Tuesday, November 4, 2014

CHRISTMAS ALL THROUGH THE SOUTH: Joyful Memories, Timeless Moments, Enduring Traditions

Idgie Says:
I have found THE PERFECT Christmas gift for the holiday enthusiast.

This is a thick coffee table worthy book filled with the most gorgeous photographs of food, homes, decorations... anything Christmas in the South.

I now have a goal, which is to be in New Orleans for the holiday season.  Maybe not for Christmas itself, but looking through those pages and reading about it, there's no way you wouldn't be in full festive swing by the time you left. 

My Mother-in-Law swooned when she saw this book.  She was engrossed for several hours, looking at the lovely pages.  She is a true lover of the "Christmas decorated home" and this book hit home with her.  If I didn't own a copy that she had already rifled through - I would surely grab one for her gift list.

While I adored the photographs, I also started tabbing certain pages of delicious looking recipes. The last section of the book is chock full of goodies to prepare for guests, or even simpler recipes just to enjoy the holiday spirit with family.

I don't always get into the heavy decorating spirit during the holidays, but I believe this book may have inspired me to put a little more effort into it this year.

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Book Description:

SOUTHERN LIVING
CHRISTMAS ALL THROUGH THE SOUTH: Joyful Memories, Timeless Moments, Enduring Traditions
By The Editors of Southern Living 
Oxmoor House

November 4, 2014
$40/Hardcover
400 pages
978-0-8487-4256-0

For immediate release (BIRMINGHAM, Ala.) – No one does Christmas like the South, and the editors of Southern Living have outdone themselves this holiday season with their inspirational coffee table book, CHRISTMAS ALL THROUGH THE SOUTH (November 4, 2014; Oxmoor House, $40/Hardcover). Combining all the elements for which Southern Living is known and revered – food, travel, and gorgeous homes – this book is a joyous journey around the region that showcases the unparalleled hospitality, rich history and larger-than-life celebrations that are the Southern holiday way.

As Southern Living editor-at-large Kim Cross writes in the book’s introduction, “The South may not be the only region that goes overboard for the holidays, but we like to think we do it with inimitable style.” That same unbridled exuberance that Kim describes is also what makes CHRISTMAS ALL THROUGH THE SOUTH an endless source of inspiration for decking the halls and planning this season’s festivities. This book is meant to be read, flipped through, book marked, and shared as your holiday season is illuminated by a kaleidoscope of these merry traditions.

Whether it’s finding the perfect tree at a North Carolina tree farm, watching the boats festooned with colorful lights at Homeport Marina on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, or enjoying the sparkling lobby of The Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans, CHRISTMAS ALL THROUGH THE SOUTH captures the beauty of the holidays from beginning to end. As you flip through the pages of this book, you’ll be transported on a breathtaking visual journey with over 400 full-color photos that bring to life the joyful memories, enduring traditions, local authenticity, and open-armed warmth inherent to every Southern holiday celebration.

Woven throughout the book are also menu ideas and recipes for every festive occasion:
Start the season with A Hearty Picnic In The Pines while fetching that perfect tree with a menu that includes Rosemary Scented Cold Cider, Skillet Fried Chicken, and a Caramel Drop-Banana Bread Trifle. 
An impressive Merry Christmas Eve Dinner spread of Honey-Rosemary Crostini, Spice-Rubbed Smoked Turkey Breast with Mushroom Gravy, Pecan Cornbread, and a White Chocolate-Peppermint Mousse Pie will bring everyone happily around the table.
Stacks of Hummingbird Pancakes, Red Velvet Pancakes, German Chocolate Pancakes and Caramel Cake Pancakes for a fun and festive Christmas Morning Brunch.
A Lucky Oyster Roast on New Year’s Day also features “lucky” Southern dishes like Cumin-Spiced Black Eyed Pea Dip and a Collard Green and Kale Salad.

It also wouldn’t be a deliciously Southern Christmas without an abundance of sweets and the famous white cake. CHRISTMAS ALL THROUGH THE SOUTH has more than ten Christmas Cake recipes including a Snowy White Layer Cake with Fondant Snowflakes, Bourbon Eggnog Cake, and a five-layer Red Velvet-White Chocolate Cheesecake. And after a festive evening of caroling, enjoy a Cookies & Cocktails party with Spiced Sorghum Snowflakes, Coconut Snowballs, and a Chocolate Cream Martini by the fire.
With its charming destinations, Southern Living-tested recipes, elegant decorations, and gracious hospitality, CHRISTMAS ALL THROUGH THE SOUTH is bound to be the keepsake every Southerner will want to own and look to, year after year. As Rick Bragg writes in the foreword, “The Southern Christmas is rich in its traditions, its own beauties, its own recipes and notions and, yes, peculiarities. It is why, no matter where we live in this world, we yearn to come home as time draws near.” Just reading CHRISTMAS ALL THROUGH THE SOUTH is like coming home for the holidays.

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Southern Living celebrates the essence of life in the South, covering the best in Southern food, home, garden, and travel.  Reaching more than 16 million consumers each month, Southern Living connects consumers with the region’s rich culture through a variety of print, digital, mobile, tablet and event platforms.  Headquartered in Birmingham, AL, the rapidly expanding Southern Living brand is part of Time Inc., one of the largest content companies in the world and the largest publisher in the United States. Time Inc. is a Time Warner company.

Oxmoor House is an imprint of Time Home Entertainment Inc., a Time Inc. company, and publishes books and special edition magazines for Time Inc. brands such as Southern Living, Cooking Light, Health, and Sunset. Oxmoor House publishing partnerships also include Weight Watchers, Gooseberry Patch, and Weber.  With more than 300 back-listed titles, it is recognized as one of the leading lifestyle publishers in the country.  Oxmoor House books are distributed to the trade by Hachette Book Group and are available wherever books are sold.  More information is available at oxmoorhouse.com