American

PAT New husbands, this one is for you. An ole vet to the marriage world, Gina always feeds me these delicious bite-sized fried bread balls whenever I start to talk too much—as a way to keep me quiet. You don’t see me complaining! If you’re not up for deep-frying, you can serve the corn bread sticks on page 23 instead.

PAT Catfish is the best fish to fry. Fillets are plump, and the flesh is fatty enough to keep it moist throughout the frying. The buttermilk batter produces a flaky crust, and the pinch of cayenne pepper gives it a hint of spice: a reminder for the newlyweds-to-be of just how important it is to keep a little spice in your years of marriage.

This “house wine of the South” is literally drunk by the gallon during the spring and summer months here in Memphis. We add mint and simple syrup to ours, to give it the right amount of flavor and sweetness. It’s a refreshing “knock-back,” and can also be used as a mix for a cocktail (add a little rum or vodka).

Remember to start with fresh spices for that sweet, savory, and spicy balance.

GINA Now, you guys know I am married to the “grill master”—and yet we never seem to think of grilling lamb! Adding the mint vinaigrette pulls the whole thing together in the best possible way: the piquant flavor of the vinaigrette contrasts perfectly with the earthy smoked lamb. It’s a grilled twist on a classic Easter dish. PAT Y’all know how I feel about my grill. She loves it when I bring her different types of meats so we can cook them to perfection. Letting these beautiful cuts of lamb soak in the marinade overnight ensures a delicious flavor, and once Gina adds her outstanding mint vinaigrette, there is nothing else for these babies to do but make it to your plate.

PAT If you’re going to eat popcorn, eat it Memphis-style. In Memphis, everything is about the marriage of smoke, pepper, and barbecue, and we love adding those elements to every dish we can (including popcorn). Our version features smoked paprika, garlic powder, sugar, and cayenne pepper, and is unlike any popcorn you’ve ever had. If some of your guests prefer popcorn with less “pop,” eliminate the cayenne. If some prefer more “pop,” you can sprinkle your favorite hot sauce over their batch. Either way, they’ll be back for more.

GINA Fish tacos—you gotta love them. But of course seafood has always been my thing. The key to this dish lies in the freshness of your coleslaw. You can always use store-bought, but our recipe is so quick, and making it fresh adds a crispness that I’m not too sure store-bought can provide. Also, the jalapeño pepper in the slaw, combined with the chipotle mayo, makes our slaw smoky and spicy! I think catfish works better than other fish, because it has a good way of standing up to the heat of the frying pan . . . plus, I just love the flavor. This may be because our family had a tradition of eating catfish every Friday night for dinner. (We were probably making fish tacos before they got a fancy reputation.) And I have this thing about wraps—because you can pile everything into them and then just munch it down.

GINA This is my absolute favorite cake. Tanya has been baking it for me since I was a little girl—which I was yesterday. . . . I can remember when my sister Kim made it for her boyfriend, Tony, who is now her husband. I watched her in that kitchen, baking with such love and care. I begged for a small piece and she said, “No, it’s Tony’s birthday.” So I sat on that stool and swung my feet and waited and waited. It got pretty dark, and Kim was no longer smiling—she’d gotten that evil look on her face that we all have had at one time or another. The wait went on, and then . . . ding-dong. He’d finally arrived, and Kim was all fired up to give him a piece of her mind for being so late. After some loud, angry whispering between Kim and Tony at the front door, Kim took my beautiful, coveted cake, went straight out the door, and threw it into the garbage can outside! I screamed and stood by that can in shock, but Tanya made me come in, and baked me another one just to shut me up. (Hence, you can see where my “spoiledness” comes from, and the reason Tanya knows it’s my favorite.) Now we all love this cake. I am a true chocolate lover, and adding more chocolate on top—really, what more can you say? But you know Pat—he likes to reach into the freezer and throw a big scoop of vanilla on top of his slice.

PAT Have mercy—I could eat pork chops 7 days a week. I eat ’em grilled, fried, or baked, but my absolute favorite is a smothered pork chop. When I pull up and smell the fantastic aroma coming from the stovetop, it stops me in my tracks. That’s Tanya, working her magic. GINA Okay . . . if my sister wasn’t my sister, I would think she is trying to get my man! She knows that he loves pork chops, and I am the only one other than his mama who is supposed to know that! Tanya uses all the right ingredients: adding chicken broth for more moisture, and a dash of hot sauce and cayenne to spice it up (hey, sister, that’s my thang). This is the only time I will bend on letting someone cook for Pat!

If you’re a Ro*tel lover, then this is your dish. (In case you aren’t familiar, it’s a blend of diced tomatoes with green chiles, often used to make a mean chili con queso.) We love how Tanya adds spinach to her version of this popular Southern dip, so it makes us feel healthy and good even though it’s still a “comfort” food. We’re typically starving upon arrival, and a great spicy spinach dip with a bowl of tortilla chips is a good way to take the edge off. Throw your luggage down and dig in!

Spenser loves those little fried-chicken sandwiches from fast-food places, so we thought we just had to take a stab at our own down-home remix. You would not believe how many of these bad boys folks can put away! The sweet-pickle mayo gives just the right tang to the crunchy and tender fried chicken. We like these sandwiches on soft dinner rolls, but you can also make mini-biscuits if you’re really feeling buttery bad.

PAT I absolutely love making my grilled hot wings. Gina calls me the grill master: I’m a grill king and a wingman. There is nothing better than wings with a smoky grilled flavor mingling with a sweet, spicy, and creamy dipping sauce. One of the best things about living in Memphis is that we can grill year- round, even on a 35-degree day (which is the normal temperature on Super Bowl Sunday). Grilling wings can be completed in a 10-minute period outside, so even if it’s chilly out, you can stand it!

PAT Gina’s told me before, “If you like the kickoff, then you’re going to love these poppers!” They have the perfect amount of kick to them. Between the smokiness of the paprika and the heat of the cayenne pepper, take one bite and the game is on! We remove the jalapeño seeds so that the poppers aren’t too hot, but leave them in if you like really spicy. After all, I am a hot man, and I mean that both palate-wise and physical-wise (and, as you can tell, I’m very, very humble). Jalapeños are a vegetable that you can get seriously creative with: filling them up with cheese, using buttermilk in a batter, and deep-frying these little puppies makes one of the best appetizers you can imagine.

GINA Ever since I was a little girl, my mom has been telling me that if you don’t eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day you’ll have a bad year ahead of you. Now, when I was younger I didn’t care a bit. I was going through that awkward stage anyway—how much worse could it be? But as I got older, I learned to love that black-eyed pea tradition, convinced that my year was going to be fantastic! And you know what’s funny? I tell my girls the same thing. Who says traditions and superstitions aren’t effective? Not to mention that black-eyed peas are rich in calcium and vitamin A. What could be bad about that? Of course, this being a Gina recipe, I added in my favorite collard greens. . . . Mmm, even better.

Here we go back to New Orleans again, with Bourbon Street flair. Southern bourbon-soaked brioche bread makes a hearty Creole-style dessert.

You can’t have collard greens without corn bread, and these bite-sized corncob-shaped sticks are a cute way to serve them. You can also bake the batter in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet—just cook the vegetables in the same skillet you’d like to bake the bread in.

PAT You won’t find a collard green—or a green of any kind, for that matter—that Gina hasn’t mastered and found a dozen ways to cook. She’s queen of the twists on greens. The idea for this particular twist came from stuffed cabbage with a vinegary red sauce—but we think this is even better than that recipe. Don’t you?

I love Cornish hens: baked or smoked, but also deep-fried. To me they’re like smaller turkeys, so they’re perfect for entertaining smaller groups or just your family. If you can’t find them at your butcher counter, check the frozen-meat section—just be sure to let them thaw out completely. Because of their small size, you can use an electric fryer instead of the larger turkey contraptions for deep-frying them (another bonus). Deep-fried, they’ve got a golden crust and a juicy, juicy tenderness. If you’re short on fridge space, divide the marinade between two or three large zip-top bags, and divide the Cornish hens among them. Press the air out and seal tight; then you can fit them into a smaller space. Now, Shelbi and Gina might share a hen, so for light eaters just split one bird down the middle. But a heavy eater like me will eat a whole hen. I’ve been anticipating it all day!