The last time Trisha Yearwood was on the show was back in 2021, when she was here to discuss a cookbook called Trisha’s Kitchen, but this year has been all about music. In 2025, Trisha came out with not one but two new albums, a remarkable burst of energy and creativity. The Mirror, which she released over the summer, was her first album in six years, a personal and passionate collection of songs—all 15 of which she co-wrote—that some have called the best work of her career. Then in November she came out with a holiday record called Christmastime, which she recorded with a full orchestra and followed up with a series of concerts all over the country. Trisha is still cooking up a storm, of course, especially around the holidays. She talked to Sid about some of her longtime Christmas traditions with her husband, Garth Brooks, why they’re always one of the first houses in the neighborhood to put up their lights, and the new holiday song they wrote together, “Merry Christmas, Valentine.”

For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam

Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living

Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living

Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer

Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer

Jeremiah Lee McVay - Producer

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Fred Minnick is one of the most knowledgeable people in America when it comes to whiskey. Born and raised in the small town of Jones, Oklahoma, he developed an early interest in shooting, fishing, and messing around in the great outdoors. Inspired by his grandfather’s military service, he enlisted in the National Guard while attending Oklahoma State University, eventually serving as an Army photojournalist in Iraq in 2004. The constant danger and random violence of being in a war zone, as well as the experience of losing friends and comrades, caused him to struggle with PTSD and depression after returning home. Now, in his new book, Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man's Life, Fred tells the very personal story about how he clawed his way back from the brink of self-destruction. He chronicles his discovery of a hidden talent for tasting the complex flavors of wine and whiskey, and he shares how his obsession with the story of Old Crow bourbon—and its mysterious founder—gave him a new sense of purpose. Sid also talks to Fred about the crucial role his wife played in his recovery, the best bourbon he’s ever tasted, and his top recommendations for a Kentucky bourbon tour.

For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam

Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living

Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living

Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer

Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer

Jeremiah Lee McVay - Producer

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Rebecca Gardner, the founder of Houses and Parties, grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, which she remembers as vibrant, colorful, and filled with family trips across the border into Mexico – back when that was much easier to do. But she also traveled quite a bit to visit family in the Mississippi Delta, where she was inspired by her grandmother, known as Neeny, who loved to entertain. After some fun-filled years at Ole Miss, Rebecca became friends with the legendary Delta writer, Julia Reed, who believed that a Southern party should always have something good to eat—and it should never be boring. In her beautiful new book, A Screaming Blast: Exceptional Entertaining, Rebecca is anything but boring. Every page is an example of her relentless creativity, her wild imagination, and her belief that celebrating with friends and family is one of the great joys of life. She also talks about how it doesn’t have to be that hard or expensive to entertain friends, especially when you know the right short cuts. Sid talks to Rebecca about the upcoming Bourbon Party they’re co-hosting at the Nashville Antiques & Garden Show in January, how to survive the holidays, and why every party needs a Pied Piper.

For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam

Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living

Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living

Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer

Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer

Jeremiah Lee McVay - Producer

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In this week’s episode, Sid Evans, Editor-in-Chief of Southern Living Magazine, chats with Donna Jean Godchaux-Mackay, a singer who’s lent her voice to some of the most well known music of the last 60 years. She got her start as a session singer when just a teenager in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and her voice helped songs from Percy Sledge and Elvis Presley become #1 hits. Eventually, she headed to California and made the transition from the studio to live performance after befriending Jerry Garcia and joining the Grateful Dead. She’s also got a love of both Southern and Californian cuisines and, of course, her grandmother’s delicious biscuits.

For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam

Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living

Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living

Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer

Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer

Jeremiah Lee McVay - Producer

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Fannie Flagg grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, where she had close family ties to the Irondale Cafe, a restaurant that’s still serving fried chicken, creamed corn, and of course…fried green tomatoes. The beloved local spot was run by her aunt, Bess Fortenberry, and served as inspiration for her 1987 novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which she also adapted for the famous 1991 film. It was no accident that Fannie found success in the movie business. Both her father and grandfather worked as motion picture machine operators, which exposed Fannie to the magic of films at a young age. It also gave her just enough knowledge to bluff her way into running the spotlight at the local theater, where she eventually became both a performer and a writer. Now she’s out with her eleventh book, Something to Look Forward To, a collection of short stories featuring a lot of the quirky Southern characters she’s known for. Sid talks to Fannie about her early days in Birmingham, her very funny grandmother, and the upcoming movie adaptation of her novel, A Redbird Christmas.

For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam

Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living

Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living

Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer

Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer

Jeremiah Lee McVay - Producer

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All year long Sid has been asking his guests about how they celebrate the holidays, and in this episode we’re sharing some of those answers for the first time. You’ll hear brand new clips from some of his favorite interviews, including TV host and cookbook author Katie Lee Biegel, the incredible husband and wife duo known as The War and Treaty, Houston chef Tiffany Derry, country star Riley Green, and comedian Ellen Skrmetti.

For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam

For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam

Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living

Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living

Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer

Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer

Jeremiah Lee McVay - Producer

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Erika Council, a chef, author, and the owner of Atlanta’s wildly popular Bomb Biscuit Company, stopped by the Southern Living offices to do this interview in person. She grew up in Durham, North Carolina, though she spent plenty of time down the road in Goldsboro, where her grandmother ran the church kitchen like a five-star restaurant, even as she raised funds for civil rights. Erika’s talent runs deep on both sides of her family tree. Her paternal grandmother, Mildred Council—better known as Mama Dip—ran a legendary restaurant in Chapel Hill for more than 50 years, feeding everyone from college kids to Presidents. For a long time, Erika wasn’t sure she wanted to follow the same path, but of course, life had other plans. A few cooking side gigs turned into pop-ups, and those turned into a thriving breakfast business. She’s now a James Beard nominee and the author of Still We Rise: A Love Letter to the Southern Biscuit. Sid talks to Erika about her family’s legacy, the lessons baked into her journey, and how a simple biscuit can tell a much bigger story.

For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam

Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living

Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living

Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer

Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer

Jeremiah Lee McVay - Producer

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Jamey Johnson has called Nashville home for half his life, but he was raised in Montgomery, Alabama, in a family where pretty much everyone either played an instrument or sang. His grandfather was said to be a great singer, too, with a deep rumbling baritone, and Jamey learned his craft performing with his father’s band, the Down Home Boys. From there he eventually joined the Marine Corps Reserves, an experience that delivered lifelong friendships, but it also left him with some emotional scars that have informed his songwriting. Last year, he channeled some of those memories into his first album in 14 years, called Midnight Gasoline, and these days he has plenty to celebrate. In 2025, he got married at a rock quarry in Tennessee—a story you’ll want to hear—celebrated his 50th birthday with a show at the Grand Ole Opry, and acted in an upcoming movie with Megan Moroney called A Grand Ole Opry Christmas. Sid talks to Jamey about his tribute to the Greatest Generation, the new song he just recorded with Ronnie Dunn, and the organization he and his wife started called the Give It Away Fund, which supports disaster relief and other important causes.

For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam

Biscuits & Jam is produced by:

Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living

Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living

Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer

Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer

Jeremiah Lee McVay - Producer

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f you’re a Southerner who’s interested in food, you probably know John T. Edge from his work as the founding director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, as the author of the Potlikker Papers, or as the host of True South, a TV show about Southern food and culture on the SEC Network. It’s hard to find someone who’s been more influential in shaping the conversation around Southern food and telling the stories of its unsung heroes. Well, now John T. is telling his own story with a powerful new memoir called House of Smoke: A Southerner Goes Searching for Home. Sid talked to John T. about his complicated and sometimes violent childhood in Clinton, Georgia; his fraught relationship with a mother who struggled with alcoholism; and the wild journey that finally led him to a career at the University of Mississippi. A note: This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Southern Living offices in Birmingham, Alabama.

For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam

Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living

Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living

Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer

Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer

Jeremiah Lee McVay - Producer

Isaac Nunn - Recording Producer

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Josh Mancuso has been rooting for the Tennessee Vols since he could walk, but he’s also an actor, filmmaker, and director who knows how to tell a story. In 2020, with few prospects in the film business, he made a video on Instagram about an imaginary middle school coach who was taking over to the top job at Tennessee, and it went viral. After that, he started a series on the absurdity of college mascots, from the Delta State Fighting Okra to the TCU Horned Frogs, often playing multiple characters in the same video. Now Mancuso has almost 300,000 followers on Instagram, and he’s always got something new to say, especially in the middle of football season. Sid talks to Josh about his recent collaboration with country singer Walker Hayes, the hours of writing it can take to make a good video, and the high school coach who had a major impact on his life.

For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam

Biscuits & Jam is produced by:

Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living

Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living

Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer

Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer

Jeremiah Lee McVay - Producer

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices