Marion Cunningham is a legendary food personality and her passing in 2012 was mourned by many in the culinary world. This book was published in 2003, and her down-to-earth personality comes through in the introduction to each recipe. These recipes are considered "lost" in that they are no longer the "go-to" recipes people reach for when considering what to prepare - whether it be breakfast, dinner, or dessert. Most of these recipes are not ones I would make due to my family's dietary issues, but Marion discusses them fondly in a way that makes you feel you are sitting at the table with a beloved grandmother as she turns the pages of a food-spattered cookbook, reminiscing about meals prepared and eaten long ago. I think in addition to sharing these recipes, her purpose for writing this cookbook was to encourage people to cook "from scratch" again - as she tells the reader, "There is nothing like the satisfaction of sharing with others something you have cooked yourself."

The book itself is attractive, with a nice pocket on the inside cover for tucking in your own recipes and notes. And I found at least half a dozen recipes in the book that I'd like to try.

If you enjoy reading cookbooks, I encourage you to read this one, especially for the opportunity to imagine an earlier, less complicated lifestyle. The back cover says these classic recipes include "many simple-to-make, good-tasting, inexpensive dishes from the past that taste better than ever today." How can you resist? ( )

I like this new book not just for the recipes, or for the clever format, but for the sprinkling of quotes that assert cooking is an art, and one essential for the growth of the human spirit. A book to give anyone beginning a marriage, or a family or… well, anyone. ( )

Great source for old-fashioned home-style recipes. I especially like the succotash. ( )