A chance meeting at a dinner party by two people reluctant to be at that dinner party has resulted in a cookbook perfect for your next dinner party. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, star of "Modern Family," and food writer Julie Tanous have teamed up for "Food Between Friends," which blends dishes inspired by her native South and his New Mexico influences. "We just started collecting recipes and ideas based on our history and the people that we care about," said Ferguson. "I think the flavor profiles naturally go beautifully together." It's a breezy celebration of both cuisines in sections on brunch, fish, chicken, beef, desserts, starters, drinks and vegetarian dishes. Both regions come through beautifully in their green chili chicken enchilada pot pie, which takes the spirit of the South and brings it into the Southwest. Tanous, who has written food stories, developed recipes for magazines and worked in catering, said most of the recipes are riffs off what both authors grew up eating, the restaurant dishes they adore and the foods their husbands love. She traveled to New Mexico with Ferguson and would bring an extra suitcase to take home things like blue cornmeal and chilies. There's a lightness and a winking humor throughout, as when Ferguson writes about how his family would likely razz him if he called patties by the more upscale name croquette. The authors also peel back the formula to writing introductions to recipes, and argue that crispy-skin salmon — approachable, adaptable, easy to work with and liked by all — is the "Tom Hanks of protein." "We looked for funny, humorous ways to sort of not take ourselves too seriously," said Ferguson. "We're first-time cookbook authors and we didn't want to enter the room being like, 'Well, we know a lot about all of this.' We really were trying to be very respectful of where we sat as first-time authors." While both writers were well versed on items common to the South and Southwest — like beans, corn and chilies — each introduced different ingredients to the other. Tap link in bio to continue on @EDGEmedianetwork ??️? (?: Jesse Tyler Ferguson @jessetyler and Julie Tanous @juliebethtanous / Clarkson Potter via AP)

A chance meeting at a dinner party by two people reluctant to be at that dinner party has resulted in a cookbook perfect for your next dinner party. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, star of "Modern Family," and food writer Julie Tanous have teamed up for "Food Between Friends," which blends dishes inspired by her native South and his New Mexico influences. "We just started collecting recipes and ideas based on our history and the people that we care about," said Ferguson. "I think the flavor profiles naturally go beautifully together." It's a breezy celebration of both cuisines in sections on brunch, fish, chicken, beef, desserts, starters, drinks and vegetarian dishes. Both regions come through beautifully in their green chili chicken enchilada pot pie, which takes the spirit of the South and brings it into the Southwest. Tanous, who has written food stories, developed recipes for magazines and worked in catering, said most of the recipes are riffs off what both authors grew up eating, the restaurant dishes they adore and the foods their husbands love. She traveled to New Mexico with Ferguson and would bring an extra suitcase to take home things like blue cornmeal and chilies. There's a lightness and a winking humor throughout, as when Ferguson writes about how his family would likely razz him if he called patties by the more upscale name croquette. The authors also peel back the formula to writing introductions to recipes, and argue that crispy-skin salmon — approachable, adaptable, easy to work with and liked by all — is the "Tom Hanks of protein." "We looked for funny, humorous ways to sort of not take ourselves too seriously," said Ferguson. "We're first-time cookbook authors and we didn't want to enter the room being like, 'Well, we know a lot about all of this.' We really were trying to be very respectful of where we sat as first-time authors." While both writers were well versed on items common to the South and Southwest — like beans, corn and chilies — each introduced different ingredients to the other. Tap link in bio to continue on @EDGEmedianetwork ??️? (?: Jesse Tyler Ferguson @jessetyler and Julie Tanous @juliebethtanous / Clarkson Potter via AP)