A media copy of Love Welcome Serve was received for the purpose of this post, all opinions are my own. Recipes are reprinted with permission from Center Street, a division of Hachette Book Group.
LOVE WELCOME SERVE is a cookbook of Southern comfort food from Amy Nelson Hannon, the owner of Euna Mae¹s, a destination kitchen boutique in Northwest Arkansas.
Having been a preacher’s wife in the South for more than twenty years, Amy Hannon’s heart for hospitality was established, confirming her long-held belief that people who are cooked for feel cared for. Modeled after her grandmother, Euna Mae, Amy’s big-hearted lifestyle has become noticed by a disconnected world that is drawn to her mission of using food to love, welcome, and serve those around her.
Amy encourages people to open their homes and their hearts, connecting with folks over food; and she offers home cooks simple, crowd-pleasing, comfort recipes, meals that can be prepared for whatever the hospitality affair.
Combined with her refreshing enthusiasm and approachable recipes, Amy Hannon has ignited a passion in young cooks who are spreading their hospitality wings, and she has reignited that same passion in seasoned cooks who had forgotten how much joy comes from serving others. Love Welcome Serve, Amy’s first cookbook, will encourage you to embrace hospitality so you can enjoy the life that happens when you make and serve food for your people.
I have had the pleasure of enjoying Southern comfort-food in abundance over the past four years that we’ve lived in Texas, but I honestly don’t make much of it in my own kitchen. Mostly because I’ve been slightly intimidated by what may be involved to make them. However, most of Amy Hannon’s recipes are fairly easy to make, which is a huge bonus.
Amy offers recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinners. In addition, recipes are included for appetizers and desserts (well naturally because what kind of Southern cookbook would it be if there wasn’t dessert?!) and much more.
The tasty Appetizers such as Texas Firecrackers and Sister’s Favorite Spinach Dip are sure to be a big hit. Don’t believe me? Try the Texas Firecrackers out yourself.
Excerpted from Love Welcome Serve by Amy Nelson Hannon. Copyright © 2017 Hachette Book Group, Inc. Reprinted with permission from Center Street, a division of Hachette Book Group. All rights reserved.
- 4 sleeves saltine crackers
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 (1-ounce) packet ranch dressing mix
- 1 to 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon granulated gralic
- Unwrap the four sleeves of saltine crackers and stand them on their sides like dominoes in a large plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.
- In a glass measuring cup, whisk together the canola oil, ranch dressing mix, red pepper flakes, dried dill, and granulated garlic. Pour the seasoned oil over all the crackers, up and down the rows. Let stand for about 5 minutes, cover the container, and flip it upside down so that all the oily, herby goodness that fell to the bottom is now on the top and can soak the crackers from the other end!
- Flip the container every 30 minutes or so, eventually giving them a gentle shake all around. The crackers will be ready to eat in about 2 hours.
We loved these, I made them with oyster crackers rather than saltines and they were very tasty and I will definitely make them again. Among other recipes in the book I’ve already made is the Tomato, Cucumber and Mozzarella Salad (delicious!). One of my favorites is Hearty Homemade Chicken and Dumplins. This is the BEST chicken and dumplings recipe I have found and I’ve been trying to make this right for years. This is truly Southern comfort food.
What’s great about Amy’s recipes is you don’t have to be a culinary expert to make them. Case in point, I used a deli chicken for the shredded chicken in the ingredients to make the chicken and dumplings.
Love Welcome Serve is a staple cookbook for every kitchen, and a great gift idea for any level of cook. I highly recommended it! You can find it here on Amazon.com for purchase: http://amzn.to/2iGN6ay.
Tammy Litke is a Dallas blogger, blogging since 2008. She loves to watch movies, play video games, spend time in the kitchen, and travel. Between recipes and reviews you’ll find many helpful and some just plain funny posts on her blog. Welcome, pull up a chair and stay for a while!