What do you get when you combine family roots from the heart of Dixie with a girl born and raised in California?  You get some seriously delicious comfort food just like your grandmother used to make.  With Lori Rogers known as Chef Lorious, you also get new and innovative twists on classic recipes we all love, just in time for Valentine’s Day.  In her first cookbook, Calibama Cooking, Lori puts it all together in a delicious collection of classic and contemporary food recipes perfect for any occasion.

“When you’re a California native with Alabama influences, you love things like grits and collard greens, and you learn how to make an amazing sweet potato pie,” Lori explains. “Calibama is the intersection of where I grew up and where I’m really from.  At the end of the day, knowing who I am and where I’ve come from is the foundation for my classic cooking style. Accepting where I am and embracing my future is the stepping-stone for my contemporary interpretation of what true comfort food is - food that makes you comfortable, brings a smile to your face, and reminds you of all the good in the world around you.”

This Valentine’s Day serve your family or someone special some of the delicious dishes in Calibama Cooking. With each bite of her recipes, you are transported to a place that makes you feel loved and cherished, eating, reminiscing and talking about life at the table.  Chef Lorious will have you laughing and cooking with stories of her childhood and family while simultaneously handing you a spoon inviting you to “taste this.”  Some of the mouth-watering recipes in the book include:

-    Chipotle Deep-Fried Macaroni-and-Cheese Balls

-    Calibama Corn Fritters

-    Spicy Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

-    Garlic and Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin

-    Smothered Pork Chops

-    Lorious Chicken and Waffles

-    Country Fried Steak and Gravy

-    Lamb Chops in Madeira Wine Sauce

-    Rosemary Seared Chicken Thighs

-    Lobster and Shrimp Rolls

-    Spicy Shrimp and Grits

-    Sautéed Cabbage with Bacon and Garlic

-    Mama’s Potato Salad

-    Bourbon Peach Cobbler

-    Sweet Potato Pie

-    Pumpkin Brown-Sugar Pound Cake

-    Chocolate Bread Pudding with Irish Whiskey Caramel Cream Sauce

Each recipe in Calibama Cooking has easy-to-follow instructions, full-color photos, tips and serving suggestions, and feel-good stories from Lori’s life that will make you laugh and want to eat.

“Recipes are what bring to life the endless combinations of both common and unique ingredients in a way that produces your very own signature style for others to enjoy!” Lori says. “The ingredients of my life are my experiences combined with my family traditions that shaped me.  For me, embracing who I am translated through the expression of cooking. I want others to experience what it is like to taste the expression of authenticity for their own enjoyment and inspiration!”

Who says cooking can’t be easy, fun and delicious?  Chef Lorious believes it can be all of that and more with Calibama Cooking.

Lori “Chef Lorious” Rogers specializes in both classic and contemporary comfort food. Born in California and raised by a close-knit family anchored in southern tradition from Alabama, this “Calibama” girl learned very early that food cooked with love has the power to inspire and heal.

Chef Lorious has been cooking for her family and friends in her kitchen for almost two decades. She regularly shares her recipes and meal preparation ideas by conducting cooking demonstrations and sharing her culinary expertise through television programming in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and various social media outlets. She made her national television debut on Home and Family on The Hallmark Channel and can be seen regularly on Washington DC’s “Good Morning Washington” (WJLA-ABC), “Good Day DC” (WTTG-FOX). 

Lori is a devoted wife and mother of three beautiful children, and she especially enjoys serving her church family. She is grateful for the opportunity to take her message of loving others authentically through food to the masses. Whether cooking with her on-screen or following her recipes, you are sure to feel the love that she has for both her community and for cooking!  Her goal is to inspire you to embrace your authentic self, and then represent that … through food! 

To learn more about Lori Rogers, visit her website, www.ChefLorious.com. Follow her on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram (@ChefLorious).

This Valentine’s Days show your love by serving up this delicious dish for breakfast or brunch.

RECIPE AND PHOTO MAY BE REPRINTED WITH THE FOLLOWING CREDIT:

Recipe and photo reprinted with permission from

CALIBAMA COOKING by Chef Lorious

Chef Lorious Media/November 2019

Red Velvet Waffles

Makes 4 large waffles

I don’t know if I think these are a Christmas food or a Valentine’s Day food. Truth is—they work for both. They are so elegant and beautiful—once you drizzle them with cream cheese frosting or whipped cream, you’ll be in heaven and you’ll want a kiss. I guess that makes them Valentine’s Day item!

Directions

1.    In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2.    In a separate bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and food coloring.

3.    Pour buttermilk mixture into flour mixture and combine.

4.    Add the shortening. Do not overmix. Batter should be bumpy.

5.    Cook in your waffle maker following the manufacturer’s directions