Bakery Lane Soup Bowl

Many years ago, my husband and I happened upon this wonderful little restaurant on a vacation in Vermont. I have since referred to their cookbook on many occasions. Some of my favorite recipes are the tomato quiche and the curried chicken and rice salad. This book is truly a little treasure.

I came by this cookbook by way of a patient giving it away because she no longer cooked. Since I am an avid cook I gladly accepted it. The recipes have an old East Coast flavor. My 2 favorite recipes are: Shaker Chicken and Noodle Soup and Fresh Apple cake with Caramel Frosting which I just finished icing today.

Visited this little restaurant in Middlebury, Vermont many times, many years ago. This cookbook captures the quality and creativity of the Soup Bowl's menu and has been a perennial in my kitchen for close to 25 years. Don't be disappointed by what seems like a small number of recipes, they are all terrific.

I bought this book about 20 years ago, and it has a 1970's appeal to it. The foods remind me of little restaurant you might stumble across and be delighted to find that they serve decent, wholesome food. I especially like the Cheddar Cheese Soup, and they offer some basic salad recipes that one can follow verbatim or use as a springboard for your own creations. This would make a good gift for a novice cook because it offers many familiar recipes that are easy to make.

I love this book, and am happy to see it is still available. The soups in here are delicious and foolproof, and the cakes and desserts are the sort that people will think are made from Grandma's old family recipe. The flourless chocolate cake is superb and amazingly easy. (I can't believe I'm recommending this book and giving away my secret source!)