Blue Ribbon Baking From A Redneck Kitchen


Blue Ribbon Baking From A Redneck Kitchen by Francine Bryson immediately caught my eye because it's all about two of my favorite things: old fashioned Southern cooking, and desserts! I'd never heard of Francine Bryson or The American Baking Competition show, so I wasn't sure what exactly to expect, but I wasn't disappointed.

The description on the back reads:

"National pie champion, mom, homemaker, and self-proclaimed redneck, Francine Bryson won the hearts of bakers everywhere when she appeared on CBS’s The American Baking Competition and went on to become a finalist on the show. Known for her down-home Southern charm and sass (and for successfully pairing chocolate and peanut butter with bacon), Francine now shares her sought-after recipes and tips in her very first baking book.

“Here are the recipes and tricks I was taught by my Great-Granny, Granny, Nana, and Mama—the women who schooled me on the ways a Southern woman keeps a kitchen—and that I learned from twenty-plus years of competing on the baking circuit. Now you can bake up award-winning pies such as Upside-Down Apple Pie, fluffy Biscuits Like Nana Made, and irresistible treats like Soda Pop Cake and Classic Southern Lemon Bars—all so good they have made the rounds with the ladies at church, the bridge clubs, supper clubs, and mom groups for generations.”"

I grew up being raised by my grandparents, and my grandma did old fashioned cooking like this, so I was super excited to see these types of recipes. I have a thing for old recipes - I love cooking "vintage" food. It's fun and feels like a connection to the past. In fact, that's the best part about this book. Francine shares recipes from her grandparents that have been passed down for generations and generations. It's like getting back to your roots, in the kitchen. This book is just chock full of amazing dessert and baking recipes. The sections include: Pies; Cookies & Bars; Cakes Like Granny Made; Cheesecakes; Sunday Go-To-Meeting; Baked Goods To Show Off; Biscuits & Breads; and Candy & Truffles. I've already got a list a mile long of recipes that I can't wait to try! My favorite part of this book is that Francine includes a paragraph about each and every recipe, explaining where it came from, who she learned it from, memories about it, or how she created it. I love the personal touch it gives this book. My only complaint is that it doesn't have nearly enough pictures. It's very light on pictures, and I'm spoiled and I like to see a picture of every or nearly every recipe in a cookbook. Other than that, it's great! Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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