'Come Home to Supper' author to sign books, serve food - March 24

Thursday, March 20, 2014

A Chattanooga visit by best-selling author Christy Jordan won't be just a book signing but a food sampling.

Jordan, of Huntsville, Ala., will be at Barnes & Noble, 2100 Hamilton Place Blvd., from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, March 24, to promote her new cookbook, "Come Home to Supper: Over 200 Casseroles, Skillets and Sides (Desserts, Too!) To Feed Your Family With Love" ($17).

The dishes are meant to reflect the realities of family schedules, with recipes that are budget-conscious, kid-friendly and quick to make. Jordan says these are the everyday meals that she most loves to cook and her family most loves to eat.

As the title suggests, many of the recipes use a slow cooker or a single pot or skillet, and all call for easily found supermarket ingredients.

She serves up the recipes with generous helpings of folksy wisdom, gratitude and stories, along with cost- and time-saving tips and shortcuts, such as how to use a stand mixer to quickly shred chicken.

Jordan is the publisher of Southern Plate.com, a contributing editor to Taste of the South magazine, former editor-at-large at Southern Living and a judge on Game Show Network's "Beat the Chefs."

For more information about her visit, call 423-893-0186.

A SAMPLE OF RECIPES

¦ Page 26: Always Tender Roast and Vegetables (a favorite that can be made in the slow cooker)

¦ Page 52: Sunday Dinner Ham (use leftovers in soups or rice and beans later in the week)

¦ Page 70: Old-Fashioned Sticky Chicken (spoon the sauce over rice or mashed potatoes)

¦ Page 130: Oven-Baked Sloppy Joes (the meat is baked right into the bread for neater Joes)

¦ Page 164: Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole (make two and freeze one for a busy week)

¦ Page 184: Summer Corn Salad (delicious year-round)

¦ Page 201: Parmesan Oven Fries (a highly addictive side dish)

¦ Page 260: Faux Pecan Pie (made with pretzels; good for those with nut allergies or tight budgets)