Sweetness: Southern Recipes to Celebrate the Warmth, the Love, and the Blessings of a Full Life

by Christy Jordan

Overview

Celebrate the sweet spirit and taste of Southern hospitality with Christy Jordan, the voice of Southern cooking for a new generation. Sweetness is a memory made in our grandmother’s kitchen. Sweetness is nights on the porch, listening to the old stories. Sweetness is welcoming guests with an open heart. And food: sustaining those same guests with Peach Buttermilk Pie. Greeting the kids and their friends after school with Chocolate Chip Dream Bars. Sitting in the shade with neighbors and cooling down with Blushing Apple Juleps. (Pour some for the little ones, too—there’s no alcohol.) Or ending dinner on the high note of a Chocolate Chess Pie, because you always need a little something sweet to finish it off, whether a meal or a day.

In Sweetness, Christy Jordan shares 197 recipes for sweet things to eat and drink—recipes that are deeply delicious, rich with tradition, often reaching through generations, and designed with today’s hectic schedules in mind. Because life is just better when you add a little sweetness.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780594720690
Publisher:	Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
Publication date:	11/07/2016
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Christy Jordan is the author of Come Home to Supper and Southern Plate. She is also the publisher of SouthernPlate.com, which draws millions of visitors eager for her comfort food and warm, wise stories. For nine generations her family has enjoyed the sweetness of living in Huntsville, Alabama.

Table of Contents

Contents

Preface . . . ix
Why Is It That We Cook? . . . 1

Chapter 1: From the Cookie Jar . . . 2
A cookie jar is meant to be filled with handmade treats, and these cookie recipes will ensure that it’s never empty! There’s something for everyone here: Graham Cracker Praline Cookies, Milk Dunkin’ Peanut Butter Cookies, Monster Cookies, Easy Coconut Macaroons, Flop Cookies, Candy Cane Cookies, Chewy Cranberry Zingers, and more.

Chapter 2: Deeply Delicious Brownies and Bars . . . 34
There is something supremely satisfying about baking up a pan of brownies or bars and cutting them into squares for everyone to enjoy. Please a crowd with Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars, Easiest S’mores Brownies, Chewy Pear Bars, Chocolate Chip Dream Bars, and Cranberry Bliss Bars.


Chapter 3: Poke Cakes, Pound Cakes, Layer Cakes, and Love . . . 64
A homemade cake makes any occasion special, especially when frosted with the perfect icing or topped with a decadent drizzle of glaze. Choose from all manner of cakes, like Mama Reed’s Jam Cake, Red Velvet Cupcakes, Hummingbird Cake, Lemon Custard Poke Cake, Buttermilk Lime Pound Cake, Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake, and Peanut Butter Cup Trifle.

Chapter 4: Homemade Pies Made Easy . . . 132
No matter the reason or occasion, a slice of pie is always a welcome treat. Here you’ll find some of my family’s favorite recipes plus tried-and-true classics, like Peach Buttermilk Pie, Chocolate Chess Pie, Faux Apple Pie, Frozen Oreo Pie, Strawberry Cream Pie, Fruit Cocktail Pie, and Old-Fashioned Coconut Pie.

Chapter 5: Cobblers, Puddings, and Sweet Rolls . . . 166
Remarkably delicious but simple enough to whip up at a moment’s notice, dense cobblers and creamy puddings are a great addition to any gathering. You can’t go wrong with recipes like Mimi’s Peach Cobbler, Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding, Lemon Syllabub, Sweet Potato Crème Brûlée, Old-Fashioned Butter Rolls (think cinnamon buns in a rich custard sauce), and Vanilla Wafer Pineapple Pudding.

Chapter 6: Quick Breads, Muffins, and Breakfast (or Anytime) Treats . . . 184
No matter the time of day, homemade breads and muffins are the perfect treat to satisfy any sweet tooth. Fill up a breakfast basket with Mom’s Banana Bread, Strawberry Pecan Bread, and Amazing Pineapple Bread, or bake up some Apple Oat Muffins, Hot Cocoa Muffins, and Bake Shop Blueberry Muffins and tuck them, still warm, into lunch boxes or snack bags.

Chapter 7: Old-Fashioned Fruit Salads . . . 220
These classic dishes are staples of the Southern dessert table. They’re refreshing, versatile, and have nearly endless variations—and you’ll find my favorites here: Peach Buttermilk Congealed Salad, Aunt Tina’s Dr Pepper Salad, Raspberry Salad, Five-Cup Fruit Salad, Guilt-Free Orange Dream Salad, Ambrosia, and more.

Chapter 8: Simple Candies and Sweet Snacks . . . 234
These super easy crowd-pleasers are ideal for holidays and celebrations, easily transportable and even easier to devour! Make the party with a batch of Cream Cheese Mints, Cornetha’s Strawberry Candy, Chocolate Chip Meringues, Peanut Butter Cups, Cinnamon Cashews, and 3 kinds of fudge.

Chapter 9: Sweet Sippins . . . 250
Nothing’s more inviting than an icy cold beverage on a hot summer day—or a warm mug that takes the chill off a cold one. Serve up Daddy’s Milkshakes, Old-Fashioned Egg Creams, Fresh Strawberry-ade, Southern Sweet Tea, and a whole host of simple, delectable drinks both cold and hot.

Chapter 10: Pantry . . . 274
Missing something? There’s no need to make a special trip to the store when you can whip up simple basics like Cookie Crumb Crust, Mix-in-Pan Pie Crust, Meringue, Homemade Whipped Cream, and other pantry staples.

Acknowledgments . . . 279
Conversion Tables . . . 281
Index . . . 282

Editorial Reviews

08/01/2016
This slim collection of 197 Southern recipes relies on good old fashioned white sugar, butter, and eggs. Classic cheesecake made easy; coconut cake with “No-Fail Seven-Minute Frosting”; Coca-Cola pie, and the Southern classic hummingbird cake are just a few of the easy-to-bake sweets Jordan includes. Mix-in-pan pie crust, a recipe for homemade strawberry candy, and a box titled “A Recipe to Cure the Grumpies” will help even the most cynical baker warm to the straightforward, genuine tone and touching sentiment that permeate this title. Family memories, including recollections of Jordan’s grandmothers, are interspersed in sidebars, head notes, and vintage photos. Write-ups such as “The Secret to Uncloudy Tea” may inspire even those residing in a chilly climate to feel like sipping sweet tea on the porch on a sweltering afternoon could be just around the corner. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

[Sweetness] will help even the most cynical baker warm to the straightforward, genuine tone and touching sentiment that permeate this title”—Publishers Weekly

“Filled with family stories and cheerful advice, this cookbook is a reasonably priced volume of easy-to-make sweets” —Library Journal

“Like a warm hug from Grandma, the recipes in Sweetness will bring comfort and joy, making it the perfect addition to any baker’s bookshelf.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

08/01/2016
This colorful cookbook by Jordan (Come Home to Supper) will appeal to readers who have a modest budget but still want to treat their family and friends to homemade desserts. Within chapters for cookies, cakes, pies, confections, and many other sweets are recipes for chocolate chocolate chip cookies (made with Bisquick baking mix to save time), frozen turtle pie, pineapple fritters, and coconut cake with no-fail, seven-minute frosting. Compared to similar titles, this work relies heavily on store-bought products such as baking, gelatin, and pudding mixes, whipped toppings, and jarred condiments. While this might please busy bakers, home cooks who favor a completely from-scratch approach will be disappointed. VERDICT Filled with family stories and cheerful advice, this cookbook is a reasonably priced volume of easy-to-make sweets.

Library Journal