Blueberry Delights is the latest installment in Karen Hood’s ever-popular Cookbook Delights series. Crammed with delicious recipes and interesting tidbits, graced with the delicate, sure touch of Hood’s poetry, this cookbook is a gem. Cooks of all experience levels and ambition will be thrilled with the variety of recipes that use the delicious blueberry in creative ways, all of them with well laid-out, easy-to-follow instructions. Particularly sumptuous are the recipes in which the berry is used for a savory rather than sweet effect, as in the Blueberry Basil Vinegar or the many mouth-watering main dishes like Pastrami-Spiced Beef with Blueberry Sauce. Other dishes, like the Blueberry Oven Custard Puff Pancake and Blueberry Cheesecake Fudge, promise to be decadent enough to make an impression at the fanciest occasions. There is even a recipe for blueberry wine!

As with all of Hood’s cookbooks, it is the extras that make Blueberry Delights truly stand out. At the beginning of the book, not only will you find a selection of Hood’s themed poetry, but information about identifying different types of blueberry, which will be invaluable for those who like to go berry-picking; tips about growing and cultivating blueberries in your garden; and a fascinating introduction to the berry’s history and folklore. Also present are the helpful metric conversion chart and glossary that will provide excellent assistance for less experienced cooks.

My family tried out the Blueberry Chicken Salsa Torte, Multigrain Blueberry Pilaf, and Oatmeal Blueberry Cookies. Both the torte and the pilaf were longer, more involved recipes than we usually make on a weekday, but both were well worth the extra effort. The torte was simply amazing, the blueberry salsa a bright, flavorful twist that added the perfect touch. The torte recipe is very versatile and will easily accommodate delicious additions like roasted red peppers and pico de gallo for those who want to add their own flair. Although listed in the Appetizer section, it would also make a fun lunch item. The pilaf was equally tasty, and the blueberries added a wonderful burst of flavor to the rice that had even my children (who generally don’t care much for rice) scraping their plates. The wild rice and wheat berries in the recipe also make it very nutritious,  a side dish that will please parents just as much as it will kids. The Oatmeal Blueberry Cookies that we had for dessert were quick and easy to make, and alot of fun for my kids to lend a hand. Adding a fruit other than raisins to an oatmeal cookie was a novel experience for my family, and it was a hit–we’ll definitely have to try it again with variations! As always, Karen Hood has produced another winner in her Cookbook Delights series.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are right in the thick of huckleberry season, that marvelous time of year when the Northwest’s favorite berry is ripe and ready for the plucking!

Huckleberries are a delicious, blueberry-like fruit that can range in color from deep crimson to dark purple. Because huckleberry bushes yield a small amount of fruit compared to other berry bushes, they are rarely grown by farmers. Most huckleberries are handpicked in the wild and sold in local stores and farmer’s markets, or harvested for specific companies that use the berries to make syrups, jams, jellies, and other tasty treats. Many huckleberries grow in high elevations on the slopes of mountains. There are dozens of varieties, but the most sought after is the black huckleberry, which yields its sweetest fruit at elevations of 3000 to 6000 feet.

The huckleberry has great cultural significance for the local Native Americans: the Yakamas used them as a major food source for centuries, and still uses them in feasts and religious ceremonies today. For others in the Pacific Northwest, this berry is quite beloved, spawning numerous Huckleberry Festivals in small towns across the region. Even bears love these juicy, flavorful berries–so if you are out in a remote location looking for your own huckleberries to pick, be careful!

Once you have a gallon or two of huckleberries, what next? How to transform all those sweet berries into delectable treats that will delight you and your family… Luckily, we have just the thing! Huckleberry Delights is a wonderful cookbook full of delicious recipes that will help you make the most out of your huckleberries. Recipes have clear, simple directions and are accompanied by a collection of poems, folklore, and history that add to your enjoyment and knowledge. Huckleberry Delights comes in several formats, including a bilingual English-Spanish version, a Christian version with selected Bible verses, a large print edition, and a journal that can be used to record your own thoughts and recipes. To order this unique cookbook, click here.

A Collection of Rhubarb Recipes

Cookbook Delights Series

Rhubarb is an all-time favorite vegetable that once was used for medicinal purposes, but has always tasted delicious in Mom’s homemade pie.  In this cookbook, you’ll find more than just pie recipes to spark your imagination in cooking with rhubarb.

Delicious rhubarb is versatile, nutritious, and always adds a special flair to many dishes, whether used in cakes, pies and breads, in preserves, as a salad ingredient, in wines or brandies, or any number of other imaginative ways.  In Rhubarb Delights Cookbook, author Karen Jean Matsko Hood presents her collection of more than 250 exciting rhubarb recipes that will be sure to please everyone.  Inside, you will also find some fascinating reading regarding this old-time favorite’s history, folklore, cultivation, and much more.  With recipes using readily available ingredients, Rhubarb Delights Cookbook will be a valued addition to any chef’s bookshelf.

Please visit our websites at www.whisperingpinepressbookstore.com, www.whisperingpinepress.com, and www.rhubarbdelights.com.  6 x 9, 320 pp., featuring a durable, full-color cover in a variety of bindings.  Whispering Pine Press International, Inc., Your Northwest Book and Gift Company © 2011.

Inside You Will Find:

• Delicious Rhubarb Recipes
• Facts about Rhubarb
• Types of Rhubarb
• Measurement Conversion Chart
• Fascinating Rhubarb Folklore
• Rhubarb-Themed Poetry
• Nutritional Information
• Helpful Index and Glossary
• Rhubarb Cultivation

LCCN: 2011900696   BISAC 1 CKB000000   BISAC 2 CKB101000

BISAC 3 CKB085000   BISAC AUD 01

About the Author: Karen Jean Matsko Hood is the author of numerous cookbooks, children’s books, poetry, and more. A woman of wide interests, she, her husband, sixteen children, and foster children make their home in Greenacres, Washington. Ms. Hood is currently working to complete her Ph.D. in Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University. Websites: www.karenjeanmatskohood.com, www.karensblog.net, and www.karensbookblog.com.

Author’s Availability: Washington State and nationwide by arrangement.

Contact: Marketing and Sales Department

Phone: (509) 928-8700 or Fax: (509) 922-9949

Email: sales@whisperingpinepress.com

Websites: www.whisperingpinepress.com, www.whisperingpinepressbookstore.com

Blog: www.whisperingpinepressblog.com

Whispering Pine Press International, Inc., 507 N. Sullivan Road Suite LL-5

Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA

A Collection of Chocolate Recipes

Cookbook Delights Series

Chocolate is a worldwide favorite in all of its forms and flavors, from bitter to extra sweet and light to dark; everyone enjoys the decadent flavor of chocolate.  Recent studies have proven the health benefits of chocolate, especially dark, and the flavor is delicious in all types of recipes.  In Chocolate Delights Cookbook, Volume I, author Karen Jean Matsko Hood presents her collection of more than 250 exciting recipes that will be sure to please everyone.  Inside, you will also find some fascinating reading regarding  history, folklore, cultivation, and much more.  With recipes using readily available ingredients, this cookbook will be a valued addition to any chef’s bookshelf.  This book is a perfect gift when paired with Volume II.

Please visit our websites at www.whisperingpinepressbookstore.com, www.whisperingpinepress.com, and www.chocolatedelights.us.  6 x 9, 320 pp., featuring a durable, full-color cover in a variety of bindings.  Whispering Pine Press International, Inc., Your Northwest Book and Gift Company © 2011.

Inside You Will Find:

• Delicious Chocolate Recipes
• Facts about Chocolate
• Types of Chocolate
• Measurement Conversion Chart
• Fascinating Chocolate Folklore
• Chocolate-Themed Poetry
• Nutritional Information
• Helpful Index and Glossary
• Chocolate Festivals

LCCN: 2011900695   BISAC 1 CKB018000   BISAC 2 CKB105000

BISAC 3 CKB004000   BISAC AUD 01

About the Author: Karen Jean Matsko Hood is the author of numerous cookbooks, children’s books, poetry, and more.  A woman of wide interests, she, her husband, sixteen children, and foster children make their home in Greenacres, Washington.  Ms. Hood is currently working to complete her Ph.D. in Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University. Websites: www.karenjeanmatskohood.com, www.karensblog.net, and www.karensbookblog.com.

Author’s Availability: Washington State and nationwide by arrangement.

Contact: Marketing and Sales Department

Phone: (509) 928-8700 or Fax: (509) 922-9949

Email: sales@whisperingpinepress.com

Websites: www.whisperingpinepress.com, www.whisperingpinepressbookstore.com

Blog: www.whisperingpinepressblog.com

Whispering Pine Press International, Inc., 507 N. Sullivan Road Suite LL-5

Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA

A Collection of Poetry

Karen Jean Matsko Hood’s writing is bold and honest. She communicates in a simple, direct way that is sure to captivate readers.  If you are not yet familiar with her work, you are in for a treat with Frost of Spring Green!

This volume of poetry can be read for pure enjoyment or as an insightful examination of our busy world.  You may read one of her poems, enjoy its breezy wittiness, and then revisit it months later to discover something altogether fresh and new.  This is what ultimately makes her poems lasting treasures: they reveal depth over time.  Each reading promises something new, an additional layer of meaning that will enrich your daily life.

Drawing from many of her poems already accepted for publication in international journals, Hood, as an emerging American poet and author, brings together unique verses in this, her first book of poetry.  Hood’s poems remind us to value our link with nature and the environment in daily living.  Her poetry voices outrage toward current social injustices, offers a voice for the downtrodden, and brings hope to the most hopeless of situations.  She is optimistic in her quest for dignity for all life, and brings visual impact to her themes of nature.  Frost of Spring Green will also be available in international bilingual editions.  A collection of poetry ideal for reading time and again, this book makes a great gift for friends and family members.

Please visit our websites at www.frostofspringgreen.com, www.whisperingpinepress.com, and www.whisperingpinepressbookstore.com.  6 x 9 inches, 228 pp., featuring a durable, full-color cover in a variety of bindings.  Whispering Pine Press International, Inc., Your Northwest Book and Gift Company © 2010.

LCCN: 2010901374   BISAC 1   POE005010   BISAC 2   POE000000

BISAC 3   SEL019000   BISAC AUD 01

About the Author and Poet: Karen Jean Matsko Hood is the author of numerous cookbooks, children’s books, poetry, and more. A woman of wide interests, she, her husband, sixteen children, and foster children make their home in Greenacres, Washington. Ms. Hood is currently working to complete her Ph.D. in Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University. Websites: www.karenjeanmatskohood.com, www.karensblog.net, and www.karensbookblog.com.

Author’s Availability: Washington State and nationwide by arrangement.

Contact: Marketing and Sales Department

Phone: (509) 928-8700 or Fax: (509) 922-9949

Email: sales@whisperingpinepress.com

Websites: www.whisperingpinepress.com, www.whisperingpinepressbookstore.com

Blog: www.whisperingpinepressblog.com

Whispering Pine Press International, Inc., 507 N. Sullivan Road Suite LL-5

Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA

A Collection of Huckleberry Recipes

Cookbook Delights Series

For those of us living in the heart of Washington, we enjoy a deeper appreciation of the huckleberry.  The Inland Northwest yields the greatest bounty of huckleberries in the country, from which author Karen Jean Matsko Hood writes and gathers her recipes for Huckleberry Delights Cookbook.  Hood has brought together carefully selected huckleberry recipes with easy-to-follow directions for beginner and accomplished cooks alike.  These recipes are compiled with readily available ingredients as well as lots of poetry, history, and folklore for the reader to thoroughly enjoy time and time again.  This would be a wonderful addition to any cook’s cookbook collection.  Share the health benefits of this delicious berry!

Please visit our websites at www.whisperingpinepress.com, www.whisperingpinepressbookstore.com, and www.huckleberrydelights.com.  6 x 9, 326 pp., featuring a durable, full-color cover in a variety of bindings.  Whispering Pine Press International, Inc., Your Northwest Book and Gift Company © 2010.

Inside You Will Find:

• Delicious Huckleberry Recipes
• Facts about the Huckleberry
• Types of Huckleberries
• Measurement Conversion Chart
• Fascinating Huckleberry Folklore
• Huckleberry-Themed Poetry
• Nutritional Information
• Helpful Index and Glossary
• Huckleberry Cultivation

LCCN: 2010921422   BISAC 1 CKB035000   BISAC 2 CKB101000

BISAC 3 CKB000000   BISAC AUD 01

About the Author: Karen Jean Matsko Hood is the author of numerous cookbooks, children’s books, poetry, and more. A woman of wide interests, she, her husband, sixteen children, and foster children make their home in Greenacres, Washington. Ms. Hood is currently working to complete her Ph.D. in Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University. Websites: www.karenjeanmatskohood.com, www.karensblog.net, and www.karensbookblog.com.

Author’s Availability: Washington State and nationwide by arrangement.

Contact: Marketing and Sales Department

Phone: (509) 928-8700 or Fax: (509) 922-9949

Email: sales@whisperingpinepress.com

Websites: www.whisperingpinepress.com, www.whisperingpinepressbookstore.com

Blog: www.whisperingpinepressblog.com

Whispering Pine Press International, Inc., 507 N. Sullivan Road Suite LL-5

Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA