The Southern Bite Cookbook: 150 Irresistible Dishes from 4 Generations of My Family's Kitchen

I don't buy a lot of blog cookbooks but I've finally gotten around to checking out this one and I have to say there is nothing wrong here! Yes, some things like the "Top to Bottom Hot Ham Cheese Bread" aren't what I expected. Basically a sandwich on French bread with deli ham and cheese. "Two Ingredient Pepper Jelly" uses a jar of apple jelly with chopped jalapeno peppers (just buy the pepper jelly) - a bit simplistic for a blog cookbook and I just think he could have filled these spaces with something more interesting.Yes, there is heavy use of many different convenience products like envelopes of gravy mixes, packets of Ranch dressing, onion soup mix and seasoning blends, cake mix, baking mix, cornbread mix, drink mix, a variety of commercially jarred sauces & salsas, pre-made pie crusts, pre-blended shredded cheese, instant rice and LOTS of cream soups. BUT.... Southern cooks love those things, so get over it and make your own homemade replacements if that troubles you.Has he borrowed from other sources? Eh... possibly. While most Southerners share many common recipes, you may also recognize some of the not-so-common recipes as adaptations from other popular Southern bloggers you know, or other corporate sources from around the net... but they are just that. Stacey's interpretations. Sometimes those who blog recipes don't feel a need to reinvent the wheel, but an unfortunate part of that is they often fail to mention who inspired them too.Do some of the stories and recipe lead-ins seem familiar to you from other bloggers you know? That's likely, just simply because most Southerners do often share very common experiences. Are there recipes in here that aren't his, but from some of his readers? Yes. Quite a few (I was too lazy to count them), and while I personally would rather have seen Stacey make his own interpretations of those to make them his own, I understand his desire to bring some of his fans into the book.The bottom line is simple, quick and inexpensive seems to be Stacey's audience and niche and who can't use that these days, especially when you have kids at home to feed?! There's nothing really new here for me, but, if you are a fan of Southern Bite you'll really enjoy this cookbook. If you're a busy mom or dad trying to get something home cooked on the table pretty quick, instead of fast food or eating out often, then it's definitely for you too.

This a one great recipe book. I usually tab the recipes I want to make in a new cookbook. Well, I need to buy more tabs. They are all wonderful.

Stacey says it’s good; then it’s good. I loved this cookbook but sadly it is a gift so I will have to order it again!

This is going to be my go to for cooking. I have already made several recipes and they are easy and delicious.

I had not read much of Stacey's blog, but ordered this as it sounded like a good Amazon recommendation when I was buying another cookbook. I read some of the other reviews, which prompted me to take some time and write this one. If you're a foodie, no, this is not the cookbook for you. If you're looking for good, honest Southern recipes then you will enjoy this.As a fellow Southerner, I found myself noting recipes as I flipped through this book the first time. Several of these recipes will remind you of church potluck meals, family reunions etc. Are some of the recipes really simple? Yes. And I am no gourmet chef, so I sure appreciate a list of ingredients that I can actually find without going to 8 different supermarkets. Does it use a lot of shortcuts like cream of this or that soup? Yep! And to me, that's what I like about it, these are the kinds of recipes I can really use and not just save for some special occasion. It's real. It's stuff you CAN make on a weeknight after you get home. That's what I appreciate about it - it's not aspirational, it's simple stuff that you and your family can enjoy.Stacey's done a nice job pulling together some of the southern basics here, and it's good to have a simple reference guide to some of these tried and true recipes. If you're on the fence, I highly recommend this book.

I love cookbooks. I have hundreds of them. Usually I will get in a phase and buy cookbooks for the phase I am in. Right now, my phase is southern cuisine. This recipe book has a lot of recipes in it, but there was nothing that really made me excited. I didn't find any recipes that made me want to make them right now. I purchased another cookbook at the same time and had 6 different recipes that I am anxious to make. Don't let that scare you away from getting this book though as it does have a lot of recipes and your tastes and wow factors might be different than mine. One thing I wish that Amazon or the publishers would start doing is listing the recipes contained in books if possible. I think that would make it easier to determine if a cookbook has things of interest. I give this book a solid 4 stars as it is true to its title. I like that the book incorporates recipes that were submitted to the author. That is a cool way to do things and recognize other contributors. Would I buy this book again if it were the first time? Yes, but for the simple fact that I love cookbooks. This one will probably go on the shelf without much use though.

Well written. Exciting and imaginative recipes. Great addition to my cookbook library!!!