Includes sixty recipes for side dishes, entrees, muffins, bread, and cakes which use grits, and discusses such issues as whether the word "grits" is singular or plural, and why only people in the South eat grits

They've been called the "first truly American food." Simply put, grits are stone-ground corn, and they've been gaining popularity nationwide in America's most influential kitchens. These 101 inventive recipes show how to use grits at every meal.

Grits is a fascinating cultural history and examination of the current role of grits in Southern cuisine. For food writer Erin Byers Murray, grits had always been one of those basic, bland Southern table necessities—something to stick to your ribs or dollop the butter and salt onto. But after hearing a famous chef wax poetic about the terroir of grits, her whole view changed. Suddenly the boring side dish of her youth held importance, nuance, and flavor. She decided to do some digging to better understand the fascinating and evolving role of grits in Southern cuisine and culture as well as her own Southern identity. As more artisan grits producers gain attention in the food world, grits have become elevated and appreciated in new ways, nationally on both sides of the Mason Dixon Line, and by international master chefs. Murray takes the reader behind the scenes of grits cultivation, visiting local growers, millers, and cooks to better understand the South’s interest in and obsession with grits. What she discovers, though, is that beyond the culinary significance of grits, the simple staple leads her to complicated and persisting issues of race, gender, and politics.

More than 100 heirloom recipes from a dynamic chef and farmer working the lands of his great-great-great grandfather. From Hot Buttermilk Biscuits and Sweet Potato Pie to Salmon Cakes on Pepper Rice and Gullah Fish Stew, Gullah Geechee food is an essential cuisine of American history. It is the culinary representation of the ocean, rivers, and rich fertile loam in and around the coastal South. From the Carolinas to Georgia and Florida, this is where descendants of enslaved Africans came together to make extraordinary food, speaking the African Creole language called Gullah Geechee. In this groundbreaking and beautiful cookbook, Matthew Raiford pays homage to this cuisine that nurtured his family for seven generations. In 2010, Raiford’s Nana handed over the deed to the family farm to him and his sister, and Raiford rose to the occasion, nurturing the farm that his great-great-great grandfather, a freed slave, purchased in 1874. In this collection of heritage and updated recipes, he traces a history of community and family brought together by food.

"Breakfast shrimp and grits" has long been a staple of the South Carolina Lowcountry, the favored morning repast during the busy summer shrimp season. Now, renowned Southern cuisine maven and author Nathalie Dupree is pleased to offer an entire cookbook dedicated to this famed Southern dish that will inspire people around the world to discover its appeal and versatility for any meal! Shrimp and grits have emerged from their humble origins to become a signature for sophisticated Southern dining. The magical combination of shrimp and grits, whether for pre-dawn breakfast on a shrimp boat or as an entree in the finest New York restaurant can be deliriously wonderful. Nathalie Dupree, along with Marion Sullivan, present the most cherished and famous recipes for this lowcountry classic. Their colorful recipes and no-nonsense approach share essential tips about how much and what liquid to use, what kind of pan, and how long to cook grits, along with information about how to catch, clean, freeze and cook shrimp. Recipes include: BLT Shrimp and Grits Short-Cook Shrimp and Grits New Orleans-Style Grits Cakes with Shrimp and Tasso Plus a section of recipes for using grits in breads, crackers and desserts! "Dupree . . . advances the welcoming traditions of Southern hospitality." -Publishers Weekly

Suzanne McMinn, a former romance writer and founder of the popular blog chickensintheroad.com, shares the story of her search to lead a life of ordinary splendor in Chickens in the Road, her inspiring and funny memoir. Craving a life that would connect her to the earth and her family roots, McMinn packed up her three kids, left her husband and her sterile suburban existence behind, and moved to rural West Virginia. Amid the rough landscape and beauty of this rural mountain country, she pursues a natural lifestyle filled with chickens, goats, sheep—and no pizza delivery. With her new life comes an unexpected new love—"52," a man as beguiling and enigmatic as his nickname—a turbulent romance that reminds her that peace and fulfillment can be found in the wake of heartbreak. Coping with formidable challenges, including raising a trio of teenagers, milking stubborn cows, being snowed in with no heat, and making her own butter, McMinn realizes that she’s living a forty-something’s coming-of-age story. As she dares to become self-reliant and embrace her independence, she reminds us that life is a bold adventure—if we’re willing to live it. Chickens in the Road includes more than 20 recipes, craft projects, and McMinn’s photography, and features a special two-color design.

Welcome to the land of Shrimp, Collards & Grits! "The South is a place where tea is sweet and accents are sweeter, macaroni and cheese is a vegetable, front porches are wide and words are long. Buttermilk pie is a staple. Y'all is a proper noun. Chicken is fried and biscuits come with cream gravy. Everything is darlin' and someone's heart is always being blessed." --publisher Lydia Inglett and author and food columnist, Pat Branning, announce the release of her new book, Shrimp, Collards & Grits : Recipes, Stories and Art from the Creeks and Gardens of the Lowcountry. The book release coincides with the Beaufort, SC Tricentennial year.In addition to almost 200 Lowcountry recipes, the full color, coffee table cookbook features 150 fine art paintings by such noted Southern artists as Ray Ellis, Nancy Ricker Rhett, John Carroll Doyle and Joe Bowler among others.Advance Praise:"A charming storyteller who combines the unmistakable Southern cadence of stories swapped across the dinner table with delicious Southern recipes. You get generous servings of each and both are delicious!"- Nathalie Dupree, author of 10 cookbooks, founder, new Southern cooking movement and two-time James Beard Award winner.