| | |  | Southern Cooking | Home » » » Paula Deen & Friends: Living It Up, Southern Style | | | | | | | Description: | | Sharing a delicious meal is everyone's favorite way of bringing together friends and loved ones. In her new cookbook, Paula Deen & Friends: Living It Up, Southern Style, Paula Deen -- author, restaurateur, and Food Network star -- turns to her friends to share their stories, ideas for entertaining Southern style, and, most important, more than 150 of the prized recipes they serve to their family and friends. With the trademark Southern charm that has made her beloved by fans everywhere, Paula's new book features delicious, down-home entertaining menus, with recipes that are guaranteed to be instant crowd-pleasers. Whether you're planning an intimate family dinner, hosting an elegant cocktail party, or feeding a hungry crowd for lunch, these mouthwatering meals are the perfect way to share any occasion with good friends -- and have fun doing it! From a tailgate picnic to a bridge supper, a christening to a camping trip, and a family dinner to an ice cream social, there are recipes to delight any gathering. Throw a down-home Birthday Bash with Beer-in-the-Rear Chicken, Bacon-Wrapped Grilled Corn on the Cob, and Buttermilk Pound Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream. Or host a casual Cookie Swap with friends and watch those Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes and Rolled Oatmeal Cookies disappear! An outdoor lunch wouldn't be complete without real Southern Fried Chicken and Buttermilk Corn Bread. And comfort foods like Quick Crab Stew, Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole, and Black Bottom Pie are soul-satisfying dishes that warm the heart and soothe the spirit. There are also recipes for refreshing cocktails and beverages, from the Southern traditional favorites, like Plantation Iced Tea and Mint Juleps, to Lemonade and Hot Cranberry Cider. Entertaining Southern style is about much more than the food; it's about spending time with the people you care about. Paula and her friends are the experts when it comes to creating delightful meals that are easy to prepare, so you, too, can relax and enjoy the fun with your guests. Each chapter is filled with helpful tips and time-saving techniques, as well as the memorable cooking stories that inspired Paula and her friends to create these recipes. You'll be inspired to share memorable meals and occasions with family and friends, as Paula Deen & Friends invites you to live it up, Southern style. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Paula Deen | | Hardcover:
| 224 pages | | Publisher:
| Simon & Schuster | | Publication Date:
| March 22, 2005 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0743267222 | | Product Length:
| 9.48 inches | | Product Width:
| 7.66 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.78 inches | | Product Weight:
| 1.41 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.2 inches | | Package Width:
| 7.5 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.9 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.1 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 70 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 70 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
130 of 132 found the following review helpful:
For big time Paula fans onlyMar 19, 2005
By changedmymind
"changedmymind"
If you are a true Paula Deen fan as I am, you will buy this book regardless. I don't think this one is near as good as her other cookbooks. There are alot of recipes provided by friends and peers, and a few repeats from previous cookbooks. And seems like several are more exotic than her normal downhome type of things. I always liked Paula's older recipes cause chances are you already had most of the ingredients already in the pantry. I know it would be hard for her to keep coming up with original recipes given her schedule, but I'd give my eye teeth for another book of solely Paula and her family's recipes of good old southern cooking.
If you watch Paula on tv and are looking for a good sampling of her work, pick up The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook
or Just Desserts and you'll turn to it time and time again. For true die-hard fans who already own the other three, you'll enjoy the intros and witty comments made by Paula throughout the book.
32 of 34 found the following review helpful:
 Duplicative and not true PaulaSep 20, 2005
By Lawyer Mike
"Lawyer Mike"
Let me say up front that I love Paula Deen and I have read and re-read her first two cookbooks many times. Many of the recipes I've tried from those books are outstanding. This book, however, takes a detour. As a starter, you will note that this is the first book Paula has written with somebody else. Although Paula's name is prominent on the cover to attract customers, there is actually a co-author. Second, the title is even more telling: Paula and Friends. When you get to the heart of the matter, this is not a Paula Deen cookbook; it's a collection of recipes from other people with Paula's name on the cover to sell books. Paula herself hints at this in the Introduction. She says her next book was coming due (multi-book contract I presume) so she was looking around for ideas and called a friend, who turned out to be the co-author. I get the impression Paula had to come up with a new book and didn't really have any new ideas after having already written three books.
As for the recipes themselves, some are just reprints of previous Paula recipes in a new format. What Paula does in this book is organize recipes by the type of function you're having. She provides complete menus for different types of gatherings. So many of her recipes aren't really new. And like I said, most of the recipes in the book come from other people. Just from reading them, they look like decent recipes, but I'm not sure why this counts as a Paula Deen book. Unfortunately, this book seems more like merchandising than her earlier books. Maybe that is part and parcel of becoming a famous chef and cookbook author.
19 of 19 found the following review helpful:
 WONDERFUL for parties and special occasionsApr 13, 2005
By S. Carroll
What a WONDERFUL new book to add to our collections- THANK YOU Paula!
First off, there are a couple of reviews thus far that are simply unfair. Paula Deen does NOT use Chick-Fil-A chicken in her recipes- she recommended picking some up for a TAILGATE party.........most people do that. Nothing unusual.
And NO, she's not suggesting we eat this food everyday. Hope that clarifies for those who can't read.
This book gives wonderful recipes for get togethers and those special times you want to put on a good feast for dear friends and family. These are warm, down home dishes that are sure to please.
Reading this book is like being at one of her parties in person- JOB WELL DONE PAULA!
PS- I just met Paula and Michael at a book signing for this book. She's incredibly friendly and beautiful to her fans. Meet her if you get the chance. She's worth standing in line for!!!
20 of 21 found the following review helpful:
How to Know FOR SURE whether to buy this bookMar 10, 2006
By K. Corn
"reviewer"
First off, I love this book and I could go into the details of favorite recipes but I basically bought this book because:
1. I love Paula's show on tv, have made some of those recipes and like her casual, chatty style. Good food, nice presentation.
2. The book has menus and great recipes and the humorous writing of Paula herself. I really like cookbooks that contain slices of the cook's life, books which are as fun to read as to use. This one is. I love the Oatmeal cookies and her fried chicken is pure Southern cooking at its best. Nothing too fancy, just good, basic home cooking.
NOW, HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS BOOK:
This is one time when Amazon's "Search Inside the Book" function really helps you figure out if this book is for you. It is about as close to going into a bookstore and looking through an actual book as you are going to get - at least, while still online.
Take a look at the sample menus. Then take a look at the index, most (if not all) of which is featured in the "Search Inside the Book" function. That will give you a detailed list of recipes and menu ideas contained in this book. You'll also be able to look at the introduction and get a feel for Paula's writing and style. Reading this book is fun and when you are in the mood for cooking, these are some fine recipes!
Personal tastes differ, of course, and what one person finds delicious, others may not. But I think you'll find this book will up your chances of pleasing friends and family with delicious food. Not only does the author have a popular tv show but she has run a food business for years, one that has been successful and at least one of her sons worked in restaurants and BOTH of them grew up cooking with her. This means you'll be cooking food that has a proven track record for appeal and popularity.
15 of 15 found the following review helpful:
I'm surprised . . .Apr 09, 2005
By Q
I'm surprised to read the few poor reviews here - I have all of Paula Deen's books, but I've gotten more 'everyday' recipes from this one than all of the others combined! I felt like I was sticking post-it notes to every other page!
Yes, they're rich (it *is* Paula). Yes, she uses some convience foods (but just like the rest of us 'real-people' would - she's gone nowhere near Sandra Lee, thank goodness!). I love that she sets up menus and suggests appropriate occassions for these menus.
Her best yet, in my opinion.
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