My Mother's Southern Entertaining

In the American South, entertaining is a very special art form, and in My Mother's Southern Entertaining, Jim Villas and his mother, Martha Pearl Villas, offer distinctive menus and more than 175 irresistible recipes to celebrate all sorts of seasonal occasions.

In My Mother's Southern Kitchen and My Mother's Southern Desserts, Jim revealed his mother's overall favorite recipes and cooking secrets. In this all-new collection, Martha Pearl now shares her ideas, procedures, and tips for the perfect party with twenty-nine complete menus. Meals for such traditional holidays as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter are lovingly prepared with the Villases' typical flair and attention to detail. Shrimp and Grits, Sweet Potato and Apple Gratin, Country Ham Braised in Cider and Molasses, Holiday Bourbon Cake, and Southern Comfort Ambrosia can become festive must-haves in your family, too. And when it's not a holiday, there are plenty of other year-round occasions that call for good food and simple entertaining ideas, such as a Super Bowl blast, a graduation tassel celebration, a luncheon for the ladies of Martha Pearl's church guild, an elaborate bereavement buffet, and even a jingle bell party for tots.

Each tempting menu starts with a special libation (making a very strong case for the return of the punch bowl), then moves on to appetite teasers such as Curried Shrimp Paste and Tangy Pimento Cheese Dip. Martha Pearl's "receipt book" bulges with special casseroles (She-Jump-Up Pot, and Baked Country Sausage and Leeks Supreme), unusual salads and sandwiches (Football Broccoli Mold and Ribbon Loaf Sandwiches), baked goods (Prayer Bread and Cracklin' Biscuits), and luscious Southern desserts (Coconut Buttermilk Pie and Mixed Berry Cobbler).

Laced with lively family anecdotes, unique decorating and serving techniques, helpful down-to-earth cooking tips, and plenty of regional lore and history, this is a book about entertaining that also entertains in the gracious Southern manner.