A new focus for Sherry's Place

I’m going to try something new with Sherry’s Place. You all know I am a collector of cookbooks and my collection numbers well into the three digits. I’ve often joked that I could stack all of them together and have enough to form two columns reaching from the floor to the ceiling of my kitchen!

I have everything from the basic cookbooks found in most kitchens, to regional cuisine, vegetarian, to those focusing on bread, cakes, heart-healthy cooking, or recipes from famous inns. It is not uncommon when I travel, to find me in a bookstore, checking out cookbooks from that region.

I don’t just collect them. I use them. I love finding a new recipe to try.

So, for awhile, I’m going to feature a different cookbook here and post a recipe or two from it. Let me know what you think. You may just find a treasure that you can’t live without!

The Blue Willow Inn Bible of Southern Cooking, Over 600 Essential Recipes Southerners Have Enjoyed for Generations, by Louis and Billie Van Dyke, copyright 2005, is an extraordinary cookbook. It is one of those that just jumps at you from the shelf at the bookstore, screaming, “You can't live without me!”

Billie and Louis write, “Southern food means different things to different people. But what epitomizes Southern food is the ability to take modest fare – whatever you have on hand – and turn it into a veritable feast. “

It was very difficult finding just one recipe to share with you from this cookbook. I finally settled on Glorified Grapes.

1 10 oz. pkg. toasted almonds, pecans, or walnuts
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 oz. Roquefort cheese
1 tablespoons heavy cream
1 pound seedless green or red grapes, washed and dried

Preheat the oven to 275°. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet. Bake until toasted. In a food processor, coarsely chop the toasted nuts. Spread them on wax paper or on a platter. In a small bowl, preferably with an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, Roquefort cheese, and cream. Beat these ingredients until they are smooth. Roll the grapes in the cheese mixture and gently press the cheese mixture around each grape. Then roll the cheese-coated grapes in the toasted nuts. Place the grapes on a wax paper-lined tray. Chill until ready to use. Any extra cheese mix can be frozen and reused.

Yield: 12 to 13 servings.

Just a few of the many tempting recipes you’ll find in the cookbook, and that I especially like, are Chicken and Dumplings, page 90, Yams Louie, page 209, President Ronald Reagan’s Favorite Beef Stew, page 219, and Sweet Potato Bread, page 150.