As a young girl growing up in South Mississippi, Allie Williamson would hang out in the kitchen while her mom and grandma whipped up amazing, but simple, cuisine. “They were always cooking up some Southern delights so I really have a passion for keeping my Southern traditions alive.”
One way she’s doing this is through her new book, The Southern Diva Cookbook: Teaching you how to use a cast iron skillet & keep it clean, available on Amazon. “It’s based off of a lot of Southern recipes from my family and women who were influential to me from my church back home in Mississippi and in my journey through life,” she says.
In the book, Allie talks about her childhood in Mississippi and also provides information on what one would find in a Mississippi woman's kitchen, like light bread and bacon grease. Another main focus of the book is teaching how to use a cast iron skillet and keeping it clean.
“I love a cast iron skillet not only because of the flavors you get from it, but also how it maintains its heat,” says Allie. “Once I get the cast iron skillet going, I can cut that heat off and it's going to continuously cook. And, I like the fact that you barely have to clean it. You can just wipe it with a paper towel or run water over it and scrub it, and then put it right back in the oven.”
It's really important to Allie to share these traditions with other women to let them know that cooking can still be part of their lives, even if they’re also busy with careers. “They can be in the kitchen looking cute with their lipstick and heels and also be running a million dollar company.” As the owner of Southern Domestic Diva, a large and successful cleaning company in Nashville, she understands this well.
“I'm a simple, hard-working woman, so most of the recipes can be cooked within 30 minutes to an hour,” says Allie. In the book, readers will find headings such as Sassy Sides and Funeral Favorites. “In the South, if you're going to a funeral, you have to have a good recipe, like my chicken spaghetti casserole, to bring to the family.”
In addition to these culinary delights, readers can find a lot of great holiday and old-school dessert recipes, such as Peach Cobbler and Mississippi Mud Pie.
