Some Southern cooks keep their prized family recipes under lock and key, but not Mary Martha Greene. Why? She says few things can truly be kept secret in the South and recipes, like cheese biscuits, are meant to be shared. That’s why she’s the Cheese Biscuit Queen. So many stories could be written about Greene’s Aunt Mimi’s cheese biscuits-the countries they visited, and the lies, half-truths, cheating, and conniving of small children (not to mention grown adults) to get them. For Greene, who inherited the title of Cheese Biscuit Queen-and the recipe-from her aunt, making the biscuits and continuing to share Aunt Mimi’s recipe keeps her love and legacy alive.

In The Cheese Biscuit Queen Tells All, Greene, a South Carolinian and former lobbyist, pairs more than one hundred tried-and-true recipes for dishes like country ham scones, Frogmore stew dip, shrimp and corn pie, and lemon pound cake with stories from her corner of the South. The book opens with the famous cheese biscuit recipe (complete with family secrets), and the pages that follow brim with fabulous characters, antic-filled anecdotes, and recipes so good they might just call for a change in State House rules (true story).

With new ideas for the consummate entertainer, helpful tips for less experienced cooks, and stories to make even the grumpiest legislator laugh, The Cheese Biscuit Queen Tells All has a place in every kitchen. Great food leads to great memories, and with Mary Martha Greene by your side, even everyday meals can become memorable occasions.