CRUSHED PINEAPPLE JAM

There are a thousand uses for a good pineapple jam: toast, muffins, ham glaze, roast chicken glaze, pork roast glaze, cookie fillings and many more. My first attempt at making fresh pineapple jam was not totally successful since it never really "set" and I ended up using it...

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Barefoot In Paris

Guess which Barefoot Contessa is my favorite? Hard wasn't it? Yes, I love Paris. So following the Ina Garten around Paris while she cooks is about as much fun an one person can have when they are snowed in. Perhaps we could be having more fun if we were snowed in in Paris....

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Barefoot Contessa -- Back To Basics

You know me. I go to the bookshelves to look for something and then I become obsessed. So I went in search of this orzo recipe, knowing it was in a Barefoot Contessa. Then I pulled a bunch of them down, and now I am sharing them with you.I admit, I cook a lot, so I am never...

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CHOCOLATE WAFFLES THIS WEEKEND!!

There is no earthly justification for chocolate waffles, except to have fun!! You won't find these on any weight watchers menu, nor are they as easy as "instant" waffle mix. However, they are delicious and a fun weekend treat for the "kids". Hot chocolate waffles with a scoop...

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Braefoot Contessa Parties!

It think orzo is one of the most overlooked pasta out there. Out there in the universe of pastaland? Wherever.It cooks quickly. It is a great alternative to rice. It is great in soups. There is just so much one can make with it and yet it sits on the shelf, just waiting...

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Brownies

Sometimes you start thinking about something and it just won’t let go. Since I was writing about brownies and since I talked about the lovely publishing firm of Ryland Peters & Small, it seems natural that another of their books should come up. It’s not hard to guess...

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CLASSIC BAKED CHICKEN

It seems there are two schools of thought when it comes to baking a chicken. Either you are an "old hand" at it...... OR you have avoided trying it because (even the thought of) touching the raw chicken carcass freaks you out. If the "freaking out" part sounds...

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Edible Gifts

I approach books about edible gifts the same way I approach picnic books. I buy them not so much for the recipes as any food can be a gift or a picnic, or even a picnic gift; I buy them to see how they are packaged.Edible Gifts by Kay Fairfax is one of those slim volumes beautifully...

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American Cooking -- Southern Style

Time-Life produced a series of cookbook collections to varying degrees of success. The individual volumes show up in kitchens and used bookstores around the country. Many times, the volumes were flipped through once or twice and set aside as more of a collector’s item than...

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Hints & Pinches

The best advice to cooks is, I feel,seek fresh,avoid chemicals,keep a light hand,rise to the occasion,try what you don’t know,have fun….and good eating, you all!Eugene WalterWe are finishing up our Alabama week with a flourish of Eugene Walter. Today’s entry is from his book,...

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Delectable Dishes From Termite Hall

Originally, Termite Hall was coaching inn located halfway between the Mobile, Alabama courthouse and Spring Hill College. It was known appropriately as the Halfway House. It was a place Eugene Walter knew well. The house came to its name honestly. There are several stories...

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Crazy Sista Cooking

Lucy (Lulu) Buffett lives in L.A. (Lower Alabama). Yes, her brother is Warren Buffett. No, her brother is Jimmy Buffett. Yes, she parties just like Jimmy. And she has her very own place to party, Lulu's at Homeport Marina in Gulf Shores, Alabama. As you might expect,...

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CHOCOLATE-PECAN ICE CREAM CUPS

I tried this recipe for the first time, this week, and it has a LOT of potential. I think it will take another time (or two) to get the upper edge thick enough to hold its shape perfectly, but other than that, the chocolate cups are really delicious. You have to keep them...

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Bottega Favorita

In 1982, Frank Stitt boarded a plane for his native Alabama announcing that he was moving to Birmingham to open a world-class restaurant. People laughed. They are not laughing now. For several years after opening Highlands Bar and Grill, Stitt drove past a fading piece of...

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Glorious Grits

Susan McEwen McIntosh came to write Glorious Grits honestly. Several years ago her parents traveled to the Smokey Mountains where they visited an old-fashioned water-turned gristmill. There was a gift shop selling products from the mill and McIntosh’s father, who owns a hardware...

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The Hot and Hot Fish Club Cookbook

In reading through my pile of Alabama cookbooks, I couldn’t help but think of that old adage, “Everything old is new again.” That could be a problem.Every chef waxes poetic about the vegetables at the Farmer’s Market, how they are fresh and organic and beautiful. They speak...

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Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book

It’s Alabama Week here at Cookbook Of The Day. This week we are going to feature cookbooks from Alabama. In 2009, Alabama produced cookbooks as fast as they grow kudzu. Not the self-published type but those big, bold, colorful, national cookbooks. Miss Caroline printed her...

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Susan Mason’s Silver Service

I got another cookbook from Ann for Christmas. Susan Mason’s Silver Service. Mason is a legendary caterer in Savanna. It is not unusual for clients to fly Susan and her staff to New York or Los Angeles for a party.I am kicking off a week of cookbooks from Alabama and while...

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The Fallingwater Cookbook

This should come as a huge shock to you, my faithful readers, but for Christmas (and other gift giving opportunities) I often get cookbooks. Truth be told, I don’t really need any sort of special occasion to get cookbooks, but I digress…This Christmas, my friend Ann, went to...

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FIVE STAR CHOCOLATE FUDGE GLAZE

Once you try this very simple, chocolate fudge glaze, you will be sold on it. I use it for a wide variety of things because it just takes a minute to whip up, it is delicious and provides a thick shiny glaze. I pour it on brownies while they are still hot & in the pan. You...

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