For mothers and others this Mothers Day

So brilliant are the images on the pages of Pat’s Branning’s extraordinarily crafted “Magnolias, Porches & Sweet Tea: Recipes, Stories & Art from the Lowcountry,” that it’s often difficult to distinguish those that are actually photographs taken by son, Andrew Branning, a gifted photographer in his own right, from the ones created by the hand of an artist. The author of the best-selling “Shrimp, Collards & Grits,” has laid open her heart and soul once again and revealed her love for the lowcountry through the rich stories, well-constructed recipes and, of course, the art – meticulously chosen for the 144-page (11 by 8.5-inch) portrait coffee table book cookbook, released just this past November. The works of some of the South’s most prolific artists, such as Nancy Ricker Rhett (whose oil on canvas “Magnolias, Porches & Sweet Tea” graces the cover of Branning’s latest cookbook), John Carroll Doyle and Betty Anglin Smith are here, as are those of Michael Harrell, Shannon Runquist and Joe Bowler, to name but a few. So is the art of Hilarie Lambert present, with the humble objects in her paintings – like red wood-handled rolling pans, hand-cranked egg beaters, vintage enamel-lidded blue canning jars and old flour sack striped dish towels – appearing as precious objects d’art. Not to be overlooked, is the artistic sensitivity of Branning herself, whose vision for these cookbooks brought the gifts of the lowcountry, in all its mystical glory, into our homes and on to our tables. For further information about Pat Branning’s cookbooks, including how to purchase, visit http://patbranning.com, or to view more recipes, art and photographs, be sure to check out Charleston Style & Design Magazine’s spring issue at http://charlestondesignmagazine.epubxp.com/i/290097/221.