I learned something new today!  Did you know that the Duchess of Windsor wrote a cookbook filled with 140 of her favorite Southern Recipes?  I had no idea that the infamous American divorcee who shook up the British Throne had such a charming domestic side! The book was published in 1942 by Charles Scribner's Sons, and the royalties from the book were donated to the British War Relief Society.  Eleanor Roosevelt wrote the introduction!

Town & Country Magazine published her recipe for Fried Chicken and I think I need to give it a try!

You can order a copy by clicking here.

If you aren't into this recipe, click here for a list of Southern Living's favorite Fried Chicken Recipes.

Want to know if there is a polite way to eat fried chicken?   Click here to watch my video. 

Veggie Time!

I am so excited about my new Editor-At-Large status at Southern Living.  Did you know that MyRecipes.com has a lot of the Southern Living recipes?  They answered the question below about one of my favorite things to eat, steamed vegetables!

Is it true that microwaving vegetables is healthier than steaming them?

Believe it or not, microwaving vegetables actually preserves more nutrients – and flavor—than steaming.

The best way to microwave most vegetables is:

 * Cut them in evenly sized, fairly small (less than an inch) pieces

 * Toss or sprinkle with 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.

 * Cover loosely to trap the steam, which keeps the vegetables moist.

See our collection of Microwave Recipes for more tips and ideas for using the microwave. 

Turkey Time for the Tots!

My crafty and talented friend Heather Centurioni just invited my son, JR, and I over for a play date that promises to knock the task of finding a meaningful gift for my Thanksgiving Hosts off of my list.  I absolutely love her party concept so just had to share it with you!  Heather is inviting a group of friends over to make Turkey Aprons with our little ones!  Here are her steps and suggestions:
1. Invite your friends for a playdate and ask each to bring an apron or two.  She suggests shopping for light colored aprons in both adult and child sizes at craft stores.  In other words, the party is BYOA!
2. Ask each person to sign up to bring a color of fabric craft paint.  Heather is going to provide the brown paint for the "turkey" but the feather colors will be brought by each of the guests.  Her guests will bring red, yellow, orange or any other colors that they feel should be added to the turkey!
3.  Heather has a "craft room" at her home so her party will take place there but you might want to clear a spot in your kitchen or rec-room to host your friends. Heather is also going to provide the "puffy paints" needed to accent the apron.
4. Here are the steps to make the apron:
-Lay out the aprons
-paint the palm and thumb of your tot with brown paint using a sponge or paint brush (this will be the body, head and neck of the turkey).
- paint each finger a different color (these will be the feathers!)
-press your childs hand down on the apron so that it "stamps" the apron.
-using puff paint, draw stick legs, beak, and wattle on the turkey.
-glue a "googly eye" onto the turkey.
-using puff paint, write the name of the "artist" and the date and any other you might want to include such as the recipient of your wonderful gift!

While the aprons are drying, you can have a cookie decorating party too!  Check out these amazing cookies that Heather shared with me.  She came up with the idea because she had so many candy corns left over from Halloween! For more of Heather's ideas and inspirations, check out her blog.

The Grill Guru!

My dear friend Melanie Peskett has taught many classes on grilling so I asked her to share some of our tips with us!  They are great!  For private lessons with this fantastic cooking instructor, email goodsquaremeals@att.net.

• low heat (200-275)- you can hold your hand 5" above thick ash covered  coals 5 or more secs.

• good for grilling fruit

• medium (325)   you can hold your hand 4 secs.
• cook fish to 120, 10 mins per inch total time or until just opaque. cook skin side down
• cook pork to 160, if it's an inch thick, about 4-5 mins per side 

•  beef tenderloin- very rare 10-12 mins, rare 12-15 med rare 15-17, med 18-23 per side
• lamb chops- rare 4-5 mins, med rare 6 mins, med 6-7, well done 8+ per side
• medium hot (350)  you can hold your hand 5" above coals  with bits of red glow 3 secs.
• cook chicken breasts to 180, boneless 6-8 mins, bone-in 10-12 mins per side
• cook pork tenderloin to 160, 9-13 minutes per side
• lobster 10-15 mins, tails 6-8 mins total time
• shrimp 2-4 minutes depending on size total time
• hot (375)  you can hold your hand 5" above glowing red coals 2 secs.
• steak 1"  very rare 4-5 mins, rare 5-6 mins (130-135), med rare 7 mins (145), med 7-8 mins (155), well done 10+mins (165) per side
• flank steak (fajitas) very rare 3-4 mins, rare 4-5 mins (130-135), med rare 5-6 mins (145), med not  recommended  per side
• hamburger very rare and rare not recommended, med rare 5 mins, med 6 mins, well done 7+mins per side

Cooking times are approximate! It depends on the temperature of the food and how far away it is from the fire, wind and air temp.

Best grill tip: oil your grill before cooking. Take a paper towel, fold it up in a small square, saturate it with cooking oil and grab it with your tongs and wipe down your grill rack. you can also do this with a basting brush.

Christmas Entertaining on a Budget

I know you want to continue to entertain through out the holidays even though we are all on tight budgets so here are a few tips to help you shine this Christmas season with out breaking the bank. Here are a few of my tips:

1. Create a simply stunning centerpiece: Fill any glass bowl or open top vase with a favorite festive item such as simple solid ornaments or candy canes. They will last all season long. For a special occasion, top your cylinder vases that are filled with goodies with a sphere of flowers. Solid red carnations from the floral department at Tom Thumb are an affordable way to make a dramatic statement with your flowers (I can get you a photo of this if you like it).

2. Set the tone with tea lights: Candles are a great way to evoke nostalgic memories during the holidays. Purchase a bag of little tea lights. Wrap 1/2 wide ribbon that will match your decor (I like the warmth of velvet ribbons during the holiday season) around the edge of the tea lights and secure with double stick tape. Scatter them around your table top for or across your mantles for maximum impact at minimum expense.

3. Cook in Batches: Make a few breakfast or lunch casseroles that you can freeze and serve when needed. It will take the stress out of feeding out of town guests in the morning. Plus, buying in bulk can really stretch a budget. Tom Thumb offers value packs on all their O Organic products etc. Imagine how easy it will be to pull out your casserole, heat it up; add coffee and juice to your table and you have a breakfast feast in three steps! Be sure you let your casseroles cool completely before putting them in the freezer.

4. Be unique with your guest book: Set a bowl or basket of simple and inexpensive solid ornaments and a few paint pens out by the door. Ask your guests to decorate and sign an ornament and then hang it on your tree. It will give them something fun to do, get them in to your home to mingle and you will have a lasting memory of their visit to hang on your tree every year.

5. Make shopping a family affair: Include your kids on your trips to the store. Tom Thumb has thousands of new everyday low prices and great weekly Reward Card specials on items across the store! Their new yellow shelf tags show the old price crossed out and the new everyday low price. It is a great feeling to see your savings right before your eyes! If your kids are along, you can turn the tags into a fun math game.

6. Save Time and Money Shopping: One Stop shopping not only saves you time and money but also your sanity during the holidays. Tom Thumb not only has every thing you need but has reduced prices all across the store- it will save you both time and money. I love the peace of mind that comes along with knowing that I am getting the best price when I see what I am saving on their yellow price tags.

7. Stock up on your shopping trip: Every busy mom needs to make the most of their shopping trip. Stock up on all the everyday items you may need. For quick on the go meals, Tom Thumb has great O Organics products and an Eating Right line. Buying private label brands at Tom Thumb is a great way to save but not skip out on quality.

8. Host a Dessert Party: Hosting a Dessert Party is a great way to keep on your budget during the holidays. Start your party at 8:30 or 9, after your guest list has already been to the office Christmas party or had a family dinner, and you can host them for dessert. One quick trip to the bakery at Tom Thumb and all of your food is taken care of! A variety of the sweet treats in the bakery, a pre-cake, cookie trays, and pastries, are tasty and easy. Serve the treats on your best trays and cake plates. Tom Thumb has all of this in a one stop shop, including wine to pair with your pastries!

9. Decorate with Rosemary: Purchase two small Rosemary trees at Tom Thumb and cover their containers in a row of Candy Canes by using a glue stick and tying a green ribbon around them. Place them on each side of the mantle for a festive look and the aroma is amazing! Sprigs or rosemary and candy canes are also great accents on a serving tray, attached to the bow on a gift or at someone's place setting.

10. Gift wrap with ease: Wrap a few gifts every day instead of waiting until the last minute. Leave the ribbons off of the packages until you are ready to deliver or ship them. That you can stack up your gifts without messing up the bow! I love to keep the Christmas Cards that people send me. When I do my gift wrapping I use last year’s cards as gift tags by cutting out either a lovely message from the inside of the card or a pretty image from the front of the card. I punch a whole into it and tie it to my package. It is a great way to recycle last year’s cards!

Drinks with Dash

I love serving a signature drink at my soirees. It isn't always easy to come up with the appropriate refreshment but with the help of Louise Pickford's new book, Cool Drinks for Hot Days, you will always have the perfect recipe! There are all sorts of twists on the classic Iced Tea as well as festive and colorful drinks that are sure to please any guest. The photography is beautiful and will inspire you to serve your specialty with flare.

Hamburger Soup for your SuperBowl guests...

This fantastic recipe is from my fun friend Gigi whose mama makes it back in Georgia!  We can't get enough at  my house but it is honestly a great meal for a house full of football fans.

2 pounds of ground sirloin - I like to the 90% fat free

Cut up four pieces of bacon for seasoning - This is optional but it adds great flavor

Half a bag of frozen okra

1 large can of niblet white corn

1 large can of Veg All

1 bag of frozen picksweet English peas

1 and a half cans of Hunts tomato sauce

All all of the ingredients to a big pot and bring it to a boil.  Cover it and let it simmer for as long as you need.  Add salt and pepper to taste and add half a teaspoon of sugar.  Gigi loves to spice things up so she serves it with her favorite hot sauce called Red Hot.  It really gives it a kick!

Enjoy!

Culinary Kate

Looking for something Savory or Sweet?  Look no further than Culinary Kate!  Katie Lee Joel's new cookbook, The Comfort Table, is filled with fantastic southern recipes inspired by her grandmother's cooking.  You will not believe how delicious every single recipe is!  We have already tried tons of them at home but my favorite is the asparagus and green bean salad with pine nuts...yum yum.

Brian Bolke of Forty Five Ten introduced me to Katie and we are pictured here at the luncheon he so graciously hosted to honor my charity, The Lola Fund, and introduce Katie to Dallas.  After feasting on a delicious lunch made from

 Katie's recipes at the T room, our thirty guests walked across the street to the Viking showroom and Katie did a fantastic cooking demonstration for us.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it!  Thanks Brian and Katie!