Well, today is the day. In all of my wildest dreams, I never imagined I would be writing a post quite like this. I never set out to write a cookbook, but now that I have, I’m so excited to be able to share my food and my family with the world in such an amazing way. I am so tickled for all of y’all to see this book. I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out. Those of you who preordered should be receiving it today or within the next few days and those of you didn’t can still order it or or buy it in bookstores across the country like Books-a-Million, Barnes and Noble, and many independent book sellers. It is unbelievable that you’d be willing to spend your hard-earned money on something I wrote, but I’d sure appreciate it if you did. 🙂
I am so proud of this book. I mean PROUD. Not because my name is on it, but because of the amazing recipes that are in it. These are the recipes that my family has used to feed one another for years. These are the recipes that so many of my readers have done the exact same thing with. I’m so excited to be able to share these time-honored recipes from so many faithful Southern Bite readers. I hope this does them justice.
I wanted to do everything I could to make these recipes approachable and easy to prepare. There are no fancy culinary terms, no elaborate techniques, and you can cook nearly everything in here with less than 15 spices and seasonings – and two of those are salt and pepper. These are the recipes I use to feed my family. They are easy and use ingredients you probably already have in the pantry. Yes, you will find some “cream of” soups and other convenience products like gravy mixes and such and if that’s not your thing, then this book is probably not your thing either. But knowing many of you who hang around these parts, I bet you’re just like me. And being like me means that you hold the belief that any home cooked meal, even if it includes some onion soup mix, is better for you than anything you can get in a drive-through. And the relationships we build and develop with our families over a meal, gathered around the table are far more important.
The photography in this book is stunning. My amazing photographer, Kim Box, is also my amazing friend. The photography was a labor of love. I cooked and styled the food in every photo. We did it over the course of several weeks in Kim’s beautiful home. I was insistent on it being the real food without any fancy food styling tricks. I wanted your finished dish to look like my finished dish. Sure we could have made the food in a few of the photos look better with some fancy styling tricks, but we didn’t. It’s the real thing – all the way.
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Isn’t it beautiful???
There are so many people that I need to thank for making this happen… My family for sharing these amazing recipes through the years, for putting up with me (and without me) while I was putting this together, and for inspiring my love of food. I also have to be sure to thank the amazing team at Thomas Nelson. From the top to the bottom, this group of folks couldn’t been a bigger pleasure to work with. A very special thanks goes to my amazingly awesome editor (and now friend), Heather, for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. There are many more folks that need to be thanked, and I’ll get to them all, but I won’t bore y’all with that. However, I must send out a heartfelt “thank you” to each and every one of you – my readers. You folks that come back to the blog day after day are the reason Southern Bite it what it is. I could write a hundred books and if there was no one interested in reading them, they would be useless. So thank you. Thank YOU for giving me this amazing platform and opportunity.
Again, I am so glad to finally be able to share this book with y’all. I hope that you find it useful in the kitchen and easy to work from. There’s so much of my heart in this book. I appreciate your love and support more than any of you could ever, ever know.
Y’all enjoy!!
Diane L. Lee-Strong
Hi Stacey:
I just wanted to thank you for this beautiful cookbook! It is already one of my favorites and I can’t wait to start making some of the recipes. I also want to thank you for putting so much of your heart into this cookbook! You are truly a Southern Gentleman and you obviously have a very BIG heart! Thank you for being you! I look forward to your next cookbook!!! Diane
Judy
I pre-ordered your cookbook on Amazon way back when you first announced that you were publishing one…and it came yesterday! I couldn’t wait to sit down and go through it. Stacey, ya’ll did a fine job, it’s a wonderful cookbook. Many of the recipes reminded me of my memaw, aunts, my friends grannies, ladies from my church, and so on. Took me back to some wonderful memories and made me a little homesick, lol 🙂 Congratulations, and thank you for sharing so much of your family with us. Blessings to you and your family.
Judy, thank you so, so much! Personally, I couldn’t ask for a better compliment! I’m so glad you’ve found so much in there that you like!
Becky Robson
Stacey, I have known your family since I was a little girl. I know that your mom and grandmother are very proud of you and what you have become. Every time I go to Camden, I always stop by and visit Mama Louise and Mr. Albert. She always has such wonderful things to say about you and the family. Keep up the good work and look forward to many more delicious recipes from the family and you.
Thanks so much, Becky! I come from some pretty amazing folks. 🙂
Margaret
Congrats on your book! I follow Brandie and Christy’s blogs and they both have wonderful things to say about your book. I cannot wait to get a copy! Writing a cookbook is such a huge accomplishment. I am subscribing to your blog today and ordering a copy of your book 🙂
I have some amazing friends, don’t I??? Thanks so much for the support, Margaret! I hope you love it!
Margaret
I got my new book in the mail today! Cannot wait to sit and read it- looks amazing so far!
Awesome! I hope you enjoy it!
Shannon @ Bake.Frost.Repeat.
Congratulations and I can’t wait to dig into that cookbook!!
Thanks, Shannon! I hope you find lots in it that you like!
Susan
Stacey, I have been following your blog for a while now and am so excited the book is available now. I will definitely pick one up this weekend or order from Amazon. So glad to support you by purchasing your outstanding cookbook. Best of luck!
Susan, that means more than you could ever know! Thanks so much for the support!!!
Kay
So happy for you Stacey! You can tell this book is a labor of love and good ole Southern food! I have my eye on several recipes and they keep coming!
It absolutely is! Thanks so much, Kay!
Jennifer | Bake or Break
Congratulations, Stacey! It looks beautiful!
Thanks so much, Jennifer! I’m going to be heading up that way in a few weeks and I might need some local expert recommendations! 🙂
Colleen Healy
Wishing you good luck with your cookbook. So glad I found this site. Everything looks amazing!
I’m so glad you found it, too! Welcome and thanks so much!
David Holm
Congrats Stacey! It looks great. Can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.
Thanks so much, David!!
Brandie
I could not be more proud or happy for you! This cookbook is amazing. I have SO many recipes dog-eared to try from it. Anyone who purchases this cookbook will not be disappointed! It will definitely be a book that you use often!
Thanks so much for the glowing recommendation, friend!!
Emily
I can’t wait to make EVERYTHING in this book! There is not one thing I wouldn’t eat. That is a true compliment because so many cookbooks have some hard-to-find, or worse, awful sounding ingredient. These will fit into my schedule beautifully. Congratulations on the book!!
Thanks so much, Emily! I’m so glad you like the book!