Party Receipts

By Linda Glick Conway, Editor / Junior League of Charleston, SC

With Charleston Receipts and Charleston Receipts Repeats, the Junior League of Charleston, South Carolina, made itself famous -- and indispensable -- to home cooks across the country. Both books have been selling like hot cakes for decades combined (the 1951 original is the oldest cookbook of its kind still in print), so the cry of the masses has long been, "More!"

In 1993, the Junior League finally unleashed another bevy of treasured, sometimes secret traditional Lowcountry recipes in conjunction with Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill and editor Linda Glick Conway.

In "Party Receipts," the grande dames of Charleston reveal their formula for classic and elegant Southern gatherings, including 300 finger foods and buffet table "musts," party menus, and tips for entertaining.

This Charleston-to-the-bone collection also features Lowcountry literary tidbits from such authors as Pat Conroy, DuBose Heyward, and Josephine Humphreys. A beautiful, truly Southern cookbook that will help you plan perfect parties for decades to come -- or at least until those Charleston Junior Leaguers decide to open their recipe boxes and slip us more savories.

Sample recipes: Boiled Peanuts, Ahmah's Pickled Okra, Southern Comfort Punch, Mamoo's Cucumber Spread, Plantation Eggplant Dip, Chicken Pecan Log, Leftover Smithfield Ham Spread, Lowcountry Hot Dip, Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes, Sweet Potato Balls, Dad's Grilled Dove Breasts, Mini Crab Cakes, Tomato Sandwiches, Muffuletta Loaf, Cheese Biscuits, Cooter Soup, Grampa's Catfish Stew, Rita's Benne Cookies, Party Pralines, and Bourbon Balls.