Leigh Cassady is the homeowner behind BH&G’s “Colorful Fun in the Sun.” Read the full house tour.
Recipes for the Ages
Cotton Country Cooking is a celebrated cookbook first published by the Junior League of Morgan County in 1972 and includes several recipes and a photograph of Leigh’s mother, Tolly Shelton. Honoring her family’s North Alabama roots, Leigh keeps a copy of the vintage cookbook on her kitchen counter and still turns to it regularly. “Those old recipes are perfect for the beach,” she says. “The garlic cheese grits are a breakfast requirement. And guests think I’ve lost my mind if I don’t make Pat Sexton’s pimento cheese.”
THE RECIPES
The garlic cheese grits come from Cotton Country Cooking. The pimento cheese is a separate family recipe — see “The Big (Pimento) Cheese,” below.
GARLIC CHEESE GRITS
YIELDS 8 to 10
Ingredients
- 1 cup quick grits
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups water
- 1 roll garlic cheese, cut up (substitute this with 8 oz. of Kraft Velveeta or cream cheese plus 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of garlic powder)
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup milk
- 2 eggs beaten
- grated cheddar cheese
Directions
- Cook grits slowly in 4 cups of salted water.
- Add garlic cheese and butter.
- Stir in milk and eggs; mix well.
- Pour into greased casserole, and bake at 350° for 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven, top with grated cheddar cheese, and cook an additional 5 minutes.
PAT SEXTON’S PIMENTO CHEESE
Ingredients
- 1 block sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
- 1 block Colby cheese, finely shredded (can use pre-shredded bagged cheese for both cheeses)
- 1 jar chopped pimentos, juice and all
- 2–3 heaping teaspoons garlic salt
- 2–3 cups Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise
Directions
- Combine all ingredients, mixing well.
- Refrigerate 2 hours, and serve with Fritos Scoops.
EMERALD SUNRISE
YIELDS 1 Drink
Ingredients
- 5 ounces fresh orange juice
- 1½ ounces tequila
- 1½ ounces blue Curaçao
- Garnishes: mandarin orange slice or orange twist
Directions
Layered Version
- Pour the orange juice and tequila into a tall glass, and stir gently.
- Place a large straw (like a smoothie straw or a bubble tea straw) into the glass.
- Slowly pour the blue Curaçao down the straw so it settles at the bottom (gravity does the layering).
Mixed Version
- Combine the orange juice, tequila, and blue Curaçao in a pitcher.
- Serve chilled over ice for a bright-green, festive drink perfect for crowds.
The Big (Pimento) Cheese
A Mysterious Envelope, a Tailgate in a Parking Lot, and the Best Kind of Correction
*Because many of these heirloom and 1972 cookbook recipes come from historic family notes without original photography, AI visual tools are used to illustrate what the finished dish looks like. These conceptual images serve as a presentation guide while preserving the authentic vintage instructions.
