Lana Taylor Stuart invites readers on a culinary journey through the heart of Georgia in MY SOUTHERN TABLE: Recipes From a Georgia Kitchen. Stuart, author of the popular food blog Lana’s Cooking, has collected nearly 250 recipes for her debut cookbook, drawing from her rural Southern heritage and reflecting her philosophy of cooking as “a shared language of love, history, and community.” Written for home cooks of all skill levels, the dishes that make up MY SOUTHERN TABLE range from familiar Southern comfort food classics like Country Fried Steak, Ham with Red Eye Gravy, and Pecan Pie to less-familiar but intriguingly-named dishes like Copper Pennies and Pig Picking Cake (along with a few adopted favorites, like Baked Ziti).

No glossy coffee-table ornament, MY SOUTHERN KITCHEN is more Fannie Farmer than Martha Stewart, its recipes accompanied by attractive (but not overly dazzling) color photographs and brief introductions. Stuart’s unfussy recipe for Southern Fried Chicken, for instance, calls for just five ingredients (chicken, salt, pepper, flour, and peanut oil) and dispenses with deep dives into food science. “Making authentic southern fried chicken is a simple task,” Stuart writes. “It does not require overnight marinades or special equipment, or any sort of fancy preparation whatsoever.” Stuart’s notes come as close as they can get to a Southern cooking manifesto: “For our southern grandmothers, it was something they could whip up in a few minutes to feed the family before getting back to the hundreds of tasks they needed to finish in a typical day.” These dishes may not be meticulously perfected and optimized, but they’re simple and easy enough to follow to be practical for everyday meals.

The classics may be the first recipes readers flip to, but some of the most interesting entries in MY SOUTHERN TABLE will be new to most readers. Streak o’ Lean, for instance—strips of floured, seasoned, and deep-fried salt pork—sounds daunting, but the accompanying photo of golden-brown strips of salty, fatty pork (it’s the opposite of bacon: salt-cured rather than smoked and more fat than pork) look like a bacon-lover’s guiltiest dream. And Stick of Butter Rice is pretty much what it says on the tin: a buttery, beefy, unpretentious baked rice dish with no goals loftier than satisfying the palate.

While MY SOUTHERN TABLE isn’t meant to be a reference book, Stuart includes several brief essays on classic Southern staples for the benefit of the unfamiliar. “Southerners and ‘Sweet Tea’” explains the unique role of sweet tea in Southern culture. “All About Grits” is a fascinating rundown of the various types of grits (including the difference between quick and instant grits). Other pieces explore cornbread (along with hush puppies) and the love of greens. These interludes are also an opportunity for Stuart to share anecdotes from her upbringing in Georgia and other tales of her past.

If there’s anything MY SOUTHERN TABLE is lacking, it’s more of these glimpses into the author’s colorful past and her insights into the history and culture of Southern cuisine. Overall, Stuart’s writing radiates friendly, plainspoken warmth and a genuine desire to pass on her love of food.

Written by Lana Taylor Stuart with a heart full of butter and a soul marinated in Georgia charm, MY SOUTHERN TABLE isn’t just a recipe book but an invitation to share a slice of home.

~Edward Sung for IndieReader