sunliner Diner GULF SHORES, ALABAMA The past is alive and well at this 1950s-themed restaurant that has the chrome booths, checkered floors, and red vinyl seats to prove it. Sunliner serves breakfast all day alongside tasty options for lunch (starting at 11 a.m.) and dinner. Have your pick from classics like omelets, waffles, patty melts, country-fried steak, and milkshakes—and don’t forget to bring a few quarters for the jukebox. With their second location in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and a third spot that recently opened in Orange Beach, Alabama, Sunliner’s charm is reaching even more of the South. The Diner NORMAN, OKLAHOMA Nostalgia fills every corner of this Sooner State treasure, where vintage photos of chili cook-offs and other small-town mementos cover the walls. Owner Bonnie Amspacher’s father opened The Diner…

Sunliner Diner GULF SHORES, ALABAMA The past is alive and well at this 1950s-themed restaurant that has the chrome booths, checkered floors, and red vinyl seats to prove it. Sunliner serves breakfast all day alongside tasty options for lunch (starting at 11 a.m.) and dinner. Have your pick from classics like omelets, waffles, patty melts, country-fried steak, and milkshakes—and don’t forget to bring a few quarters for the jukebox. With their second location in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and a third spot that recently opened in Orange Beach, Alabama, Sunliner’s charm is reaching even more of the South. The Diner NORMAN, OKLAHOMA Nostalgia fills every corner of this Sooner State treasure, where vintage photos of chili cook-offs and other small-town mementos cover the walls. Owner Bonnie Amspacher’s father opened The Diner…