Crazy Sista Cooking

Book excerpt: Packed with more than 120 signature recipes from Lucy Buffett's famous gulf coast restaurant, LuLu's, Crazy Sista Cooking is the next best thing to being there. Tucked inside are laugh-out-loud anecdotes and plenty of wit and wisdom from Lucy's own kitchen. The book features party menus, Buffett family favorites, and lots of telling it like it is. Renowned novelist Tom McGuane contributes engaging essays that blend smoothly with the spicy dishes and distinctive drinks. Recipes include such soul-satisfying southern delights as West Indies Salad, Sloppy Shrimp, Blackened Grouper Sandwich, Garlic Cheese Grits, Silver Queen Succotash, and Heavenly Fried Crab Claws. There are also distinctive drinks like Bama Breeze and LuLu's Painkiller. Hundreds of full-color photographs of the dishes and the inimitable Buffett clan add to the fun.