It has been ten years since Kentucky’s Best: Fifty Years of Great Recipes was published. It is a collection of not only recipes that have been in my family for years, but also my favorite recipes from Kentucky chefs, restaurants, and bed and breakfasts, as well as those that are truly traditions in the Bluegrass State.
For many years, I have dreamed of publishing a collection of the best recipes from my column, “Kentucky Cooks.” I receive so many requests for recipes featured in my column and have been asked by readers where they can find the best of Kentucky Living. One day while reading an e-mail from a reader requesting such a book, I decided that it was time to pull that title and make it a reality. Now my readers do not have to take the time to write and wait for a reply. The best of Kentucky Living is in this collection.
I’m often asked about my job and the photos. Jim Battles is my photographer, and he not only does the food shots, but also takes photos on many topics for the magazine. He makes the food look so appetizing, and, surprisingly, there have been only a few mishaps. The most memorable was a beautiful scoop of ice cream melting under the lights. We plan our shots for the year and set up three or four months at a time, cooking the dishes in my home or Jim’s studio. Besides being a great photographer and a talented drummer, he loves to eat our food as much as I do. We have to be Kentucky Living’s official foodies. Many times, I have the good intention of sending his wife, Nancy, and his kids a dish we prepare, but Jim and I usually manage to polish it off. I consider us a great team, and we have a wonderful time. Remember—first and foremost, we’re foodies!
Throughout the years, my work at Kentucky Living has been hard to think of as a job. While I love signing books, judging food events, giving cooking demonstrations, and receiving everything from food products, cookbooks, recipes, and cooking gadgets to proposals (really), I love interacting with my readers more than anything. I feel like I know them and enjoy answering their letters and e-mails. One sweet lady has sent me an Easter card every year since I started to write my column in 1995.
I often call a reader to ask her opinion about an upcoming column or to congratulate him on a food accomplishment. I enjoy working with Kentucky State Fair winners and finalists and hearing about all their food contributions. I open the Kentucky Living Web site to learn about great recipes, such as Sour Cream Pound Cake from Marilyn Gay and those from so many other talented Kentucky cooks who share their favorites each month. More than anything, I love to laugh and chat with my readers, knowing that I’m in the company of the greatest cooks in the South: Kentucky cooks!
Can you tell that I’m proud of my magazine? Does this really sound like a job? Does it get any better than this? I don’t think so!