A Cookbook in Celebration of Men
By B.L. Walker

Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou? In the kitchen, of course, cooking up fabulous dishes from recipes by eclectic gentlemen, collected for those fellows less experienced at whipping up culinary delights. This is a spicy but tasteful group of uncomplicated and nutritious meals for busy men who might be a little intimidated around a stove. It's delicious fun, peppered with dollops of humor.

ROMEO is an acronym for Retired Older Men Eating Out. You may have noticed groups of gentlemen eating together in restaurants. They are ROMEOS, i.e., clusters of men who gather weekly to enjoy each other's company and spin a yarn or two. Many of this book's contributors are proud of their ROMEO status. Sometimes ROMEO parties with JULIET (Jolly Unusual Ladies Informally Eating Together). What would Shakespeare think of that?

Subtitled, "In Celebration of Men," an award winning artist, Eric Forstmann, tapped into his sublime imagination to draw the splendid trompe l'oeil pen and ink cover fantasy -- fruit to tweak one's imagination, plus six subtly sexy drawings that introduce various chapters -- from breakfast to bedtime and beyond. Incidentally, Eric's fast chicken soup is a tasty delight.

Chef Greg Hoffman, Le Cordon Bleu trained, edited the collection. He gave the author recipes for several of his favorite dishes: chicken piccata, penna pasta with fresh tomato sauce, and three fabulous soups - corn chowder, French onion, and potato leek - all made from scratch, of course, with no "open a can and stir." permitted.

Vocations from astrologer to rocket scientist are included. The astrologer, who collects Japanese art, offers a Japanese Tofu dish as a great appetizer or main dish.

The rocket scientist, rock climber, mountain biker, and paraglider, when not cooking up his vegetarian chili, also snowboards in Colorado where he lives and works. A retired TWA pilot now raises sheep and bakes the best cornbread in the East.

Musically, we have a Big Apple jazz bassist who digs crossword puzzles, loves sweets, and produces an easy dessert --Bimini plantains -- recalled from the isle of his birth. And a violinist with the New York Philharmonic offers a buttermilk cake recipe that will hit all the right notes in your mouth.

Among contributors are a circus clown/fire eater who designs and makes quilts and a very quick tortilla pizza, and a retired director of Late Show With David Letterman whose Eggs Shirley Temple are just right for breakfast (or dessert) with a special someone.

While we're in the show biz mode, we'll mention an Emmy nominated former KISS producer whose Albanian lamb stew (Mish Me Laker) is fabulous on a chilly day, and a current set designer/director of Sesame Street who makes a mean stove-top, center-cut pork pot roast. If pork is your favorite meat, you might also like a bartender's Korean broiled pork, or a judge's Calypso pork with lime sauce.

A couple of Hungarian dishes are included: a complete chicken with dumplings and noodles entrée, accompanied by traditional cucumber salad, from a medical internist/cardiologist, or a stew that smells divine as it's cooking from a house painter who's Connecticut's Pied Piper of cats.

A mortician who chills out on his Triumph bike makes a to-die-for tuna casserole for his kids, and a football/baseball coach who sings opera tells how to make fettuccini scallops with real Alfredo sauce.

Need a finger lickin' something to take to a party? You'll learn the secret of how to really devil an egg from an insurance executive, or a tasty cheesy hors d'oeuvre from a retired FBI agent. A tree surgeon offers a special trail mix, that when contained in a pretty jar, makes a colorful, nutritious, and delicious holiday/birthday gift. Shrimp dip can be surprisingly quick, says a Maine marketing executive.

On the hot side, the book offers a quick salsa from the owner of an auto repair shop and a Southwest corn dip from a plumbing contractor. Almost everyone loves Feta cheese. It's part of a Greek dip that a mechanical engineer dreamed up. And a bookstore owner invented a guacamole dip that's smooth going down.

A romantic French toast breakfast from a retired fragrance salesman opens the collection that ends with a likewise romantic Cherries Jubilee for two, served on a bear skin rug in front of a roaring fire, from a retired art director of Reader's Digest.

Men enjoy learning how other men cope in the kitchen. Women read the book like a novel, cover to cover, and find it a hoot. It makes a great gift for any occasion for anyone who likes to smile.

Available from Bliss Books at blissbooks@snet.net or by calling toll free, 866-364-5135. Cost: $15.00 plus $5.00 S/H. Priority Mail. Major credit cards accepted.