Review by L. Brandau

Stir, Laugh, Repeat
Finding Joy While Playing in the Kitchen by Martha A. Cheves

What a delightful cookbook! Many of us have collected many cookbooks over the years, but only a handful of those do we pull out regularly for those "Uh, Oh, what am I going to fix for dinner tonight" days. This will be one of those books that I can depend on for real food ideas. The cookbook is obviously a work of love from the author as she not only shares family recipes, but also stories of her life and those she loves.

What I liked most about the recipes is that I could go to my cupboards right now and already have ingredients to start cooking. The recipes are easy to follow and probably do not take much more time to prepare than some of the frozen stuff that goes on our tables.

Good home cooking and a slice of life on the side - you can't get any better than that. This cookbook would be perfect for a young cook because of the basic ingredients and easy instructions. There are also many tips and hints following the recipes. But don't think it is just for the beginners. I have been cooking for 40 years and look forward to trying these recipes. Of course, the Banana Puddin' will have to be first. There are a lot of the authors memories wrapped around this special recipe.

I highly recommend this cookbook as a purchase to keep or as a gift for family and friends.