Recipes that Blow Minds
Good food doesn’t have to be complicated. It just needs to be worth making.
These are the recipes I cook, serve, teach, and come back to again and again — Southern favorites, family-style comfort food, holiday dishes, a little Cajun, a little Texas, and whatever else sounds good when I’m standing in the kitchen.
Some recipes are meant for a crowd. Some are perfect for a Tuesday night. Some have been tweaked over years of cooking until they finally feel just right.
This is the good stuff — recipes from my kitchen to yours.
Pull up a chair. Let’s cook.
Some recipes are more than recipes—they’re family history. ❤️
Daddy’s Coconut Cake is one of those cakes: tender, coconutty, old-fashioned, and made for gathering around the table. A Southern classic worth keeping in the family.
Save this one. You’ll want it when the holidays roll around. 🥥🍰
#WillGoodCatering #DaddyCoconutCake #CoconutCake #SouthernBaking #SouthernDesserts #FamilyRecipes #OldFashionedBaking #SouthernLiving #FromScratch #CakeRecipe #HolidayBaking #MississippiMade #ThirdCoastCooking
Sometimes dinner comes together because you planned it. And sometimes you open the refrigerator and realize you have chicken, shrimp, cream, vegetables and a couple of pie crusts staring back at you.
That, friends, is how this happened.
Creamy Miso Chicken & Shrimp Pot Pie — savory, rich, a little unexpected, and exactly the sort of comfort food I love. The miso gives the cream sauce a deep, almost buttery savoriness, while the shrimp keeps the whole thing from feeling like your grandmother’s pot pie. Not that there’s anything wrong with Grandma.
I put the recipe together as a Will Good Catering recipe sheet, including a few of my tricks for getting that filling just right.
Good food doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes it just needs a little imagination.
#WillGoodCatering #WillGoodCooking #ChickenPotPie #ShrimpPotPie #ComfortFood #SouthernCooking #Miso #FromTheKitchen #CateringLife #TexasCaterer #LakeLBJ #HillCountryCooking #GoodFoodBringsPeopleTogether #WhatsForDinner
🎬🍪 THERE’S A LITTLE SOMETHING NEW COMING TO SUNSET CINEMA…
Every Friday night in October, the lawn at Sunrise Beach Federated Church becomes our little outdoor movie theater. 🌅🎥
Lawn opens at 6:30 PM. Movie starts at sunset.
Bring a chair, bring a blanket, bring the family — and come settle in under the Hill Country sky.
This Friday:
🌿 MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL
And then… Friday, October 23, things get a little sweeter.
🍿🎃 Will Good Catering is debuting a brand-new cookie at COCO!
Meet the Day of the Payday Cookie — a soft, chewy, salty-sweet Halloween cookie packed with candy corn, candy pumpkins, and roasted salted peanuts. Basically, somebody put a handful of candy corn and peanuts, a Payday bar, and a Halloween party into a cookie.
And yes… I carved the Will Good logo into a pumpkin. Because apparently this is what happens when I’m left alone with a cookie recipe and a Halloween theme. 😂🎃
Come for the movie.
Stay for the cookies.
Leave with a little sugar on your fingers.
Sunset Cinema — every Friday in October at Sunrise Beach Federated Church.
🎬 Lawn opens 6:30
🌅 Movie at sunset
🍿 Free popcorn & tea
🪑 Bring your chair
🐾 Leashed pets welcome
And yes… we’ll be back for HOCUS POCUS, too. 🧙♀️
#WillGoodCatering #SunsetCinema #SunriseBeachFederatedChurch #SunriseBeachTX #LakeLBJ #HillCountryTexas #OutdoorMovies #MovieNight #MidnightInTheGardenOfGoodAndEvil #Coco #HocusPocus #HalloweenCookies #PaydayCookies #CandyCorn #CandyPumpkins #RoastedPeanuts #SouthernBaking #HillCountryLife #CommunityIsEverything #SeeYouAtSunset
Mississippi meets Mumbai, and somehow the corn pone mold was exactly where these two were supposed to meet.
I’ve been playing with those old McKee family corn pone molds—the same kind of cast-iron pieces that have been in the family kitchen for generations—and decided to give them a little passport.
Enter: Corn Pone Masala Eggs.
Mustard oil. Ginger. Garlic. Red pepper. Scallions. Green chile. Garam masala. Fresh cilantro. Then a whole egg, left gloriously alone while the cast iron does its thing.
The result is crispy, spiced edges with a creamy egg in the middle. A little Southern. A little Indian street food. Completely delicious.
Sometimes the best recipes happen when you stop worrying about whether something belongs together and just let it happen.
Mississippi meets Mumbai. I’ll take that breakfast.
#WillGoodCatering #MississippiMeetsMumbai #CornPoneMasalaEggs #IndianStreetFood #SouthernFood #CastIronCooking #CornPone #Breakfast #Eggs #FoodStories #SouthernCooking #GoodFood #WillGoodCooking See less
Boudin Cornbread. 🌽🔥
This one has a little Louisiana soul and a whole lot of Southern comfort. Zatarain’s honey cornbread gets loaded up with boudin, the Holy Trinity, pepper jack cheese and a little butter before it goes into a hot cast-iron skillet. Then comes the good part: a glossy layer of pepper jelly right on top.
And if you happen to have some leftover crawfish hanging around? **Toss it in. It’s excellent here.** That’s the kind of leftover planning I can get behind.
Savory, cheesy, a little spicy, a little sweet—and perfectly happy on a game-day table, at a potluck, or alongside a bowl of gumbo.
Save this one. You’ll want it later.
#WillGoodCatering #WillGoodCooking #BoudinCornbread #SouthernCooking #LouisianaCooking #CajunCooking #SouthernFood #CastIronCooking #Cornbread #Boudin #Crawfish #PepperJelly #ComfortFood #TexasFood #LakeLBJ #GameDayFood #PotluckFood
There’s something wonderfully democratic about a good fish fry: everybody gets a plate, nobody gets too fancy, and somehow the slaw disappears first.
For the Reel & Faith Fish Fry at Sunrise Beach Federated Church, we’re making a big batch of this Texas Homecoming Fish-Fry Slaw—crisp cabbage, creamy tangy dressing, a little mustard, and celery salt instead of celery seed. It’s exactly what you want alongside hot fried catfish.
And because this is a community fish fry, we’re sharing the recipe.
Good food is better when it’s shared.
Come hungry. Bring a friend. And if you’ve got some lake crappie in the freezer—or better yet, fresh from the lake—bring it with you. That’s community lagniappe right there.
🎣 Reel & Faith Fish Fry
📍 Sunrise Beach Federated Church
🍽️ FREE
🐟 Fried catfish + maybe some lake crappie
🥬 Texas Homecoming Slaw
🫘 Beans
🟠 Tater tots
🍥 Hush puppies
Good Food. Good People. A Stronger Community.
#ReelAndFaith #FishFry #SunriseBeachFederatedChurch #SunriseBeachTX #LakeLBJ #FishFryFriday #TexasFishFry #Catfish #Crappie #SouthernFood #CommunityTable #Lagniappe #GoodFoodGoodPeople #WillGoodCatering
There are some seasonings you reach for because they make a dish taste better. Beau Monde is one of those.
I keep it in my spice cabinet because it adds that little what is that? quality to everything from dips and dressings to vegetables, eggs, seafood and meats. It’s savory, aromatic and just a little old-school—which, around my kitchen, is usually a good thing.
A little Beau Monde in the right place doesn’t announce itself. It just makes everything taste a little more like it knows what it’s doing.
And if you’re making my Mississippi Crudités with Beau Monde Dip, this is the seasoning that makes the whole thing work.
Good food. Good people. Always.
#WillGoodCatering #WillGoodCooking #BeauMonde #SouthernCooking #SouthernFood #MississippiCooking #Seasoning #KitchenStaples #CookingTips #CajunCooking #HomeCooking #LakeLBJ #TexasFood #CookWithWill
When the chocolate craving cannot wait for the oven. 🍫
Microwaveable Chocolate Mini Cakes are warm, rich, fudgy little cakes you can make in minutes. Perfect for those moments when you need dessert now—because patience is not always a virtue.
Tiny cake. Big chocolate energy.
#WillGoodCatering #ChocolateMiniCakes #MicrowaveCake #ChocolateCake #EasyDesserts #QuickDessert #ChocolateLovers #HomemadeDessert #DessertRecipe #SweetTooth #FromScratch #SouthernBaking #WillGoodCookingClasses
A little Gulf Coast history in a bowl. 🦀🌊
Mr. Bailey’s West Indies Salad is a classic Alabama coastal recipe—fresh crab marinated with onion, vinegar, and oil until the flavors come together in that wonderfully simple, briny, tangy way.
No fuss. No mayo. Just crab, acid, and a little Gulf Coast magic.
#WillGoodCatering #WestIndiesSalad #MrBaileysWestIndiesSalad #AlabamaFood #GulfCoastFood #GulfOfMexico #CrabSalad #SouthernFood #SouthernFoodways #CoastalCooking #SeafoodLovers #OldSchoolRecipes #ThirdCoastCooking #WillGoodCookingClasses
A little Mississippi in every bite. 🌽
Mississippi Cornmeal Scones with Sweet Corn Whipped Cream take a familiar Southern staple and give it a decidedly unexpected turn. Tender, slightly savory cornmeal scones topped with clouds of sweet corn whipped cream.
Southern? Absolutely. Ordinary? Not a chance.
#WillGoodCatering #MississippiCornmealScones #CornmealScones #SweetCornWhippedCream #SouthernBaking #MississippiMade #SouthernFood #SouthernDesserts #CornRecipes #FromScratch #BrunchIdeas #SouthernBrunch #ThirdCoastCooking #WillGoodCookingClasses
Coffee. Caramel. Cookie. Need I say more? ☕️🍪
These Espresso Caramel Cookies bring together rich espresso, buttery caramel, and that little hit of bitterness that makes you go back for just one more.
Perfect with a cup of coffee—or honestly, all by themselves.
#WillGoodCatering #EspressoCaramelCookies #EspressoCookies #CaramelCookies #CookieRecipe #BakingFromScratch #SouthernBaking #HomemadeCookies #CoffeeLovers #CaramelLovers #HolidayBaking #WillGoodCookingClasses
Some recipes are tied to a person forever. ❤️
Eggplant Josephine was Daddy’s favorite—and that alone makes it special around my table. Tender eggplant, rich savory flavor, and the kind of old-school comfort that tastes like somebody you love is still cooking for you.
Daddy had good taste.
#WillGoodCatering #EggplantJosephine #DaddysFavorite #FamilyRecipes #SouthernCooking #SouthernFood #ComfortFood #OldFashionedRecipes #FoodMemory #RecipesWithAStory #FromScratch #MississippiMade #ThirdCoastCooking #WillGoodCookingClasses
A little French-ish. A little Southern. Very Third Coast. 🌊🥕🥒
Third Coast Crudités with Beau Monde Dip is my take on the classic vegetable platter—crisp, colorful vegetables with that wonderfully retro, savory Beau Monde dip.
Fresh vegetables. Creamy dip. A little old-school glamour.
#WillGoodCatering #ThirdCoastCrudites #BeauMondeDip #Crudites #SouthernEntertaining #SouthernFood #RetroRecipes #PartyFood #VegetablePlatter #AppetizerIdeas #FromScratch #ThirdCoastCooking #WillGoodCookingClasses
A taste of Choctaw Fair “Fare.” 🌽🐖
*Shoat & Hominy is the kind of food that tells a story—simple ingredients, deeply rooted traditions, and the kind of cooking meant to feed people gathered together.
This is food with history behind it, not just a recipe. And that’s always worth remembering.
#WillGoodCatering #ChoctawFairFare #ShoatAndHominy #ChoctawFoodways #IndigenousFoodways #SouthernFoodways #NativeAmericanFood #MississippiFoodways #TraditionalCooking #FoodWithAStory #SouthernCooking #FromScratch #ThirdCoastCooking #WillGoodCookingClasses
Cool, creamy, crunchy, and exactly what you want alongside something spicy. 🥒
Cucumber Raita is one of those wonderfully simple recipes that does a lot of work—fresh cucumber, tangy yogurt, herbs, and just enough seasoning to bring everything together. Perfect with curries, grilled meats, naan, or as a dip all on its own.
Simple food. Big payoff.
#WillGoodCatering #CucumberRaita #Raita #IndianFood #IndianInspired #YogurtSauce #CucumberRecipes #FreshAndSimple #FromScratch #Homemade #SpiceLovers #SouthernCooks #ThirdCoastCooking
If you know, you know. 🤍🔥
Alabama White BBQ Sauce is tangy, creamy, peppery, and unapologetically Southern. Made for smoked chicken, pulled pork, ribs, wings—or anything that comes off the grill and needs a little something extra.
It’s not red. It’s not sweet. And it absolutely belongs at the BBQ table.
#WillGoodCatering #AlabamaWhiteSauce #AlabamaBBQ #WhiteBBQSauce #BBQSauce #SouthernCooking #SouthernFood #BBQSeason #GrillingSeason #SmokedChicken #PulledPork #FromScratch #ThirdCoastCooking
Think mini crustless quiche, but with an artichoke heart and a little party attitude. 💚
These Artichoke Bites are creamy, savory, cheesy little two-bite appetizers that are perfect for brunches, showers, cocktail parties—or anytime you need something easy to pass around.
Tiny bites. Big flavor. Very Will Good.
#WillGoodCatering #ArtichokeBites #ArtichokeAppetizers #MiniQuiche #CrustlessQuiche #PartyFood #EasyAppetizers #BrunchIdeas #CocktailParty #SouthernEntertaining #FromScratch #CateringIdeas #WillGoodCookingClasses
Some appetizers never go out of style. Rumaki is one of them. 🥓🔥
Bacon-wrapped water chestnuts, baked until the bacon is crisp and the edges get caramelized. Salty, smoky, crunchy, a little sweet—and dangerously easy to keep eating.
The kind of party food that disappears before you make it back to the kitchen.
#WillGoodCatering #Rumaki #BaconWrapped #WaterChestnuts #PartyAppetizers #RetroRecipes #RetroFood #CocktailParty #PartyFood #AppetizerRecipes #SouthernEntertaining #FromScratch #WillGoodCookingClasses
Not actual banana chips—banana cookies as thin and crisp as a potato chip. 🍌🍪
These Banana Chips are delicate, buttery, crisp little cookies with real banana flavor. They’re the kind of old-school treat that feels simple until you realize you’ve eaten half the batch.
Thin. Crisp. Banana-y. And very hard to stop eating.
#WillGoodCatering #BananaChips #BananaCookies #CrispCookies #CookieRecipe #HomemadeCookies #BakingFromScratch #OldFashionedRecipes #SouthernBaking #TeaTimeTreats #CookieLovers #WillGoodCookingClasses
Two Southern comfort desserts walk into the same pan. 🍌🍮
Banana Pudding Bread Pudding takes everything you love about banana pudding—ripe bananas, vanilla, creamy custard, and that nostalgic Nilla-wafer flavor—and turns it into warm, cozy bread pudding.
Basically, banana pudding got a little more grown-up. And I’m not mad about it.
#WillGoodCatering #BananaPuddingBreadPudding #BananaPudding #BreadPudding #SouthernDesserts #SouthernBaking #ComfortFood #HomemadeDesserts #FromScratch #BananaLovers #NillaWafers #DessertRecipe #WillGoodCookingClasses
A little nutty. A little floral. Completely addictive. 🍨
Brown Butter Cardamom Ice Cream takes rich, toasted brown butter and warm, aromatic cardamom and turns them into an ice cream that tastes far more complicated than it is.
Elegant enough for a dinner party. Good enough to eat straight from the freezer.
#WillGoodCatering #BrownButterIceCream #CardamomIceCream #HomemadeIceCream #IceCreamRecipe #BrownButter #Cardamom #FromScratch #SouthernDesserts #DessertLovers #DinnerPartyDessert #WillGoodCookingClasses
Fresh crappie meets a little culinary mischief. 🎣
Brown Butter Miso Crappie brings together delicate, flaky fish with nutty brown butter, savory miso, and just enough umami to make a simple catch feel downright elegant.
Hill Country fish. Big flavor. No fuss.
#WillGoodCatering #BrownButterMiso #Crappie #CrappieRecipe #FreshFish #HillCountryCooking #LakeLBJ #TexasCooking #SouthernCooking #Umami #BrownButter #FromScratch #ThirdCoastCooking #WillGoodCookingClasses
🏆 WINNER: The Ugly Cake Contest🏆
You sho’ is ugly! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder—and apparently deliciousness is in the mayonnaise jar.
This South Carolina Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake is wonderfully old-school: rich, deeply chocolatey, moist, and absolutely unconcerned with looking fancy. In fact, its glorious homeliness is part of the charm.
Sometimes the ugliest cake on the table is the first one to disappear. 🍫🎂
#WillGoodCatering #ChocolateMayonnaiseCake #SouthCarolinaCake #UglyCakeContest #UglyCake #SouthernBaking #SouthernDesserts #OldFashionedRecipes #ChocolateCake #FromScratch #HomemadeCake #SouthernFood #WillGoodCookingClasses
Little pockets of Louisiana goodness. 🦞🥧
Crawfish Hand Pies are flaky, golden, savory little pastries packed with crawfish and Cajun flavor. Think crawfish pie meets handheld party food—and yes, you probably want more than one.
Perfect for a cocktail party, game day, or whenever you need a little Third Coast in your hand.
#WillGoodCatering #CrawfishHandPies #Crawfish #CajunCooking #LouisianaCooking #HandPies #CajunFood #SouthernFood #SouthernCooking #PartyFood #Appetizers #GameDayFood #ThirdCoastCooking #WillGoodCookingClasses
Easy Red Beans & Rice—because some of the best Southern food doesn't need to be complicated. 🫘🍚
Creamy red beans, smoky sausage, the Holy Trinity, and plenty of seasoning, all served over fluffy rice. A pot of comfort food that tastes like it cooked all day—but doesn't have to.
#WillGoodCatering #RedBeansAndRice #EasyRecipes #SouthernCooking #CajunCooking #LouisianaCooking #ComfortFood #HolyTrinity #AndouilleSausage #WeeknightDinner #FromScratch #SouthernFood #ThirdCoastCooking #WillGoodCookingClasses
The cure for last night's questionable decisions? General Tso's Hangover Chicken. 😂🔥
Crispy chicken tossed in that sweet, spicy, tangy General Tso's sauce, with just enough heat to bring you back to life. Perfect for using up leftover chicken—or for making a fresh batch when you need something seriously satisfying.
Because sometimes breakfast is just chicken with attitude.
#WillGoodCatering #GeneralTsosChicken #HangoverChicken #ChineseInspired #LeftoverChicken #CrispyChicken #SweetAndSpicy #SpicyFood #ComfortFood #GameDayFood #LateNightFood #FromScratch #WillGoodCookingClasses
A little piece of Southern Indigenous food history. 🍇
Choctaw “Fare” Grape Dumplings are a wonderfully simple traditional treat—sweet grapes wrapped in tender dumpling dough and cooked until soft and juicy. Rustic, unexpected, and absolutely delicious.
Proof that some of the most interesting recipes come from making something wonderful out of what you have.
#WillGoodCatering #ChoctawFood #ChoctawRecipes #GrapeDumplings #IndigenousFoodways #SouthernFoodways #SouthernCooking #NativeAmericanFood #TraditionalRecipes #FoodHistory #FromScratch #MississippiFoodways #ThirdCoastCooking #WillGoodCookingClasses
Take crappie somewhere tropical. 🌴🐟
Island Coconut Lime Curry Crappie pairs delicate, flaky fish with creamy coconut, bright lime, and warm curry spices. Fresh, vibrant, and just a little unexpected.
Lake fish. Island attitude.
#WillGoodCatering #CoconutLimeCurry #Crappie #CrappieRecipe #FishRecipe #CoconutCurry #LimeCurry #IslandFlavors #SouthernCooking #HillCountryCooking #LakeLBJ #FreshFish #ThirdCoastCooking #WillGoodCookingClasses
Sweet, savory, smoky, and loaded with umami. 🔥🍗
Korean-Inspired Miso BBQ Chicken brings together miso, Korean flavors, and good old-fashioned BBQ into one seriously flavorful dish. Sticky around the edges, tender in the middle, and built for eating with your hands.
A little East. A little South. Very Will Good.
#WillGoodCatering #MisoBBQChicken #KoreanInspired #KoreanBBQ #BBQChicken #Miso #Umami #ChickenRecipe #AsianInspired #SouthernCooking #GrillingSeason #FromScratch #ThirdCoastCooking #WillGoodCookingClasses
A taste of home. ❤️
Southern Praline Pillar Cake is the kind of cake that tastes like memory—rich, tender cake layered with buttery praline goodness and pure Southern nostalgia.
Some recipes feed you. Others take you somewhere.
This one takes me home.
#WillGoodCatering #SouthernPralineCake #PralineCake #PillarCake #SouthernBaking #SouthernDesserts #TasteOfHome #FamilyRecipes #MississippiMade #SouthernFood #FromScratch #OldFashionedBaking #ThirdCoastCooking #WillGoodCookingClasses
Sweet, juicy watermelon gets a serious flavor makeover. 🍉✨
First of all, y’all. Thanks be to God I can cook ‘cause I sure can’t spell.
Watermelon Chaat is fresh, tangy, salty, spicy, and ridiculously refreshing. A little chaat masala, a squeeze of lime, and a hit of heat turn summer watermelon into something completely unexpected.
Sweet meets savory. Heat meets cool. And somehow it all works.
#WillGoodCatering #WatermelonChaat #Chaat #IndianInspired #IndianFood #WatermelonRecipes #SummerRecipes #SweetAndSpicy #ChaatMasala #FreshAndSimple #SouthernCooks #FromScratch #ThirdCoastCooking #WillGoodCookingClasses
