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JAMESTOWN - Food brings this particular family together.

Especially if Nancy Whisnant is serving up a batch of "Howdy Neighbor Peppers."

It's a dish Whisnant's been serving her family since her children were little in the 1970s: tender green bell peppers, stuffed with homegrown tomatoes, bacon and crumbled homemade biscuits -- and topped with melted sharp cheddar cheese.

When Celia Rivenbark started dating Whisnant's son, Scott, she wooed him with food. Shrimp scampi. Pork tenderloin with spiced apples. And his favorite: chicken cordon bleu.

Even on their first date, Scott Whisnant spoke fondly of his mother's cooking -- particularly her pot roast. So Rivenbark figured the way to win him over would be through his stomach.

And after her first taste of Nancy's cooking, Rivenbark was more determined than ever to snag him. It was a Christmas meal that included turkey, dressing, ham, butter beans and an assortment of other vegetables, recalls Rivenbark. The next morning, they ate pancakes so light, the Whisnants say they've got to be stabbed with a fork to keep them on the plate.

"I thought, 'I've gotta marry this guy, because surely I'll be invited back (to eat),' " Rivenbark says.

At the time, Rivenbark was a features writer for The Morning Star newspaper in Wilmington. Scott was a sportswriter there. They've been married 20 years now, and both are published authors. Scott wrote the true crime best-seller, "Innocent Victims." Rivenbark, a syndicated humor columnist, just published her fifth book, "You Can't Drink All Day if You Don't Start in the Morning."

It's a collection of essays on topics ranging from why moms love "High School Musical" more than their kids to how the TV show "Jon & Kate Plus 8" would be much more interesting without their kids. Most essays are accompanied by an appropriate recipe. For example, the Jon and Kate essay includes a recipe for "Wicked Easy Chocolate Kid Pleasers."

And since Rivenbark writes from the perspective of a Southern woman, the essay, "What? Your Preacher Doesn't Stand on a Bucket," concludes with recipes for these Southern staples: heavenly deviled eggs and classic red velvet cake. The book also includes Whisnant's stuffed pepper and oatmeal cookie recipes.

Rivenbark dedicated the book to her "dear mother-in-law," whom she calls "one helluva Southern cook." It's a compliment Whisnant hesitantly accepts. She even defers credit for the "Howdy Neighbor Peppers" to her late sister, Alice Armfield.

"She refuses to accept credit for this," Rivenbark says. "She's an outstanding cook."

Whisnant, a retired church finance secretary, says she's been cooking since she married in 1951. She worked and raised three children on homecooked meals such as fried chicken and mashed potatoes -- made not with an instant mix from a box, but by actually mashing potatoes. Her pantry and freezer were stocked with vegetables she preserved herself from her own garden.

Rivenbark visited her mother-in-law recently while in Greensboro for a book-signing event. Prior to the engagement, Whisnant stayed busy, making another batch of stuffed peppers and tidying her kitchen. They were to celebrate her daughter Linda's birthday, with a family dinner after Rivenbark's book signing. Whisnant's other daughter, Judy, visited from Chapel Hill. She roasted garlic and prepared a butternut squash soup for their meal. She brought another treat: red okra from a recent trip to the mountains.

Rivenbark admired them and grabbed one right away, eating it raw.

"I can't believe you eat that raw," Judy Whisnant said, surprised.

She planned to saute them with olive oil and garlic.

"Why not? It's good," Rivenbark said, handing it back to her sister-in-law to taste.

Both Judy and Nancy tried it, and said it was good.

"Maybe it's a down-east thing," Rivenbark said with a shrug.

Rivenbark, a native of Duplin County, said it was her own mother's idea to include recipes in her new book. Many Southern writers publish books with recipes.

"It's so much of who we are," she says of Southern food.

Nancy Whisnant isn't the only modest cook in the family. Her daughter, Linda, says Rivenbark is a good cook -- much better than she lets on. Rivenbark denies it, saying her career and 12-year-old daughter keep her too busy.

"You're always hauling somebody somewhere," she says.

The recipes in the book are easy and don't take a lot of time to prepare. Rivenbark visited Greensboro the same week that slow food crusader Alice Waters applauded the city on its whole foods efforts. Rivenbark, who calls Waters "phenomenal," admits she'll never completely adopt a slow food lifestyle. Her recipes are "the anithesis of Alice Waters," she says. Some of them even call for crumbled Ritz crackers and Duke's mayonnaise. And packaged taco seasoning.

But Rivenbark recently saw the movie, "Food Inc.," which explores the issues surrounding the American food industry. That movie, coupled with the desire to feed her family well, inspired Rivenbark to start buying organic meat.

"The key is moderation," Rivenbark says.

Still, there just aren't any substitutes for certain dishes. Take the "You Ain't Too Good To Eat This Tuna Noodle Casserole." Ingredients include canned tuna (Rivenbark advises her readers to drain and pour the juice into the cat bowl), Duke's mayonnaise and a can of celery soup. Directions also recommend bread crumbs from Wonder Bread.

Rivenbark is a food enthusiast and doesn't discriminate. She enjoys Thai food and organic vegetables. Good food is good food. But she's a self-described "meat-and-potatoes girl" and is partial to Southern fare.

"Some things in life just require cream of mushroom soup. All deference to foodies out there," she says. "Get over it."

Contact Tina Firesheet at 373-3498 or tina.firesheets@news-record.com

NANCY AND ALICE'S "HOWDY NEIGHBOR" PEPPERS

Make the biscuits yourself if you're not too triflin'. And don't even think about using canned tomatoes or substituting chicken broth for bacon grease. This is the real deal, Gomer; don't screw it up.

6 to 8 bell peppers

½ pound bacon, fried crisp and crumbled (save the drippings!)

6 tomatoes from somebody's garden, peeled and chopped

1 bar Cracker Barrel sharp cheddar cheese, grated

¼ cup chopped onion

8-10 day-old biscuits, crumbled

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut peppers in half and parboil them 'til they're softened up but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Drain, set aside. Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a big bowl and add about 4 tablespoons of bacon drippings (OK, grease) 'til things are moist but not mushy. Form into balls and stuff the peppers with this fabulous mixture. Set the filled peppers in a shallow pan and add water to cover the bottom of the pan so your pepper bottoms don't scorch. Bake at 325 for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

FABULOUS OATMEAL CRISPIES

2 sticks butter

1 cup each, white and brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon each, baking soda and salt

1 cup finely chopped nuts (any type of nut will do)

3 cups oatmeal

Cream butter and sugars; add eggs and vanilla. Set aside. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt and add to egg mixutre. Fold in nuts and oatmeal and mix 'til everything's smooth. Form into a roll the size of those store-bought refrigerated cookies. Wrap the roll in wax paper and refrigerate until the dough is firm enough to slice. Using sharp knife, slice ¼ -inch wide (more or less) cookies and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees until lightly brown (about 12 minutes). Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.