"I seldom think about my limitations, and they never make me sad. Perhaps there is just a touch of yearning at times, but it's vague like a breeze among flowers." -Helen Keller
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Nancy's Large Print Cookbook:
Quick, Easy, and Delicious Recipes by Nancy Rezendes Trafford Publishing
book review by Sherokee Ilse
One might assume this is merely another one of those senior citizen cookbooks. However, there is far more to be found in the 385 pages than a reader might expect. First of all, it is written for anyone who has low vision and loves to cook, no matter age or circumstances. Next, like most cookbooks, it offers many tasty recipes, both common and uncommon.
In addition to all these recipes are inspirational quotes and wise hints and tips for low vision readers. Some of the tips include "Use a brush to wash sharp knives, not a cloth; mark measuring cups with bump dots (i.e. raised peel and stick dots available in low vision and craft stores); and purchase a plastic cafeteria tray with sides for gathering all ingredients you will need and for measuring on the tray." Whether it is the appetizers, crock pot recipes, meat, seafood, veggies, or over sixty pages of confections, the recipes look easy to follow and vary from simple to some with many ingredients. Pie crust, chicken salad, spinach dip, meatloaf, brownies, quiche, and other food basics can be found within the thirteen sections. A few of the intriguing recipes are watermelon salsa, Scandinavian coleslaw, strawberry bread, chai tea, flavored butters, New Zealand apples and onions, and even pickled onion rings.
Given that the author has been legally blind from Macular Degeneration for ten years, this cookbook is quite an accomplishment. By encouraging her readers throughout the book, she offers a look into her spirit and life philosophy. An especially insightful quote is "Our aspirations are our possibilities." Readers will, indeed, find many possibilities and plenty of good eating when reading and cooking with this book.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review