Hallelujah! the Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes

I bought this book more for the stories than the recipes. I was pleased with both, but the stories are my favorite. I tried one of the recipes and it was excellent.

So, I'm a cookbook collector. By that, I mean, I have all these cookbooks, but I don't think I've ever tried a recipe out of any of them -- I just like to read them. This was, by far, the best cookbook I've ever read, and devouring the recipes' stories made me actually want to try cooking them. Something about such a great story behind it really got me off my butt to actually make them. I started with Decca's Chicken as I had everything in the house, and it was wonderful, and it prompted me to run out and buy the ingredients I needed for the Smothered Chicken. There's something about Angelou's stories that make me want to try every one of the recipies... ok, maybe not-so-much on the tripe. But for anyone who doesn't get inspired by the normal cookbooks, I highly suggest this one.

Maya Angelou is one of my all time favorite authors. The way she descirbes things is amazing, so much so that you can feel, taste, and even smell whatever it is she is describing. So it is only fitting that she write this cookbook, because the way she describes the foods makes your mouth water, and your stomach growl. I cannot wait to try the fried chicken, the potato salad, and numerous other recipes from this book. Also, what is great about this book is the variety of the dishes. In the beginning, when she is talking about her childhood, and living with her "Momma", there are real down home southern dishes. But as the book progresses, and she moves into her adult years, the food gets fancier, because she is describing dishes from fancy restaurants in Paris, and all the other places she travelled. I love this book, as I love everything she writes. I would love to meet her one day and pick her brain. Maybe over some of her wonderful cooking!

I think the book is great. The recipes are simple and easy to follow. Each dish that I have prepared turned out good. I really love the smothered chicken recipe, the mushrooms adds a different taste. However, I would like to know the effects of soaking the chicken parts in lemon juice and water!