Another of the ""Pioneer Lady's"" sentimental collections of simple ""homespun"" recipes--here stewed chicken, dumplings, cherry pie, puddings, many cakes and cookies, ""Aunt Peg's"" this and ""Effie's"" that--interspersed with memories of rural life in the 1930's, poems by the likes of Edgar Guest and James Whitcomb Riley, and old drawings and photos to match. In keeping with the ""Mother"" motif, the book begins with a few recipes for minced, mashed, and mushed foods suitable for babies. Hopping's two previous books, The Pioneer Lady's Country Kitchen and The Pioneer Lady's Christmas Cookbook, seem to have ridden the current nostalgia wave to sales and notice. This one, for all the recipes' authentic charm, might be even more cloying. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

One glance at the table of contents and a few glimpses at the text make it clear that this is old-fashioned, home-brewed country cooking. Verses by Edgar Guest and James Whitcomb Riley are sprinkled liberally throughout, as are cradle and family songs. All of this takes a back burner, of course, to the more than 170 recipes. Where else would you find a formula for homemade butter or rose-blossom tea? Why not serve dried peach nuggets as an alternative to modern, sugar-saturated snacks? Here, then, is an Oregonian who's revived the joy of family via food. ~--Barbara Jacobs