by
Jill Conner Browne It all started when a friend said you've just got to get that new Sweet Potato Queens’ cookbook. "I don't remember the last time I laughed out loud while reading a book," she said. My first thought was what could be so funny about a cookbook devoted to sweet potatoes written by some beauty queen. Boy, was I wrong. After buying the cookbook, I quickly realized I just had to have the other two books as well. These are the three funniest books I’ve read in a very long time.
The Sweet Potato Queens (SPQ), led by Jill Conner Browne, started out 20 years ago as a group of Southern “belles gone bad†who decided to participate in Jackson, Mississippi’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. Today, there are over 2000 SPQ all over the world. In fact, the three books reveal their true stories, “much to the chagrin of" their “Collective Mothers.†Sprinkled among these hilarious tales are just the right recipes to suit your mood.
These are my kind of recipes. You know you can’t go wrong when the four major food groups for the Queens are “sweet, salty, fried and au gratinâ€. If the recipes don’t have a couple of sticks of butter then there’s at least a pound of bacon in them. Nearly all of the recipes are quick and easy to make too. Just be sure you have plenty of real vanilla on hand when you make the dessert recipes. Almost every one has a “heaping†teaspoon-full of vanilla in them.
I’ve given so many of the cookbooks as gifts that I’ve lost count. But these books may not be for everyone. In fact, if these books were in the library at Hogwarts they would be in the restricted section. I would say the typical reader is at least 40 years old or got married very young. Typically, it would be a woman, but not necessarily. My husband has loved some of the passages I’ve read to him. (He especially can’t wait for March 29th to come around again.) Someone who doesn’t take everything, especially themselves, too seriously would really enjoy these books.
When you read Jill Conner Browne’s Sweet Potato Queen books, you need to be prepared to laugh and to cry. Most importantly, you need to be prepared to be comforted. The recipes are the ultimate in comfort food. Now it’s your turn to be comforted. Enjoy!
Favorite Quotes:
“Say it loud: We’re fat and proud.â€
“Chocolate is the main staple of sedative food â€" the undisputed queen of all the comfort foods.â€
“Menopause is yet another reason to start a trust fund for yourself while you're young. Being crazy costs a lot.â€
Look out for these:
“The Promiseâ€
“Water Buffaloingâ€
“The Twelve Steps of Getting Old and Fatâ€
Recipes I’ve tried: Catsh-t Cookies (My chiropractor was thrilled when I brought these by. He’s got three women in his office and one is pregnant.), Linda’s Killer Cake with No Apples (It was a hit at my Secret Pal’s luncheon.), Miss Lexie’s Pineapple Casserole (very surprising) and Death Chicken (My family loved it.)
Recipes I’m dying to try: Chocolate Stuff (the ultimate Queenly comfort food), Trevor’s Famous F & M Patio Jambalaya, Atlanta Allelujah! (Chocolate cake concoction), Sweet Potato Biscuits, Sissy Mae’s Sweet and Salties, Pig Candy (you won’t believe what’s in this one), Queen Dip, Yam Yomp, Chocolatopoulous and Stinky Bread (a garlic, mozzarella cheese bread that makes me happy just reading the recipe. I’m planning to serve it this week with a salad and call it dinner.)
