**UPDATE** By the way, yes, this cookbook won not one, but TWO James Beard Awards: the 2007 James Beard Award Cookbook of the Year and Food of the Americas. (Wait, why am I giving this book away?!)
The Short: Leave a comment to win The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook.
The Long: Contrary to what you may believe about last names, the Lee brothers are not Chinese. Do you know any Chinese men - or men of any Asian nationality for that matter - named Matt or Ted? Matt, maybe because it's short for "Matthew" which is from the Bible, but Ted?
Matt and Ted are totally white. In fact, the Lee Brothers are so white that I couldn't put the entire cover of The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook in the picture because their shining white faces caused too much of a glare.
However, that is not the reason why I am giving away this cookbook that the publishing company so generously sent me to review several months ago. That would be racist, and if there's one thing I am not, it's racist! I have a good friend who's white.
I am giving away this cookbook because...after quitting my job, I finally found myself with the time I didn't have before to do basic, everyday things that I have to do like clean my apartment, pay bills, go through stacks of magazines still in their protective plastic mailing covers, eat, and of course, take showers. Everyday things took all of three days before I was left again with time on my hands. Gloriously lounging around my house in blue silk pajamas like a small Asian female version of Heff lost its glamour when buxom bunnies didn't show up after seven-and-a-half hours, and strangely enough, it had been so long since I had experienced "leisure" that I had no idea what to do. I was at a loss.
For all of about sixteen seconds.
Whom are we kidding, here?!?! I can go to the Farmers Market without making up some weird excuse about a sale on supplies at Office Depot! I can cook! (Real food!) I can bake! I can blog! I can read!
Good Lord, I can read. Books. Yes, I could finally read the books that had been sitting in precariously unbalanced stacks around my apartment for months. Novels. Short story collections. Non-fiction. Cookbooks. I finally got to lay on my bed for hours at a time, stomach down, A-for-Asian chest propped up on three pillows with a notepad and extra fine point Sharpie and flip through as of yet untouched cookbooks.
I am giving away The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook because I flipped through it, was charmed by the sincerity of the prose and the purity of the recipes, and want to share things like Sunday Fried Chicken, Red-Braised Beef Short Ribs, and Bacon Cheddar Grits (!) with someone.
the teaser shot. (marketing 101)
Plus, I need to distract you eleven readers while I compose a thoughtful essay about the Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting I made from a recipe in the book (this ostensibly makes the book "used" but let's just ignore that technical detail for the sake of this rare little display of generosity, 'k?)
The Red Velvet Cake (cake, not cupcakes) is coming soon, but for now, leave a comment and I'll randomly draw a winner when the number of comments is sufficient enough that I don't look like that awkwardly short girl at the Bloomfield Hills Middle School monthly dance who stood in the corner by herself during "Eternal Flame" and "Glory of Love."
That never happened to me.
tags :: food : and drink : cooking : southern : recipes : cookbooks : books : reviews : los angeles
Maggie says
My FAVORITE cake!
LJ S says
If you need some ideas on how to be a lady of leisure, get in touch. After having been restructured out of my job, I have come up with many exciting ways to fill a day. The downside: no money for cookbooks. You could consider it a trade...
Anonymous says
hey,
i'm a total newbie to the food blogging world but just felt like dropping a line to let you know that for the past week, i've loved your site, style of cooking and am excited to try a few! also, i felt compelled to congratulate you on your quitting decision...it sounds like your soul and true self can breathe...take it all in and enjoy! the right fulfilling job is definitely out there "waiting for you"!
d* says
Love you site!
and that cake looks delicious!
how are the recipes?
Are they easy to follow and not too complicated?
silverwolfmoon says
I'm moving to Montreal soon and realize I don't have any cookbooks with comfort food recipes like red velvet cake, but more importantly cream cheese frosting to take with me. While your blog will still be accessible to this wannabe francophone lovely memories of your incredible generousity of helping a fresh out of college girl out will always always be remembered.
michelle @ Us vs. Food says
in my lifetime, i have know asian men named both matt and ted. therefore, i should have this book.
that cake looks *good*. and i just ate, but now i'm craving cheese grits.
Sylvie says
Happy job searching. Southern food I love and am always searching for recipes from all sourches including Matt and Ted's story. Why I should win this cookbook is because I will read it.
Sylvie says
Happy job searching. Southern food I love and am always searching for recipes from all sourches including Matt and Ted's story. Why I should win this cookbook is because I will read it.
Jordan says
im not an asian named matt or ted... but jordan is odd eh? Whats up with that? haha. Anyhow... I love southern food, especially the red velvet variety.
Evette says
Totally love your site! The red velvet cake looks so yummy!!
Grace says
Will you be posting the recipe for this cake? I would love to try making it!
Kelly says
Ah, beautiful- I love red velvet!zoqtrnua
Megan says
I would love to win!
condiment says
Keep the darned book. It's not in a list of the best 20 of all time or anything, but it's pretty solid, the recipes are well-tested, and there are things in there that you are eventually going to want to make, but will settle for the version from Joy and ultimately be disappointed. The Southern books that are better are way more specific, probably more than you need - well, except for Edna Lewis's - and the more general ones tend not to be that good.
Camila says
I adore southern food. I'm only 1/4 Southern, really, but that quarter is most emphatically from Georgia and frequently takes over my brain with a stranglehold longing for good grits and REAL sweet tea and cobblers.
And sometimes I let slip a 'y'all.'
in other words, I also would love the book.
b104607 says
Sorry Sarah, my name's Barbara....
JEP says
Great post today!
Pupil says
Love the blog. SOCAL REPRESENT!!!
SCC says
What if my name's Sarah and I've been to China?
MaggieB says
I would soooo love this cookbook. Thanks for running this little drawing. Love your tweets!
Chamy says
Sweet sweet Red Velvet, can't wait!
Craig says
I'm just here for the pictures.
meeshellee says
I am Chinese and I am a Lee - strange coincidence, but not really? How many Lee's are there in the world anyway?
Carolyn says
I'm from the South and would love this cookbook.
[email protected]
Carolyn says
I'm from the South and would love this cookbook.
[email protected]