Book Review: Gift It From Scratch

Gift It From Scratch by Kathie Lapcevic

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book by Kathie Lapcevic is just lovely. I enjoyed the recipes, along with the the suggestion on how to gift each of them. I love to bake and cook so gifting from the kitchen is a very personal gift that contains a lot of love and heart. It is something I do often and I always am looking for new recipes and ways to gift homemade food from my kitchen - so this book was perfect for me.

The recipes are not ones I have seen in other food gift cookbooks. I was pleased to see that Ms. Lapcevic uses whole natural ingredients. You won't see processed foods in these recipes. Many recipes could easily be converted to vegan. I noticed also that many of the ingredients I have right in my kitchen as normal pantry supplies. I always am pleased when I can find everything right at home. Makes it easy to gift on short notice when I can bake or cook something as a present. 

She also suggest looking for containers at second hand stores. I have almost eliminated all plastic storage container in my home and the thought of having to give someone a gift in one really doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy about adding more plastic to our environment. So recycling/repurosing containers from second hand stores is a delightful idea when trying to be green. It also makes it easier because you aren't using one of your own containers and crossing your fingers you will get it back.

I made the Turkey Pot Pie recipe and both my love and myself made happy food noises with each bite. We were talking about arm wrestling for the last pieces the next day for lunch. It was that good. I have to say I had never made pot pie as it just sounded like a scary recipe to me. I cook. I cook fairly well. Pot pie sounded hard to me so I never attempted it - but I am so glad I tried Ms. Lapcevic's recipe. I now know I will be looking out for pie plates at thrift stores this summer as it is going to make the perfect gift for friends at Christmas time.

I like how the chapters are divided in the book and the tips at the beginning of the book. It is easy to follow, the recipes are straight forward, and the gifting ideas are charming.  Over all this book is just lovely and I recommend it for anyone new to gifting from the kitchen as well as those of us who have been for a while.

Recipe for Turkey Pot Pie going to be posted to my blog tomorrow.

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Book Review: Photo Craft

Photo Craft: Creative Mixed Media and Digital Approaches to Transforming Your Photographs by Susan   Tuttle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really love this book. If you are new to digital photography and want to transform your photos into some more artistic - then this book is great place to jump into exploring all the variations you can do to create interesting artistic photographs.

This book gives good basic first time knowledge as well as those of us who have been transforming our photos already. It has in-depth step by step instructions. It gives good break out sections that give other options or tips to help in the process. It includes digital projects using Photoshop Elements as well as mixed media art projects that incorporate your photography.

I like how this book is set up as it is by 2 authors Susan Tuttle and Christy Hydeck.  They alternate, but also add in their own tips to each other's projects. It is great to have both views coming together to create amazing ways to transform your photography.

You will learn to transform your photos by using this book.



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Books

52 Lists - Week 16

I love to read. I often have several books on my nightstand.  I keep track of the books I read on Goodreads.com and love that I can have it on my phone and scan barcodes in. This was a hard list to not keeping adding more and more to. You can see the books I have read this year so far I have read 54.

Week 16 - Favorite Books
The Valkyries - Paulo Coehlo
The Pilgrimage - Paulo Coehlo
The Alchemist - Paulo Coehlo
Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
Outlander series - Diana Gabaldon
Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
The Gifts of Imperfection - Dr. Brene Brown
Life is a Verb - Patti Digh
Inner Excavation - Liz Lamoruex
Brave on the Rocks - Sabrina Ward Harrison
Return to Love - Marianne Williamson
The Velveteen Rabbit - Margery Williams
New and Selected Poems, Vol. 1  - Mary Oliver
Home Comforts - Cheryl Mendelson
The Mermaid Chair - Susan Monk Kidd
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Time Travelers Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
The Four Agreements - Miguel Ruiz
PoemCrazy - Susan Wooldridge
Living the Creative Life - Rice Freeman-Zachery
Green Guide for Artists - Karen Michel
The Artists Way - Julia Cameron
Writing Down the Bones - Natalie Goldberg

Challenge: I will read...
A Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg - which I did start to read and decided I wasn't ready to read it although it looks like a good book just not a theme I want to read about right now.

52 Week Project: Week 3

We were in Denver last week and I snapped some photos while Michael was in meetings. One was this photo of branches. I have started a poem about branches and what they mean to me - I am not finished with it. Oddly I started this poem before I started reading a book called poemcrazy by Susan Wooldridge.  Now I have no doubt the poem will emerge more easily as that book has freed the words stuck inside. I see them all around now.

The Host

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I liked Twilight series and can't wait to see the movies. It is geared for young adults, but I was one of the many adults that enjoyed it. I was worried Meyers wouldn't really capture an adult audience, but this story and how it is told is an amazing read.  If you weren't a fan of Twilight I say still pick this up, because this was such a better story than Twilight. This book just pulled me and captured my attention on so many levels for me. 

I read this book in two nights.  I probably could have finished it in one night if I had started it a little earlier in the evening.   It was a little slow and hard to follow at first, but then I was sucked into the story and didn't want to put it down.  It made me laugh, cry and really feel for all the characters.

Wanderer is kind and smart. She is emotionally and mentally strong. With a big heart...she doesn't want to hurt anyone.  She thinks of others first.  While she was the character that I liked the most, there are other characters great characters. Melanie is strong and tough - both physically and emotionally.  She is most like the average human. If in the same situation they would act like her. Ian was another character I enjoyed also-  almost more then any of the other males.  He was able to see what the group was doing to Wanda. He changed and saw beyond the human's fears.

I felt the characters were developed well.  They suffer and their core ethics and morality are tested, but provide emotional release and show those better parts of ourselves. Love conquers all --- even across species. That isn't exactly a new theme, but Meyer really tells  great story  bringing  the situation to life - transporting us through it.


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Now the movie will be coming out in March and they released a trailer yesterday....looks pretty good to me. Can't wait to see it.

Inner Excavation & The Sound of Paper

Inner Excavation: Exploring Your Self Through Photography, Poetry and Mixed Media by Liz Lamoreux
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked this book up at the library and well that was a mistake - a good mistake. Because it made me want to go out and purchase the book right away so I would have time to fall into it the way I wanted...from the moment of reading the first pages I knew it was a book I need to have available in my studio/home always. It is a book for exploring and that takes time...longer then just having a couple weeks of it checked out at the library. But I am so glad I picked it up there so I knew without a doubt this is a good book and will be deeply personal but playful and fun. I can't wait to buy it and jump into ready to explore myself in a different way. Thank you Liz Lamoreux for creating such a lovely book.

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The Sound of Paper by Julia Cameron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am really stuck. I am scared of creating. This book is what I needed to read right in this moment. Working through some of the exercise has helped me pinpoint some of the fears and I believe will help me start moving forward. I checked this book out of the library, but have put it on my wishlist as I do think it would be a good book to have when needing when having doubts, insecurities and just being blocked in general.


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Green Guide for Artists

Green Guide for Artists: Nontoxic Recipes, Green Art Ideas, & Resources for the Eco-Conscious Artist by Karen Michel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this book! I checked it out from the library and can't wait to purchase it.  It is a must have for artists who want to use safer, nontoxic, greener materials in their art. It is divided into 4 chapters/sections...

* Greening your Studio: talking about product safety and just being safe in the studio, green paints, mediums, canvas and such
*Green Recipes: making paints, paint recipes and adhesive recipes
* Green Projects: bookmaking, paper-mache, using found objects and other green projects
* Green Artist Gallery - info about each artist in the gallery and examples of their green art, it also has a resource guide

Each section had such great information. Often much of the information was things I didn't know, recipes that I could make right now in my kitchen without much effort, projects and inspiration that made me want to create right away.

The book itself is so lovely to look at just thumbing through it. But it is just so full of good information for artist who want to start using green in their studio.  You might be able to find all the info online, but I would much rather have it in my studio and use because it just a great book.


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Of Bees and Mist

Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This review is long overdue. I was thrilled when I got the offer to read this book - as I love to read. And particularity like fantasy books. But I will admit I was a little hesitant on IF I would like this book based on reading the synopsis of it. I was wrong as it ended up being a page turner for me. I stayed up until 4am to read because I just couldn't put it down. It surprised and delighted me.

I would call it a mixture of fable and fantasy. Erick Setiawan has a wonderful imagination to create such a fantastical novel. The characters are throughly developed and the setting is magical and intriguing.

This story follows Meridia, who grows up in a cold, unfeeling home. Her mother acts as though she often isn't there. And her father despises her. Her parents aren't a loving husband and wife. Instead they barely interact with each other. So essentially Meridia is invisible in her home. One day meets Danial at the town fair. She falls in love with him and they marry. They move in with his family and at first his family seems nice and happy - totally opposite of her cold harsh childhood home. But things change and she finds out they aren't what they first appeared to be and she might have escaped one unhappy house and to end up in one that is more disturbing to her.

I was really engrossed in the story of Meridia. I rooted for her and felt like she was a friend. I was sorry to see the book come to end and knew I would miss her.

All those details might sound like an everyday domestic drama story but there is much more to this book. Again it is a magical and captivating place with deeply developed characters. It is a book that is hard to explain and hoped to be picked up to experience bees and the mist.


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Book Review: Wine, Food and Friends

Wine Food & Friends by Karen MacNeil


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I picked up this book, I didn't realize that this author was a host of a PBS show of the same name as the book. I did do a search for the show to see if they carried it on our PBS but it looks like it is a canceled show. I now wish I had read the book earlier as I really enjoyed the book and feel I would have enjoyed the show.

I would give Wine, Food and Friends 4 out of 5 stars. I was looking for a book that gave specific wine suggestions with recipes. And MacNeil did exactly like that.

The layout of the book is great. It is divided into seasons and then has 6 to 8 themed menus for each season. For Autumn it has these menus: Autumn Light, Homestyle Supper, Asian-style supper, Casual Harvest Dinner, Flavors of Fall, Moroccan Nights and Classic Thanksgiving. At the beginning of each menu she tells you which wine(s) to pair with all or some of the courses and why. The food for the recipes she picks are perfect for the season. And all the recipes are from Cooking Light.

MacNeil picks very specific wines and even includes images of the label. She has little side bars of tips and little tidbits about the wines. And at the beginning of the book there are general charts about pairing wine with certain foods plus a quick guide where you can look at the chart to see a wine goes with which recipe in the book. Such if you were wanting to pair something with a bottle of Pinot Noir then you could look at that wine in the chart and it would list the name of the recipe and page number.

My main problem with the book is that some of the wines are very pricy and she doesn't offer alternatives. I wish MacNeil would have done a wider price range. She does do menus with low-cost wines but one of her menus has wines that are $75 and up. And no alternative for other wines in other price ranges. I know I could probably pick a wine that is similar - such as if she recommends a chardonnay out of my price range I could pick another chardonnay but often she has specific reasons why she chose that chardonnay so that might not always work well with the meal just pairing it with another chardonnay. Plus I am not sure I could always find a substitute at all as they are just one of a kind type of wines. But overall the recipes and the pairings are great. And it is a book I would enjoy having on my bookshelf.

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Moosewood

Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special: More Than 275 Recipes for Soups, Stews, Salads and Extras by Moosewood Collective


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I am not vegetarian like most readers of this book seem to be so the seafood sections didn't bother me at all but I haven't actually even been interested in those sections as much as the others. (Those seafood sections aren't very long out of the 400 page book.) This book is soups, salads and then some extras to go with them such as dressings, croutons, breads and such.

I have only made a couple recipes from this book so far each were amazing. I see so many recipes I would love to try when looking through it. I think even with the seafood sections if you vegetarian or just like a diet with a lot of veggies this cookbook will add new elements to your meals. These soups and salads are meant to be starters to a meal but I really feel these are so good they are meals in themselves. Also these are great to make and have for lunches during the week.

The fall backs of this book are that the recipes are time intensive as they have a very long list of ingredients and not all the ingredients are just things I have on hand normally. But I would still urge people to check the book out and at least cook one or 2 of the recipes so that you can see how amazing they put flavors together.

Also one of my other favorite things about this book is that at the bottom of each recipe it lists other recipes that would go good with the recipe - including the page number which is very helpful.

Overall this book seems to be a good one as it has many recipes that look so good and I can't wait to try. And the few I did try were so good.

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Book Review: Christmas in Minutes

Christmas in Minutes: Festive Crafts in Less Than an Hour by Carol Cox


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Product description from Amazon:

Who isn't busy during the holidays? Clear, concise instructions teamed with brilliant yet simple ideas make this new book a must-have for holiday crafters with little free time on their hands. Taking only five to fifty-five minutes to complete, each project can be fitted into a busy schedule. The 30 projects are arranged in sections according to the time required to complete them. For example, gift tags decorated with bay leaves and rosemary sprigs can be made in under 15 minutes. It takes only 30 minutes to make a calla lily centerpiece. Forty-five minutes is plenty of time to make door wreaths, a glimmering silver twig tree, or an elegant eucalyptus garland. Designs use simple and available materials (natural or artificial) such as pine cones, fruits, ribbons, cinnamon sticks and grapevine wreaths to give your home that handcrafted feel without a lot of work.

If you are intimidated by flower arranging or using flowers in your decorating, this book might be a good start. It has some simple projects to do in 15 to 45 minutes that look elegant and just perfect for the holidays. I am not going to say it is great book. It does have some good arrangements but some of them are also a little busy - to me. But for a start - I think it would be a good to even just read to get ideas.

Some of the projects...
Cally Lily Tree (on the cover)
Dried Apple Ring
Berry Heart Chairback
Festive Pinecone
Clove studded and carved limes
Leaf Wrapped Candles

Also how-to instructions on how to make a triple bow, dry fruit, make lime roses, moss rope and so on.

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Book Review: Making the Perfect Christmas

Christmas: Making the Perfect Celebration by Carolyn BELL


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
If you want a complete guide that gives you ideas for food, entertaining, decorations, gift giving and crafts for the holiday season - this is the book for you. The book begins with a countdown to Christmas, with helpful tips on what to buy when, and which preparations should be done first. It includes a week-by-week countdown to help you plan and organize your Christmas shopping and cooking, plus a timetable for preparing food on Christmas Day and suggested holiday menus. I found the recipes and projects to range from simple to complex. There are projects on how to create a festive table setting, how to decorate your home with projects to make wreaths, garland and candles, how to make homemade ornaments to decorate your Christmas tree and how to create your own holiday cards and gift-wrap. It has a whole section of crafts to make with kids too. Their are menus and recipes for holiday dinners, vegetarian meals, party foods and buffet dishes. The recipes include several different stuffing recipes, sauces and preserves, desserts and treats, drinks and cocktails and edible gifts. There were some recipes that sounded delicious to me and others that I didn't sound appetizing to me at all. I really enjoyed the vegetarian meal selections. The book also included techniques on how to test cakes to see if they are done, how to make almond past and royal icing, how to stuff and roast a turkey, how to make a glaze and so on.

As I said it is a complete guide to Christmas...with over 200 recipes, 50 projects and 1400 color photographs.

Although I think the book was very well done and has so much to offer I didn't make notes while I had this checked out and I didn't create any of the crafts. I am not sure if that though was because I checked it out in the summer and wasn't yet really in the holiday planning stage. I do think it would be worth another look. I remember really enjoying the edible gifts recipes and many of the crafts.

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Book Review: The Art of Giving

The Art of Giving: Gift Ideas to Delight the Senses by Liezel Norval-Kruger


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is from description from publishers:

Gift giving is a universal custom, but in today's harried world many of us have moved away from the more considered and creative aspects of what should be a very personal act. It should be a gesture of love, friendship, celebration, acknowledgment, and thanks. The Art of Giving is filled with inspirational ideas and practical information for the discerning gift giver on how to achieve beautiful, artful, and thoughtful gifts.

Taste, smell, and touch are the pivotal chapters. They draw on our capacity to indulge ourselves and those we love through each particular sense. Each chapter is filled with ideas and tantalizing images, as well as practical information on how to create and present wonderful gifts. Another chapter, on wrapping, will show you how to achieve expert finishing touches and inspired solutions to the most awkward of gift shapes. From handcrafted soaps and homemade potpourri to beautifully wrapped candies and an entire picnic for two, the endless variety of ideas in this book offer something for everyone. Turn to the back of the book for recipes, templates, diagrams, labels, and other do-it-yourself essentials to tell you how to do it all. For anyone who wants to create and give gifts that are more expressive, meaningful, and heartfelt than something grabbed off the shelf or ordered over the phone, The Art of Giving offers a wealth of inspiration and practical advice.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the photos and the style of the gifts and ideas. The Art of Giving is filled with quite a lot of DIY gift ideas that are inexpensive, attractive and simple to make. Also this is a great book to find ideas for those on your gift list that are impossible to shop for people. The book I previously reviewed about green giving...was good but this book has better ideas that could be implemented with green options. Such as it has tubes covered with paper, photos or postcards. Or gifts wrapped in newspaper and then tied pretty ribbon that don't look cheap but look like it was wrapped professionally because the folds are so crisp and the ribbon perfect for it. Or gifts wrapped with felt and embroidery thread to do simple stitches to close it. All their examples were lovely and I can't wait to try some of them out this year for holiday giving.

The book includes recipes, craft and label templates and instructions in the back of the book also.

Some crafts and recipes I want to try and give....
Milk & Honey Bread
Infused Brandy
Fresh Feet Bath
Shoe Bags
Sewing Kits (that would be good for men or women)
Beaded Coasters
Hot Chocolate Cream

Plus MANY MANY more ideas. It is an inspirational book and one I would love to have on in my home to refer to often.

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Book Review: Simply Green Giving

Simply Green Giving: Create Beautiful and Organic Wrappings, Tags, and Gifts from Everyday Materials by Danny Seo


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I liked this book better then the party book. Again I really enjoyed the photos/styling of this book. He really hits the concept to reduce, recycle and reuse over and over. Some nice ideas about reusing household items or getting items at thrift stores to repurpose to wrap your gifts, make handmade gifts and gift tags.

I enjoyed seeing him make bows from the scented perfume cards in magazines. He tore them out very carefully. And then opened up the scented edge. He cut 1/2-inch strips across the sheet, starting at the scented edge and stopping an inch from the end. Then you fold it up accordion style - neatly stacking the strips on top of each other. With a pair of sharp scissors take each strip and curl by pulling it over the blade. The quicker you pull it over the blade the curlier it will get. And then attach to gift. The colors and images on the bow turn into a bouquet of colorful ribbon.

He also used the same concept of curling ribbon by pulling VHS tape out of the plastic tape cassette. And he wrapped a wine bottle in newspaper leaving 5 inches extra on top and cut that into strips and curled also.

Some things I didn't feel looked great. He took an old string of christmas lights to tie around a package but I just didn't think it looked good. I believe it probably could have but I just don't feel it was styled right in the book. Something else I wasn't sure about was that he used the inside of silver foil part of potato chip bags to wrap gifts. He washed them of course and then wrapped so the silver was showing out. But I just wonder how someone would feel opening a gift wrapped in a potato chip bag? I guess if they knew you were going green maybe they would accept it but would they think you were weird? Does it matter to save the environment? I don't know. But I thought it was odd. It looked pretty in the book - just wasn't sure how someone would feel opening a gift wrapped in it.

Overall the book did give me ideas for wrapping and decorating gifts in more green ways. I think often people forget repurposing is a green option.

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Book Review: Simply Green Parties

Simply Green Parties: Simple and resourceful ideas for throwing the perfect celebration, event, or get-together by Danny Seo


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed the photos/styling of this book. I enjoyed many of the ideas. Seo brings the concept to reduce, recycle and reuse upfront in party planning. Very nice ideas about reusing household items or getting items at thrift stores to repurpose for party decor. Many of the ideas are very chic and can be adapted to fit your needs.

Okay so the bad things....There were some things I didn't get why he felt they were green. I mean there shouldn't be a lot of trash after a green party. And he suggested using bamboo paper plates. Now that is more eco-friendly then the plastic disposable plates or regular paper plates...but what would be even more eco-friendly is using real everyday plates. Getting a plain white porcelain plate - and you can plan any party around that. Or picking up odd sets at thrift stores and mixing and matching is always to me a better choice then paper. He also did bottled water. Plastic bottles of water....I loved what he did with them making flavor waters but why not pitchers of filtered tap water with fruit in them instead of plastic water bottles.

Over all I am glad I read it. I enjoyed it. I am always thinking of ways to be more green and it did give me ideas for that.

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Book Review: The Best Soups & Stews

The Best Soups & Stews: A Best Recipe Classic by Carl Tremblay


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you like soups and stews, this is the book for you. More then 200 recipes. It explains in detail the recipe from start to finish. Cook's Illustrated books always have lots of extra information to trouble shoot and tips and tricks to help you cook. It goes into stock making suggestions, how to crush tomatoes, how to choose the right meat for a stew and why some products are better then other. The book also covers recipes to accompany soups and stews such as rice, cornbread and mashed potatoes. And of course there is science sidebars to tell the science behind some aspects of the recipe. They have wonderful photographs and illustrations that actually help you in your process. One of my favorite things about this book though is it has healthy recipes that are delicious.

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Book Review: Lotta Prints

Lotta Prints: How to Print with Anything, from Potatoes to Linoleum by Lotta Jansdotter


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I keep going back and forth between giving this book 3 or 4 stars. The style of the prints, the photos, the set up of the book - inspiring. Just lovely. The actual instructions to techniques used - lacking. Most of it is basic printing information that is found online or in other books - with better instructions. So it didn't give me any new ideas as far as techniques but as far as inspiration - yes it did! Really easy designs that would leave anything you print on looking lovely. One such inspiration I can't wait to try is the wall hangings. They were ceiling to floor simple cloth wall hangings with a simple print on them. Very pretty - giving a room a splash of color with a minimalistic approach. I don't know if it is a book I need to own but I do think it would provide me inspiration print design if I had it on my shelf but probably wouldn't inspire me one which technique to use. Another plus to this book - many of the print designs could go for either male or female. They are very unisex friendly. Often prints books I have seen are very hearts, flowers and sunshine type designs but this book often has geometric designs put together in a very pleasing way that would work for any gender.

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Book Review: The Weekend Baker

The Weekend Baker: Irresistible Recipes, Simple Techniques, and Stress Free Strategies for Busy People by Abigail Johnson Dodge


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This cookbook is great cookbook for those that haven't ever baked before because it gives a list of pantry essentials for baking, equipment list, good flavorings and extras to have on hand, tips and techniques to bake. Each list tells you exactly why you want to have those things or need to do those things to be a baker. The instructions for each recipe are so good for first time bakers. Very easy to understand and follow - but very thorough. This book is great for those that just are short on time and can only bake on weekends. It gives good tips on freezing and prepping to bake to make it easier. I hope to make a few more recipes before I return this cookbook to the library but have already put it on my wish list as it just has so many recipes I would like to try that sound so good.

I made these 3 recipes: (Links to photos and recipes)
Pie Pockets, Orange Butter Cake and Prescription Strength Brownies

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Book Review: Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More

Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More: 200 Anytime Treats and Special Sweets for Morning to Midnight by Carole Walter


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This cookbook has a variety recipes and all that I have tried are DELICIOUS!

Good Things
*The directions are detailed so that if you are new to baking or the techniques used in the recipe you will be able to work through it.

*The ingredients are clear and most likely items that you probably already have in your cupboards or pantry. There are few things you might not have on hand like flavored liqueurs and crystallized ginger.

*The recipes have ratings. If you are inexperienced you can start with the "1 cup" recipes and then move onto the more difficult recipes.

*There helpful tips in the sidebars.

*There's something here for all levels of bakers from novice to pro

Not-So-Good-Thing
*There isn't enough photos in this book. They have some of course but not for every recipe.

*There are a few editing errors. It seems like they were just cut and pasting some standard recipes throughout the cookbook even if that recipe is not making as many as the others. But the author has posted the corrections on her official website.

The author provides detailed instructions for the mouth-watering recipes. It is a wonderful wonderful cookbook. I've baked about 8 things out of it and everything has been delicious. Definitely a book I would like to have in my kitchen! And I can't wait to check out other books by this author.

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