A Gracious Plenty

by John T. Edge and Ellen Rolfes

Book Overview

"A sweeping, eclectic look at Southern food traditions. The reminiscences by Southern writers...and cookbook authors...are delightful pauses. What a shame it would be if these recipes were lost.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399145346
• ISBN13: 9780399145346
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Putnam Adult
• Length: 365 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 7.9" x 9.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A treasury of the best of old-time southern recipes

This is a cookbook I turn to all the time. I get homesick for the South (where I grew up) whenever I look at these evocative black-and-white photos that reveal vistas into the Southern way of life -- the church supper, the front porch where someone sits shelling beans, the hot and steamy kitchen where dinner rolls sit rising. I also love reading the reminiscences in this book written by various Southerners. All the essays make my heart ache, but one especially took me back, to the long hot summer I spent in the poor black town of Mound Bayou, Mississippi, in the midst of the civil rights struggles of the Freedom Riders. Most importantly, these recipes are real, culled from community cookbooks, and representative of the best of Southern cooking, from humble water-and-cornmeal cakes to the ethereal Forgotten Kisses served at the finest luncheons. Just the other evening, I made Aunt Effie's Custard Johnny Cake for the first time, having heard it described as one of the best recipes in the collection, and I have decided that this one recipe alone is worth the price of the book! Mmmmm-mmmmm. This book is a must-have for lovers of good Southern food.

Southern food is unmatched in taste and culture.....

As a reformed "Yankee" and a student of the Univeristy of Mississippi I have had the great pleasure of living in the south for the last four years. The south is a culture of small towns and their dinner tables and southern food is literally a story of life told on the kitchen table. A story about the many cultures that were mixed together and the wonderful cream that rose to the top to create the wonderful recipes that exist today.I am a good cook so says my husband and cook books for me are a passion. However, this book in particular reminds me each time I pick it up of four wonderful years lived in the gracious palm of the south and of the hearts of the many people I have gotten to know. As we move on (a military family) I can open this book and truly remember a place I have come to call home. There's a saying down here for Yankee's "I wasn't born in the south, but I got here as fast as I could."This book is a wonderful gift to any graduate of a southern school or for any southern bride. But most of all for anyone who wants a taste of the south and a good story to read. Also, rest assured that Ole Miss would not blindly stamp their seal of approval on something that was not the finest example of southern culture.

very good food

I got this book from the library, but my friends have loved the results so much that I had to buy it for myself. I've enjoyed the recipes, although I haven't taken the time to read all the extra things in there yet. Maybe I'll do that next time I make the 100 Year Old Blueberry Cake.

Definitive book on southern cooking

This is truly the definitive book on good "down home" basic southern cooking. Author Ellen Rolfes has done a wonderful job intertwining stories which she calls "meal moment" which will make you reflect upon your own memories of special times around the table. I come from a long generation of southern cooks and many of these recipes were reminiscent of my family. Excellent book, chocked full of recipes and well worth it!

Anything Ellen Rolfes touches is done with heart and grace.

This book is an excellent reflection of Southern food and living. The recipes are well done, traditional with that wonderful southern flare. The Forgotten kisses recipe is out of this world and well worth trying and sharing with friends. Ellen Rolfes has a history of excellence and heart in all she does. Bravo to her in this amazing accomplishment she has added to her list of great publications in and behind the scenes. Happy to see her name in print and getting the accalates she deserves for her fabulous creations. Looking forward to more in the future!