Southern Cookbooks

Recipes. They show us the step by step of how to prepare dishes to nourish our bodies. But they are so much more than that. They conjure up memories of people and places in very endearing ways. Whether you like the simple instruction of a can of this and a can of that, Or if you like the more complex, all fresh approach, we welcome you to the table as we discuss southern cookbooks.

I'm Lainie, and I'm Laura Beth. And we are Steel Magnolias, the strength of steel with the grace of a magnolia.

We are here to have uplifting conversations about life in the South and we've got plenty of room at our table, so pull up a chair!

 Welcome to the table, we have a hefty subject to tackle today.  Welcome to the Summer Olympics 2022 version. I mean, it just is heavy. So many directions we could go it almost was like do we even do it? Yeah. But I think it's gonna be a fun conversation. I mean, this is one we put on ourselves. We knew as a southern podcast, you have to have this in your topics. Yeah. cookbooks. It's central to culture here.

And I think when it all boils down to it, the very best southern cookbook is the one that you makes you think of the people you love and the memories you have. Yeah. Or it doesn't matter how pretty the pictures are, right? In fact, if it's got little splatters all over it, it's probably better than ever. There's no way we can talk about the every wonderful recipe. And there's not one book, even if you've got a favorite southern cookbook, -there’s no way it has everything, all inclusive, and that you got rid of everything else, and you just go by this one. So yeah, we need to just go ahead and shed the pressure. That's right. We have to do that. This is not a top 10 list. This is not a finals. This is just a conversation. And we brought many of you into the conversation.  Which I'm so grateful for that too. Yes. Because again, just like I said in the intro, some people like give me a can of this and a cup of that. And that's what I like. Yeah. And other people are like, going to the farmers market to see what's fresh. And building from that. And both are fine. Exactly. We Love you both, we do.  I know who I love a little bit more because once my speed, but that's okay. Well, I think there's one, maybe not even just one, there's a couple of things that do set southern cookbooks apart from other cookbooks that you're going to see as regions. Okay. I think okay. One of those is beverages. I think southern cookbooks carry a larger section of beverages than typical cookbooks. Okay, unless it is obviously a smoothie cookbook or something. Right. And I read that a drink is an expression of southern hospitality. Well, I do think that when somebody comes in the door, yeah, you'd like to greet them with something right away to drink.

So I think that's one thing for sure that is a generality that you could say, you know, Southern cookbooks are probably going to have a thicker section on beverages if they have a beverage section, which most of them do. And then the other thing is what the weight or the sort of inclusion of relishes in southern culture, Okay, pickled things, pickled, canned, relished things are our “jam”. There’s my pun. So I think that you'll see in lots of the cookbooks that we're going to talk about today, like a larger portion of relishes again, compared to cookbooks outside of the southern region.

Okay. I thought you were gonna say Secondly, we can put s can cream of mushroom soup in anything Or something about casseroles or canned pineapple or Ritz crackers crumbled

on top. I thought you were gonna say we had more recipes that included that that might be true, too. I don't know. But yeah, I just thought beverages and relishes seem to be some categorical things that make us different. So anyway, where were you want to start?

I don't know. Okay. I'm just gonna jump in with in my research and looking through these, there was one that I was shocked how much it covered. Okay, as you were saying there's not one that covers everything. But y'all is there one that comes pretty close.

I was shocked by Paula Dean's Southern Cooking Bible. Okay, yes. So it is unbelievably thorough. I checked it out from the library. Laura Beth’s picking it up right now to look at it. It has so many of the classic southern recipes, even from different regions. It's got low country, it's got Cajun it has got fried chicken, it’s got banana pudding. I mean, if you're going to call something the Bible, it should be pretty thorough. Yeah. Yeah. It says that this is over 300 recipes. And this is a great place to start. Because a lot of people do want just the traditions give me the traditional. Now if you want beautiful pictures, this is not going to be the one. And a lot of people want that too. Yeah. I loved that.

We had a listener Brittany Lynn. Yes. She said she learned to cook using this book. That's a huge statement is a huge statement. So if she literally learned to cook that tells you it does have good step by step. Yes. It's not just assuming you know things. So I was so impressed with this one. I did order me a used copy. Oh, you. Hey, online, because I'm like, I don't care if it's used. Exactly. It's gonna get dirty anyway, right? So I did. There was some recipes in there that I thought, oh, maybe I'll make a copy of this. And once I've thought that like three times, I'm like, It's $10 used on Amazon. I'm getting it. That’s actually brings me something funny. I've never thought about, we should probably always buy if we're buying it for ourselves. Cookbooks used because you already know based on how crinkly a page is. If it's good, it's good or not. If it has a little No, I'm kidding. Most use books are not that use. I actually have a story about that. Well, we have something that I will say right here on that our mom used to always write on her recipes, like even on just little recipe cards. Good. Very good. Yeah, that kind of thing.

I never I don't even mess with the goods anymore. Because she had so many very good that you just said I was like, why bother with just good. And so I have started doing that on some recipes and others if I make it and it's just Okay, I just go ahead and toss the recipe. Like if it's something I've torn out. Yeah, there's too many good ones to mess with making just okay, ones. Another thing I'll do though, is just make note, like, use half of that amount of cream or half of that amount of mayonnaise or something. Yes. If I feel like I should like that tweak. Well, one thing I'm noticing just in looking through this Paula Deen cookbook is she does in little orange boxes put a little kind of commentary like where your grandma over your shoulder kind of, you know, some wise wisdom. Yeah, I mean, how to, you know, some bread crumbs substitution. You know, you've already mentioned Ritz crackers. So there's an easy one something to pair something with. Well, I think what shocked me about that one was just it felt like it really covered the whole south like it wasn't just Yes, you know, Appalachian food or it wasn't just low country food, right. It's like, really covered the gamut. I'm liking this a lot. And now I'm looking to see thumbs up on that one. Yeah, there's there's over 300 recipes in here. That's a lot.  And it's broken down very easy to find things as well. She ends her Chapter 17 On relishes. Of course she does. Yes. Chapter 16 is beverages. So yeah,

it's a good one. 

Okay, from there. I was going to mention the taste of country cooking is considered a true classic. Yeah, by Edna Lewis. Okay, got to talk about Edna. So she divided that cookbook. I really do love this about that cookbook. She divides it by seasons and menus, love this. Love this. This is going to help your grocery bill because you're paying more for things that are out of season. So by season , and I think our bodies crave what's in season. I mentioned that on this podcast before. Anyway. She also did a collaboration cookbook That's also similarly broken down with menus and seasons with Scott Peacock. Yeah, that one was called The Gift of Southern cooking. Now Scott Peacock is a younger chef out of well, he served or he cooked for a long time in Atlanta at Horseradish grill and for the governor's mansion in Georgia.  That says a lot. Well, this is a 2003 cookbook, okay, that you're talking about the gift of Southern cooking. I've got it right here in front of me. I got a copy at the library, because I'm still wanting to decide if I want to get a copy of this as well. Yes, Shelley listener, Shelley said this is a hot topic for her. And this is her number one pick. So I know. We know her personally. She cooks a lot. She described it as quintessential southern simple, perfect, irreplaceable. Okay. And the cover of the book is precious. Yeah. Because Edna is a black woman sitting across from Scott who's a white man. And they've got this beautiful, simple table with a cute little tablecloth. They just, it's just the two of them. They just look like they really do enjoy each other. And then you even open up the cookbook. And, you know, they're like an even sweeter pose of him just like hugging her from behind. Like, this is clearly a very sweet friendship. But let me tell you how sweet that friendship was. She lived with him in his home the last six years of her life.

Are you serious? I didn't know that. Well. So that is pretty special. Wow. He was awarded the best chef in the southeast by the James Beard Foundation in 2007. Hey, so he made quite a name for himself. And you know, really, I think learned a lot from her. Yeah. And so yeah, super sweet friendship. And that makes the book all the more beautiful.  it does, it does. Well, one of the things that I read about it is that they've taken neglected traditional recipes, unearthed in their years of research together on Southern food and worked out new versions that they've made their own. So I feel like if you are one that enjoys progress, and wants to see things tweaked and modified, this would also be a great cookbook to take a little bit of traditional with a little bit of the new Yeah, so yeah, but I think there's, I mean, creamy grits and pan fried chicken and biscuits and what he’s known to me as a wonderful biscuit maker. So I would love to see his biscuit recipe before you take that back to the library.  Garlic braised shoulder lamb chops who with butter, beans and tomatoes, now that butter beans. Is it any more southern than that? Yeah, I even thought this was cute that it said in the cake section, that these are potentially all Cakewalk winners. So you know what I mean? Yeah, that is precious. There's also one that we should probably mention from Edna as well called In Pursuit of Flavor. Okay, and that's another classic one. NPR calls her the first lady of Southern cooking. That's fair. That's a pretty high mark. But the forward in that one in pursuit of flavor is the forwards done by Mashama Bailey. Okay, she's also a James Beard award winning chef it's got from the gardens and orchards from the farmyard from the lakes from oceans. These are all kinds of the categories different categories. Yeah, yeah, so it's got about 200 recipes in it.

There's an old cookbook I don't have on my notes here but the Foxfire Appalachian cookery Oh, yeah, but and I love how they break things down because it mentions like from the spring house and like you know, similarly breaking things down but that one girl they show you like,

is it like how to kill the chicken and how they're dealing? Yeah, and yeah, they show you everything how to build the fire like it's very you know, homesteading homestead. Yes. So Wow, that's incredible. Yeah. But it's not got all the fluff of some of these others but it's very basic. 

Yeah. Well, we've mentioned before we love Southern Living, of course, are you know, recipe? Yes. And they have so many different cookbooks. Yeah, I personally don't own many of their cookbooks. I have printed out a lot of their recipes and made my own Yeah, collections. But they do have a couple I wanted to mention: one is called Southern Living all time favorites. Okay. And the ultimate Southern Living cookbook, so those two names tell me they've got to be good. Yeah, just because they're such big collections.

I've got the Heirloom recipe cookbook from Southern Living that I'm sitting here looking at. This was, I believe a wedding gift, which we hadn't mentioned yet. But any of these make great wedding gifts. Yeah,put it with a cutting board or something that they registered for for their kitchen.  One of those Tennessee Woodworks pretty butcher block boards. But this one has lots of photos. Even nostalgic photos. Look at this, a picnic from the 1980s. Love it. Yeah, that is special. And it even the recipes are kind of typed out in a nostalgic font. So that's sweet, heirloom all the way. 

There's another name I want to make sure we include early on in these classics. And that is Nathalie Dupree she's out of Charleston. And she's now I don't know if she's late 70s, early 80s. Yeah. Anyway, she did a cookbook called Mastering the Art of Southern cooking, which is a play on Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Yes. But they knew each other. They are both, you know, really wonderful cooks. But she does everything in that from showing you the basics of cleaning vegetables and scrubbing a country ham. Oh to, you know, actually how to prepare things. So mastering the art of Southern cooking. That's good. That to be in our that's good, sweet, classic list, too. We need some of these chefs actually are, excuse me, these cookbook authors to come sit with us? No, I would really enjoy getting to talk to some of them. Personally. One on one. That'd be fun. Okay, so Natalie, call us have your people call us.  I reached out to her website contact and you know, but I didn't hear back because I wanted to see if we could chat with her a bit. 

But well, there's so many directions that you can go with cookbooks. Sometimes they're even come from iconic restaurants. True. You know what I mean?

People want to try and replicate at home. Right? Yes.

And one of the ones I actually went to the library to look at, you can't buy all of these, like, you know, I don't have even the shelf space for all of these. But the Brennan family out of New Orleans that has Commander's Palace, the famous Commander's Palace. They have a cookbook called Commander's kitchen. So it features 150 recipes from their extensive offerings. And wow, I just wanted to mention that if you want one from a classic restaurant, that might be a good pick.

That sounds amazing.

And another one. I had the privilege of going to in my living in Atlanta days, Mary Mac's tea room, okay. And they did a 75th anniversary cookbook that's open working restaurant, okay. And it's full of classics too, fried green tomatoes, and you know, a lot of the Southern classics are there.

Well, then this would probably be a good time for me to mention Miss Daisy. She had a tea room here for years. He still has a storefront here in the Franklin area. But Miss Daisy celebrates Tennessee is one of her cookbooks, which is very cool, because you get a little history lesson throughout this cookbook as well. This one cracks me up because it's signed, because and I bought it from an estate sale. So it's not signed and made out to me you; To:  Mary Ann Celebrate Tennessee Daisy King, October 1 1995. That's when the book came out was 95. But yeah, these are recipes that were put together in honor of the Bicentennial Bicentennial anniversary of the state of Tennessee in 1996. And it celebrates Tennessee people places products. This is much more focused on celebratory menus, Easter Sunday. Yeah, wedding brunches, bridal brunches, New Year's buffet, you know, even tailgating. So it's very focused on celebrations. I would say that I don't know if if this would be a good one for just finding something for the week. But if you like history, especially if you're a Tennessean and this is a really fun thing to sway to have as a resource. And yeah, when I would for sure recommend Yeah, that's a whole other direction you could go whether it's for yourself or a wedding gift is picking a person who's got something like that for your state. There is a famous cookbook out of Kentycky, it’s actually called Out of Kentucky Kitchens by Marian Flexner. Okay, and it's full of colorful anecdotes about famous Kentuckians. Hostess and cooks. So included with recipes is the kind of culinary journey of Kentucky or, you know, in Mississippi, Julia Reed had some cookbooks and full of fun stories, and things like that. So that's another direction you could go with a cookbook is not just from a restaurant but from your home state.  It’s just from getting wanting to know the full picture, the full cultural context that some of the recipes, how they came about. Yeah, I love it.

Well, another popular direction you can go with a cookbook is a collaboration that's done by the Junior League.

Oh my gosh, yeah, they do. You know, I mean, Junior League. A lot of those people involved in junior league do a lot of hosting doing Yeah, entertaining, entertaining.

For sure. Yes.  So there are several famous junior league cookbooks, one of the most famous junior league cookbooks I would think of is the Charleston Receipts. Yes. So the Charleston Junior League, put that collection together. And it's been going for a long time.

Yeah, you have the receipts, I have the receipts repeats. And these are so fun in the way that they are the plastic spiral bound that you'll see only in the world of church cookbooks. I love them so much. But we'll go ahead and mention it here. But yeah, this was the Repeats came out in 1994. So it's already dated as well. This one's very special to me, because this was given to me from my friend Leslie, whose mom has passed. And so this was part of her inheritance. And she was kind enough to give it to me, because she knows how much I love Charleston. But yeah, I would say I actually just discovered in the back of the I don't know if the regular receipt ones has this or not. But in the back. There are some menu sections that are fantastic. There's a huge note section which cracks me up like only in 1994. Would you have actually been making notes, right?  

Careful. This girl still takes notes on her recipes.

It's got menus for luncheons, light supper, summer suppers, dinners does your have that? Okay, cool. Supper club fair. I love that. I love that there was a supper club that somebody consulted this cookbook for was yours include some in some of the beginning sections of things. It'll have a little bit of the Gullah language, which is because that's who was doing the cooking? Yeah. Keep that in mind. Yes. Does yours have that? I don't see that in mind, but I might just be overlooking. Okay, well, we’ll have to chat about that after because I think it's interesting. But yeah, it's each category and mine has a little gala thing at the beginning. Okay. And, you know, in those Charleston in that Charleston area, that's who was cooking a lot of the food. So that was another thing I would say is a lot of the best chefs in the south, sometimes didn't get credit for their own recipes Exactly. A long time ago. So I'm glad that's changed now for sure.

Yeah, one of my favorite crab cakes recipes actually comes from I haven't made a lot of crab cakes in my days. But

it comes from that it comes from this cookbook. Yeah. Well, they have prevalence of crab in that area, so they should know how to make good crab cakes. 

Well, another, you know, really popular junior league cookbook collaboration that I think one of our listeners mentioned, as well. Is the Tee Time at the Masters. Oh, yeah, that was put together by the Junior League of Augusta. And one of the things I think is cute about that one is it includes recipes from for instance, the crab casserole from Mrs. Jack Nicklaus. Yes. Or the zucchini bread from Mrs. Arnold Palmer. I love that so you have some if you're a golfer that might be fun to have some of their recipes. Yes. And we've mentioned on that masters episode there's I mean, some even really simple you think of the Masters as being everything so elegant and gourmet. Pimento Cheese Sandwich and egg salad sandwich are really popular menu items on that course. So yeah, that was that's a fun one that was mentioned.

A couple other junior leagues. I wanted to mention the Talk about Good is the title. Okay. Have a collaboration of the Junior League of Lafayette, Louisiana, so it focuses on Cajun food, okay. And I love that this cookbook starts even just with a basic roux and then it ends with gumbo. So it's a lot of the Cajun fare. If that's something you want to learn more about - check out Talk About Good.  I love that. And when we went to that cooking class and it was a gumbo cooking class, but I loved that they started just by going over the basics of a roux.

Yeah, it's important, important to so many sauces. Yeah, gravies and that kind of thing. 

And then the Junior League of Baton Rouge has what's considered by most to be the textbook of Creole cooking and there's this called River Road Recipes. Okay. So the junior leagues know what they're doing. I love and there's even a collaboration that's just called the southern junior league cookbook. Okay, so they've It's a compilation of several southern sounds really good. Southern, Southern junior league cookbook. That's right. Okay. I heard from one of our listeners that the 1977 Junior League Nashville encore cookbook was one of their favorites. So, I think that that one might even include some recipes from like country music celebrity. Yeah. If you're a country music fan, that might be a fun one to own.

That is fun. That's fun. Well, Alison, the gal that mentioned Tea Time with the Masters She also mentioned the Blue Willow Inn Bible of Southern cooking. Oh, that's a restaurant. Uh huh. And then I also forgot to mention when you're talking restaurants, Choices Recipes. Oh, they were here in Franklin, our mom has that cookbook. It's from the choices restaurant in historic Franklin.

So cute. Another one that some people might know. There was a popular restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina called Cooks Corner and they have one called, Seasoned in the South that is supposed to be really good as well. 

We had two votes for Aunt B’s Mayberry cookbook.  I’m not familiar with Aunt Bea's cooking, but apparently she can do a cookbook. Well, so we have to mention that one. Well, that's

Classic North Carolina. Yeah. And I believe it might even include the recipe for her kerosene cucumbers if you know that episode, it will ring a bell.

Yeah, well, I think the spiral bound cookbooks are most precious to me because they're out of print. Like there's so many church spiral cookbooks, that you if you've got one you're going to have to print reproduce it yourself. Because nobody has access to it.

Yeah, I had a couple of friends when I asked them what their favorites were it was you know, the First United Methodist of Greenwood Mississippi or the WMU First Baptist Church of Morganfield, Kentucky, you know, so those aren't easily accessible online. Yeah, but does have a lot of great recipes from people you may know and love. But,it makes me like, sad. But yeah, like curious at the same time of Is there are there recipes that are contained within some church spiralbound cookbook that like the world needs to hear and know. And we don't know that we're missing it because it's not in this mass produced Barnes and Noble shelf. And

if that's the case, put it in, you know about it, put it on our Instagram or Facebook group or something. Yeah, it would be really fun.

Yeah, because I feel like there's just there's got to be somebody out there. That's like this yeast roll recipe is the best of the best. Yes. Yeah. Like nothing touches it and southern livings never covered this, like this. And there's got to be some of those out there.

I am sure. A couple of things before we. I don't know if you're almost done. I'm almost done. Yeah. Yeah, I wanted to say there's a brand a pretty brand new cookbook. I mean, it's just been out a matter of months that I looked at that I thought this might be destined to be a classic. You're ready. Emily Meggetts Gullah Geechee Homecooking It looks delicious. Really? In simple like, I think I would use the word simple. Like it didn't look overly complicated. I guess that's why it's home cooking.

Now I know the name Emily Megat. But um, she's considered

they call her the matriarch. I can't even speak matriarch of Edisto Island. And so she told me about her before. Yes, she's Gullah Geechee and she's, you know, was has cooked for years and years. I don't know how old she is. But anyway, I did look at her cookbook in the Barnes and Noble. And I was just like, this looks like it could stand the test of time. Wow. Okay, well, so if you want those kind of crab rice and kind of that some of those one pot meals and things that the Gullah people are known for that might be one you might want to check out. They are known for I'm glad you mentioned one one pot meals, because that's one of the appeals I have about some of the Gullah, you're cooking that we learned about this summer. And yeah, red rice. And yeah, just simple.

Some of those simple things that have the protein flavor in there. Yeah. So good. And then, of course, another direction. We didn't really go into this specifically, but if there's a chef you love Well, yeah, yeah. Well known. They may have one. Yeah, well, yeah. No, I don't think we can touch southern cookbooks and not at least mentioned the beauty of the photography and everything that is Heritage by Sean Brock. Oh, yes. It's just gorgeous. Yeah. Almost looks more like a coffee table book to me. It's so beautiful. Yeah, a lot of the modern chefs have such pretty books that I'm not sure how much cooking is coming out of them. Other than just coffee table. Yeah. Where? Yeah.

And then I really like Edward Lee submit his approach to food. He has one called Smoke and Pickles. So I'm sure you like the relishes and all.  

Well, that's awesome. I want to do a dislike a quick honorable mention for sure. Even though we didn't go into any depth on these, but there were so many that you guys mentioned that all sounds so good. Clearly, you know, your home state carries weight with you. So Marianne Artix, and listener, she loves the homesick Texan, As the Spur Stirs, the Texas food Bible, all three of those who are calling all cooks was mentioned by Kelly. We had Stan Thrasher. He mentioned one and I bet it's good because he's a good cook. Frank Stitz. Southern table. Okay. Yeah, he's a great cook.

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What else? Oh, the the Nashville cookbook. Virginia hospitality cookbook by Hampton Roads Junior League.

Some I know one listener mentioned the white lily cookbook. Oh, yeah. And I would just say it's a great one for baking. Baking. I mean, it's that's new, the baking Yeah. Classics in it. And that's a whole other direction we didn't really focus on but there's another popular one called Southern cakes by Nancy McDermott. That's supposed to be really good. If you're a baker and like cakes. Yeah, that is it's another category.

Yeah, that one could do grilling and pitmasters Yeah, I mean, that's another one right? Rodney Scott, Aaron Franklin or Myron Mixon. Look at you rattling them off. Yeah, the cookbooks that pertain to smoking at our house are starting to outweigh just regular cookbooks, because my husband's so into that right now. But yeah, just, you know, on and on, and on and on. I know, I didn't get to mention everybody's that sent something in. But, you know, again, like we said, it's, it's so personal is and I enjoyed getting to read what stands out to other people. I did too. But I think I went into it thinking, I wonder if there's going to be even like if this is going to widen the pool even more for us, or if this is going to narrow it down. And sure enough, it widens the pool

.

Well think about to how sweet like you've got a cookbook there that was passed down from someone else. It's fun to think about that, like who's going to get our cookbooks and yeah, you know, our cast iron skillets. And, you know, all of that special stuff that's seasoned with love….and lard.

Good Lard. Well, I would say the library actually is a great resource for what we're talking about today, because cookbooks can be an investment. So go check some of these out, see what you want to buy and then figure out what you buy. Yeah, just like you did. So. Okay, Happy cooking, Happy baking, Happy Grilling and smoking. Happy Canning. And with that, I'll just leave you with peace be with you Lainie.

And also with y’all!