"We want to go back to a time when life was not so complicated -- or, at least, when we look at it from a distance, it was one that seemed much simpler. One ofthe few ways most of us can get there together is through our food." -- from the Introduction In these turbulent times, bestselling author and acclaimed New York Times columnist Marian Burros felt the change in America's eating habits. More and more, Burros noticed that people were setting aside their salads and instead reaching for foods like meat loaf and mashed potatoes, while others longed for the cookies, cakes, and pies their moms used to bake. In Cooking for Comfort, Burros shares more than 100 recipes for comfort food. Some are classics, some are streamlined for modern tastes, some have a contemporary twist, and some are unabashedly indulgent. But all are stuff from which taste memories are made. Known for her ability to create deeply flavorful food and foolproof recipes, Burros shares mouthwatering recipes for dishes like classic Maryland Crab Cakes, Cream of Tomato Soup, the ultimate Toasted Cheese Sandwich, the Perfect BLT, Picnic Fried Chicken, Meat Loaf and Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, and Great Roast Chicken. They will soothe your mood and satisfy any craving. To calm that sweet tooth, Burros has included more than forty recipes for delectable sweets. Among them are rich and creamy Michael's Chocolate Pudding; no-fail Lemon Meringue Pie; luscious Coconut Cake; and Giant Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Ganache, all of which will feed your soul as well as your stomach. The recipes are as stress-free and enjoyable to prepare as they are to eat, and they will appeal to any level of home cook. Burros has also provided wine suggestions and special notes on ordering specific ingredients, as well as extensive cook's notes that offer helpful hints and variations on recipes. With Cooking for Comfort, Marian Burros has turned out yet another cookbook that is destined to become a classic. In Cooking for Comfort , New York Times food-columnist and cookbook writer, Marion Burros, brings her sure taste and rock-solid technique to revisit simple dishes like linguine with red clam sauce, fried chicken, and quiche Lorraine. Burros knows when a good thing isn't quite good enough, tweaking some recipes (her shortbread features blueberries and lemon curd); upgrading ingredients (a Cobb salad made with arugula); or simply doing a major overall (introducing wine to her cream of tomato soup). As someone concerned about health matters, she's also "streamlined" a number of recipes, like coleslaw and potato salad, which can be made with light mayonnaise without compromise. (She also knows when to leave well enough alone, as with her classic coconut cake recipe.) The 100-plus recipes--all approachable--range from breakfast and brunch dishes to desserts, and includes an extended selection on cookies, cobblers, cakes, puddings, and delicious refrigerator sweets like Apricot Mousse and Terrine of Summer Fruit. With chatty recipe introductions and short-take formulas for the likes of Toasted Cheese Sandwiches and Make Ahead Risotto, the book is a welcome addition to the everything-old-is-new-again canon. --Arthur Boehm When times get tough, everyone yearns for comfort food. Each person's idea of comfort food differs, but hardly any American will argue with the selection of recipes in Marian Burros' Cooking for Comfort. Over her career, Burros has explored most of the world's cuisines, so she can focus on just what comfort food means in a wide range of contexts. The result is a bookful of ideas: macaroni and cheese, sloppy Joes, deviled eggs, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, peanut butter cookies, sour cream coffee cake. Just paging through this book already brings a level of comfort, even if the opinionated cook is convinced that her own version of shrimp cocktail sauce (or meatloaf, or chili, or cheesecake) is superior to the recipe at hand. Burros' precision and good humor make the book enjoyable and practical. Mark Knoblauch Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Madeleine Kamman Author of The New Making of a Cook: The Art, Techniques, and Science of Good Cooking In this beautiful collection of all-American dishes, Marian Burros again proves what a brilliant cook she is. Her winning way of combining America's favorite ingredients and tastes into thoroughly modern, easy-to-execute dishes will fill older cooks with nostalgia and instill in younger ones the impetus we need to demand and use natural farm foods. For Marian's message is clear; what she wants for all Americans is fresh attractive food, prepared with ingredients that have been grown under the light of the sun, in naturally cared-for soil, so that our peaceful kitchens will continue to resound with the laughter of healthy children. -- Review Marian Burros is the bestselling author of twelve previous books, including The New Elegant but Easy Cookbook (with Lois L