You might think a coffee-table size cookbook, replete with “simple, soulful recipes” and stories by respected author Pat Branning, enough of an enticement to make “My Southern Kitchen: Shrimp, Collards & Grits” worthwhile to own. But, the recipes and heartfelt, often humorous anecdotes, in what is Branning’s second in the Southern Lifestyle Series “Shrimp, Collards & Grits” cookbooks, are only part of the reason why Branning’s books are so admired and sought after.

As in her previous cookbooks, including the currently out-of-print, “Magnolias, Porches and Sweet Tea: Recipes, Stories & Art from the Lowcountry,” Branning’s books also serve as exciting mediums for exhibiting the work of some of the most beloved artists of the Coastal Southeast. Among those artists is Michael B. Karas, whose “Lowcountry Enchantment,” a stunning interpretation of the state and season of a sea island tidal marsh, awash in the golden hues of a Southern sky, graces the cover of Branning’s latest endeavor. In addition, as splendid as the paintings themselves, is the brilliant, inspiring food photography of Andrew Branning, the author’s son, with the collaboration, of course, revealing the value of a “secret” ingredient, like family, and the untold pleasures of hearing “more, please,” of recipes well accomplished.

For further information about “My Southern Kitchen: Shrimp, Collards & Grits, as well as other Branning titles, visit http://shrimpcollardsgrits.com/our-books.