Cooking at Home: The Magazine Recipe Collection.

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

As the title would indicate, the recipes in this volume have all come from Cooking at Home magazine, part of the highly successful Company’s Coming cookbook publishing empire. Every recipe that has appeared in the magazine is here: nearly 500 recipes in total, conveniently sorted alphabetically by genre for easy access. Chapters include “Appetizers,” “Beverages,” “Breads and Quick Breads,” “Breakfasts and Brunches,” “Main Courses,” “Marinades and Condiments,” “Salads and Dressings,” “Side Dishes,” and finally a “Sweets and Treats” chapter.

Like other Company’s Coming books, this volume comes with a spiral binding and a sturdy, stain-resistant cover, which indicates it was meant to be used in the front lines of the kitchen. As always, author Jean Paré does an excellent job of mixing the traditional comfort foods that Canadians have enjoyed for generations with new ingredients and recipes recently introduced by new Canadians. Just a few of the recipes found in this collection include Plantain and Yam Crisps with Avocado Dip, Creamy Grilled Scallops, Coconut Seafood Cakes with Mango Salsa, Iced Irish Coffee, Rich Hot Chocolate, Olive and Thyme Focaccia, Cinnamon Rolls, Buttermilk Pancakes, Fresh Veggie Rice Wraps, Tourtières, Minted Beef with Almond Couscous, Sole with Lemon Dill Sauce, Pineapple Lamb Kabobs with Spiced Yogurt, Spicy Tofu and Pork, Quick and Easy Ham Loaf, Grilled Satay Chicken Burgers, Duck with Cranberry and Sage, Tomato Chutney, Arugula and Roasted Potato Salad, Cabbage Rolls, Greek Potatoes, Strawberry Short Cake, Apfelstrudel, Cappuccino Nanaimo Bars, and Fudge Brownies.

Hundreds of full-colour photos are sprinkled through the text so readers will know how the finished meals are supposed to look. Every recipe comes with a nutritional breakdown so that readers can track calories, carbohydrates, protein, and sodium content. Many recipes also come with handy tips, such as how long to let dough rise or how to tell if a roast is done. Recipe, editorial, and contributor indexes are included in the back of the volume.

With so many recipes covering such a wide range of culinary expertise, this book would make a great start to anyone’s recipe library or a welcome addition to an existing one.