Fall/Winter 1999

Hot Off the Press
with James L. Cummins and Mary Dayle McCormick

The Complete Venison Cookbook, From Field To Table
by Jim and Ann Casada
Reviewed by James L. Cummins, Jr.

I remember first meeting Jim Casada about four years ago. The Southeastern Outdoor Press Association was holding their annual meeting in Mississippi and Jim came in for their mid-year board meeting. We enjoyed visiting, talking about fishing and planing the annual meeting. Jim has moved up a bit. He is now president of the Outdoor Writers Association of America.

But when it comes to cooking, it is Jim and Ann's view that an ample measure of pleasure in its own right, and on special occasions, will allow one to enjoy an elaborate meal with a venison dish as the centerpiece. Those of us who enjoy hunting, and the product of the hunt, know the sense of satisfaction almost as well as Nick Apostle does! And besides, venison is one of the healthiest meats available.

Jim and Ann wrote this book with every intention of it being user-friendly, and with that in mind, each recipe goes well beyond a straight-forward list of ingredients to include detailed instructions on preparation, and in many cases, tips are suggested which may serve you in the kitchen or at deer camp.

They include recommendations on vegetables, wine and other dishes which compliment a given venison entree. There are recipes for every occasion from backyard barbecues to fine dining of the sort that demands crystal, silver and fine china. Mostly, though, its good eating. They have personally tried each of the recipes and divided them into sections for greater convenience. They conclude the book with a number of suggestions for a full meal so that you can, if desired, plan an entire menu around some of the dishes offered in this book.

Throughout, their foremost interest is in providing recipes which bring joy both as you prepare and partake of them. I remember the old adage about cookbooks which suggest that if a given volume contains a single recipe you really like, it is a good buy. Well, then this one is a great buy!

Inscribed copies of The Complete Venison Cookbook are available for $12.95 plus $2.00 postage and handling from Jim and Ann Casada, l250 Yorkdale Drive, Rockhill, South Carolina 29730-7638, Ph: (803) 329-4354.

The Undiscovered Country
by Kenneth Hasten
Reviewed by Mary Dayle McCormick

The children and wives of famous, talented men have always had a hard row to hoe. Their aspirations face high expectations and their accomplishments constant comparisons. Is it true when the rolls are reversed?

Take the case of Kenneth Hasten. He is the father of Brooks (award winning poet), Ayres (state legislator) and Richard (musician). In his hometown of Greenville, Mississippi, he reared his sons with former wife Josephine, known internationally by her pen name, Ellen Douglas. Not long ago, Kenneth Haxton's first published novel was released.

The Undiscovered Country borrows it title from a phrase in "Hamlet" referring to the fear of death being stronger than any of life burdens. But Haxton's book is as much an old-fashioned who-done-it as a literary reflection.

Is Bobbie Haye's death suicide or murder? The story takes more twists and turns than the Mississippi River flowing by the location of the crime -- Greenville, renamed Clayton, the Ferguson County seat. As Police Chief Sturge's investigation deepens, he is hard pressed to discover a relative without a criminal motive. Indeed, it is difficult to find someone who is not a relative.

The intriguing plot of The Undiscovered Country is wrapped around the elaborate history of a complicated family. Not all its eccentric members are quaint and lovable, especially, when money, honor and revenge are at stake. Layer by layer, the way water erodes hills to form the Delta, Haxton exposes and builds his characters through the generations. They enmesh convincingly, inexorably.

Readers, will taste, smell, see and hear Delta life in the decades from the 30s to the 70s. Haxton has captured the diversity that is the essence of our Mississippi River culture -- the degrees between rich and poor, black and white, the faithful and the superstitious, the ignorant and the educated. The Undiscovered Country reminds us that although our land is uniquely flat, our life is never one-dimensional or monotonous.

A composer and conductor, the retied businessman is also the author of numerous short stores, plays and six books of fiction. To finally become a published novelist, he paid his dues, pulled no strings and spoke with his own voice.

Congratulations, Kenneth Haxton!