The best cooking on the planet?
You’ll have to decide for yourself.
By Daphne Ross
Recipe compiler and world traveler, Marita Miller says her cookbook project, East West Cooking was “born out of love for cooking and trying new recipes.” Before marriage, most of Marita’s Saturdays were spent in the kitchen, concocting something new for her family to sample.
“My cooking style was challenged a bit when I moved to Brooklyn, New York to work with a Kid’s Ministry,” says Miller. A very busy woman working on a shoestring budget found the challenge “good for me” and soon learned many creative ways to improvise and still turn out great meals.
It was in New York where Miller’s taste for international food developed. This adventurous taste is shared with husband Austin, who created the cover and book design for East West Cooking. Miller’s husband also did the divider page photography featuring Old World maps in the background.
“While we still appreciate American food, we’ve discovered another world out there, exploding with flavor.” Travels to Nepal, India, Thailand and Singapore “delighted” the Millers’ taste buds all along the way. Their skill of substituting ingredients was learned as a necessity when the “real thing” was not available or was expensively priced.
“In this cookbook you will find everything, from Chicken Curry to Tortilla Soup, Crunchy Wheat Bread to Mouth-watering Cheesecakes, Cost-cutting Substitutes to Soft Pretzels and even a special section devoted entirely to Muffins.”
In addition to the many recipes from travels east, East West Cooking also contains original recipes from the Miller kitchen, recipes passed on by mothers and friends. A number of the recipes have been adapted to the Miller family’s personal tastes. And Marita Miller does give this fair warning, “All cayenne measurements can be adjusted to taste. The author will not take responsibility for smoking mouths or heartburn.”
“This cookbook is a must for anyone with a weakness for good old-fashioned Mennonite cooking as well as adventurous taste buds willing to travel around the world. Enjoy!”
Copies of East West Cooking are available for $9.99 each (Ohio residents add 6% sales tax) plus $2.00 shipping and handling for the first book, $1.00 for each additional book. Make checks payable to: The Gospel Shop and mail it to; East West, The Gospel Shop, P.O. Box 506, Sugarcreek, Ohio, 44681.
Note: The Traveler magazine contains some sample recipes from the cookbook.
© 2004 Traveler Publications
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