But Mama Always Put Vodka in Her Sangria!: Adventures in Eating, Drinking and Making Merry

Did you know that Bill Blass makes delicious meatloaf? Or that there are eggnog purists for whom nutmeg is forbidden? These tidbits sprout like wildflowers throughout Reed's singular sagas. "The High & the Low" columnist and contributing editor at Garden & Gun magazine, Reed counts numerous notable chefs as friends and has compiled here food-focused curiosities sprinkled with a dash of travel, a pinch of sass, and a whole load of recipes%E2%80%94some surprisingly simple and others a trifle more complex. Among the offerings are a cold lemon souffle; "the most popular bread pudding" in her adopted home of New Orleans; and, in a chapter entitled "The Tyranny of Summer Produce," succotash, cornbread, and other musings on the golden kernel. Reed's reflections and anecdotes are siren calls to the kitchen; an experience heightened by her delight in sharing tales of a Southern upbringing surrounded by good cooks. The Mama of the title is a late, close family friend; a major inspiration for Reed's free-spirited approach to top-notch dining. And that spirit hits like Chatham Artillery Punch: "when it attacketh a man, it layeth him low and he knoweth not whence he cometh or whither he goeth." (May)