I'm frequently asked what makes a recipe "endangered". If it most often comes out of a can or box, is found in the freezer section, or is served in a bucket--then it's endangered!

When's the last time you enjoyed homemade tomato soup, freshly made macaroni and cheese,or piping hot fried chicken seasoned with care? When did you last savor your favorite childhood dish...made just the way you remembered? Perhaps it was the recipe your grandmother brought from another country or your aunt's American-as-apple-pie dessert. Our nation's recipes range from Yankee familiar to the international taste of the immigrant experience. Yet so many of these dishes are either never made or have become overly-processed manufactured imitations.

The last generation to truly cook from scratch is growing older and we are losing their recipes and techniques. Equally sad, we spend less time together with friends and family enjoying the pleasures of the table. And so, I also lament an endangered way of life--what we now call "slow food".

Endangered Recipes was born out of my passion to celebrate the home cook. As I researched this book across the country I found home cooks every bit as talented as celebrity chefs. Their contribution to our culinary heritage needs to be recorded. I also wanted to invite people back into their kitchens to relax. Entertaining can be as simple as a homemade soup, dishes don't have to look like restaurant food, and everything tastes better when garnished with friends, family and real conversation.

To this end, I profiled people in the book who I call "recipe rescuers". They come from all walks of life and have recorded their version of favorite dishes. And because I believe in food as a way to tell a story, I have created chapters that begin with a personal essay and are related to the emotional tone of the recipes. I hope you'll join me and become a recipe rescuer, too!

Look over the table of contents and then click on "buy the book".