Tennessee native Kent Whitaker (Chattanooga) and co-editor Sheila Simmons have compiled a traditional collection of hometown recipes from across the state. Tennessee Hometown Cookbook is published by Great American Publishers (www.greatamericanpublishers.com; Kosciusko, MS) and is available locally in bookstores and gift shops.

The 240-page cookbook contains more than 300 recipes. In addition to selecting recipes that represent Tennessee’s signature style of cooking, the editors ensured that every recipe is easy to follow. “We pay particular attention to the way the recipes are presented. Ingredients are listed in order of use with instructions that are clear and concise. We focus on good ole home cooking and bring you recipes that can almost always be made right from your pantry."

“Don't expect a lot of difficult, gourmet recipes that require a special trip to the grocery store,” adds Whitaker. “Because these are just down-home recipes like your Momma and her Momma made.” Reading the recipe titles makes this claim obvious when you see favorite dishes like Country Fried Okra, Skillet Spaghetti & Meatballs, Candied Yams, White Beans & Cornbread, Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake, Country Sugar Cream Pie, and Country-Style Honey Cookies.

A new generation of hometown cooks will enjoy updated favorites like Easy Red Velvet Cake, 4-Ingredient Butterscotch Cake, Tortilla Meatloaf, Pineapple Porterhouse & Jumbo Shrimp with Island Butter, and Easy Potato Supreme. While busy cooks that need to plan ahead will discover a full chapter of Crockpot, Casserole, and One-Dish meals. There are crockpot versions for Chicken & Dumplings, Red Beans & Sausage, and Pineapple Chicken & Rice. One-dish skillet meals like Beef & Taters, Skillet Pork Chop Dinner, and Cajun Skillet Shrimp will keep dirty dishes at the minimum.

Those of you who confess to reading your cookbooks like novels, will enjoy the sidebars to be found throughout the book. There is a generous helping of stories about food-related festivals across the state. From the Lauderdale County Tomato Festival in Ripley to the Shady Valley Cranberry Festival from the World's Biggest Fish Fry in Paris to South Pittsburg's National Cornbread Festival there's a celebration to suit every taste.

Tennessee Hometown Cookbook is great for the armchair traveler as well as the perfect addition for any home cook’s library. It is a collection of tried and true recipes that will be enjoyed by Tennessee natives, visitors or anyone who enjoys a good cookbook. With so many recipes for dishes that families have enjoyed over and over again, Tennessee Hometown Cookbook, the first book in the State Hometown Cookbook Series, meets the series’ goal of “saving your recipes for the next generation of hometown cooks.”