Uncle Bubba's Savannah Seafood

Book excerpt: People travel from far and wide to taste the fresh and delicious seafood served at Uncle Bubba's Oyster House in Savannah, but now you can stay home and let chef and owner Earl “Bubba” Hiers treat you to his famous Southern hospitality. His first-ever cookbook tells you how to prepare both the dishes that made his restaurant famous and the home cooking that he and his older sister, Food Network star Paula Deen, grew up eating in their Granny Paul's kitchen. Learn how to make finger-lickin' Dixieland favorites like Low Country Boil, Lip-Smackin'-Good Chicken Casserole, Salmon and Grits, and Oyster Stew. Right off the restaurants menu are dishes like BBQ Shrimp, Gumbo, and Shrimp and Grits. And because good cooking seems to run in Bubba's family, recipes like Raised Biscuits, Kathy's Dig Deep salad, and Cheesy Squash Casserole come straight from the recipe boxes in the authentic Southern kitchens of Bubba's grannies, aunts, and friends. Desserts are Bubba's favorite, and there's no shortage. Try Aunt Glennis's version of the classic Dixie staple, Red Velvet Cake, or the Lemon Cheese Cake, which true Southerners know is not a cheesecake at all. There's also Chocolate Almond Pie, Butterscotch Pound Cake, Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie, and three recipes for truly scrumptious desserts that are Paula's gift to her baby brother. Plus, along with the recipes, you'll get family stories and photographs that bring Bubba and Paula's Georgia childhood to life. Like his restaurant, Bubba's recipes are casual—perfect for summer cookouts and picnics where paper napkins and plastic forks are just fine, and the card playing and story swapping begins when the Chargrilled Oysters are put on the table, and doesn't end until long after the last bite of Georgia Peach Cake is cleaned from the plate. Soon, just like Bubba, you'll be spending long afternoons around the grill, bragging on your barbecue and waiting for the Beer Rolls to come out of the oven.