Paula Deen Celebrates!: Best Dishes and Best Wishes for the Best Times of Your Life »

Paula Deen was born and raised in Albany, Georgia. She later moved to Savannah, where she and her two sons, Bobby and Jamie, started the Bag Lady catering company. The business took off and evolved into The Lady & Sons Restaurant, which is located in Savannah's historic district and specializes in Southern cooking, as well as Uncle Bubba's Seafood, which co-owns with her brother.

Beloved Food Network personality, restaurateur, and author Paula Deen loves a party, and in her latest book, Paula Deen Celebrates!, Paula shares with fans old and new how she celebrates a year's worth of holidays and special occasions. Now anyone can share in the down-home celebrations Paula, her husband, Michael, their kids, and extended family enjoy at their beautiful home in Savannah, Georgia.

What better way to start off the New Year than with a New Year's Eve Brunch with friends — at midnight! This colorful celebration includes Crab and Spinach Casserole and Baked Tomatoes, and finishes with a quintessentially southern Hummingbird Cake and Irish Coffee. Welcome St. Patrick's Day, Savannah style, with Lamb Stew and Green Grits Pie. The centerpiece of an Easter dinner is a Peanut Butter-Glazed Ham, accompanied by Spinach-Swiss Casserole, Squash Boats, and flaky Butterhorns, with a bonus recipe for Ham Salad that makes eating leftovers a treat. Looking for a reason to party, south-of-the-border style? Try Paula's Cinco de Mayo Fiesta menu, with Macho Nachos and a cool and creamy Margarita Mousse. Paula honors the memory of her mother, and all the other women who have blessed her life, with a Mother's Day Tea of dainty sandwiches and irresistible cookies served on her best china, and fathers get their due with a Father's Day Boating Picnic. The Fourth of July is the perfect occasion for an Outdoor Grill Party and Low-Country Boil, and if what you want is a quiet evening at home, pop a movie in the DVD player and chow down on your choice of Paula's savory and sweet pizzas. Gather the family to watch some football and savor Jamie's Cheeseburger Pies, and give familyand friends the gift of a sweet treat at the holidays with Paula's Icebox Fruitcake or Peppermint Bark. Her Christmas feast starts with Cranberry Holiday Brie and stars an impressive Standing Rib Roast, with Twice-Baked Potato Casserole. The show-stopping dessert is Paula's butter-laden Coconut Pound Cake glazed with coconut syrup and covered with icing and toasted coconut!

Paula brings you into her home, her kitchen, and her heart with family stories and photographs. This time, her husband, Michael, sons Jamie and Bobby, and brother, Bubba, chime in to share their memories, too. Decorating and serving ideas will inspire you to use what you have to carry through a theme to make the most informal meal special. And Paula shares her most private thoughts in a special feature — Paula's Pearls of Wisdom — which you'll find with each menu.

Paula Deen Celebrates! is Paula at her very southern best. Join her in making and sharing her best dishes for the best times of your life.

Library Journal

Deen has a lot to celebrate: two wildly popular Food Network shows, three earlier best sellers, a new magazine, a line of sauces and seasonings, and, of course, her family and friends. Her latest book is organized by holidays and other celebrations, including "Elvis's Birthday," "An Easter Egg Hunt," and "Fourth of July Low-Country Boil." The introductions to the menus offer reminiscences and observations in Deen's friendly, down-to-earth style, and there are photographs of family and friends scattered throughout. Sure to be in demand. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

New Year's Eve Brunch

New Year's Day Good Luck Meal

Elvis's Birthday

Valentine's Day

Presidents' Day

Big Easy Mardi Gras

My Wedding Anniversary

St. Patrick's Day

Easter Dinner

An Easter Egg Hunt

May Day Pink and White Party

Cinco de Mayo Fiesta

Mother's Day Tea

Graduation Potato Bar

Father's Day Boating Picnic

Fourth of July Outdoor Grill Party and Low-Country Boil

Movie-Watching Pizza Party in Bed

Thanksgiving

Sunday Afternoon Football Party

Homemade Christmas Gifts

Christmas Dinner

Metric Equivalencies

Index