Food Gifts For All Seasons

You can curl up in bed and read the glorious recipes to make for others, or you can march right into the kitchen and get cooking. Or you can skip the recipes and just look at artist Anne Hathaway’s magnificent illustrations. I am quite proud of this book of 52 recipes that was nominated for an IACP Julia Child Cookbook Award in 1997.

Most popular recipes: Julie’s Lemon Curd, Clay’s Chicken Enchiladas, Merle Ivy’s Whipping Cream Pound Cake, Sun-Cooked Peach Preserves, Bereavement Corn, Mary’s Cranberry Chutney, Crisp Gingerbread Stars, Perfect Chocolate Cake.

Why I wrote this book: After I had lived in England for a year and moved back to my hometown of Nashville, where my parents were still living, my father had a serious stroke. His life changed that day, and it was hard on my mother and our family. But friends and family came to the rescue with a constant flow of food. I was so affected by their generosity that I set out to write a book entirely dedicated to giving food to others. It is arranged by the season because I think seasonal food is always the best.

Favorite cooking tip in the book: When making homemade lemon curd (and my recipe is from friend Julie Buchanan in England who makes it in a microwave), use a variety of oranges, lemons, tangerines, or limes. The recipe calls for 2 pounds of fruit, so mix it up!