(Holiday Gift Guide) The New Southern Cookbook is a Must-Have Book for Moms

In today's post, I want to tell you about the most amazing cookbook that I've ever come across - The New Southern Cookbook: Classic Family Recipes and Modern Twists on Old Favorites by a southern mom and daughter duo, Pam Wattenbarger and Brittany Wattenbarger.  This book is amazing because the authors intertwine stories about their lives in the south with fantastic recipes that span a range of classic family recipes to modern twists on old favorites. I also appreciate that they label whether recipes are dairy free, gluten free, nut free, vegetarian, or vegan.  This book is a must-have for everyone, especially moms of young children like me.

Let me tell you about a few highlights in this cookbook. The first is that this is not yet another Southern cookbook.  This cookbook stands out from the crowd because it covers the basic Southern recipes, but just as importantly, includes modern twists on old favorites.  For instance, I love fried chicken, but it's rare for me to eat it or feed it to my children. I won't claim to be a health nut because I think that I fall somewhere in the middle where I'm not going to binge on heavy foods, but I strongly believe that it's important to enjoy food with my family and to eat things in moderation for an enjoyable and healthy lifestyle. This cookbook is perfect for us because it includes classic recipes for when cravings hit, but also provides recipes such as Cheesy Baked Chicken Strips or Honey Lemon Grilled chicken fit our family well.  The cookbook is generously packed with many recipes that are perfect for our family!

Another thing that I love is that the authors share heartwarming stories about their lives with each recipe. It's fun to read and get to the know the authors of the fantastic recipes. Some of the stories resonated with me and even helped me to be a better mom. For instance, my oldest son has informally been on a breakfast strike. He wants every last minute of sleep and prefers to skip breakfast in favor of sleeping longer. It was a never ending struggle until I learned about the Bacon Cheddar Muffins in this cookbook (page 21)! He is now happy to eat breakfast.

Finally, moms will appreciate that every recipe is labeled to let you know whether it is  dairy free, gluten free, nut free, vegetarian, or vegan.  If you live in the south, you know that it's hard to find recipes that fall into these categories, so this cookbook is definitely worth buying because the authors are talented chefs who worked their magic to figure out amazing variations of recipes that appeal to people with various dietary concerns.  The recipes are also accessible to regular people since they are not overly complicated.  I wish that I would have had this book when my son was diagnosed with a dairy allergy. I remember feeling overwhelmed that he needed to go to the hospital and receive steroids for his life threatened condition that occurred after his dairy exposure.  Not only was I stressed about his health, but I really didn't know where to begin to find good dairy free recipes for him.  If I ever have friends or others that fall into a similar situation, I will quickly recommend The New Southern Cookbook because the authors make it easy to accommodate various dietary restrictions such as Celiac disease, dairy allergies, and nut allergies.  



The New Southern Cookbook: Classic Family Recipes And Modern Twists on Old Favorites is now available for order!