Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader »

If you have ever wanted to settle down in an idyllic small town and live a life focused on faith and family, Jan Karon's books are for you. Her Mitford series follows a rural town, its inhabitants and its rector with humor, sentiment and a foundation of Christian values that help characters overcome setbacks.

Millions of Mitford fans around the world will agree—it's easy to put on a pound or two reading a Mitford novel. Scene after scene of the bestselling series' colorful characters enjoying tantalizing dishes can immediately start a craving. Then, before you know it, you've read several pages by the glow of the refrigerator lightbulb.

Packed with more than 150 recipes from the Mitford novels and from the author's own recipe box, Jan Karon's Mitford Cook-book & Kitchen Reader is loaded with tips, hints, jokes, culinary quotes, and delightful side-dish sidebars guaranteed to start a stomach rumbling. From Miss Sadie's Apple Pie to Puny's Cornbread, from Emma's Pork Roast to Marge's Sweet Tea with Peppermint, beloved characters come alive through their own favorite recipes. Here, too, are Karon's reminiscences of her own family's food traditions and—as dessert—four stories never before published in her books.

Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook & Kitchen Reader is a charming companion to the Mitford series that will have readers clamoring to bring into their own kitchens the aromas and flavors that swirl within the little town with the big heart.

Publishers Weekly

"Food is a great way of communicating," says Mitford series author Karon in her charming cookbook brimming with comforting recollections, quotations, homespun kitchen wisdom and more than 150 mouthwatering recipes for foods that have appeared in the author's books. Characters in Karon's close-knit Mitford, N.C., community often get into challenging situations, and foods rich with Southern-influenced flavors of hearth and home are always close by: Marge's Deep-Dish Apple Pie, Father Tim's Beef Tenderloin, Cynthia's Lemon Squares and Uncle Billy's Sweet Potato Pie. Karon includes full-flavored classics like Louella's Cinnamon Rolls, Lottie Greer's Fried Chicken and Country Biscuits, Cynthia's Lasagna, Puny's Macaroni and Cheese, and Lew Boyd's Chocolate Cake, all with nary a calorie counted. There's even a recipe for dog biscuits and one for creating a "Christmas Smell" right from the stovetop. What makes this cookbook distinctive is that fans are treated to the exact scenes in Karon's stories where each dish was enjoyed. There's also a bonus Mitford story and recipes inspired from Karon's upcoming novel, along with plenty of sage cooking advice from how to season an iron skillet and stock a spice cabinet to pointers on saying grace and a rumination on the meditative effects of washing dishes by hand. Uncomplicated ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions will afford cooks, guests and fans plenty of time to savor the generous novel excerpts from the author's inspirational work. Color photos. (On sale Oct. 25) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.