(59) Paula Deen's Savannah Style by Paula Deen

Paula Deen's Savannah Style
By: Paula Deen and Brandon Branch

Hardcover: 224 pages 
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1 edition (April 6, 2010)

*copy provided by publisher for Pump Up Your Book Tour

Paula Deen, a household name, has an infectious and brilliant smile that dares anyone not to smile back and become wrapped up in her Southern hospitality.  Ms. Deen's flare and talent for delicious food has delighted people and brought homestyle and unforgettable meals to tables all over the country.  Now, with her newest book Savannah Style, people are brought into the world so dear to Paula Deen, as she invites readers and fans into the cozy and homey decorating style of the South.  With gorgeous photos and neighborly narration, this is a book sure to delight those looking for inspiration to decorating or those looking to escape into the beautiful world of the South.

Divided into sections by Seasons, readers will delight in such topics as "Porch Livin'", "Courtyard Gardens" and "Wicker" in the Spring; "Eat-in Kitchens", "Sleeping Porches" and "Family Memories" in the Summer; "Comfort Rooms", "Book Nooks" and "Powder Rooms" in Autumn, as well as "Holiday Decorating", "Live-in Kitchens" and "Cozy Bedrooms" in the Winter.  Keep in mind that this is a very small example of areas covered within Savannah Style.  Interspersed throughout the book are "Brandon's Style Secrets", which are incredibly informative and will help spark even the most novice of decorator with ideas galore.  One of my favorite areas was the "Sleeping Porche".  I adored the photos and the idea of this was just the neatest.  Of course, as a huge book and library lover, the section titled "Book Nooks" was delightful for me as well.  There are so many aspects and areas that I loved about Savannah Style that this is truly a treasure to revisit again and again.  

Sit back in a comfy chair, grab a tall, cold glass of sweet tea and settle in to a tour of sweet southern bliss, with Paula Deen's Savannah Style.

*overall rating 5/5

About Paula Deen's Savannah Style:

With its lush gardens, stately town houses, and sprawling plantations, Savannah is the epitome of old Southern style, and who better to give you the grand tour than Paula Deen, the city’s most famous resident and anointed Queen of Southern Cuisine?

In this gorgeous, richly illustrated book, Paula Deen shares a full year of Southern living. Whether it’s time to put out your best china and make a real fuss, or you’re just gathering for some sweet tea on the porch at dusk, Savannah style is about making folks feel welcome in your home. With the help of decorator and stylist Brandon Branch, you’ll learn how to bring a bit of Southern charm into homes from Minnesota to Mississippi. For each season, there are tips on decorating and entertaining. In the spring, you’ll learn how to make the most of your outdoor spaces, spruce up your porch, and make your garden inviting. In the summer, things get more casual with a dock party. Sleeping spaces, including, of course, the sleeping porch, are the focal point of this chapter. In the fall, cooler weather brings a return to more formal entertaining in the dining room, and in the winter, attention returns to the hearth, as Paula and her neighbors put out their best silver and show you how they celebrate the holidays.

Paula loves getting a peek at her neighbors’ parlors, so she’s included photographs of some of Savannah’s grandest homes. From the vast grounds of Lebanon Plantation to the whimsically restored cottages on Tybee Island, you’ll see the unique blend of old-world elegance and laid-back hospitality that charmed Paula the moment she arrived from Albany, Georgia, with nothing but two hundred dollars and a pair of mouths to feed. And she isn’t shy about giving you a window into her own world, either. From her farmhouse kitchen to her luxurious powder room, you’ll see how Paula lives when she’s not in front of the camera.

Packed with advice and nostalgia, Paula Deen’s Savannah Style makes it easy to bring gracious Southern living to homes north and south of the Mason-Dixon Line.


                                                               
About Paula Deen:

She is the quintessential American success story, a best-selling author and a television show host, a tastemaker to the stars and to the everyday housewife and family. She is Paula Deen, a down-home, strong willed mom who overcame personal tragedy, long odds, financial and physical challenges to carve one of the most effective and wide ranging entertainment brands that exists today. A brand that is idyllic, inspiring, fun and very much American.

For all her success, the Albany, Georgia native has remained very grounded, in part due to her down home Southern upbringing. She married her high school sweetheart, became a young mom to two sons, and appeared to be living the life she desired, before a series of tragedies, from the death of her parents and the failure of her marriage to a prolonged battle with agoraphobia changed the course of her life forever.

However out of those changes came the success that laid the foundation for the Paula Deen of today, someone who inspires millions through her regular appearances on Oprah, cooks for world leaders, is a best-selling author, and is seen concurrently on three shows running on The Food Network.

The one constant in Deen’s life has always been cooking. It was a staple of her young upbringing, and when times became difficult it was what she knew and could turn back to. In June of 1989, with a $200 budget and the help of sons Jamie and Bobby, she became “The Bag Lady,” creating a home-based meal delivery service in Savannah, Georgia that started the rise. From there, Deen moved to preparing meals at a Savannah Best Western, and followed that five years later by opening her first restaurant, The Lady and Sons, in Savannah.
The popularity of the restaurant led Deen into publishing. Her 1997 cookbook, The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook, gave her growing fan base the opportunity to try Deen’s recipes at home for the first time, and led to her first appearance on QVC, which took the brand from regional to national and began a stretch of consecutive New York Times best selling cookbooks. The growth continued unabated, and in 1999 USA Today food critic Jerry Shriver named The Lady and Sons International Meal of the year.
Deen’s success in publishing, where she has sold over eight million books, then translated into the magazine world, and Cooking with Paula Deen, her bi-monthly title, launched shortly thereafter, growing to a circulation of over one million.

Not to be outdone with print and restaurant success, the Deen brand then moved to television. “Paula’s Home Cooking” premiered on The Food Network in November of 2002, to huge audience success, and spawned her second show, “Paula’s Party” in 2006. Today Deen has four shows running concurrently on the Food Network, including the latest, “Paula’s Best Dishes“, which launched in 2008.

The next evolution of the brand took place in March of 2008, when Meyer Corp launched the line of Paula Deen signature cookware, bakeware, kitchen tools and accessories both online and at retail, continuing the immersion experience for the brand with consumers.

In 2009, the Deen brand underwent further expansion with an added group of quality strategic partners. Wal-mart launched a new, exclusive line of affordable baked goods, while Smithfield, Kaleen, Nitches, Meyer, Universal, B. Lloyd’s, GOBO, Harrah’s, Quality foods, International Greeting and Cooking.com also began new or expanded partnerships in a host of categories. A compete digital relaunch, the expansion of special edition publications featuring both herself and her brand partners also came into play, making sure the Paula Deen name stayed fresh, relevant, and timely with a growing and more diverse consumer.

Even with the continued expansion, and more planned on a global level in 2010, Paula Deen has remained true to her fans, viewers and readers that look to her name for style, taste and inspiration in the kitchen and the home, all reflective of a climate where quality does not have to be sacrificed due to a challenging economy.

Her latest book is Paula Deen’s Savannah Style.

Visit her website at www.pauladeen.com.
Follow Paula on Twitter: http://twitter.com/paula_deen
Join Paula on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulaDeen



*Please be sure to visit these other wonderful blogs also on tour with Pump Up and Paula Deen!

Monday, August 2
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Book reviewed at Review From Here
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Wednesday, August 4
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Thursday, August 5
Book reviewed at Redlady’s Reading Room
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Friday, August 6
Book reviewed at Cafe of Dreams
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Monday, August 9
Book reviewed at You Have How Many Kids?
Book reviewed at Pump Up Your Book
Tuesday, August 10
Book reviewed at Book Reviews by Buuklvr81
Book spotlighted at The Crypto Capers Review
Wednesday, August 11
Book reviewed by Taking Time for Mommy
Book spotlighted at Examiner
Thursday, August 12
Book reviewed by Marta’s Meanderings
Book spotlighted at The Writer’s Life
Friday, August 13
Book reviewed at Confessions of an Overworked Mom
Monday, August 16
Book reviewed by Bermudaonion
Book spotlighted at Personovelty
Tuesday, August 17
Book reviewed by Lit and Life
Book spotlighted by Marilyn’s Musings
Wednesday, August 18
Book reviewed at Colloquium
Thursday, August 19
Book reviewed at Bookin’ With Bingo
Friday, August 20
Book reviewed at Chew & Digest Books
Monday, August 23
Book reviewed at The Book Faery Reviews
Tuesday, August 24
Book reviewed at RBC Library
Book spotlighted at The Hot Author Report
Wednesday, August 25
Book reviewed at The Book Connection
Thursday, August 26
Book reviewed at Acting Balanced
Friday, August 27
Book reviewed at Thoughts in Progress

Okay, I know this is about Paula's delightful Savannah Style, however I cannot pass up anything Paula Deen without sharing one of her delightful recipes!

Double Chocolate Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Ingredients:

Butter, for greasing pan, plus 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, melted, divided
1 (18.25-ounce) package chocolate cake mix
3 eggs, divided
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 to 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 1 egg, and 8 tablespoons (1 stick) melted butter, and stir until well blended. Pat mixture into prepared pan and set aside. In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the remaining 2 eggs, and the cocoa powder. Lower the speed of the mixer, and add the powdered sugar. Continue beating until ingredients are well mixed. Slowly add the remaining 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of melted butter, and the vanilla, continuing to beat the mixture until smooth. Stir in nuts with a rubber spatula. Spread filling over cake mixture in pan.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the cake; the center should still be a little gooey when finished baking. Let cake partially cool on a wire rack before cutting into pieces.

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Servings:
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 50 min
Difficulty: Easy

Show: Paula's Party Episode: Fire and Ice