June Thrifty - Southern Charm ~ Bay Fetes and Ham Biscuits

Bay Fetes - A Tour of Celebrations Along the Gulf Coast, published in 2003.  All recipes were compiled by the Junior Service League of Panama City, Florida. In an unusual twist, the book is formatted as an entertainment cookbook with recipes that reflect various occasions and places in the Gulf Coast region.  Scattered among the dishes are photos and illustrations of monuments and other noted places in the area.

Set in Sterling is the first chapter, with the first celebration being Ruby Remembers - a tribute to Miss Ruby's Cove Hotel (1926-1976) with Kir royales, shrimp cakes with asparagus, Grecian style stuffed tenderloin and white chocolate raspberry cake or cheesecake, followed by View of the Grand Lagoon with food reminiscent of the Bay Point Yacht Country Club ~ roasted garlic & brie soup, Greek salad with shrimp & crab, lobster souffle and Pina Colada mousse. The final menu is Putting on the Ritz (Dixie Sherman Hotel) consisting of pecan & Stilton napoleons, bouillabaisse, Caesar salad, rack of lamb Dijon and raspberry coulis.

The Night Before Christmas has three menus, beginning with Awaiting Christmas Morning and features stratas or tortas, muffins, stuffed French toast, stollen and a hash brown casserole, while in Gingerbread Cottages we are given cider, punch, fondue, ham, cranberry yam bread divinity and as the title suggests ~ gingerbread cookies and houses. Rounding out the chapter is Nutcracker Sweets, touting punch, eggnog, a fudge yule log, red velvet cake and hot chocolate pie.

Warm Winters is next - also with a set of three distinct menus, the first being Winner of the Game, sets the stage with the absent husband cocktail (amaretto, bourbon, simple syrup & lemon juice, buttered bourbon & cider, venison meatballs, cornbread salad, grilled quail, whipped sweet potatoes with pears and pumpkin Frangelico cheesecake. Palms of St. Andrews is a an appreciation of Mardi Gras with chicken andouille  cheesecake, fried green tomatoes, muffulletas, gumbo, jambalaya, crawfish pie, pralines and chocolate Doberge cake. Arte Itlaica options include sangria, crostini, Italian sausage soup, lasagna, sausage stuffed rigatone, biscotti, risotto and tiramisu.

Moving on, Spring is in the Air is next and up first is White Rabbit Invites with tea, punch, scones, toasted pecan tea sandwiches, macaroons and lemon tarts, followed by A Mother's Wish highlighting lemon chicken, wild rice with mushrooms and fresh strawberry cheesecake. Puss in Boots has a menu geared towards baby showers and a few of the goodies are fruit sun tea, seafood crepes, chicken salad, spinach pie and lemon butter cookies.

Beach Buddies focuses on seaside celebrations, beginning with Anderson's Pier which showcases lemonade, island salad, Greek Isle chicken packets, grilled grouper and citrus pie, with a Star Spangled menu following and featuring blue Hawaiians, a smoked oyster roll, boiled peanut salad, BBQ chicken, grilled potato salad and raspberry pound cake. Carl's Crab Shack has peacharitas, crab dip, coconut shrimp, key lime cake and shrimp fritters, with the last menu, Mermaid Lagoon displaying a Pacific Rim theme. A few of the options are drinks (ship ahoy, sea horse, red headed mermaid), pineapple salsa, egg rolls, Thai noodle salad, seared coconut and macadamia pound cake.
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Culinary Bouquets commences with Breakfast in Bed ~ bellinis, quiche, waffles, croissants and timoremuffins (blueberry, key lie, lemon and orange blossom), succeeded by Bicycle Built for Two (picnics) and orange lemon fizz, a tomato & basil tart, curried mango salad, flank steak sandwiches, cherry turnovers and brownies. The final menu, Pour L' Amour sings the praises of love with broiled oysters, New York strips with a mushroom sauce, souffle and couscous.
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The last set of menus - Sunset Sweeps - delivers food with a global touch, Manhattan Martinis leads the pack and offers dips, pizza pinwheels, cheese & bacon puffs, crab stuffed mushrooms and of course martinis (firefly, French chocolate monkey or blue dolphin). Fiesta turn to Latin and South America with dips, margaritas, mushrooms stuffed guacamole, quesadillas, Brazilian rice & beans and a mocha Bundt cake. The final menu of the book is Asian Expressions which begins with a Midori cocktail, followed by sushi rolls, sesame chicken skewers and ginger glazed shrimp.

Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns and Other Southern Specialties, published in 2003. Musings, stories and anecdotes of the culinary South (and points beyond) with the recipes tucked in between the pages.

Part one is titled "Eating the South" which contains a laugh out loud treatise on the South's love of molded salads is titled Miss Congealiality and offers a Charlotte Russe and daube glace, followed by more tales and recipes for a Ramos gin fizz, cherry tomato canapes, club or cucumber sandwiches, shrimp & grits, brine cured pork chops and cakes ~ Lady Baltimore or Robert Redford (hazelnuts, chocolate, honey and 10 eggs).

My Blue Heaven celebrates the crab (crab cakes or crab Louie), while Hostess Gowns covers appetizers (hot cheese olives and crab meat Mornay) and Figs delivers a fig & almond tart, fig relish and fig preserves.

Christmas showcases regional favorites ~ pralines, red velvet cake, cheese straws, oysters on toast, milk punch, plus souffle and preserved kumquats. A few of the options for New Year's Day include buckwheat bilini and black eyed peas with andouille sausage.

The second part of the book - Chefs I Have Known, dishes on the author's buddies and a few of their recipes: seafood lasagna, pasta with golden caviar (from Lee Bailey), lemonade souffle, creole crab soup, pound cake, wedge salad with buttermilk dressing passion fruit curs and three variations on pimento cheese.