Cooking in the South with Johnnie Gabriel

This is a collection of wonderful recipes many of which have interesting little stories and/or anecdotes with them which makes the reading of the recipes much more fun. Thank you Johnnie.

Cooking in the South is one of the best regional cookbooks it has been my pleasure to come across in quite some while. Johnnie Gabriel has done a bang-up job of explaining Southern culture while she gives us absolutely 100% authentic recipes for old favorites and standbys that have formed the back-bone of Southern cooking across the region for many a decade. The first recipe I happened on the very second that I opened the book was my mother's recipe for Pear Honey - which we've been making in my family for more than 60 years now. If you've never had Pear Honey, you must try it - easy to make almost any time of the year and simply luscious. Whether it is the Cheese Straws that no good Southern girl of any age would consider throwing a shindig without, or the Pimiento Cheese we all adore so much, the Pound Cake with Caramel frosting or the Key Lime Pie, every single bite is authentic - right down to that Vanilla Ice Cream that we cranked up every Sunday afternoon when I was a girl, the one my kids still produce today. Don't think Johnnie's little book is all "old" recipes though. I found a wealth of new things to try - a Southewestern Chicken Soup, White Chili, a recipe for the Best Salmon You'll Ever Eat and one I can't wait to try - Roasted Carrot Souffle. Johnnie Gabriel - Bless Your Heart! PS - The dessert section is not skimpy either!

The cookbook is excellent with many of the recipes that I remember growing up, some with a new twist. I have already tried about 5 of the recipes out of the cookbook, and they were very good. I have also eaten at Johnnie Gabriel's restaurant in Marietta, GA and the food was delicious. I had the pimento cheese sandwich with bacon,lettuce and tomato and the Southwest soup. Both were outstanding.

As a longtime fan of Paula Deen, I was familiar with her cousin Johnnie Gabriel, having seen her on Paula's show. When I saw the cookbook, I couldn't to get a copy. When it arrived, I read it cover to cover & then tried a couple of her recipes. Loved them. The book is well written, the recipes sound wonderful-my only complaint is I wish she would've put more of her dessert recipes in the book. Another example of the best things come from Georgia!

What a special treat to finally have access to Johnnie's recipes we have all enjoyed for years. Johnnie's cookbook has quickly become one of my favorites for cooking dishes any day of the week or for that special occassion. The book is beautifully written and contains some of the most delicious recipes I have come across in a long time. Thank you Johnnie for sharing your favorites recipes with your friends and customers at long last. Well done!