Author: Valerie B. Barber

ISBN: 1-59800-285-6

I wanted to see what could possibly be in a cookbook that has a price tag of $51.95. Inside the deep orange cover, we start off with 'deviled eggs," one of my favorites, and other mouth-watering appetizers. All are pretty straightforward and easy to make. Then, it was on to soups and salads. Ms. Barber included all of my favorites and, again, these are easily put together. There are soups and salads for every taste and all include ingredients that most kitchens have on the shelves.

When I reached the "vegetable" chapter, the recipes were a little more difficult, but made my taste buds take notice. The ingredients seem to be most things I personally keep in my pantry, so there was no special shopping needed. The "main dishes" section included Lasagna, normally a difficult dish. The directions were explained so clearly that even a beginner would find this recipe easy to prepare. Every recipe lists ingredients, utensils needed, and step-by-step directions.

The cookbook had a few problems. I was disappointed to find no chapter heading for desserts, so I went from grilled tuna steaks to deep-dish apple pie without a break. I noticed that there was no table of contents, which makes it convenient for those not having time to flip through the entire book to find the recipe they are wanting to make. And, the photographs do not present well. For example, the collard greens (photo on page 31) are not appealing, but the recipe sounds scrumptious.

There is a glossary, a chapter of "cooking terms," and an index. All in all, I believe the recipes are wonderful, but for the amount of money charged for the cookbook, the presentation could have been better.

These recipes are classics and Valerie has done us a favor by gathering them together in one place.