Traditional Southern Recipes with Modern Flavor

I grew up in the North and only got exposed to real Southern cooking a few years ago when we moved South. I loved the flavors, but many dishes seemed too calorie laden for everyday fare. I was pleased to discover Whitney Miller's latest cookbook. It contains typical Southern recipes, but with additions that make them more palatable to people watching their calories.

I particularly enjoyed making the Olive Oil Biscuits. They're delicious, and they use olive oil which is more heart healthy than lard or even butter. Other recipes I enjoyed are the tomato gravy. I love tomatoes and this coupled with biscuits makes an easy lunch or light supper.

The recipes are easy to make and best of all the author uses a relatively small, typical list of ingredients. There are are a few recipes that require new spices, but when interesting, I'm eager to give them a try. The recipes requiring additional spices come from Whitney adding touches to traditional recipes from her trips to other countries and sampling their cuisine. I think she's done a great job blending new flavors with traditional recipes.

The cookbook contains all the sections you'd expect from breakfast to dinner with desserts and recipes for condiments, like catsup and roasted barbecue sauce. The pictures in the book, particularly those of her family,are fun. However, I like the pictures of the finished dishes and the steps used in preparing some some of the food.

This is a great cookbook for everyday use. Several of the recipes have become favorites, and I'm sure more will when I have time to try them.

I reviewed this book for BookLook Bloggers.