Debbie Macomber's wonderful Cedar Cove book series is a world unto itself. The "Cedar Cove Cookbook" is charming, wonderfully illustrated with colorful drawings and photographs, and it has a real "down home" feel from cover to cover. After the nostalgic and touching introduction from Debbie, one of her Cedar Cove characters, Charlotte Jefferson Rhodes, takes over as guide and offers insights into the residents of Cedar Cove as she introduces each chapter. The food varies from new ideas to familiar favorites, and it all makes you want to get out in the kitchen and rattle those pots and pans! Many of these recipes were standards in our own homes as we were growing up, handed down from our grandmother to our mother, and then passed along to us. If you have children or grandchildren who like to spend time with you as you cook, then they will enjoy sitting down at the kitchen table and picking out recipes that they want to make. Some of the recipes are quite simple, but they lack nothing in the flavor and enjoyment that they offer! Each recipe is accompanied by a little cooking tip or tidbit. How do these titles sound: "Sunday Sour Cream Coffee Cake"; "Broccoli and Cheese Soup in a Bread Bowl"; "Fresh Herb Crab Cakes with Homemade Tartar Sauce"; "Braised Brussels Sprouts with Bacon"; and "Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp". My favorite part is the cookies--yummy! Cookies are one of my four food groups : ) ( )

What a great cookbook. There are tons of recipes I like and I loved that it told the story of Cedar Cove, there was a lot in it that I hadn't remembered from the series. ( )