**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
lillian says
ooh! that cake looks divine. (and that cookbook sounds marvelous! ;-) ). Not that I'm trying to be a mooch, I really ought comment more...anyway.
Anonymous says
wow, still waiting on acme oyster... and yes, ikko. i've pretty much given up on the latter.
my vote goes to giving the book to lillian since she was the first to comment and it sounds like she would actually use it.
keep writing.
Anonymous says
wow, still waiting on acme oyster... and yes, ikko. i've pretty much given up on the latter.
my vote goes to giving the book to lillian since she was the first to comment and it sounds like she would actually use it.
keep writing.
santos. says
don't get me started on all the asian matts i know! and not only am i related to an asian ted, but i know an asian teddy as well.
i am so totally being a mooch. i heart the lee bros. but not enough to buy their book. of course if they were asian....i am *so* not racist. i have a good friend who is married to a white person.
Teresa says
i am boldly going to own up to being a mooch. plus i'm going to give reasons for why i should get the book:
1) i AM Chinese (though my last name is not Lee)
2) i just moved back to CA from TN so i miss things such as that divine red velvet cake which you baked
3) oh heck, you had me at "grits". book or no book.
oddlyme says
The picture of the Lee Bros. is like the south - a tiny bit frightening but oddly alluring.
My they are pale!
mel CH says
I'm not bitter about not winning the Cocktails book. Really, I'm not.
Sun says
Yum, the recipes sound delicious!
I do know an Asian Matt & Ted actually...neither of them Lee's though.
Gin and Tonic Extra Lime says
Yum! I've been intrigued by these guys for awhile. I believe they won a James Beard Award for this cookbook.
Rozzie says
I want it.
S. Carrico says
Living in Idaho, schooled in Olympia, and foodified in Asia, I’m admittedly…. Skeptical of southern cooking. But then again, I was once skeptical of tomatoes, so clearly, I cannot be trusted. I am a sucker for sincerity, though, so I too would like this treasure.
christianne says
I want it too! I'm a native Californian so I know little about grits - obviously I need an instructional guide.
christianne says
I want it too! I'm a native Californian so I know little about grits - obviously I need an instructional guide.
H. C. says
Haha, I saw that cookbook before and they're definitely Lees in the Robert E. Lee sense. They are also unusually thin for Southern cooks -- like a hybrid of Paula Deen and Giada de Laurentiis.
sarah says
HC: Though I don't want to offend them, they're also, "Lee" in the Sandra Lee sense.
And that is so funny - I never thought about how skinny they are for southern cooks!
smoykim says
Let me help you not look so awkward by commenting (I'm a lurker). How was the cake? In my opinion, anything with cream cheese frosting has got to be divine!
Kate says
Yum! Excellent teaser shot of the Red Velvet Cake!
Laura says
I just found your blog today from taste spotters. Muuumm Greek food.
I actually just had Red Velvet cake for the first time in all my 31 years last weekend and wondered what rock I had been living on to miss that!
lauriel says
I would love the book! Reading cookbooks, especially with those where the personal voice and stories comes through, is my favorite pastime. I've been casting longing glances at it for a while now, but haven't committed... I like to torment myself a while before giving in to the temptation. :) But this would be sooo lovely~ Thank you for considering me!
XD says
pick me, delicious!
Julie says
i just made red velvet cupcakes! mmm and they were delicious. i'm curious to see what it's like to make it in regular layer form. pick me, please!
Julie says
i just made red velvet cupcakes! mmm and they were delicious. i'm curious to see what it's like to make it in regular layer form. pick me, please!
b104607 says
I'm Chinese & my brother's name is Teddey.
lunettes says
Mr. O and I were just having a conversation about Red Velvet Cake the other day, and now I want to make it. Looks gorgeous!
tristan says
i love red velvet anything... if i don't win, i may have to take a trip down to the bookstore and copy the recipe. well, i'm not made of money, you know!
p.s. love your site! am i being a KA? partly...
sarah says
b104607: please tell me you will change your name to matt. that would make my day
Tai says
I've been looking for a good red velvet cake recipe - and this looks amazing.
Congrats on quitting your job. I wish I was so brave.
Joe Randazzo says
Great photo! I look at this book nearly everytime I'm in a bookstore. I'm hoping I get it for my birthday this year (which is only a couple weeks away!! ) :)
David says
that books sounds awesome. any book with recipes that will send me on the road to high blood pressure AND diabetes is a book worth reading.
Tiff says
I *heart* red-velvet cake. Growing up in Indonesia and Singapore, where food-colouring in desserts is a definite draw, what could be better than bright red chocolate cake....unless it's in the shape of an armadillo.