You're Cookin' It Country - My Favorite Recipes and Memories

The purpose of this small volume is to provide an intimate knowledge of how to get from here to there in the kitchen, making cooking all the more worthwhile. It enables the beginning cook to feel at home, relaxed and confident in the kitchen. In this compact, easy-to-follow cookbook, the celebrated former food editor of The New York Times gathers together just the kind of starting from scratch information and recipes he himself would have welcomed when he first put a saucepan on the stove and started on the road to becoming a superb cook.

The book begins with a careful selection of essential equipment and a few choice additions—all explicitly shown, item by item—and explains fundamental techniques, including:

• How to shell a shrimp, peel a peach or chop an onion
• Creating delicious soups and sauces
• Preparing steaks and seafood
• Making the tastiest baked, whipped or boiled potatoes

Craig teaches a simple method, than puts it to work in a variety of dishes. From easy yet delicious meat loaf to a glorious soufflé, he shares his own best-loved recipes, including:

• Chicken soup or broth
• Standing rib roast
• Corn on the cob
• Chocolate cream pie

The result is a book to cheer and inspire the beginner—to learn from, to cook from, to keep always available and refer to again and again.

With this classically elegant and profusely illustrated book of recipes and techniques, he guides us through every step of many splendid meals and imparts the kind of culinary knowledge most cooks only acquire through years of trial and error. That he accomplishes this with both the thoroughness and charm of a great teacher, make this book an invaluable aid for both the novice and experienced chef.

New to the 2012 Edition

Electronic books have no page numbers, instead the general index has hypertext links for each entry. Color photographs have replaced the original black and white illustrations.

Quotes

"When I was a novice in the kitchen, this book was a map and compass. Now, many years later, it is a valued reference book that contains many fundamentals. While not as comprehensive as The Joy of Cooking, this little book deserves an early place on the kitchen bookshelf."

"I find myself referencing this book before any other . . . If you are new to cooking and can't boil an egg (much less water!) or figure out what pot to use, this book is for you."

"It is the only book I know that tells you how to boil an egg and the perfect way to make rice among many other very basic things. It is a no-nonsense, basic cookbook that should be in every kitchen." Cabbie, July 2011

"If you somehow were unfortunate enough to have lived your entire life under a rock and someone threw you into a western styled kitchen, then this book would be the only thing that you need. This book is both for beginners, and for those who have an enlightened understanding of the delicate nature of food. It covers the bare science and playful nuance of food. All of the illustrations of tools were incredibly helpful for getting you situated. By starting with even the most basic dishes like omelette's, Claiborne both gives the reader insight and the food importance because even the most basic meal can be an important one." Lyn, June 2011

"This is the absolutely best cookbook I have found (and I have many sitting unused on my bookshelves) for learning, preparing and serving up delicious food to your family without the need for becoming a gourmet cook."

From the Atlantic Ocean to organic farms, Maine offers some of the world’s best raw materials for delicious cuisine. From lobster, mussels, clams, cod, and halibut to blueberries, apples, corn, maple syrup, and fresh vegetables of all descriptions, you'll love the varied flavors of this diverse region. These 165 innovative recipes include Limed Lobster and Melon Skewers, Lamb Sausage with Cranberry Chutney, Chipotle-Roasted Winter Squash Tacos, Dandelion Greens with Bacon and Vinegar, Lobster Salad with Roasted Corn Salsa, Haddock Chowder, Crabmeat Quiche, Meatballs with Cider Gravy, Blueberry Oatmeal Scones, Rustic Berry Croustade, Bourbon Pumpkin Pie, Apple Cream Tart, and dozens of other irresistible dishes. You'll also find local stories and food lore, historical facts, and a guide to hidden road food gems.

In this delicious collection, Martha Storey shares her family's and friends' time-tested country-cooking recipes. These simple, classic dishes will quickly become your own family's favorites! From apple pancakes and blackberry gingerbread waffles to chowders, sticky buns, puddings, pies, cookies, cole slaw, pot roast, fried chicken, barbecued ribs, stuffed squash, grilled corn, chutneys, roast pork, and casseroles of every description, you'll hand these heirloom recipes down to your children and grandchildren. Martha also teaches you the essential skills of the country kitchen -- making cheese, yogurt, and butter; curing meats and making sausage; putting up jams, pickles, and tomato sauce; brewing beer; making cider and maple syrup; pulling taffy; making liqueurs; baking bread; making ice cream; and much more.

"It's Ecstasy come Dixie." —Southern Living

The Most Extensive Collection of Southern Recipes Ever in One Book

Voted Southern Living magazine's 1996 Reader's Choice Award for best small-town restaurant in the South and the "Best in the South" for six years straight, the Blue Willow Inn is the quintessential eatery for fans of traditional Southern cuisine.

Now, you can recreate the Blue Willow Inn experience in your own kitchen with over 600 classic Southern recipes, including:

Blue Willow Inn's Famous Fried Green Tomatoes (page 170)

Chicken and Dumplings (page 90)

Virginia's Vidalia Onion Dip (page 58)

Kudzu Blossom Jelly (page 83)

Mom's Sweet Potato Casserole (page 194)

Alabama "Blue Ribbon" Banana Pudding (page 342)

Southern Fried Chicken (page 247)

Thanks to proprietor Billie Van Dyke, as well as cooks from all over the South, you can now experience the culinary wonders of the Blue Willow Inn's delectable taste in your very own kitchen. Recipes passed down from generation to generation, adapted and enhanced through the years, have been collected into the most comprehensive collection of Southern recipes ever published.

Anna never confuses simple with ordinary. A distinctive first course of Avocado Mousse and Shrimp on Tortilla Chips comes together in a flash. Chilled Tomato and Cucumber Soup with Seasoned Croutons makes a light and refreshing midday meal, and Spicy Corn Fritters with Salmon Caviar Dip are just the thing to set out for your weekend guests when a sunny Saturday on the beach turns into breezy evening on the deck.

Many dishes can go straight from the grill to the table, like Grilled Tenderloin of Beef with Fresh Herb Sauce or Perfect Whole Grilled Chicken with Plum Chutney. In the mood for seafood? Halibut Baked with Olives, Lemons, and Fresh Basil is a snap to prepare and full of fresh flavors. And what would summer be without salads? Serve Black Mission Figs with Goat Cheese and Upland Cress to begin a dinner party, while the Magret of Duck and Wild Rice Salad or the Asian-Flavor Beef, Pepper, and Spinach Salad are meals in themselves.

If your favorite part of the meal is dessert (like Anna!) you won't be disappointed. Chocolate Chunk Orange Cake is a sweet ending to any meal (or even a sweet breakfast) and is just as satisfying with a cup of midafternoon coffee. Rhubarb Blueberry Pie or a Peach Tart with Almond Topping and a Cookie Crust take advantage of the best of summer fruits. The Coconut Lemon Layer Cake is a showstopper, or you can opt for a simple dish of dead-ripe berries lavished with a dollop of Crème Fraîche.

Put summer on your plate and enjoy everything the season has to offer.

Picnics are fun and casual, and somehow the food just tastes better in a beautiful outdoor setting. In Picnic, DeeDee Stovel offers 28 picnic event ideas and more than 125 recipes -- packable repasts from an informal Summer Canoe Picnic (featuring iced cucumber soup and red potato salad with fresh peas) to an elegant Champagne Tea Picnic (starring petite lobster rolls and Tante Lulu's apple cake). There are picnics for every season, including a Tailgate Picnic, a Fall Foliage Picnic, and an Apres-Ski Picnic. Wine and beer selections accompany each menu.

Beginning as a party house in the forties, the then private home had one of the largest hardwood living room floors around, perfect for dancing the night away. In the fifties it was known as the Harpeth Valley Tea Room owned by Lon and Annie Loveless. In 1951 it became the Loveless Cafe and in the seventies and eighties "the modest roadside eatery that once had been Nashille's secret went national. Discovered by food writers . . . the Loveless found itself recognized as a precious cultural institution." As fast food gained popularity travelers were looing for old-fashioned country cookin'.

The Loveless Cafe is like stepping back in time, where the biscuits and jams are made from scratch and the pork is cooked until the meat falls off the bone. It's an institution in Nashville and a favorite destination of celebrities and locals alike. The Loveless offers an authentic experience that reminds people of their childhood and of great southern traditions.

"One of the five 'Best Places in America for Breakfast.'" ?CBS This Morning

"If you want to taste the best country cooking anywhere, you just need to go to my favorite restaurant, The Loveless Cafe. Everything they serve is great. I guarantee it! Do yourself a favor and pay them a visit." ?George Jones

"Loveless Restaurant, the real McCoy of Southern cooking." ?USA Today