Author: Debbi Covington

  A few weeks ago, one of my favorite customers approached me about catering a birthday dinner for his wife that would feature foods from New Zealand. I, of course, hopped on the idea and suggested that we serve the meal tapas-style. The rest is history. We had a great night and the yummy small plates were well-received!

You don’t have to live in the South to practice the tradition of Southern hospitality! It’s true that much of the South has grown and changed but a warm welcome is a Southern tradition that remains. Intimate dinner parties are a gracious way to entertain. We don’t really need an excuse to celebrate, do we? Celebrate Everything!  The recipes this week are from my award-winning cookbook Celebrate Everything! with Photography by Paul Nurnberg.

Charlie Brown’s pal, Linus van Pelt, was right! There’s something incredible about pumpkins in the fall. Luckily, you don’t have to stay up all night in the pumpkin patch to find a great pumpkin recipe.

A Night With Debbi Covington On September 15th, I received a Facebook message from my friend, Josette Grimsley: “Debbi, my supper club is having a Debbi Covington recipe event this Saturday night. I was wondering if you have a roasted vegetable recipe, either squash or root veggies. If you can direct me to Celebrate Everything! or one of your Lowcountry Weekly articles, I would be so grateful!” Then, I received an email from Becky Baldwin. “Debbi, I understand that Josette has mentioned our Debbi Covington supper club evening. We meet this Saturday and are preparing your recipes. Would love to have you and your husband if you don’t have plans.”    

  This is the time of year when we welcome autumn’s chill, along with a bushel full of fall flavors!  The air is crisp and the leaves are changing, heralding the autumn harvest. 

  If you’re a true southerner, then you know what time of year it is. It’s Football Season! For the next few months, parties and weddings will be planned around football schedules.

I always gain weight in the summer. It has happened every single summer for as long as I can remember. It’s so hard to be active in 95 degree weather when you’re a non-athlete, like me.

If variety is the spice of life, then feta is the cheese – at least in this week’s recipes! Feta is a brined curd cheese that’s traditionally made in Greece. It’s an aged crumbly cheese, commonly produced in blocks and has a slightly grainy texture.

We all have friends that deserve a special “thank you.” I must admit, as I write this, I’m thinking about wedding party hosts that need reciprocating, but a thank you party for any reason is a good thing. Wouldn’t it be fun to host a small party for the people who celebrate with you when you’re happy and lift you up when you’re down – just to say “thank you?”

The words fresh and light perfectly describe the kind of innovative, delicious food that so many of us want to cook and eat today. We like peak-of-the season ingredients prepared in simple ways that best enhance their flavors.