More than 100 tried-and-true Southern recipes accompanied by antic-filled stories and time-tested tips for cooking and entertaining
Some Southern cooks keep their prized family recipes under lock and key, but not Mary Martha Greene. Why? She says few things can truly be kept secret in the South and recipes, like cheese biscuits, are meant to be shared. That's why she's the "Cheese Biscuit Queen."
So many stories could be written about Greene's Aunt Mimi's cheese biscuits—the countries they visited, and the lies, half-truths, cheating, and conniving of small children (not to mention grown adults) to get them. For Greene, who inherited the title of Cheese Biscuit Queen—and the recipe—from her aunt, making the biscuits and continuing to share Aunt Mimi's recipe keeps her love and legacy alive.
In The Cheese Biscuit Queen Tells All, Greene, a South Carolinian and former lobbyist, pairs more than one hundred tried-and-true recipes for dishes like country ham scones, Frogmore stew dip, shrimp and corn pie, and lemon pound cake with stories from her corner of the South. The book opens with the famous cheese biscuit recipe (complete with family secrets), and the pages that follow brim with fabulous characters, antic-filled anecdotes, and recipes so good they might just call for a change in State House rules (true story).
With new ideas for the consummate entertainer, helpful tips for less experienced cooks, and stories to make even the grumpiest legislator laugh, The Cheese Biscuit Queen Tells All has a place in every kitchen. Great food leads to great memories, and with Mary Martha Greene by your side, even everyday meals can become memorable occasions.
Mary Martha Greene is a South Carolina native and government relations consultant who perfected her entertaining skills for making friends and engaging clients during her forty-year career. Now as a volunteer, she teaches cooking skills to at-risk and homeless youth.
"I've been trying to decide whether to cook and then read or read and then cook, because either way is tempting. Having eaten my way through an entire recipe of her cheese biscuits I can attest to the recipes. Just be careful you don't get so engrossed in the stories you let something burn."—Nathalie Dupree, author of Nathalie Dupree's Favorite Stories and Recipes
"Whether it's on the front porch or at the kitchen table, Southerners seem to relish a good story — almost as much as our beloved biscuits. Although packed with mouth-watering Southern recipes, The Cheese Biscuit Queen Tells All is far more than a cookbook. It is a lovely collection of food memories that embody the best in how we connect and communicate as humans, by sharing and telling stories. You'll come for classic Southern recipes and stay for the tales."—Virginia Willis, chef and James Beard Award-winning cookbook author
"Mary Greene's cheese biscuits are the best I've ever had! I highly recommend the book for delightful reading and recipes."—Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times bestselling author of On Ocean Boulevard
"It's hard to decide what's more delicious in this food memoir/cookbook, the drool-worthy recipes or the delightful stories that accompany them. If the story of the garden club gone astray doesn't make you laugh out loud, I owe you a tin of cheese biscuits!"—Cassandra King, author of Tell Me a Story: My Life with Pat Conroy
"This book is so much more than a collection of recipes . . . it's a series of stories that Southerners—and those not blessed to be from the South—will relish. Bless their hearts."—Lynn and Cele Seldon, travel journalists
"It's rare when a writer so fully reveals herself on the page. This is what Mary Martha Greene has done. You will know who she is through her recipes and stories."—Bren McClain, author of One Good Mama Bone
"Much more than a cookbook, Mary Martha Green's The Cheese Biscuit Queen Tells All is an invitation and reference guide on southern hospitality... Mary Martha Greene shares her joy of cooking and entertaining and invites the reader to use the recipes to start their own traditions."—Southeastern Librarian
"A wonderful reminder of the importance of family and friends and the unique aspects of South Carolina culture we all share through food."—Columbia Metropolitan
