35 Special Southern Recipes To Make Together With Your Mama This Mother's Day (Even Virtually!)

Recipe: Heirloom Tomato Pie with Parmesan-Buttermilk Crust ​​​​​

This is the only tomato pie recipe worth making with your treasured haul from the farmers' market. And trust us, the parmesan-buttermilk crust is so worth skipping the store-bought stuff. Seriously. 

Recipe: Jalapeno Cornbread Sticks

Cornbread is always welcome on the table, but make it feel brand-new by using an old-fashioned cast-iron corn stick pan and adding a major flavor kick with jalapenos and cheese. 

Recipe: Fresh Peach Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel

This coffee cake uses fresh peaches and pecans to create delicious streusel-topped harmony that you'll both love to snack on all day long. It's just too good to walk past without having a bite. 

Recipe: Tomato Gravy

There's a good chance that neither of you have made this old-school Southern classic, and you'll be happy to have the experience together. It's usually served over biscuits, pork chops, or grits (fried fish optional). 

Recipe: Shrimp Étouffée

Step outside your recipe box with this traditional Louisiana recipe that is basically a Cajun dream complete with fresh shrimp and a brothy sauce that'll make your mouth water from the smell alone. It's worth the first-time make. 

Recipe: Strawberry-Rhubarb Pretzel Pie

Pretzel pie is an essential part of summertime, especially when it's topped with rhubarbs, which are a longtime-beloved raspberry-colored legume in the South that pairs well with strawberries. 

Recipe: Wacky Cake

Also known as depression cake, this quirky old-school chocolate cake can be thrown together right there in the baking pan—no mixing bowl required! A layer of fudgy frosting and chopped toasted pecans gives you the money shot. 

Recipe: Old-Fashioned Chicken And Dumplings

We're just putting this here to tantalize the taste buds and remind you that this ultra-comforting classic is always waiting in the wings to make cooking with your mama feel extra nostalgic. 

Recipe: Crispy Cheese Wafers

What makes these cheese straws stand out from the long list of slightly variated but all very cheesy recipes is the genius addition of rice cereal. It ensures that you turn out the most crispy, crunchy cheese straw batches you or your mother have ever made. 

Recipe: Nannie's Chow-Chow Relish

Only the real Southern cooks always have homemade chow-chow in the fridge. It's the most versatile of condiments, and we like to drop a heavy dollop of this perfect relish on everything from hot dogs to collard greens. 

Recipe: Fried Green Tomatoes

You'll never forget the first time you cook perfectly crisp, golden fried green tomatoes—because it's about to happen right now. Say hello to the simple recipe that gets the job done. Pair with our Comeback Sauce.

Recipe: Dr Pepper Texas Sheet Cake

We took crowd-pleasing Texas sheet cake and gave it an old-fashioned cola cake twist. Dr Pepper has the subtle flavoring of spices like ground cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, which is perfect for a sheet cake topped with chocolate frosting and pecans. 

Recipe: Deep-Dish Berry Cobbler

Everyone needs to try a new cobbler recipe every now and then. Put down the can of peaches! May we suggest you and mom try our triple-berry cobbler made in a deep-dish for more to love? 

Recipe: Homemade Blackberry Jelly

Once you make this simple recipe, you'll never go back to those bland, plasticky renditions in the grocery store. Here, homemade makes all the difference. Your biscuits are begging for it. 

Recipe: Bacon Deviled Eggs

You've both made dozens of classic deviled eggs, to be sure. Spruce up the Sunday lunch with these smoky bacon-studded deviled eggs with tiny slices of pickled okra for extra texture and acidity. 

Recipe: Julie Yoste's Mississippi Roast

This best-ever pot roast will change dinnertime forever. The secret ingredient that takes it to the next level? Pepperoncini peppers. 

Recipe: Marinated Watermelon and Tomato Salad

Southerners know that watermelon has way more potential than just being sliced for the cookout. Enter this summer side dish that pops on the plate and tastes even better. Watermelon, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, and fresh herbs like basil and mint come together with a honeyed lime dressing that gives tangy sweetness similar to balsamic vinegar.

Recipe: Angel Biscuits

Maybe you've both perfected the buttermilk biscuit or want something decidedly lower maintenance. That's where light, fluffy cast-iron angel biscuits come in. 

Recipe: Marble Molasses Cake

Take things back with molasses, a sweet, dark syrup that Southerners have loved for centuries. This marbled loaf treat is delightfully airy in texture and reminiscent of both gingerbread and pound cake in taste.

Recipe: Buttermilk-Pecan Pralines

You'll both feel oh-so accomplished after making this classic confection. Be warned: These mouthwatering pralines will fall flat if made on a very humid day. Otherwise, go forth and get to caramelizing. 

Recipe: Coconut-Banana Pudding

Put a twist on your favorite homemade banana pudding with just a tiny touch of coconut extract. After tasting how well the flavors of vanilla pudding, bananas, and coconut go together, you'll instantly wonder why you've never done it before. 

Recipe: Quick King Ranch Chicken Skillet

This beloved Tex-Mex dish gets an easy skillet makeover that's worth making with Mom (virtually or not!) on any night, especially when paired with homemade guacamole, Austin Diner-Style Queso, and a margarita. In less than an hour and with the help of rotisserie chicken, you're golden. 

Recipe: Robby Melvin's Turnip Greens with Hot Water Cornbread

This is our kind of veggie plate—as in, still studded with smoked ham hock, because obviously. Greens without ham is like biscuits without butter. Not interested. Plus, quick skillet-fried cornbread is a game-changer to learn. 

Recipe: Field Peas in Herbed Broth

The scent wafting up from these herby, aromatic brothed peas is going to be enough to make you swoon. Serve alone with cornbread or as a side dish. 

Recipe: Country Ham Corn Cakes

Only four ingredients will get these crispy cakes made with fresh corn and country ham on the table, which leaves plenty of time for you and mom to catch up and enjoy some quality time, stress-free. 

Recipe: Andouille Sausage Jambalaya with Shrimp

If you're not regularly a Cajun cook, get ready to wow the whole family with this authentic jambalaya recipe studded with spicy sausage, fresh shrimp, and tomatoes. Oh, and one more thing: You can make it in your slow-cooker. You're welcome. 

Recipe: Kentucky Bourbon Pie

Fashioned after George Kern's Derby Pie, this recipe combines chocolate, bourbon, and pecans for a souped-up version of pecan pie that's deliciously decadent and stops the show every time. 

Recipe: Key Lime Pound Cake

Get a taste of the tropics with this glazed masterpiece that's a cross between Key lime pie and Southern pound cake. Consider cooking night with your mama made. 

Recipe: Lemon-Buttermilk Icebox Pie

We couldn't let this thing slide without buttermilk pie or icebox pie. How about a lemony, berry-topped treat that does both and is the perfect amount of sweet and tart? 

Recipe: Country Captain Chicken

You might not have heard of this regional delicacy before, but it's been a Junior League cookbook staple for decades. You brown chicken in butter or bacon fat before braising in tomato sauce riddled with aromatic spices such as curry powder, nutmeg, and plenty of pepper.

Recipe: Oyster Stew

A favorite seafood stew of the South, oyster stew is meant to be enjoyed with the memories of salty beach breezes in mind. It's a warm, comforting dinner made for casual summer nights. 

Recipe: Goat Cheese and Gouda Pimiento Cheese

Turn up the jazz factor on classic pimiento cheese by adding goat cheese and Gouda cheese to the grater lineup. You might never go back to the plain stuff again.

Recipe: Pan-Fried Okra with Cornmeal

This simple, six-ingredient recipe gives the crispiest okra without feeling super greasy. As the okra fries in the skillet, you sprinkle it with cornmeal for ultimate crunch. 

Recipe: Pineapple-Ginger Upside-Down Cake

The caramelized bottom of an upside-down cake is enough to make us go ga-ga. This rendition calls for zingy ginger and fresh pineapple—so basically this ain't your grandmother's pineapple upside-down cake. Grab mom and give it a go. 

Recipe: Hummingbird Cupcakes with Candied Pineapple Wedges

Make your baking date even more fun with this whimsical take on beloved Hummingbird Cake. It has all the pineappley, nutty flavor in a cute little package topped with candied pineapple rings you can find at the grocery store.