I felt with this cookbook there was something I could relate too... in one way or another. I cook, I bake, I write and I paint! One can be creative inside the kitchen like one can be creative with a paint brush and canvas.
The Artful Cook: Secrets of a Shoestring Gourmet by Richard Cawley, pp.[5] 160; 1988 first printing, published by MacDonald & Co. has a very colourful palette if I must say.
The Introduction, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is an explanation on how this book came to be. I found it very entertaining. This book has six chapters and they are as follows: 1) Absolute Beginners 2) DIY Delights 3) Simple Pleasures 4) Mean and Lean 5) Cuisine Nouvelles Pauvres and 6) Loaves and Fishes. Within each chapter there are about five menu options. Some are three coarse menus while others are five coarse menus. This is very helpful for planning a dinner party. You can go right from start to finish. Never having to fuss with multiple books. Recipes have helpful hints or *notes* on the pages outside margin. This book is also illustrated with the authors own artwork. Watercolours and sketches are charmingly displayed throughout. Just like an artist the recipes are imaginative and inspirational. This cookbook makes a great book for inside and outside of the kitchen. - JW