Mama's Way or Your Way? 

Mama's Way: Tomato Pie

Tomato pie is a summer favorite that combines farmers' market favorites—tomatoes and fresh herbs. Pair it with a flaky sour cream pastry crust and you won't be able to resist this dish!


Why We Love Mama's Way

• Classic recipe made with simple ingredients
• Homemade sour cream pastry crust
• Pretty presentation

Your Way: Herbed Tomato Tart

This updated tomato pie is served pizza-style on a puff pastry with a combination of feta and mozzarella cheese. An assortment of herbs along with colorful fresh tomatoes gives this tomato tart its wonderful flavor.


Why We Love Your Way

• Great finger food for entertaining
• Can use any combination of spices
• Frozen puff pastry makes it easy

Mama's Way: Classic Apple Dumplings

Made from scratch, with fresh Rome apples, tender homemade dough, and rich, spiced syrup, Classic Apple Dumplings are definitely worth your time and effort.

Why We Love Mama's Way 

• Tender, homemade dough
• Rich spiced syrup
• 40-minute bake time

Your Way: Quick Apple Dumpling Bundles

Short on time? You can still enjoy the flavors of this classic, comforting dessert. To make Anne’s Quick Apple Bundles you only need 6 ingredients, including refrigerated piecrust, frozen spiced apples, and jarred caramel sauce.

Why We Love Your Way 

• Only 6 ingredients
• Uses a refrigerated piecrust
• 20-minute bake time

Mama's Way: Southern-Style Collard Greens

It’s the slow cooking method that really brings out that mouth-watering smoky pork flavor and the tender texture of these collards. But, the best part is dipping a piece of cornbread in all that leftover potlikker.

Why We Love Mama's Way 

• Smoky pork flavor
• Tender texture
• Delicious potlikker

Your Way: Sautéed Greens

Ready in just 26 minutes, Sauteed Greens are packed with fresh flavor from chopped ginger and spicy serrano peppers. (And without all the pork usually found in classic collards, it’s a lot better for you!)

Why We Love Your Way 

• Speedy preparation
• Better for you
• 26-minute cook time

Mama's Way: Classic Sweet Potato Casserole

This mouthwatering casserole will satisfy lovers of crunchy pecans and cornflakes as well as marshmallows.

Why We Love Mama's Way 

• Baked sweet potatoes
• Two irresistible toppings
• Served family style

Your Way: Maple Sweet Potato Cups

Swing by the freezer section for one of our favorite convenience items―frozen sweet potatoes. If you want to skip the meringue, top with miniature marshmallows instead.

Why We Love Your Way 

• Frozen mashed sweet potatoes
• Updated presentation
• 10-minute bake time

Mama's Way: Classic Chicken and Dumplings

This from-scratch favorite makes for luscious comfort food.

Why We Love Mama's Way 

• Tender homemade dumplings
• One-dish family meal
• Makes enough to share

Your Way: Easy Chicken and Dumplings

Deli-roasted chicken, cream of chicken soup, and canned biscuits make a quick-and-tasty version of this favorite. One roasted chicken yields about 3 cups of meat.

Why We Love Your Way 

• Only 7 ingredients
• Easy enough for weeknights
• Rich, flavorful broth

Mama's Way: Bev's Famous Meatloaf

This recipe comes from country music star Miranda Lambert's mama. “My mom and I have cooked together as far back as she could bring a stool to the kitchen counter, and her meatloaf has always been my favorite recipe,” she says.

Why We Love Mama's Way 

• Irresistible home-cooked flavor
• Ground beef-and-pork combination
• Tender texture

Your Way: Better-for-You Turkey Meatloaf

We made this healthier version of meatloaf for Miranda Lambert to take on the road. Serve it on a sandwich with chips for a quick meal on the go or with veggies on the side for a meal a bit more mama's way.

Why We Love Your Way 

• Uses leaner meats
• Contains fiber-rich oats
• Rich tomato topping

Mama's Way: Luscious Lemon Bars

Bake these classic bar cookies from scratch with Trisha Stevens' recipe. Make them ahead of time and freeze up to 1 month.

Why We Love Mama's Way 

• Buttery shortbread crust
• Rich, fresh lemon filling
• Classic dusting of powdered sugar

Your Way: Lemon Drop Squares

This simple yet tasty take on lemon bars has strong weeknight appeal. Jarred lemon curd saves you from squeezing lemon juice and help cuts the prep time for this recipe down to 10 minutes.

Why We Love Your Way 

• Easy-to-mix crust
• No-measuring lemon filling
• Hint of brown sugar taste

Mama's Way: Honey-Bourbon Glazed Ham

Roasting ham with cloves makes for a showstopping Southern classic. Your family and friends are sure to love the flavorful sweet glaze. For a twist, try Honey-Bourbon Boneless Glazed Ham.

Why We Love Mama's Way

• Delicious hot or cold
• Bone-in delivers exceptional flavor
• Beautiful on a holiday buffet

Your Way: Orange Glazed Ham

This savory ham cooks in half the time of a traditional recipe, and the sweet orange glaze will get rave reviews just as strong. Simply spoon the glaze on a smoked, fully cooked boneless ham and stick it in the oven.

Why We Love Your Way

• Faster cook time
• Perfect size for small families
• Easy to carve

Mama's Way: Two-Cheese Squash Casserole  

Cheddar and Parmesan combine forces with summery yellow squash for this creamy casserole. For a tasty and colorful twist, substitute sliced zucchini for half of the yellow squash.

Why We Love Mama's Way

• Pairs Parmesan and Cheddar
• Rich, oven-baked flavor
• Feeds a crowd

Your Way: Summer Squash Casserole

This updated twist on classic yellow squash casserole cooks quickly in the microwave while still delivering all the luscious flavor.

Why We Love Your Way

• Buttery-crisp crumb topping
• Microwave-quick cook time
• Weeknight easy

Mama's Way: Pecan-Peach Cobbler  

Perfect summer peaches by cooking them in a juicy, pastry-topped cobbler. This recipe makes enough for a crowd. Serve hot or cold with sweetened whipping cream or vanilla ice cream.

Why We Love Mama's Way

• Fresh peach flavor
• Pecan-filled crust
• Family reunion favorite

Your Way: So-Easy Peach Cobbler

This super-quick recipe serves the traditional blend of cooked peaches and sugar in individual ramekins topped with a crisp round of pie crust. It provides all the delectable taste of peach cobbler you love but is perfect for a weeknight treat or small  dinner party.

Why We Love Your Way

• Uses less sugar
• Fast prep time
• Individual party servings

Mama's Way: Classic Fried Catfish  

The secret to this recipe is maintaining an oil temperature of 360˚ to ensure a crispy, golden crust. Serve with lemon slices and your favorite tartar sauce.

Why We Love Mama's Way

• Deep-fried goodness
• Peppery cornmeal coating
• Moist, tender interior

Your Way: Crispy Oven-Fried Catfish

Cornflakes are the secret to a crisp baked coating for this updated classic. Serve with sautéed mixed veggies, such as squash, zucchini, and carrots, and a green salad. For an extra touch of heat, add a few drops of your favorite hot sauce to the buttermilk before chilling the fillets.

Why We Love Your Way

• Easy cleanup
• Crispy, low-fat crust
• Hands-free cooking

Mama's Way: Zesty Lemon Pie  

Impress your guests or family with the goodness of classic lemon icebox pie. This recipe features from-scratch crust and lemony-rich baked filling.

Why We Love Mama's Way

• Fresh-squeezed flavor
• Buttery crust
• Homemade whipped cream

Your Way: Lemonade Pie

Prep this no-cook cool pie in just 15 minutes. It's easy to make ahead of time and pull out of the fridge for guests. For a homemade look, freeze crust for five minutes, and then slip it into your favorite pie plate before adding filling.

Why We Love Your Way

• No cooking required
• Uses simple convenience items
• Cheesecake-like texture

Mama's Way: Classic Chicken Tetrazzini  

This classic creamy pasta with chicken, mushrooms, and almonds is pure Southern comfort.

Why We Love Mama's Way

• Made-from-scratch Mornay sauce
• Toasted almond-and-Parmesan cheese topping
• Freezes beautifully

Your Way: Chicken Marsala Tetrazzini

This contemporary twist on classic tetrazzini tosses pasta with Italian proscuitto and peas.

Why We Love Your Way

• Light and creamy Parmesan sauce
• Sautéed fresh mushrooms and Marsala
• Weeknight-easy shortcuts

Mama's Way: Cinnamon-Pecan Rolls  

Simple enough for a beginning baker, this easy yeast-roll dough rises in just 30 minutes.

Why We Love Mama's Way

• Feather-light yeast dough
• Buttery, brown sugar-pecan filling
• Rich and creamy vanilla glaze

Your Way: Bite-Size Cinnamon-Pecan Twirls

This miniature twist on pecan sticky buns delivers big homemade flavor in little time.

Why We Love Your Way

• Refrigerated crescent-roll dough
• Decadent caramel-pecan topping
• Ready to bake in 15 minutes

Mama's Way: Tee's Corn Pudding

This classic recipe has a rich, soufflé-like texture without the hassle. The result is an impressive holiday side dish the entire family will love.

Why We Love Mama's Way

• Fresh corn flavor
• Delicate texture
• Family-gathering favorite

Your Way: Parmesan Corn Pudding

The tasty side dish takes a quicker approach to classic corn pudding. You'll love the cheesy Parmesan twist.

Why We Love Your Way

• Uses less dairy and eggs
• Fast prep time
• Baked cheese top

Mama's Way: Game Day Chili

These meaty favorite is perfect for a football party. It freezes beautifully for a super quick meal another day.

Why We Love Mama's Way

• A cold-weather classic
• Rich flavor from the beer
• Easy, on-hand ingredients

Your Way: Big-Batch Veggie Chili

This updated chili is hearty, meatless, and even better the next day. We tested it with Wick Fowler's 2 Alarm Chili Kit.

Why We Love Your Way

• Bold chili flavor
• Makes enough for a crowd
• Packed with heart-healthy beans

Do you want to be in Southern Living?

Do you and your mom have two different twists on a favorite recipe? Maybe one is more classic, while the other is lightened—or presented in an entirely different way (think carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting vs. a carrot bread loaf with pecans). Or, does she make something you’d love to see prepared in a healthier—or faster—way? Or do you and your mom have two different “go-to” recipes for easy appetizers? We’re simply looking for two twists on one food topic, whether you’re offering up two versions of a specific dish (tomato pie, for example) or two great dishes for one specific occasion (say, a pre-game tailgate).

Please send us your name, contact information, photos of both of you, and the names of recipe(s) you’d like to submit by e-mail to mwyw_edit@timeinc.com or mail to Pat York, Southern Living, 2100 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, AL 35209.