Kwanzaa

How does fried chicken achieve No. 1 status? Brined, boneless thighs are responsible for incredible dark-meat flavor, and the dredge technique creates an insanely crunchy coating.

Liquid from the grated corn enriches and helps thicken the grits; fresh corn added at the end makes for nice bites.

An overnight soak in buttermilk and a few key spices makes for the most flavorful, tender fried chicken.

Fried chicken on a hot buttered biscuit—what's not to like?

Take cornbread up a notch with this sweet-and-savory version studded with sautéed, thyme-scented apples.

No trip to South Carolina’s Low-Country is complete without a nibble of the region’s famed shrimp and grits. This recipe, from the Boathouse in Charleston, South Carolina, uses smoked andouille sausage and green hot pepper sauce to provide the essential kick, while a generous cup of whipping cream mellows the heat and smoothes the grits. Serve this for a casual dinner party, or use it to liven up a midweek meal. Epicurious members also serve this with pasta or polenta.

Down-home cornbread gets a beautiful, fragrant makeover with the addition of warming honey and flowery sage. But don’t worry, it’s still the same cornbread from the block. The ingredient list is short, the prep is straightforward, and the whole dish takes so little time to prepare that you could bake it while your roasted turkey rests or chili simmers.

This tropical dish, adapted from the Mnemba Island Lodge off the coast of Zanzibar, pairs chiles-piced mangos with freshly grilled shrimp. Complex in flavor and easy in execution, this sweet, spicy, and creamy entrée makes a balanced and beautiful meal that Epicurious members make again and again.

These sweet–savory biscuits put a fresh spin on the classic buttermilk variety. Self-rising flour saves precious prep time. In fact, from start to finish, the whole recipe can be completed in about 30 minutes. To enjoy these fresh out of the oven, measure and combine the dry ingredients in advance, then bake the biscuits at the last minute.

This cornbread—made slightly sweet with the addition of dark brown sugar—mixes very easily: Just whisk together the dry ingredients; melt the butter and sugar; and whisk in cold milk to cool the liquid. Next, whisk in the eggs, then stir the brown sugar mixture into the cornmeal, scrape the batter into the pan, and bake.

White Lily flour is widely used throughout the South. Made with only soft winter wheat, it is finer, lighter, and whiter than other types of flour.

This island staple is also known as “Jamaican coat of arms.” Some people add chiles to make it spicy, but we like it mild and slightly sweet to complement the heat of jerk chicken. For this dish, there’s no need to soak the kidney beans before cooking.

Enjoy a delicious island meal by making your own fragrant jerk seasoning to flavor grilled or broiled pork chops.

Sour cream replaces mayonnaise as the base for the tartar sauce here. Serve this fish with corn on the cob and chilled slices of melon on the side.

Sautéed corn moistens this cornbread, but you can omit it if you are using the bread in a traditional stuffing. For a spicy variation, add two medium jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped, to the corn before sautéeing.

Sweet smoked paprika is also known as Pimentòn de la Vera. If you prefer foods less spicy, omit it from the biscuit tops.