I got a new cookbook! Lee Bros Southern Cookbook ROCKS!

I was recently given the Lee Brothers Southern Cookbook, and I gotta tell you, it is Ah-maazing!

I love to cook, and I love to eat.  Especially Southern food.  I could probably use to lose about 40lbs, and about 90% is Southern Fried Chicken weight!  The rest would be Italian, but that is for a different post.

The funny thing is, I had never heard of these guys before I got the book.  A good friend of mine gave this to me on loan about a year ago, and when he realized how much I liked it he bought me my own copy.  I don't know where my buddy found out about them, but it is heaven sent!  And then today I saw these two Lee brothers on TV with Bobby Flay!

The recipes are my kind of recipes - simple for the most part, but outstanding in the final product.  There are a bunch of things in the book I wouldn't cook since I won't it, but that is the case with every cook book.  But this one in particular has a very high rate of eatability on my taste scale.

When I did a bit of research on who these guys are, I was surprised to find out they don't own a restaurant anywhere.  So where do they get their expertise?  They work as food writers for things like The New York Times among other places.  So they know food.  And I learned they do a lot of work with various Martha Steward shows and products too.  So they have pretty good provenance. 

And it shows in the food.  I am a good cook, but by no means a great one.  I am creative within a small window of foods, and what this book has done is greatly expand that box of expertise for me.  I've loved Southern food since I was a wee lad, but I've never really learned to cook beyond Southern Fried Chicken and Biscuits and Gravy.  This book has changed that.  I'm trying all sorts of new things, many of which include new preps for seafood.

I gotta tell you, after this long in seafood restaurants new preps for seafood is just what the doctor ordered.  If you are looking for something new, check it out.  You might even be able to find it in a local Barnes & Noble or Boarders, and possibly a cooking supply store as well.  For the $24 it cost, I'm certain you will quickly recoup that expense by making some awesome meals at home rather than going out.  And your friends will think you are the king of chefs!

The rib recipe alone is worth the price of the book.  Last month I made their ribs (no smoker needed!) and was blown away!  Best ribs I've eaten in a long time, and quite possibly the best ribs I've eaten North of the Mason-Dixon line!