theme-sticky-logo-alt
theme-logo-alt

Cook Book Review: Quick-Fix Southern

0 Comments

Title: Quick Fix Southern
Author: Rebecca Lang
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Pub Date: 03/08/2011
How I received the Book: ARC Review from Publisher
Rating: 2/5 Stars

Blurb:

In Quick-Fix Southern, Rebecca Lang, cookbook author and contributing editor for Southern Living magazine, promises homemade hospitality—Southern style—in 30 minutes or less. Lang dishes up 115 recipes grouped in 10 themes ranging from Rise and Shine breakfasts to Sipping on the Screened Porch beverages, Girls’ Night In party pleasers, and Southern Sweets desserts. In addition to photography, the book features cooking and preparation time for the effortless recipes.

The ultimate goal of Quick-Fix Southern is to present novice and experienced cooks with authentic homemade dishes reflective of New South cuisine that are delicious, fast, and easy to prepare. From Three Cheese Grits, Peach Yogurt Parfait, and Spiked Lemonade and Lime Mint Juleps to Fried Green Tomatoes and Roasted Tomatoes and Parmesan Grits, Benne Seed Sugar Cookies, and Lazy Girl Berry Cobbler, the delectable flavor combinations offered up inside Quick-Fix Southern transition to any setting. So, whether you’re cooking up a side for a church potluck or preparing a main course for Sunday dinner or a Sunday spent at a sporting tailgate, Quick-Fix Southern promises to be your go-to guide for every occasion.

Review:
I don’t usually review cook books, it’s hard to know how to evaluate them. However, I love food, I like to cook and I love food with lots of flavor. I now live in Atlanta after years in New York and I love good Southern Cooking. I think the dishes from the South have a good base. The Collard greens, grits, and fried chicken etc are delicious. So I was excited to see a collection of Southern recipes in one cookbook.

I scanned through the book at first because I figured what better way to evaluate a cook book than to do some of the recipes. However, when I looked through the breakfast section, I saw a recipe for Plantation scrambled eggs. That pulled me up short. I read the blurb above the recipe and the author talked about her grandmothers scrambled eggs that she never got the recipe for. Later on she found a recipe similar to her grandmothers and this was it. I object to the name of the recipe, Plantation scrambled eggs? What does Plantation have to do with eggs? What makes this Plantation anything. I feel like this author is trying to convey an attitude, a sort of ideal of the good ole’ plantation days. Let’s remember the good ole’ plantation days included slaves. African slaves. Maybe some people would not object to the word ‘Plantation‘when describing scrambled eggs, but put a recipe in a German cookbook called Auschwitz chicken soup and lets see if any objections are heard. The name of that recipe turned me off this cookbook. What’s in a name? Everything.

However, I said I would review it so I kept going. I keep my word. I looked through the recipes and there is a wide variety. From breakfast to parties and everywhere in between there is a recipe for it. I felt the book was a semi Southern-gourmet cook book. The recipes were a mix of worldly ingredients and combinations. For instance Catfish Taco, or Southern pesto with pasta recipes. That’s fine but I feel the title should better represent what’s in the book.

Missing were some classic Southern recipes. For example, Southern fried chicken, baked Mac n’ cheese, peach cobbler, etc. I know these recipes have been done a million times but I expected those classics with the name.

I felt some of the recipes could use a little more seasoning beyond salt and pepper. A little Mrs. Dash, Lawrys, or Adobe wouldn’t hurt.

I found the variety of recipes really good as well as the standards, like grits and biscuits. It offers many Southern based recipes with a little gourmet and or worldly flavor.

Previous Post
#FridayFlash: Who Are You?
Next Post
Book Review: Millie’s Fling
Tell me what you think!
15 49.0138 8.38624 1 0 4000 1 https://kayannakirby.com 300 1