In My Mother's Kitchen

When my daughter flipped through the book In My Mother's Kitchen by Trish Magwood, her first response was "wow, this reminds me so much of us".   I had the same sort of feeling myself.   The simple recipes start with a little glimpse into her family - their eating philosophy, in particular caught my attention.  Everyone gets in the act, from her mother in the kitchen and her father in his garden.  I just had to share this one...

Sauteed Garden Kale

... mostly because now my daughter is the gardener in the family and it's always a joy to hear her talk about what she will plant (winter discussions) and how they are doing ... the rest of the gardening season.

While there are lots of recipes very similar to the ones I grew up with...Strawberry Angel Dessert... my mom just called it Strawberry Shortcake,  Date Squares (always made around the Jewish New Year), Peanut Butter Cookies...and so many others.   I DON'T remember and I couldn't resist these...

 Chewy No Bake Chocolate Macaroons

And that's just the dessert section!   Every recipe I've tried... and all the ones still earmarked take me back to "the Old Days" and make me smile.  Cheddar Cheese Buttermilk Scones, Banana Bread (who hasn't had more than a slice of that growing up?),  lots of great soup options like Elena's Curried Corn Chowder.  Even more great salads like Skinnier Caesar Salad, a Picnic Chicken Salad that's very different to my mother's and Coleslaw that's pretty much the same.

I could pick out particular recipes in every section, but I'd rather just cook them up.  Next up for me are the Miami-Style Barbecued Beef Short Ribs.

If you're like me, a cook book is more than just a sharing of recipes, though.  I love the family photos and scraps of original recipes peppered throughout the book... not to mention the glorious food photography.

BOTTOM LINE:  This is a book for the coffee table and the kitchen... whenever and wherever you need a little trip back in time and a little time away from today's hectic pace.