It’s been more than 13 years since I published the first edition of Comfortably Yum. At that time, I had six children ages 1 to 15. Now I have seven, ages 14 to 29. A lot has changed; instead of cooking for 9, I’m usually cooking for 3. (Or, realistically, cooking for 9 and freezing most of it.)

I’ve used the original just about every day since it came out—but I’ve also written dozens of new recipes and adaptations in the endpapers and margins. My copy is grease-spattered and the cover is nearly torn off; it’s well beyond its prime.

At first, I thought I’d write a sequel to the original. But after years of trying to come up with a cookbook name as good as the first, I've failed. Instead, in this new edition, I’ve revised the original text (sometimes significantly) and added about 100% more recipes. I’ve dropped a couple that just didn’t fit the collection anymore. The result is a cookbook that’s double the size, more accurate, more specific, and (I think) better in just about every way. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Food--all food--is awesome. I don't hold with cutting out food groups, or feeling guilty about food, or talking about how unhealthy or sinful it is to indulge in it. Food is a blessing, a heavenly gift. With the exception of true allergies, I do not believe food makes us sick or fat; what’s going on in our minds and spirits has far more to do with metabolism or the body's other functions than science can yet measure.

All I am saying is, give peace a chance: end your war with food. Don't worship it, but do savor it with thanks and praise. Share it with as many people as you can. Let's take the energy we used to spend on ambivalence over food and use it to find ways to feed the poor and hungry among us.