Damaris Phillips in “Southern at Heart”

Valentine's Day is way behind us now (three months past -- my, how time flies!) but that doesn't mean that love needs to take a back seat. Love of food, love of family. Heck, even love of our favorite TV shows are all something that everyone experiences year-round, even without a special holiday.

One of my great loves is for Southern food, a passion shared with Food Network Star season 9's winner Damaris Phillips. Her show, "Southern at Heart," airs Sundays on Food Network, and it's all about how folks at home can use good ol' Southern cooking to get closer to the loved ones in their lives.

While French cuisine is often considered to be the food of love and romance, Phillips would probably disagree. Whether she's playing the role of matchmaker with her food or cooking up meals for date night, she's always coming up with great new ways to make your loved ones love you even more through the magic of Southern food.

In the May 10 episode, she'll be whipping up some dishes that hard-working parents can easily freeze, for defrosting later on those evenings when there just isn't time to cook up a hearty, nutritious meal for the family.

Loaded skillet corn bread? Creole pinto beans? Lavender coconut macaroons? What mom or dad wouldn't look forward to heating those up for the kids after a long day at work? And what kid wouldn't love their parents after that kind of meal on a weekday night?

"Southern at Heart" isn't just about showing off foods for loved ones, though. Phillips is also committed to teaching the folks at home how to prepare them. In this, she's more than qualified. The Louisville, Kentucky, native worked at several restaurants after graduating from the culinary program at Jefferson Community and Technical College in her hometown before returning there to teach the chefs of tomorrow, a job that she still holds even while hosting her own Food Network program.

Southern food and cooking are both in her blood, and as one of five children, a love of family also very much makes up who she is. "Southern at Heart" is Damaris Phillips in a nutshell, and her love for everyone in her life, for teaching cooking skills and for the cuisine of the American South are all on full display.

"Southern at Heart" airs Sundays on Food Network.