No Name Bars & A Cookbook Giveaway!

"In 2010, America watched amateur cook, Whitney Miller, crush the competition and become the first winner of FOX’s hit show MasterChef. The seemingly demure Mississippi belle proved she had not only nerves of steel but true culinary chops. Now, in her eagerly anticipated first cookbook MODERN HOSPITALITY: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm, Whitney treats readers to a fresh take on classic dishes that have been passed down throughout generations of Southern women in her family."1

When Gordon Ramsay, one of the judges for MasterChef,  first met Whitney Miller, her humble and soft spoken attitude was said to make Gordon think "she was a sweet lamb heading toward inevitable slaughter."2 Yet, I believe they strongly underestimated the southern belle from Poplarville, Mississippi. In the end, with a dish of fried chicken and creamed collard greens, Ms. Whitney Miller became the winner of Masterchef. Since Masterchef, she has gone on to open a successful cafe and catering business and has written her first cookbook, MODERN HOSPITALITY: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm.

I was honored to be asked to review Ms. Millers cookbook. The cookbook is simply stunning. There is a beautiful shabby-chic appeal in all the page coloring and  food photography. Lots of interesting vintage linens paired with mouth watering recipes. I love Whitney's merging of her favorite recipes with the beautiful southern table settings. The lovely bone china tea cups filled with her Game Day Chili (on page 46), is perfect example. It's what her cookbook is all about. Modern hospitality... mixing the old with the new and embracing southern charm at its finest.

Of course, you know me. My very favorite part of the cookbook would include something from the sweet selections. After much deliberation in choosing the first recipe to try,  I finally decided on a recipe called No Name Bars. Ms. Miller indicates they "are too good for words," hence the reason she had trouble giving them a name. No doubt, she nailed it right on the head. The bars are similar to a gooey butter cake or a chess bar, but they have a very buttery crust with a filling that is a cross between that of a cheesecake and a custard. Their simplicity makes it easy to top them with anything from a sweet fruit reduction to a chocolate sauce. Or, you could just leave them plain and consume half a pan, as is. That appeared to be my preference:)

Enjoy!  

No Name Bars
from MODERN HOSPITALITY: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm by Whitney Miller 
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 1/2 sticks, unsalted butter, melted
3/4 c. white granulated sugar
1 1/2 all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
4 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 c powdered (confectioner's) sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 baking dish.
 To make the crust: Mix the butter and white sugar together in a med. bowl. In another bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to salt mixture and mix until combined. Spread into greased baking dish. 

For filling:
Beat cream cheese with mixer until smooth. Add the eggs and mix. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Add powdered sugar. Spread on top of crust. Bake for 38 minutes. Let cool at least 5 minutes before cutting into squares.  

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!
If you'd like to win your own copy of Whitney's cookbook MODERN HOSPITALITY, you are in luck. Along with my review copy, I was offered the chance to giveaway a copy to one of my Sinful Southern Sweets readers! So, its very simple, just leave me a comment, any comment (well, preferably a nice one:). You can leave up to 3 comments per day. The giveaway will end August 7th. Winner will be chosen randomly. Please make sure to include your email if its not listed in your profile. Good luck!!

BOOK SIGNINGS AND EVENTS FOR WHITNEY MILLER

July 7^th - EveryDay Gourmet - Jackson, MS, Book signing

July 8^th - TurnRow Books- Greenwood, MS, Book signing

July 8^th - Viking Cooking School - Cooking demo (6 -7:30 pm)

July 9^th - Uptown Interiors- Bay St Louis, MS, book signing

July 11^th - Square Books - Oxford, MS, book signing (5-7 pm)

July 12^th - L’Ecole Culinaire, cooking demo and book singing (12-2pm)

July 12^th - The Booksellers at Laurelwood- Memphis, TN - book signing (6-8pm)

July 14^th - Page & Palette - Fairhope, AL, cooking demo and book signing

July 15^th - Apple's Limited - Poplarville, MS, book signing (5-7pm) 

July 16^th - Viking Cooking Classic- Madison, MS, cooking demo and signing

July 19^th - Melinda's Fine Gifts and More - Picayune, MS, book signing (6-8 pm)

July 22^nd - Sam’s Club- McDonough, GA, book singing

July 24^th - Women’s Health “Are You Game” event- Chicago, IL, cooking demo and book signing (11am-4pm)

July 29th-30^th - MS's Hospitality Pageant - Hattiesburg, MS, celebrity judge and book signing

August 4^th - Books a Million - Birmingham, AL, book signing (12noon-2pm)

August 6^th - Barnes & Noble- Savannah, GA, book signing (2-4pm)

August 13^th - Books a Million - Slidell, LA, book signing (12-2 pm)

August 15^th - The Kitchen Table- Hattiesburg, MS, cooking demo and book signing

1/reference from Rodale publicity release

2/reference from forward by Gordon Ramsay from MODERN HOSPITALITY