I was raised on butter, molasses and biscuits in a place called Ruston. Louisiana...

{HISTORY}

... and so begins this slim cookbook packed full of tried and true recipes that make up a bona fide Southern pantry of staples. Each one represents the essence of good cooking and good hospitality that the American South is known for.

Written by Freddie Bailey (1904-1992) a shopkeeper, home cook and aunt to well-known interior designer and cookbook author Lee Bailey,  this cookbook captures the essence of the genteel Southern kitchen - that welcoming heart of the home where a baked good is always on hand, a beverage is always ready to be poured, and the porch chairs are always waiting for any visitor who drops by. 

Sharing recipes in the South is a sign of intimacy and camaraderie, and if you are lucky enough to secure one, it indeed feels like a prized possession. Lucky for us, Aunt Freddie shares her best collection, fine-tuned over her entire life and regularly requested by all the friends and family who were fortunate enough to share a meal or two with her.

Born and raised in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, and spending the latter half of her life in Natchez, Mississippi, Freddie's cooking was inspired by coastal waters, local game, garden-grown produce, and family recipes that had been passed down for generations.  

The recipes included here are primarily made up of the shelf-stable kind - ideal for pantry, fridge and leftovers... jellies and preserves, sauces to augement ice cream or freshly baked cake, sweet treats meant to last a few days, canned summer vegetables, the secret sauce that makes barbeque the favorite meal of the region. 

If asked, Aunt Freddie might have said her most requested recipes were her Hot Pepper Jelly and her Barbeque Sauce. Both are included here, along with additional recipes on what to pair them with. Those two recipes are worth the whole of the book themselves but added in alongside are all her other Southern specialties too, complete with stories and photographs of her life and her canning kitchen in the old Victorian house in Natchez, Mississippi that she adored. 

Any cook new to Southern fare will appreciate Freddie's ease of instruction and simple ingredients. Connoisseurs of Southern cuisine will love her classic, reliable, and dependable recipes that have been enthusiastically feeding friends and family for generations.  

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• Published in 1984 
• 74 pages
• Includes original dust jacket
• Illustrated throughout with photographs by acclaimed American photographer Brigitte Lacombe
• Forward by Lee Bailey with an additional introduction by famed gossip columnist Liz Smith 
• Interesting recipes include Peach Chutney, Praline Sauce, Sweet Potato PIe, Hot Pepper Jelly, Barbecue Sauce, Chow Chow, The Cock O' The Walk's Deep-Fried Pickles, Fig Preserves Old-Fashioned Tea Cakes, Molasses Popcorn Balls, Cranberry Ginger Chutney, Old-Fashioned Barbecued Brisket, Beet Pickles, Creamy Catamel Sauce, Corn Relish and Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

{CONDITION}

In well-loved vintage condition, this cookbook retains its original dust jacket along with a gift inscription on the inside title page. The inscription is lovely - a note between friends that matches the overall intimacy and sentimentality of the book itself. There are a few light cooking spots and stains in the chutney section, most likely denoting the favorite recipes of a previous owner. The front dust jacket bears some light tanning due to sun exposure and a coffee ring near Freddie's photograph. All other pages are clean and bright. Please see photos.

{SIZE}

Measures 7.25" inches (length) x 5.25" inches (width) x 2.5" inches (thickness) and weighs 7 oz.