Comfort Food Cookbooks
written by Norma Bannerman PHEc, and Laurana Rayne PHEc
Publisher Hummingbird Wings, Box 63066, 2604 Kensington Road NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4S5
Each book 48 pages: soft cover: Cdn$ $5.95 each, $35.70 set (6 books)
Comfort Foods is a series of six recipe booklets focusing on recipes for foods that are shared in times of comfort. "Foods that warm body and soul and connect us with memories of special people, places, and times". In short, "in the preparing, serving and sharing, comfort foods connect us with others in a meaningful way: they become part of the "glue" that holds us together". Comfort foods are therefore more than good food, they are also associated with loving messages. In keeping with this theme, at the front of each booklet there is an attached recipe card ready to share with a friend. Each of the booklets chooses a different topic ranging from comfort foods from our heritage, meals to share with friends, foods for cold days, just to name a few.
The introduction to each booklet is prefaced with an explanation as to how the recipes were collected and what the theme is meant to portray. Recipes were gathered from many sources and each contributor's reason for choosing the recipe precedes it. Additional comments and anecdotal material appear at the foot of many of the pages. Often preparation tips are also given to help the less experienced cooks master the recipe. Nutrient analysis does not accompany the recipes, though they were adapted with interest in reducing fat and calories. Examples are given using lighter versions of such ingredients as mayonnaise, and cream cheese.
Once the recipes were collected, and divided into categories, they were triple tested for accuracy. Proceeds from the sales of the booklets are to be donated to the Kids Help Phone line and another cause of the publisher's choice.
Overall, I found Comfort Foods to be a wonderful, nostalgic collection of recipes most of us associate with special memories. From foods such as rice pudding, and apple crisp, to recipes for leftover turkey and ham, they can all be found in these books, allowing one to remember special times in their making. The format was easy to follow, and the anecdotes made these books more interesting reading than most cookbooks. The suggestions for variations and substitutions also made the books more flexible to current lifestyles. I also found it was refreshing to learn that proceeds from the sales of the books would go to support a worthy cause. This made spending the money for the books more like that of an investment. I would have found it more useful if the authors had included such features as more photographs of the products, a coil-bound format for ease of use, as well as some nutrient analysis for all of the recipes, but overall Comfort Foods would make a wonderful addition to any cook's kitchen.
Book review by Caroline McAuley RD
Vermilion Community Health Services
Vermilion, Alberta