The long-awaited cookbook by Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen�home cook, mom, photographer, and celebrated food blogger.Deb Perelman loves to cook. It�s as simple as that. She isn�t a chef or a restaurant owner�she�s never even waitressed. Cooking in her tiny Manhattan kitchen was, at least at first, for special occasions�and, too often, an unnecessarily daunting venture. Deb found herself overwhelmed by the number of recipes available to her. Have you ever searched for the perfect birthday cake on Google? You�ll get more than three million results. How do you choose? Where do you start? What if you pick a recipe that�s downright bad?So Deb founded her award-winning blog, smittenkitchen.com, on the premise that cooking should be a pleasure, and that the results of your labor can�and should be�delicious...every time. Deb is a firm believer that there are no bad cooks, just bad recipes. She has dedicated herself to finding the best of the best and adapting them for the everyday cook�the ones with little time to spare, little money to burn on unpronounceable ingredients, and little help in the kitchen. And now, with the same warmth, candor, and can-do spirit her blog is known for, Deb presents her first cookbook�more than 100 new recipes, plus a few favorites from her site, all gorgeously illustrated with hundreds of Deb�s beautiful color photographs. The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook is all about approachable, uncompromised home cooking: stepped-up comfort foods, stewy dishes for windy winter afternoons, an apple cake that will answer all questions: �What should my new signature dessert be?� �What is always welcome at a potluck?� �What did Deb consume almost single-handedly a week after having a baby?� These are the recipes you bookmark and use so often they become your own; recipes you slip to a friend who wants to impress her new in-laws; and recipes with simple ingredients that yield amazing results in a minimum amount of time. Deb tells you how to host a brunch and still sleep in�plus what to make for it!�and the essential items you need for your own kitchen. From salads and slaws that make perfect side dishes (or a full meal) to savory tarts and pizzas; from Mushroom Bourguignon to Pancetta, White Bean and Swiss Chard Pot Pies; from Buttered Popcorn Cookies to Chocolate Hazelnut Layer Cake, Deb knows just the thing for a Tuesday night, or your most special occasion.