by Jules E. Dowler Shepard

Da Capo Press, $18.95, 236 pages

Written by a woman who has gone gluten free as a way of life because of Celiac Disease, she has been on a quest to provide real food to real people, just a bit differently. Jules E. Dowler Shepard’s prior book The First Year: Celiac Disease and Living Gluten Free provided steps to daily living for fellow food allergy sufferers or those just aspiring to healthier eating. This book evolved from requests of family favorite recipe conversions to incorporate meals that a family with a slew of food allergies can eat together. Comfort foods like Coffee Cake, Cornbread Stuffing, Crab Cakes, Pad Thai, and Lemon Bars are what you will find in this book. Before jumping right in you can work through the basics of what foods are considered gluten free and which are gluten laden along with substitutions and baking tips. Each recipe is coded with allergen icons. No matter the type of food included, what I love most from a cookbook is when the ingredients are readily accessible to “real” people like me and they don’t read like a laundry list. This is the comfort food I grew up with and can’t wait to taste or smell the Cinnamon Sticky Rolls baking in the oven.

Reviewed by Janet Wright