Crazy Sista Cooking: Cuisine and Conversation with Lucy Anne Buffett

I asked for and got this very cool cookbook for Christmas so here is my review of it.I have to preface my review by telling you that Jimmy Buffett's sister wrote it and as I am a HUGE Parrothead Jimmy fan for the past nearly 50 years (yes, I saw him on a stool with just a guitar at the Flick coffeehouse by the University of Miami when I was still in high school), I really wanted this cookbook as I have prayed for one from Jimmy himself but he has yet to write it.If you have ever really listened to his songs there is much food mentioned and the very kind that is my favorite! so if you don't like Gulf shore/Cajun/Creole/Louisiana/southern foods....just stop reading this right now as this is what her cookbook embraces in a very cool and different way.So how is it so cool and different from my other cookbooks? well, I have been reading it for two days and have both laughed and cried and have yet to get to even the very first recipe....why? because brave Lucy Buffett dreamed of opening her own little restaurant and tells the sad/dramatic/scary/happy story of how that happened and how, in addition to Lulu's becoming a huge success, she also wrote her dream cookbook. I love a woman with dreams who actually makes them come true with a lot of tears, laughter, troubles and help from all kinds of sources, both expected and unexpected.So if you want a cookbook with fabulous recipes (yes, I have peeked ahead at them) for both food and drinks, simple, pure, made from love and time-honored family secrets...you will adore this beautifully illustrated cookbook full of a woman's laughter, love, southern charm, cool stories and deep wisdom. I don't think I can remember ever reading or enjoying any cookbook as much as I have enjoyed this one and I'm not even through it yet! I highly recommend it to lovers of the types of cooking I have mentioned. I did get the hardcover edition and am very happy with the quality.BTW, since writing this review I had the pleasure of making and eating the After Thanksgiving Turkey Gumbo and it was just divine!

What a terrific book! It’s a treat just to read this funny, warm casserole of commentary - with mouth-watering recipes to savor while you sip a boat drink - and ponder the possibilities. You can almost feel the dripping humidity and smell the Cajun gumbo’n’onions on the stove…”Lulu” obviously loves what she does (she owns a very successful restaurant) and what she’s done with her life. Her joyful spirit of telling tales about growing up on the Gulf Coast and recounting family quirks - while she weaves these fabulous modern updates of traditional Southern down-home cooking - makes your mouth water. As you read her delicious suggestions for dips, sauces, techniques and flavor combos, chocolate pound cake and Key Lime anything - all of it makes for lip-smacking good ideas for you to concoct. Being in the family kitchen with Lulu’n’friends must be a real treat! (I loved the family photo around the dinner table, circa 1950, where - she notes, “every mouth is open” – six people are all talking’n’chowing down in the moment. It’s a snapshot-in-time that speaks of relaxed Sunday suppers and long-gone relatives.) You feel you could sit down at her breezy bar and have a chat any afternoon and waddle out afterwards stuffed and looking forward to a return visit…The book is well-worth the trip down a Southern Memory Lane and it can help you create your own new memories with family and friends you haven’t met yet.

This book is more than a cookbook. It tells the story of a family, the recipes, and the culture if the deep south. It is entertaining and informative!! Seriously, buy the book!!

Believe it or not, everyone can use this cookbook. Well, it is more than a cookbook. It is a story of Lucy Buffett, better known as Lulu and her famous eating place has the same name, which is located on the Intercoastal Waterway in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The food on the menu is the foods and drinks in this book. AND, the recipes are written so anyone that reads can cook it-really. It is a different type of cookbook, filled out a zillion colored photos on shiny gloss paper and the print is wonderful too. The book tells the story of Lucy and her world famous brother, JIMMY BUFFETT. Not only will you love the beauty of this book, you will love the food you make from it and it will taste just like you got it at Lulu's Sunset Grill. Located on the water. It survived Hurricane Ivan, which Lucy opened within about three or four days and fed people free, as much as they could eat. It was wonderful. She is just that type of person. She loves a story and she has written one of the best. Enjoy this and stop be when in South Alabama, better known as LA (Lower Alabama). When you go, you might want to order the world famous Cheeseburger in Pardise. ALL FOLKS ARE WELCOME, ESPECIALLLY PARROTHEADS. See you there!! THe drinks are great, live music and great food, just like in the book.

This is a fun cookbook for folks who like to experiment and enjoy homestyle cooking. The same book was released with a different title, so if you already purchased a Lucy Buffett cookbook it may be this one!

EVERY kitchen needs this cookbook! It’s awesome!

After looking at Lulu's cookbook while at her restaurant in September, I regretted not purchasing it. I knew my mom would love it and sure enough she saw it on her trip in October and mentioned it to me. So I just had to purchase one for both of us for Christmas! The cookbook is great. And the best part to me is that it is not just a cookbook, it is a book about the area that is our favorite place to vacation. I haven't had a chance to make anything out of the book, but I'm sure I will after Christmas rush is over.

I only searched out the book because I went to Lulu's and had some of the most amazing shrimp 'n' grits I've ever tasted! I was thinking this would be sparsely peppered with a few recipes throughout, but I was really pleased to get a more inside look at Lulu and how the restaurant came to be. And there are many recipes, both from the restaurant itself, and lots of extras from family and friends. I really enjoyed this book!

I am a huge Jimmy Buffett fan and knew of his sister Lucy's restaurant...although I've never had a chance to actually visit it. I love to cook as well so a Buffett cookbook seemed like a logical thing for me to buy. I am not disappointed. I haven't read through all of it yet but it is such a great book. Even if you never make any of the recipes, it is just an enjoyable read. It makes you want to have people over, make margaritas and a pot of gumbo or some boiled shrimp! The stories contained in the book are very entertaining, giving the reader an idea of just what Lucy Buffett went through to bring "Lulu's" to what it is today: a tourist attraction! I don't think that was her intention, I think she was just looking for a way to make a living by doing something she really liked to do - feeding hungry people good food. But apparently Lulu's is quite the place - it is now on my bucket list! By the way, the recipes look really good and appear to be easy to do. I have made one of the shrimp dishes and it turned out absolutely perfect. We loved it. Highly recommend this!