Paula Deen's the Deen Family Cookbook

April 6, 2009
Spunky Food Network matriarch Deen returns with yet another down-home Southern recipe compilation, including the input of family members this time around. Classic comfort food is what Deen and family do best, and in that respect this collection doesn't disappoint: dishes like Beefy French Onion Soup, Caesar salad, Michael's Navy Bean and Ham Hock Soup, Carrie's Bacon Creamed Spinach and a simple baked fish topped with a buttery mixture of lemon and green onion are surefire hits for cooks of all skill levels. Of course, it wouldn't be a Deen production if there weren't some serious bacon-, dairy- and mayonnaise-based dishes involved; artery cloggers include Candied Bourbon Bacon Bites, Croque Madame Casserole and indulgent Deluxe Twice-Baked Potatoes with Shrimp. Shockingly, Deen devotes a whole chapter to healthy food, including Red Pepper-Balsamic Dip, Easy Poached Salmon and a Spicy Chicken and Green Chile Chili that'll give hearts and waistlines a well-deserved break before Deen carts out the Coconut Cream Bread Pudding with Chocolate Velvet Sauce.

April 15, 2009
Is there anyone still left out there who doesnt know the ever-ebullient Paula Deen? This Savannah restaurateur appears all over television and has even garnered a movie role. Somehow, she still finds time to generate cookbooks. In her newest effort, she draws heavily on recipes from her large extended family. Her sons, who appear with their mother regularly, have started families of their own, and readers now meet a whole host of aunts, uncles, cousins, and other kin, each of whom seems to have a magic touch in the kitchen. Son Bobby contributes a healthy baked chicken with lime and mustard. Niece Corrie reaches outside the southern tradition for some Thai-inspired dishes. Aunt Peggys meat loaf boosts the classic hamburger-and-oatmeal version. Friend Katie Lee Joel offers a pumpkin pancake. Alan Richardsons photos of the Deen family enhance the intimate, homey atmosphere.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)