Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader: Recipes from Mitford Cooks, Favorite Tales from Mitford Books

If you've read any of the Mitford books by Jan Karon you'll know that food often plays an important part in the characters lives. Some fans actually wrote Ms. Karon and told her that her books made them hungry. This book is great for reading as well as to cook from.

I really enjoy the Mitford books and can relate to them. They are set in North Carolina. This book has lots of southern recipes since Mitford is a fictional town patterned after Blowing Rock, NC, where Karon lived for awhile. Karon was born in Wilson, NC.

Liver mush, Baloney, Dukes Mayonnaise, White Lily Flour -- some of the very familiar items I've grown up with and are explained and included in this book for those who may not be familiar with them.

Although this book is mainly targeted to Mitford fans, if you enjoy southern cooking or want to find out a little about the books in the series, I think you'll also enjoy this book. Jan Karon's books tend to pull you in and make you feel a part of the Mitford family and I think this is also true of the Mitford cookbook. Jan even shares some of her real family photos with us in this book. Good reading, good food, and you feel like a part of the family.

This book is divided into chapters which are the titles of Mitford books, with the last chapter being of Karon's Mama's recipes. Included in the chapters are excerpts from that book, favorite recipes of the characters, and also helpful hints.

You'll read Jan's thoughts on aprons, what several people told her they'd want for their last meal, and you can learn how to season a black iron skillet, among other things. You'll be treated to recipes for 150 dishes that will please almost anyone. Good down home cooking.

Included is one of Ms Karon's most requested recipes -- Esther's Orange Marmalade Cake. She kept telling people it was a fictional cake but they kept requesting the recipe. In 1997 Victoria Magazine invited her to be their writer-in residence. During the year she was there she wrote a Mitford story that was printed in the magazine and in that story she also mentioned the now legendary cake. That story is also reprinted in the Mitford cookbook. And editor at the magazine there said there should be a recipe for that cake. The recipe was created by Scott Peacock, famous chef and often linked to Ms. Edna Lewis, a wonderful southern cookbook author. They co-authored the book The Gift of Southern Cooking.