Hallelujah! The Welcome Table (Maya Angelou)

Mostly a cookbook but there are so many great anecdotes to Maya Angelou's recipes! I really like the stories preceding her Caramel Cake and potato salad recipes. She also has a sweet story about Valerie Simpson and Nick Ashford (of Ashford and Simpson), vegetarian friends of hers, dedicating a handful of veggie dishes inspired by their influence.

This book is really a reflection of Angelou's life and travels accompanied with the recipes they inspired.

Recipes I've Tried and Loved:

*Cold Potato Salad - Delicious, especially if you pair it with the menu Angelou provides

*Ashford Salad '96 - Simple, fresh, easy everyday salad.

*Minestrone Soup - Hearty, easy, delicious (I did omit Lima beans because I am not a huge fan of them)

*Banana Pudding - Amazing and comes with an amusing story of a past, philandering lover. Read it and eat it!

*Bread Pudding - Simple and delicious. Perfect recipe for ingredients you likely have on hand (she substitutes sultanas instead of the typical raisins & it gives the dish a warm, summery look).

• *Fried Meat Pies - (saved my favorite for last) Handy, delicious meat pies for when you're on the go.

• This dish has a very sweet story about Maya's grandma, Annie Henderson, who she called Momma. This is the dish that would became the key to Momma gaining independence from selling these pies off the road to workers, to selling them in a hut, a hut that would later result in her opening her on store.

• All in all, you may be buying a cookbook but, you'll walk away with so much more, my friends.