Kentucky

"Honey, if cookin' is a chore, then you ain't been doin' it right."--author and Lord Honey chef Jason Smith From Kentucky 'Nanners Foster Waffles to 'Lasses-Glazed Carrots to Sweet Tea and Bourbon Fried Chicken, celebrate the art of "Country Bling" cooking with recipes that will have you digging out the cast-iron skillet and running to the store for some butter. Complete with colorful descriptions, accessible ingredients, simple directions, and helpful tips, this book will teach you everything you need to know about cooking with love. Kentucky born and bred, Lord Honey Chef Jason Smith honors his roots and, at the same time, refashions cherished classics. Enjoy beloved Southern traditions and odes to the homespun--dishes always perfect just the way Granny did it--but with a twist. Some of these recipes have won awards, and others haven't made it to the competition yet, but all of them are just right for a sit-down with family and friends.

Kentucky bourbon is world-renowned, and the distilling of this corn-based liquor has deep roots in almost every corner of the state. Hundreds of distilleries dotted the landscape, beginning with the early settlements until 1920, when the vast majority were closed because of Prohibition. Many of the distilleries never reopened and became "lost," with only old photographs left to tell this story of dedicated craftsmanship. In some cases, distilleries reopened during a "bourbon boom" when Prohibition finally ended in 1933, only to falter a few decades later. Some of those distilleries were sold and portions of the properties, like warehouses, reused by the new owner. Despite everything, bourbon distilling remains a major industry in the state--and a world-famous icon for Kentucky. Kentucky's Lost Bourbon Distilleries is dedicated to the many people who worked at distilleries that may be "lost" but are not forgotten.

Few things are as timeless and southern as a country ham. Gone are the days of considering it a blue-collar staple that is too often overcooked, squashed between biscuit halves or served swimming in red-eye gravy. Today, country ham has found its place among the finest European cured meats and is served at ritzy restaurants as thinly sliced charcuterie or as a garnish on pricey appetizers. The makings of every country ham are the same--hogs, salt and smoke--but these hams undergo an aging process that is no less demanding, varied and fine-tuned than the process for aging the world's finest wines. Get the rub on the history of curing pigs in the Country Ham Belt from food writer Steve Coomes, who consults the best in the ham-making business on everything to do with this salty, southern delicacy.

The stories of Louisville's best-remembered restaurants are chock-full of legendary locations, huge personalities and well-loved recipes. Find out how a silly joke about "Hillbilly Tea" became an international sensation. Discover the origins of Casa Grisanti and why there would be no Queenie Bee without it. Enter the "World of Swirl" surrounding the rise and fall of Lynn's Paradise Café. Enjoy menus, memories and more of favorites found across the Derby City through the decades. Author Stephen Hacker serves up this history and more, complete with photography by Dan Dry and John Nation.