This cookbook had some really great recipes. The recipes were easy to understand and not too complicated for the average cook. I enjoyed the illustrations and look forward to making these recipes for years to come.

Pretty pictures but that's about it. Yall I'm from New Orleans and this is book ain't it. It's full of fancy schmancy, frou frou recipes that will cost a fortune to put together. That's not how Southern cooking is supposed to work.

I love cookbooks, and I liked this one. I'm not familiar with the author, and I think her fans will enjoy this more than I did. The photography was beautiful, and like many modern cookbooks, I think we could have a few less family and background photos and more food photos.

There's quite a bit of "filler" up front. I think the tone was supposed to be sassy but came off kind of judgmental. The filler section includes some unnecessary sections on:
1. House cleaning rules: even if I agree with some of it, it's brash. Any good southern woman knows it's more important to have space for friends to gather than for it to be spotless. Also, I would never use a spray on my stove, but maybe hers isn't gas.
2. Hostess tips: I kind of get why this might be included in a southern cookbook, but I'm not keeping beverages stocked for people who might come by. (But I will stock some things for guests I am expecting.) My friends know I don't drink juice boxes or soda; if ya picky, bring your own.
3. Houseplants: C'mon. No.

There is a very good section on knife cuts and "vocab" (that's vocabulary related to cooking.) And I laughed at the "Bacon" in the well-stocked pantry section. The recipes look interesting but I don't think this is for the beginner cook, and some recipes might be hard to work with for people outside her region of the south.

It is way too easy to fall in love with Kelsey Barnard Clark's Southern Grit. From the design to the selection and organization of recipes, the Top Chef winner takes the reader into her version of Southern Hospitality with recipes that feed your family, your friends, your soul. I think my heart started to flutter at the opening advice sequence - the crafting of routines to simplify your everyday life to make time for cooking real and delicious food. See, this hits my theory that a good cookbook is approachable and offers achievable outcomes - small victories for combining ingredients and following directions. Southern Grit is a great cookbook because you will feel like a winner as soon as you start cooking or taking a tip from a woman who shows you how it is done - how to be prepared for successful cooking and entertaining. With pruners in her car for emergency floral cuttings and cocktail napkins stashed away for any celebration, KBC is prepared. Pantry items secured and mise en place set, everything falls into place.

This is a must-buy cookbook with seasonal recipes and reminders to get ready for every moment of your life. You don't want to miss out on making memories or spending time with those you love, and making these recipes will inspire traditions. And here's the best part - and I will swear to this on a stack of first edition books signed by the author - KBC's cornbread recipe is the best I have ever baked. The food in this book is extraordinary. I'll say it again - KBC's Southern Grit is approachable and delicious.

Southern Grit: 100+ Down-Home Recipes for the Modern Cook is a cookbook full of southern (American) traditional recipes developed and curated by Kelsey Barnard Clark. Due out 10th Aug 2021 from Chronicle Books, it's 256 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

I grew up in Appalachia and this food is in my DNA. There is something so deeply satisfying and tasty about the cuisine which is also tied up for me with family reunions, hospitality, multi-generational cooking and comfort. The author has a very casual voice and style of writing, but behind the (slightly) folksy tone, she's competent and efficient. These are *good* recipes, some from her own family's repertoire and for fans of southern cooking, there's a lot to like here.

The book includes a good general pantry, ingredients, and equipment lists and an introduction with basic tips for preparation, entertaining, and other hostess-y necessities. The intro section comprises about 15% of the total page count but does include a lot of useful info. The recipes are arranged in chapters thematically: small bites & drinks, greens (including a simple quick pickled salad which I remember very well from my grandmother's kitchen), potatoes grains & pasta, seafood, eggs & poultry, pork & beef, and breads & pastries. Recipes include a description yields and prep time. Ingredients are listed bullet style in a sidebar with measurements in American standard units with metric measures in parentheses (yay!!). Ingredients will be readily available in most well stocked grocery stores in North America. Nutritional information is not included. Alternative preparations and cooking tips are included in highlighted text bars in the recipes. Many of the recipes struck me as just that little bit fancier than "everyday" and would make good company/light entertaining, Sunday dinner type food.

The photography throughout the book is abundant, in color, and crystal clear. Serving suggestions are attractive and appetizing.

Four stars. This would make a good selection for library acquisition, expat southerners hankering for food that feeds their souls, and home cooks looking for new cuisine to explore.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Despite the subtitle, the recipes in Southern Grit seem to me to be a little more upscale Southern than "down-home". Still, there are a lot of delicious choices here… from appetizers like Pimiento Cheese and Cheese Straws to entrees like Roast Chicken and Quiche and desserts (of course!) like Icebox Cookies and Cream Cheese Pound Cake. The book is beautifully illustrated with color photos, but as a visual person, it’s always a little disappointing that every recipe does not have at least a photograph of the finished product. There’s no nutritional info, but southern food never promised to be healthy. It’s nice that Southern Grit’s recipes do not rely on processed foods. The beginning of the book, with its cleaning, hosting hints, and plant care seems a bit pretentious and out of place in a cookbook. But I did like the inclusion of the knife skills, kitchen tools, and canning sections, which offered a lot of useful info.

I am so grateful to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the opportunity to read and review Southern Grit: 100+ Down Home Recipes for the Modern Cook.

One thing I'm always concerned with in a Cookbook with 'Southern' anywhere in the title is "How much butter will be in these recipes?".

The good news here is that there is about the normal amount of butter used for traditional home cooking recipes. So that's good.

The photographs in the book are simply gorgeous! Exactly what you would think of for a Southern Home photo shoot. I wish my house and gardens and cooking looked just like these photos! I'm simply in love with them.

I also enjoyed the way this cookbook is laid out and all of the helpful hints at the beginning. Showing what different chops (small, large) look like, providing examples and explanations of cooking terms, recommendations for the best cooking tools and such. All really helpful.

Now on to the recipes.

For the most part, the ingredients are mostly things that you have on hand (except maybe chicken livers-yuck!) or can easily get at the grocery store. Always a plus.

The recipes are easy to read and follow and there doesn't look to be any difficult techniques that need to be mastered.

The best way I can describe these recipes is that they remind me of dishes that would be served in a big ole' Southern Plantation House. I can imagine a huge table, with lots of family around and dishes-a-plenty all throughout the table. These are fancier type of dishes and are what I would think of as old-fashioned Southern Dishes.

Nothing at all wrong with that but just not my style of cooking or eating. But I can totally get down with the dessert section!!

If fancy Southern dishes are what you like to eat, then this Cookbook should definitely be in your collection as it is simply beautiful!

Thank you to #Chronicle and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The cookbook provides a variety of recipes. I am looking forward to some of the breakfast selections for sure. There are many southern staples and some hints/tricks for canning. In Southern Grit, Kelsey Barnard Clark presents more than 100 recipes that are made to be shared with family and friends. Indulge your loved ones in delicious modern Southern meals, including Bomb Nachos, Savannah Peach Sangria, Roasted Chicken and Drippin' Veggies, and six variations of Icebox Cookies. There are 100 recipes in all. Just a few of these are Alabama Salad with Cucumber Skin Green Goddess Dressing; Smoke Gouda Grits with Redeye Gravy; Girl Boss Steak with Confit Onions and Mushrooms; and Beeb’s Blackberry Cobbler. The photographs in the book are simply gorgeous! Exactly what you would think of for a Southern Home photo shoot.

If you are looking for some southern cooking you could give this one a try.

Thank you to #Chronicle and #NetGalley for making this book available for review

Having followed Kelsey Barnard Clark for a few years, I was pleased to see this cookbook come through. The recipes are straightforward without a great number of specialty ingredients, and the narratives that accompany each recipe are worth reading.

At times, KBC's stories and narratives surprised me - in a good way - such as her forceful and honest comments about the history of slavery and the importance of African American food traditions and history, which accompany the recipe she shares for potlikker (along with a recommendation to the reader to refer to Edna Lewis and Dora Charles). I appreciate that she made an effort to center lived experience that she learned from.

This would make a valuable addition to any collection for people who want to learn to cook straightforward Southern food.

I would describe this as modern Southern. It is not exactly recipes your granny would make, but they are not so far off that she would be offended.

This cookbook offers classic Southern recipes with a fresh twist. I am a Southerner, born and bred, and several of these recipes, especially the baked cheese grits, red velvet cake, and black eyed peas made me want to lick the screen of my iPad. I would absolutely buy this cookbook for my collection.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.

I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful pictures, great stories, yummy recipes,

Thank you to the author, netgalley, and publisher for a copy of this cookbook in exchange for honest feedback. This cookbook is chopped full of lots of recipes. I think you definitely would get your money's worth with this book. The photography is high quality. I also loved the range of food types, even under the umbrella of "southern grit".

This beautifully illustrated cookbook may well leave readers feeling hungry. It is divided into sections including Happy Hour Bites & Sips; Greens; Potatoes, Grains & Pasta; Seafood; Eggs & Poultry; Pork & Beef; and Breads & Pastries, so…pretty much everything. There are 100 recipes in all. Just a few of these are Alabama Salad with Cucumber Skin Green Goddess Dressing; Smoke Gouda Grits with Redeye Gravy; Girl Boss Steak with Confit Onions and Mushrooms; and Beeb’s Blackberry Cobbler. Sound good? Give this one a look and get cooking.
Note that this book includes sections on everything from stocking the pantry to knife skills in addition to the recipes.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.
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Welcome to another #cookbookSunday y’all! This Sunday is all about my girl Kelsey Barnard Clark. If y’all didn’t know, she is the winner of Top Chef 16 and from my hometown of Dothan, Alabama. Her cookbook, Southern Grit, hits stores in August but you can preorder here or here*.

When I first started reading this cookbook, I felt right at home. She starts out talking about the items that should always be in your pantry, as well as, the chef’s tools you need in your kitchen. She even shows you what the different knife cuts are, as she does refer to them quite often throughout the cookbook. In true Southern fashion, she also has a section on canning (because you can’t call yourself Southern if you don’t know about canning).

The introduction section continues with hostess tips, keeping your house clean with or without toddlers running around, baking terms, and how to have a green thumb. It makes this cookbook more valuable, in my opinion, to include the information she has in the introduction. It definitely is a book I would have on my shelf and use in the kitchen.

Now, let’s get into the sections:

Happy Hour Bites and Sips- She starts out this section with one of my all-time favorite snacks, Boiled Peanuts! Who am I kidding? Boiled peanuts can be my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If y’all didn’t know, Dothan is considered the peanut capital of the world so her cookbook would not be complete without a boiled peanut recipe. I teared up a little when she told the story of the “Boiled Peanut Man” at the corner of Ross Clark Circle and Main Street. We also used to frequent his stand as children. He was there rain or shine and had the best hot boiled peanuts. He also had the biggest peanuts, with some of the shells including 4 or 5 peanuts. He’s no longer with us but a replica peanut sits in his place.

As for the other recipes in this section, they are the perfect mix of Southern comfort and upscale. A few recipes I have had before due to my time in a professional kitchen at an interactive dining restaurant ( I was the occasional sous chef, Iron Chef competition chef, as well as, the Director of Sales, and office manager).

I think y’all will love to try the pantry plate of fried pickled okra, cheese straw crackers, pepper jelly, black-eyed pea hummus, and pimento cheese. I’m not a drinker so the Meyer Lemon Lemonade stands out for my non-drinkers but it’s the perfect drink to add a little liqa’ if you so choose.

Greens- This section has a lot of things that I’m not sure I would like or make. There are a few items that stand out though that I think would be a great addition to your kitchen table: black-eyes peas with greens and potlikker and fried cornbread, Conecuh collards and Alabama “spinach” dip, and pepper jelly Brussels sprouts; The quintessential Southern dishes that belong in your repertoire.

Potatoes, Grains, and Pasta- If you have ever had trouble making grits, this is the chapter for you. Kelsey graces us with not one, not two, but three different grits recipes. She also has what I like to call fancy Southern home cooking with the potlikker field pea risotto recipe.

Seafood- Even though I grew up on the “Gulf Coast” and live in New Orleans, I’m not a huge fan of seafood. I do know that if you like raw oysters, this section will make your day. Oh, and the West Indies crab salad looks so simple and freakin delicious.

Eggs and Poultry- To me, this section hits all the right Southern spots. It’s got the fried chicken, cast iron chicken, deviled egg variations, chicken wings, duck, and quiche. The recipe that stands out to me though is the breakfast casserole. Kelsey talks about making this dish on Christmas morning and it just so happens that my little sister, Colie, made this dish last Christmas morning. We never ate breakfast on Christmas and had to wait until at least 1 pm or 2 pm to eat anything on Christmas morning. This recipe seems like the perfect addition to create a new Christmas tradition.

Pork and Beef- Most of the meat recipes I want to try come from this section ( I talk about them below). This section also has a venison chili that Chad’s dad would love to make. You will not be disappointed in the recipes but I will say that some of the recipes call for more steps than most home cooks are used to.

Breads and Pastries- I’m a baker so this section of course is my fav. The stories she shares for some of them, especially the red velvet cake, hit me in the feels. The story about how she came up with the key lime crunch for Top Chef is absolutely worth reading. Every recipe in this section is one y’all should try your hand at.

Recipes I Can't-Wait to Make

Cast-Iron Barbecue Chicken- Who doesn’t love dishes made in a cast-iron?

Roasted Chicken and Drippin Veggies- I plan to make this recipe this week with cornish hens. It looks and sounds so yummy. Not to mention, it is a one-pan dish.

Skillet Baby Back Ribs with Szechuan Barbecue Sauce- Ribs I don’t have to do on the grill is always a win.

Cuban Braised Pork Butt- You know because my boo is Cuban.

KBC Country Fried Steak- I was shocked when I saw this recipe because we grew up with this dish. I never would have thought to call it country-fried steak. I can’t wait to incorporate my mom’s way of making this and Kelsey’s way.

Sorghum and Pecan Sweet Potatoes- Sweet potatoes and pecans just belong together. I typically stick to baked sweet potatoes or sweet potato pie but this recipe just might become my go-to sweet potato recipe.

Smashed Crispy Potatoes- Chad (my boo) has made a version of this before so it joins the list, just to see if they come out as good as his.

Street Corn- Most street corn includes mayo, which I can not stand. Kelsey offers two versions, one with mayo for the skillet version and non-mayo for the grilled on the cob version. I feel like she made this recipe just for me.

Conecuh Collards and Alabama “Spinach” Dip- A dip made with collard greens is always a yes. This recipe calls for mayo but I think I would switch that to cream cheese.

Potlikker Field Pea Risotto- Like I said above, fancy Southern food. I love a fancy meal but the addition of the field peas, reminds me of my grandmother’s kitchen. What a lovely combination of the things I love.

All the recipes in the bread and pastries section.

Rating

Overall, this cookbook gets 4.5 spatulas. Some of the recipes are a little more involved than I would like so I took .5 off. This cookbook will definitely help you tell more stories and create some incredible memories just like Kelsey has. Do buy and use this cookbook; it would be a shame to have it go to waste on your bookshelf.

I love cookbooks and this one delivered. If you are like me, you were introduced to Kelsey on Top Chef. So many of these recipes were hits at home including: Bomb Nachos, Bee's Fried Chicken, Cast Iron BBQ Chicken Legs,and Key Lime Pie. There is something for everyone in here. Thank you to the publisher and author for sending me an E-Arc on Netgalley.

I enjoyed Kelsey Barnard Clark’s first cookbook, Southern Grit. Having lived in south Alabama, it is littered with things you find everywhere there: boiled peanuts, lots of seafood and a wide variety of cocktails. I know the first section of the cookbook won’t appeal to everyone, but I think it sets Clark’s cookbook apart from other and will appeal to the target audience. I would imagine the target audience is people who have followed Clark on Top Chef, as well as readers of Southern Living. These readers appreciate good Southern food, as well as lifestyle topics, such as creating a good home environment. I purchased a few candles after reading this because Clark is right: living with toddlers, it is nice to light a candle to make your home smell nicer and provide a little aromatherapy.

I think this section also shows Clark is a chef who appreciates the importance of growing your own food if that is an option. It’s a common trend now but an important one. Chefs who are able to grow their own food have a closer tie to their food—they saw it through every stage to your plate (hence, the phrase “farm to table”). There is something to be said for that—and I know not every chef is able to do this, such as those who live in an apartment in New York City. I believe even these chefs would admit that cultivating close relationships with local farmers is extremely important.

As far as the meat of the cookbook, Clark really opens up about her personal life—her heritage, her family’s influence on her cooking and more information on her husband and her pride as a mother. These are all things that make her even more likable. In all, the cookbook contains more than 100 recipes, some of them including variations because Clark recognizes that making a big slab of meat is an ideal Southern meal but can be challenging for working moms. In that way, I found the section on stocking your pantry helpful and most of the ingredients are easily accessible.

I’ve tested a fair number of the recipes and found most of them to be tasty and definitely distinctly Southern—this really isn’t a book for vegetarians, even though there is an entire chapter dedicated to greens.

I did have a few small quibbles. I personally did not care for the recipe for ‘Smoked’ Wings. It was a little too much of a salt bomb for me and my family. It’s a small complaint, but I think the recipe would have benefited from pre-mixing the rub, instead of sprinkling each ingredient over the chicken. This is something I learned from Milk Street. I end up with 20 dishes to wash, but it is so worth it. It’s something I would do if I were to make it again. I also found that the baking time on the Blackberry Cobbler was a little too short for my oven. That said, ovens are finicky, so I didn’t count that as any big problem. In fact, that’s exactly why most recipes say 12-15 minutes, instead of one square figure. Even 20 minutes was not enough for me, but this is really nitpicking.

All in all, we really enjoyed a number of recipes. In particular, I actually enjoyed the Blackberry Cobbler and Potato Salad. Both brought back bits of nostalgia. The Blackberry Cobbler calls for a large amount of butter, which is so quintessentially Southern. The crust tastes delicious. The Potato Salad is such a thing I imagine with Southern potlucks/picnics, and this rendition is super tasty, brought back a lot of memories of potlucks in the South with good food, good people and good conversation. In short, that is kind of the essence of this cookbook: good Southern food for you to make for family and close friends while enjoying a good time.

A love a cookbook with Southern recipes, and this cookbook seems the perfect blend of recipes for entertaining as well as more casual, weeknight dinner options. As with all Chronicle book titles, the photography is also fantastic. Would highly recommend!

Thank you to Chronicle Books and Kelsey Barnard Clark for providing me with an advanced copy of this work in exchange for an honest review. Southern Grit comes out on August 10.

Southern Grit was more than a cookbook. It was a visit back to my childhood via food. The pictures, stories and recipes themselves created a great deal of nostalgia for me. Some of the recipes were familiar and similar to those I knew growing up. While other recipes were a new and fresh addition to my arsenal. I look forward to trying more of these recipes soon.

This recipe book is one I'll definitely be buying for others. It will be a wonderful addition to any library.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Southern Grit by Kelsey Barnard Clark is no mere technical manual but a recipe book with heart. Deceptively simple, each delicious recipe is accompanied by a brief story. For many of us, favorite recipes are associated with warm memories of people, places and events. This author invites us to share her memories while capturing their essence perfectly. I laughed when I read the story behind the Golf Cart Cinnamon Rolls. When was the last time that you read a recipe book an laughed out loud?

The author’s use of base recipes, such a seemly basic concept, is pure genius. A few of my favorites from her base recipes are the deviled eggs, muffins, and refrigerator cookies. Packed with gorgeous photos of most of the dishes, just skimming this book will make you want to run right to the pantry and refrigerator to check your ingredients and start whipping up several recipes.

This author shows us that good food does not have to be complicated. This well-thumbed book will sit on my counter ready for daily use. (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.)