What do you think?
Rate this book
The Sweet Magnolias
The Sweet Magnolias Cookbook: More Than 150 Favorite Southern Recipes
Fill your home with the freshly baked scent of luscious apple pie, the sizzle of peachy grilled chicken or the beckoning aroma of juicy roast lamb, all brought to life in this charming collection of recipes.
New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods invites you into the world of Serenity, South Carolina, where good food and good friends await. Based on her beloved Sweet Magnolias series, this gorgeous cookbook is full of Southern classics and heartwarming stories of friendship and fun. Join Dana Sue Sullivan, a popular character and Southern cook herself, as she shares her favorite down-home recipes as well as secrets, stories and small-town gossip from the world of the Sweet Magnolias!
Whether you're making flaky, buttery, too-good-to-be-true biscuits, or spicy seafood gumbo, the 150 recipes found in these pages will bring your family and friends together to celebrate the comforts of home.
From legendary margarita nights to indulgent Sunday brunches to heartening holiday meals, every recipe in this book is sure to infuse your life and your kitchen with the warmth of the South and the comfort of good food.
New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods invites you into the world of Serenity, South Carolina, where good food and good friends await. Based on her beloved Sweet Magnolias series, this gorgeous cookbook is full of Southern classics and heartwarming stories of friendship and fun. Join Dana Sue Sullivan, a popular character and Southern cook herself, as she shares her favorite down-home recipes as well as secrets, stories and small-town gossip from the world of the Sweet Magnolias!
Whether you're making flaky, buttery, too-good-to-be-true biscuits, or spicy seafood gumbo, the 150 recipes found in these pages will bring your family and friends together to celebrate the comforts of home.
From legendary margarita nights to indulgent Sunday brunches to heartening holiday meals, every recipe in this book is sure to infuse your life and your kitchen with the warmth of the South and the comfort of good food.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
145 people are currently reading
848 people want to read
About the author
Sherryl Woods
557 books4,540 followersWith two other careers to her credit before becoming a novelist and four states in which she's lived for extended periods of time, Sherryl Woods has collected friends and memories, along with way too much unnecessary junk.
"The friends are the only things I've brought with me through the years that really matter," she says. "I could probably live without one more chintz teacup, another tin-litho sandpail or another snowglobe, but I need those friends."
The theme of enduring friendships and families is always central to Sherryl's books, including her latest Chesapeake Shores series — THE INN AT EAGLE POINT, FLOWERS ON MAIN and HARBOR LIGHTS.
Author of more than 100 romance and mystery novels, Sherryl Woods grew up in Virginia. Over the years she had lived in Ohio and Florida, as well as California. Currently she divides her time between Key Biscayne, Florida and Colonial Beach, Virginia, the small, river-front town where she spent her childhood summers.
A graduate of Ohio State University School of Journalism, Sherryl spent more than ten years as a journalist, most of them as a television critic for newspapers in Ohio and Florida. For several years she also coordinated a motivational program for the more than 8,000 employees at the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Medical Center.
Her first book, RESTORING LOVE, was published in 1982 by Dell Candlelight Ecstasy under the pseudonym of Suzanne Sherrill. Her second book, SAND CASTLES, under the pseudonym of Alexandra Kirk, was published later that same year by Bantam. She began using her own name when she moved to the Second Chance at Love line at Berkley Publishing. In 1986, she began writing full-time and also began her long career at Silhouette Books with the Desire title NOT AT EIGHT, DARLING, set in the world of television which she covered for so many years.
In addition to her more than 75 romances for Silhouette Desire and Special Edition, she has written thirteen mysteries — nine in the Amanda Roberts series and four in the Molly DeWitt series.
When she's not writing or reading, Sherryl loves to garden, though she's not at her best on a riding lawn mower. She also loves tennis, theater, and ballet, even though her top spin has long since vanished, she's never set foot on a stage, and she's way too uncoordinated to dance. She also loves baseball and claims anyone who's ever seen Kevin Costner in "Bull Durham" can understand why.
"The friends are the only things I've brought with me through the years that really matter," she says. "I could probably live without one more chintz teacup, another tin-litho sandpail or another snowglobe, but I need those friends."
The theme of enduring friendships and families is always central to Sherryl's books, including her latest Chesapeake Shores series — THE INN AT EAGLE POINT, FLOWERS ON MAIN and HARBOR LIGHTS.
Author of more than 100 romance and mystery novels, Sherryl Woods grew up in Virginia. Over the years she had lived in Ohio and Florida, as well as California. Currently she divides her time between Key Biscayne, Florida and Colonial Beach, Virginia, the small, river-front town where she spent her childhood summers.
A graduate of Ohio State University School of Journalism, Sherryl spent more than ten years as a journalist, most of them as a television critic for newspapers in Ohio and Florida. For several years she also coordinated a motivational program for the more than 8,000 employees at the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Medical Center.
Her first book, RESTORING LOVE, was published in 1982 by Dell Candlelight Ecstasy under the pseudonym of Suzanne Sherrill. Her second book, SAND CASTLES, under the pseudonym of Alexandra Kirk, was published later that same year by Bantam. She began using her own name when she moved to the Second Chance at Love line at Berkley Publishing. In 1986, she began writing full-time and also began her long career at Silhouette Books with the Desire title NOT AT EIGHT, DARLING, set in the world of television which she covered for so many years.
In addition to her more than 75 romances for Silhouette Desire and Special Edition, she has written thirteen mysteries — nine in the Amanda Roberts series and four in the Molly DeWitt series.
When she's not writing or reading, Sherryl loves to garden, though she's not at her best on a riding lawn mower. She also loves tennis, theater, and ballet, even though her top spin has long since vanished, she's never set foot on a stage, and she's way too uncoordinated to dance. She also loves baseball and claims anyone who's ever seen Kevin Costner in "Bull Durham" can understand why.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 26, 2012
OK, I have to be honest...I have never read a Sherryl Woods book, so I don't knw about The Sweet Magnolias series and can't refer to it in this review. I focused much more on the recipes given. I happen to love when authors do recipes and/or cookbooks for their works. I must admit that I have found some rockin' recipes that way and, in my humble opinion, this book will not be an exception.
I loved this book though. I swear I am a misplanted Southern girl cuz I love Southern influence in my recipes and this book has it. Not only does it have it, but it presents it in an excellent variety of recipes. In this book, one will find libations, appetizers, main dishes, veggie/side dishes (farmer's market), ethnic, desserts, and my favorite, a low fat section with yummy looking dishes!
I loved this book though. I swear I am a misplanted Southern girl cuz I love Southern influence in my recipes and this book has it. Not only does it have it, but it presents it in an excellent variety of recipes. In this book, one will find libations, appetizers, main dishes, veggie/side dishes (farmer's market), ethnic, desserts, and my favorite, a low fat section with yummy looking dishes!
October 15, 2023
I have read and enjoyed all 11 books in the Sweet Magnolia Series, and enjoyed the version on Netflix although there were a number of major differences. It was interesting to see the recipes in this book presented in Dana Sue's "voice." I was a little surprised there were no recipes from Wharton's, which was featured prominently in the books. That being said, as a vegan, I would probably starve to death in Serenity, lol! Or at least I wouldn't be able to eat out very much. I knew before I took this book out of the library that there would likely be very few recipes that were vegan, but having read all the books, I was interested in looking through it anyway. There are probably a few recipes where I can substitute vegan ingredients and I'll give those a try.,
July 25, 2012
The idea of 'Southern (American) Hospitality' is known of worldwide, mostly as a concept, as if you ask most non-Americans what exactly is southern hospitality and cuisine they may start to flounder after mentioning happy, open people and maybe a chowder. Or guess Mexican?
For those who don't really know what to expect, this book will provide a good introduction to the whole enchilada and let you create a little bit of ol' southern hospitality in your own home, wherever it might be. Of course, for those who know all about the cuisine they can just get cooking! As you will see, that might be the preferred option...
The book is based around the "Sweet Magnolias" romantic novels by Sherryl Woods but it features real-life, scene-setting southern food. The Steel Magnolias are a group of women who live in the fictional town of Serenity in the American South. To be honest, this tie-in to a fictitious world does not travel so well. If you are not a particular fan of the series then the tie-in and its associated text just seems confusing flim-flam, verbiage that just gets in the way of the quality underlying content. A casual browser might skip past this book due to all of this unnecessary stuff, and that would be a shame.
The recipes are split into different chapters, named and wrapped within this (irritating) fictional world. Sweet Magnolias Margarita Nights & Other Cocktails & Munchies handles, yes, the starters: Sullivan's Restaurant Specialities of the House handles various main courses; Serenity Farmers' Market seems to handle the sides; Sunday Brunch at Sullivan's is a brunchy/lunchy place; Mama Cruz's Recipe File has, confusingly, other items that one could classify as lunches and mains; Chef Erik's Decadent Desserts is self explanatory. Then the strange naming continues with "The Corner Spa's Low-Cal Healthy Selections". Amazingly there is a sane chapter heading right at the end as "Holiday's and Get-Togethers".
Really! Sorry, it is very, very rare that this reviewer has needed recourse to swear words when examining a book for review. This time it is out of sheer frustration. Frustration that a book with great potential, interesting recipes and a chance to educate, inform and delight has been wrapped up with this schmaltzy sh-t! Now, this is no reflection on the fictional world of Sweet Magnolias but there is a time and a place for a tie-in and this is NOT it. Just let the book stand for itself, let the fans look up the recipe that a certain person ate whilst having a romantic meal with someone else. They can look up the self-same "C'mon, Baby, Light My Fire Chicken Wings" that the heroine ate, but please save the disinterested reader all the fluff that litters the book. The fans will still be happy. The foodies will be ecstatic. To be very blunt, if this reviewer was browsing this book at the bookstore it would have been overlooked after a couple of pages of browsing. It is just too much work, particularly when there are masses of other books vying for attention.
Assuming that you can get all of this negativity and bad feeling out of your system and persevere a little, then you will have a good set of recipes that are well written, easy to follow and in fact quite a pleasure to look at. Such is the strong feeling about the "non-recipe text", this reviewer notes discreetly (!), that he would probably do something that is an anathema to him, namely cut the book up. Cutting out a large chunk of the folksy guff and rebinding the book might be a drastic solution but it might help reduce blood pressure and angry feelings each time the book's otherwise excellent content is consulted. It is strange, this is the only book to have ever achieved such wild reaction from this reviewer. It would be so much easier to slate it for its poor recipes, its poor layout, its disastrous choice of dishes... but we cannot. The food part is great. It would be a credible four YUM book and possibly even higher still if it was not for the aforementioned issues. That said, if you DO feel that you can engage with the fictional world of Sweet Magnolias then you will give this a top rating and wonder what the heck is going through this reviewer's mind. Other people, however...
It is so, so frustrating. The book features many great photographs that showcase the recipes to the max and they don't draw on the fictional world either. The design generally is top class, clean and modern. There is a conversion chart for those funny foreigners who insist on using metric measurements and a great index for those who like diving in hither and tither. You want to dive in and explore the recipes and try new things. So dear publisher, please consider reissuing this book as a standalone book on southern cuisine sans the fictional tie-in, at least for the foodies who don't give a flying egg for who is 'courting' who at Chef Erik's restaurant or who got to stir Dana Sue Sullivan's margarita.
The Sweet Magnolias Cookbook: More Than 100 Favorite Southern Recipes, written by Sherryl Woods & Teddi Wohlford and published by Harlequin. ISBN 9780373892600, 240 pages. Typical price: GBP15. YYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
For those who don't really know what to expect, this book will provide a good introduction to the whole enchilada and let you create a little bit of ol' southern hospitality in your own home, wherever it might be. Of course, for those who know all about the cuisine they can just get cooking! As you will see, that might be the preferred option...
The book is based around the "Sweet Magnolias" romantic novels by Sherryl Woods but it features real-life, scene-setting southern food. The Steel Magnolias are a group of women who live in the fictional town of Serenity in the American South. To be honest, this tie-in to a fictitious world does not travel so well. If you are not a particular fan of the series then the tie-in and its associated text just seems confusing flim-flam, verbiage that just gets in the way of the quality underlying content. A casual browser might skip past this book due to all of this unnecessary stuff, and that would be a shame.
The recipes are split into different chapters, named and wrapped within this (irritating) fictional world. Sweet Magnolias Margarita Nights & Other Cocktails & Munchies handles, yes, the starters: Sullivan's Restaurant Specialities of the House handles various main courses; Serenity Farmers' Market seems to handle the sides; Sunday Brunch at Sullivan's is a brunchy/lunchy place; Mama Cruz's Recipe File has, confusingly, other items that one could classify as lunches and mains; Chef Erik's Decadent Desserts is self explanatory. Then the strange naming continues with "The Corner Spa's Low-Cal Healthy Selections". Amazingly there is a sane chapter heading right at the end as "Holiday's and Get-Togethers".
Really! Sorry, it is very, very rare that this reviewer has needed recourse to swear words when examining a book for review. This time it is out of sheer frustration. Frustration that a book with great potential, interesting recipes and a chance to educate, inform and delight has been wrapped up with this schmaltzy sh-t! Now, this is no reflection on the fictional world of Sweet Magnolias but there is a time and a place for a tie-in and this is NOT it. Just let the book stand for itself, let the fans look up the recipe that a certain person ate whilst having a romantic meal with someone else. They can look up the self-same "C'mon, Baby, Light My Fire Chicken Wings" that the heroine ate, but please save the disinterested reader all the fluff that litters the book. The fans will still be happy. The foodies will be ecstatic. To be very blunt, if this reviewer was browsing this book at the bookstore it would have been overlooked after a couple of pages of browsing. It is just too much work, particularly when there are masses of other books vying for attention.
Assuming that you can get all of this negativity and bad feeling out of your system and persevere a little, then you will have a good set of recipes that are well written, easy to follow and in fact quite a pleasure to look at. Such is the strong feeling about the "non-recipe text", this reviewer notes discreetly (!), that he would probably do something that is an anathema to him, namely cut the book up. Cutting out a large chunk of the folksy guff and rebinding the book might be a drastic solution but it might help reduce blood pressure and angry feelings each time the book's otherwise excellent content is consulted. It is strange, this is the only book to have ever achieved such wild reaction from this reviewer. It would be so much easier to slate it for its poor recipes, its poor layout, its disastrous choice of dishes... but we cannot. The food part is great. It would be a credible four YUM book and possibly even higher still if it was not for the aforementioned issues. That said, if you DO feel that you can engage with the fictional world of Sweet Magnolias then you will give this a top rating and wonder what the heck is going through this reviewer's mind. Other people, however...
It is so, so frustrating. The book features many great photographs that showcase the recipes to the max and they don't draw on the fictional world either. The design generally is top class, clean and modern. There is a conversion chart for those funny foreigners who insist on using metric measurements and a great index for those who like diving in hither and tither. You want to dive in and explore the recipes and try new things. So dear publisher, please consider reissuing this book as a standalone book on southern cuisine sans the fictional tie-in, at least for the foodies who don't give a flying egg for who is 'courting' who at Chef Erik's restaurant or who got to stir Dana Sue Sullivan's margarita.
The Sweet Magnolias Cookbook: More Than 100 Favorite Southern Recipes, written by Sherryl Woods & Teddi Wohlford and published by Harlequin. ISBN 9780373892600, 240 pages. Typical price: GBP15. YYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
May 26, 2025
Beautifully photographed cookbook that ties in with the show. It’s written from Dana Sue’s perspective which was such a cute touch. Chapters are based off of themes from the series: Margarita Night, Sullivan Restaurant Specialities, Serenity Farmers Market, Sunday Brunch at Sullivan’s, Mama Cruz’s Recipes, Chef Erik’s Desserts, The Corner Spa’s Healthy Selections, & Holidays. The recipes are a mix of indulgent and lighter options.
August 1, 2021
I wanted to check this out because I've read most of the books in the series. Some quite indulgent recipes, but also some healthy ones, too. It's a nice little cookbook, and I do want to try some of the recipes myself.
November 26, 2020
Excellent
Being a Southern bred but NIW living in the Pacific Northwest, it made my mouth water to read these recipes. If you want great food, buy this book.
Being a Southern bred but NIW living in the Pacific Northwest, it made my mouth water to read these recipes. If you want great food, buy this book.
Read
February 1, 2022Categories
Entertaining, Courses & Dishes, Friendship, Cooking
Entertaining, Courses & Dishes, Friendship, Cooking
February 22, 2022
I borrowed this book from my local library and I marked so many pages that I have decided that this is one book that I am going to have to buy.
November 13, 2022
Meh. Pork pork and more pork. There is more depth to Southern cooking.
January 6, 2024
The layout of the Kindle version was horrendous. Not every recipe has a picture included. And the recipes themselves look very bland.
March 21, 2024
A lot of really great recipes for all sorts of gatherings. It didn't quite have what I was looking for but it was still good.
November 10, 2024
Cookbook that gives recipes for dishes mentioned in the series. Also has anecdotes about characters. Enjoyable. Beautiful pix of food with good recipes.
July 27, 2017
Great read; made me want to just cook!
June 26, 2012
The Sweet Magnolias Cookbook 150 Favorite Southern Recipes by Sherryl Woods with Chef Teddi Wohlford
ISBN: 9780373892600
Love that this cookbook is not only about the food at the margarita club meetings but other locations in the series: Sullivan's Restaurant, Farmer's Market,
Corner Spa, and the other special places the people gather to celebrate.
Starts out with the introduction about Southern Food and other experiences in the series of holidays, memories and disasters and successes.
Each section is highlighted with what they are best known for. People in the series sometime highlight their favorites, also easy to follow recipes and tips even to make things easier.
Photography of the food is top notch. I can't decide which recipe I want to make first. I know this cookbook is gonna be used a lot in my house.
Desserts will be my favorite to try.
So many varieties of scones. Love the holiday section, oh yum!
Conversion charts and other helpful information and index is also included, at the back of the book.
ISBN: 9780373892600
Love that this cookbook is not only about the food at the margarita club meetings but other locations in the series: Sullivan's Restaurant, Farmer's Market,
Corner Spa, and the other special places the people gather to celebrate.
Starts out with the introduction about Southern Food and other experiences in the series of holidays, memories and disasters and successes.
Each section is highlighted with what they are best known for. People in the series sometime highlight their favorites, also easy to follow recipes and tips even to make things easier.
Photography of the food is top notch. I can't decide which recipe I want to make first. I know this cookbook is gonna be used a lot in my house.
Desserts will be my favorite to try.
So many varieties of scones. Love the holiday section, oh yum!
Conversion charts and other helpful information and index is also included, at the back of the book.
May 9, 2016
I quite enjoyed this, you do not have to want to cook southern recipes to find many useful and tastey sounding recipes in this one. I have several marked to try. Some recipes are simple and some are more difficult, but not way out there difficult. I am an avid cookbook reader and collector and give it 5 stars. Nice photos, great layout, love that is does not weigh 50 pounds like some of the new ones out there. And if you read the series of romance novels by Woods many of those delicious sounding foods can be found in this cookbook.
August 26, 2012
All I can say with this book is WOW it is so nice to see the recipes from the Sweet Magnolia stories and have the chance to try them. I really look forward to working my way through all the recipes in this book. The pictures are magnificent and there are so many recipes you will find one that you will love.
January 29, 2013
While reading the Sweet Magnolias series you hear about all the food and drinks, so when I saw that they were going to do a cookbook based on what was talked about within the series, I knew I wanted to check it out.
I ended up copying dozens of recipes and can't wait to try them out. I just might have to have my own margarita night to preview a bunch for friends!
I ended up copying dozens of recipes and can't wait to try them out. I just might have to have my own margarita night to preview a bunch for friends!
February 12, 2013
Fun and delicious sounding recipes from the South. Twenty-five years and more ago, I traveled often in the South for business. From these trips, I acquired an admiration and love for Southern style cooking. This cookbook with lovely photographs "feeds" that interest. The small "stories" from novels I have not read, add some fun.
October 10, 2012
Lots of good southern recipes. Can't wait to try some especially the Fire and Ice Pickles.
November 30, 2012
I've not read any of the author's other books, nor the series which fictitiously narrates this cookbook. Yet, I found this cookbook to be super fun, and even marked many of the recipes to try.
March 18, 2013
The recipes in the ebook are a jumbled mess.
February 6, 2015
This was a pretty good cookbook...my bookclub cooked several dishes out this book & they were pretty good...the chili was delicious. & the corn chowder.
May 6, 2016
One can never have enough cookbooks around for variety. Pulled this off the bookshelf and gave a few a try. All turned out good, and were easy to follow along in creating the dish.
December 18, 2012
Great pictures, I wouldn't mind owning this one.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews