"I love my mom and I'm a good cook, and still I can't help wishing that Emily Franklin would adopt me--or maybe send me a care package. But at least I've got her recipes now. And this book, which is the perfect mix of heartwarming and mouthwatering. Yum." --Catherine Newman, author of Waiting for Birdy
"Emily Franklin's Too Many Cooks is a boon for anyone trying to cook healthy simple meals for children. It is also great fun for those of us who love to peek at the domestic lives of others. Franklin has a warm, unpretentious voice and appealing recipes that are asking to be tried." --Jenni Ferrari-Adler, author of Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant
Hilarious and wise, Too Many Cooks celebrates a year in the family kitchen with one mom, four kids, and a picky pediatrician husband.
Emily Franklin's food memoir Too Many Cooks was born of two simple loves: food and children. A foodie and former chef, Franklin wants to pass on her love of food and cooking to her kids; she wants them not only to enjoy what they're eating but to know what they're eating. So, over the course of a year, she introduces her children to new dishes--some exotic, some thrown together with whatever she has in her cabinets--with varying degrees of success. Undaunted by failure ("This tastes like sand!"), Franklin pursues her culinary mission from the heartland of Indiana to the Umbrian countryside. Some meals conjure visions of pleasure while others are utter catastrophes. Along the way, she discovers how a delicious (or even disastrous) meal can bring families together and feed the soul.
As Franklin chronicles her family's year around the kitchen table, season by season, she shares original recipes. From comfort, kid-friendly food like Mummy Nuggets, to the more adventurous Saffron Fish Chowder, to food made on the fly like Orange-Oaty-I-Don't-Know Cookies, each recipe follows a charming or bittersweet or laugh-out-loud anecdote that captures the chaos of cooking for four young kids.
Franklin seasons her stories with how-I-did-it advice on cooking and parenting that makes this such a delightful and inspiring read. And with more than 100 simple, mouthwatering dishes, Too Many Cooks is a happy mix of recipes, memories, and good storytelling.
List Price:
$23.99
Our Price:
$17.63
You Save:
$6.36 (27%)
Shipping:
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.
*Shipping:
Product Details
Author:
Emily Franklin
Hardcover:
384 pages
Publisher:
Voice
Publication Date:
April 28, 2009
Language:
English
ISBN:
1401340830
Product Length:
9.52 inches
Product Width:
6.32 inches
Product Height:
1.1 inches
Product Weight:
1.4 pounds
Package Length:
9.3 inches
Package Width:
6.5 inches
Package Height:
1.3 inches
Package Weight:
1.4 pounds
Average Customer Rating:
based on 18 reviews
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: ( 18 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Great Read -- and then you eat it! Jun 08, 2009
By David G. W. Scott
"A Creative Writing Teacher"
This book has been passed from me to my wife to the kids and back again. A few days ago, I found my nine-year-old writing down a shopping list to make the mummy nuggets which he later made, with some help. I made the gazpacho soup. My 14-year-old made the donuts with some of her friends.
As a stay-at-home dad of four kids, this was a pleasure to read. A brilliant book written with humor and poignancy -- and lots of great recipes to boot!
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Engaging and Great Read even for Moms that don't cook. May 18, 2009
By salbeth
"salbeth"
I really enjoyed Ms. Franklin's Stories about her family life. I am not a cook, so I was not sure if this book would be a good read for me. I really, really enjoyed the book. I felt that the anecdotes about motherhood were honest, and engaging. Each chapter is almost like a short story, although there are themes and characters that run the entire book. For those that cook the recipes are a bonus!
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Sweet book May 16, 2009
By plumpie I'm a big fan of Emily Franklin's fiction -- from the Principles of Love series and Liner Notes to At Face Value and The Other Half of Me. In Too Many Cooks, we see that Franklin's story-telling skills shine just as brightly in the non-fiction genre. A collection of essays and related recipes that is one part memoir and one part biography -- with a heaping helping of humor mixed in -- the book gives a taste of the author as mother, wife, daughter, friend, and -- yes -- chef. The casual, easy-going style immediately draws the reader into Franklin's world. A whirlwind tour with stops in charming food shops, village markets, and country farms on both sides of the Atlantic, this book is a non-stop adventure that will make you laugh and make you tear-up (and not just at the onion talk) and make you hungry to try every one of the tasty, yummy meals.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Refreshing and Endearing Jun 04, 2009
By Erin E. Nichols
"Blogger at ErinCooks.com"
Emily Franklin's anxiety-free views on feeding children and introducing them to new foods and dishes are absolutely refreshing.
Don't worry. This isn't a preachy how-to book by any means. It's simply Emily's quest to "create happy, healthy eaters without tricks." While this is a non-fiction book it reads like an effortless dream. I became entirely wrapped up in learning all of the personality quirks her four children possess, and while they may willingly eat roasted broccoli I promise that they are just as real as your own kids. Emily doesn't hesitate in detailing their dirty faces, flaws, and swearing phases, but somehow through hissy fits, major shelving malfunctions, delayed ferry rides home, and even personal tragedy Emily consistently gets healthy meals on the table.
This book isn't just for picky children. I found myself marking dozens of recipes to try later. I'm especially looking forward to Emily's rendition of Sticky Toffee Pudding. Whether you're a regular old Brady Bunch or a single twenty-something the story Emily weaves is timeless. At the end I found myself wanting the book to be longer and I definitely missed "sharing meals" vicariously with her endearing family.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
One of the best parenting books I've read all year Aug 10, 2009
By E. Heller I just loved this book. It is the perfect parenting tome: Not preachy, not prescriptive. Just, "this is how I did it, maybe it will work for you." The author's story is so well written and humorous, and her values come through so clearly, that you feel like you wish you lived next door just so could have her and her family be friends with your own. We loved and are using her approach to introduce new foods with great results.
based on 18 reviews
Great Read -- and then you eat it! Jun 08, 2009
By David G. W. Scott
"A Creative Writing Teacher"
