Brian made Savannah Pickled Shrimp. I love pickled things, and I love shrimp, so this dish was bound to be a winner for me. The shrimp was nicely tangy and the pickled vegetables added nice crunch. And A+ for presentation!

I made Peanut Soup. I’d never had or even heard of peanut soup until seeing this recipe, but when Tipton-Martin described it as “luxurious” and “decadent” I was down to try it. It was indeed both of those, even when I substituted vegetable stock for the chicken stock that the recipe called for.

Barbara made Country-Style Potato Salad. I am not generally a fan of potato salad, so am not the person to ask about the quality of a potato salad recipe. This looked so good that of course I had to try it, but sadly it didn’t change my mind about potato salads.

Barbara also made Baked Macaroni and Cheese. It wasn’t a life-changing Mac and Cheese, but it had all the components that make it a staple you can’t really go wrong with. The crispy bits of cheese on top are always my favorite part.

Revi made Corn Pudding. She had a hard time getting it to solidify properly, and even after cooking it much longer than the recipe called for it was still a bit runny in the middle. Still, the flavor was really nice and I enjoyed a second helping.

Roger made Tilapia Étouffée. The recipe was for Catfish Étouffée, but he wasn’t impressed by the look of the catfish at the market, so he went with the tilapia and I think it worked great. He made rice to serve the étouffée over, which I was glad to have to soak up all the wonderful flavors of the gravy.

Brad made Coffee-Scented Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine. Just hearing the name of this dish had me salivating, and it didn’t disappoint. He used less molasses than the recipe called for (1 1/2 cups does sound like an awful lot!), but it came out super tender and full of smoky sweet flavor. He also made mashed potatoes to soak up the yummy sauce.

I also made Pralines. The recipe said they would solidify at room temp, but I ended up having to put mine in the freezer to get them to harden enough to peel off the parchment paper. They also seemed excessively sweet to me, so I thought this recipe had gone terribly wrong, but the southerners at the table informed me these came out just as pralines are supposed to.