Tasty Old-School Southern Comfort Food Recipes That Will Give You a Warm and Cozy Feeling

On nights when there’s a chilly wind blowing outside and we don’t want to climb out from under a blanket, there’s only one thing we crave: Hearty comfort foods that have us humming with every bite. So we were thrilled to find the cookbook Danni’s Juke Joint Comfort Food, where every recipe gives us that feeling.

“We got the meals that will have people looking for you in the daytime with a flashlight,” promises author Danni Rose, whose recipes are inspired by the hole-in-the-wall bar and restaurant her parents owned in Birmingham, Alabama, when she was growing up. The recipes are simple, mouthwatering and guaranteed to give you that warm and cozy feeling. Try one tonight!

Ole Skool Mac ‘N’ Cheese

(Serves 8)

1⁄2 cup plus 1 tbsp. salted butter, cut into pieces

3 tbsp. chicken bouillon

1 lb. elbow pasta

3⁄4 cup sour cream

1 tbsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. paprika

1⁄2 tsp. pepper

8 cups grated cheddar

2 large eggs

2 cups whole milk

1 1⁄2 cups heavy cream

2 tbsp. house seasoning*

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 × 13″ casserole dish with 1 tbsp. butter. Add bouillon and pasta to boiling water; cook 6 to 7 minutes.

2. Drain pasta and put in a large bowl. Tuck in remaining butter. Stir in sour cream, salt, 1⁄2 tsp. paprika, pepper and 3 cups cheese.

3. In another bowl, mix eggs, milk and cream.

4. Put 1⁄3 of pasta into dish. Top with a handful of cheese and 2 tsp. house seasoning, then 1⁄3 of custard mixture. Repeat twice more, finishing with cheese and remaining paprika.

5. Bake 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes. Serve.

*For seasoning: Mix 1 tsp. each cayenne, garlic powder, pepper, kosher salt, onion powder and paprika.

PER SERVING: 704 cal, 40g protein, 50g carbs, 2g fiber, 7g sugar, 38g fat

Chicken Butta Chicken

(Serves 4)

1 (3- to 4-lb.) chicken, at room temp., patted dry and spatchcocked

1 cup salted butter, at room temp.

2 tbsp. chicken-flavored bouillon powder

2 tbsp. dried parsley

2 tbsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. pepper

1 lemon, cut in half

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Place chicken in a 12″ cast-iron skillet or large baking dish.

2. Combine butter, bouillon, parsley, garlic powder, salt, paprika and pepper in a bowl; mix with a fork into a smooth paste. Rub half all over chicken and underneath the skin.

3. Tent pan with foil; bake 45 min. to 1 hr. Remove foil, increase temperature to 450°F, and bake 20 minutes. more. Place pan on top of the stove.

4. Add remaining butter to pan immediately to melt. With a large spoon, baste chicken with melted butter.

5. Let chicken rest 20 min. Cut into pieces as desired, then give them a squeeze of lemon juice and serve.

PER SERVING: 742 cal, 32g protein, 4g carbs, 1g fiber, 1g sugar, 67g fat

Pineapple Mimosa Pound Cake

(Serves 12)

1 1⁄2 cups salted butter, at room temp.

5 large eggs, at room temp.

2 cups sugar

3 cups cake flour

1 tsp. kosher salt

1⁄4 cup heavy cream

1 cup Champagne

1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained, juice reserved

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Grease a Bundt pan. Combine butter and 1 egg in a large bowl; beat with a hand mixer on medium speed. Add sugar and 2 more eggs; beat to combine. Add 1 cup flour; beat 20 sec. Add 1 egg, then 1 cup flour, then last egg and remaining flour, beating after each addition.

2. Add cream and Champagne; beat 15 seconds. Fold in pineapple.

3. Spread batter in pan. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 75 minutes.

4. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Unmold cake onto a plate; cool 1 hour. Drizzle glaze* over cake; let sit 10 minutes. Cut and serve.

*For glaze: Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tbsp. reserved pineapple juice and 2 tbsp. Champagne.

PER SERVING: 544 cal, 6g protein, 70g carbs, 1g fiber, 45g sugar, 26g fat