I grew up next door to one of the South's finest cooks. Aunt Velma watched over me and fed me meals while my parents were at work. That turned out great, because that lady was an amazing cook.

Breakfasts always consisted of homemade biscuits, gravy and homemade jam, crispy bacon, sausage, fried eggs, grits, and a big glass of ice cold milk.

I ate dinner with her, too. Aside from all the homemade desserts like chocolate fudge cake and biscuit pudding, Aunt Velma prepared vegetables from our two-acre garden we shared with them.

I loved her preparation methods for vegetables. She fried the...