I bought this a year ago for my wife for her birthday on the recommendation of a friend. It has proven to be one of the hest gifts I've given her in the 27 years we've been together.

The Junior Leagues individual chapters have published about a zillion individual chapter versions of their cookbook. This represents a sort of "best of" version.

It's excellent for several reasons:

--It includes recopies from all regions of the country, giving it both a national as well as a regional flair.

--It contains more than four hundred recipes, ranging from classic dishes to contemporary fare that have never before been gathered into one volume.

--It includes many original essays on regional cooking and foodways which are both informative and entertaining.

--It provides dozens of sample menus that make planning and organizing meals a breeze.

--It's printed on sturdy, water resistant stock in a spiral binding making it a good choice for family cooking where the kid's are "helping" you with the meal.

Over the past year my wife has used this more than all her other cookbooks combined. She's enjoyed using it immensely--and I've enjoyed the fruits of her labor immensely.

For down home family cooking success, this is as good as it gets!

Once again Junior League has produced another fabulous cookbook. These cookbooks make such great hostess gifts!

This cookbook has rapidly become my new favorite! Every recipe I've tried has been outstanding. I highly recommend it.

Also included are descriptions of community programs sponsored by various local Junior Leagues. Funds from cookbook sales go toward supporting these important efforts.

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