Make do with what you have 100 delicious new recipes from favorite old-school meals

Delicious Miss Brown host and bestselling author Brown (The Way Home) offers up penny-pinching tips and rich Southern comfort food drawn from her Gullah Geechee roots in this accessible collection. In the lengthy introduction, she shares her personal history, including coupon hunting with her mother, eking by as a struggling college student, and relying on her Christian faith to pull through. Brown proves a charismatic storyteller with a strong voice and solid tips for saving money at the grocery store. Recipes themselves come with clear instructions and generous serving sizes (many are fit for six to eight people) but are presented without individual introductions, listed prep/cook times, or suggested substitutions, which could present hurdles for home cooks. Meat dishes include ground beef stir fry with broccoli, flavorful pork chops, and country fried steak. A section on poultry features Carolina barbecue baked chicken and a skillet pot pie using store-bought biscuits. For seafood, which Brown notes is cheaper when bought frozen or canned, there's a classic tuna melt and canned salmon hash. An extensive grain section offers many variations on rice, vegetable sides include maple glazed roasted carrots and collard greens, and a final dessert chapter boasts peach cobbler and sweet potato pie. Home cooks are in competent hands with this one. (Nov.)