Extra helping Recipes for caring, connecting, & building community one dish at a time

*Starred Review* A small, quirky, and insanely kind collection, Elsbach's first cookbook combines elements of Mollie Katzen's The Moosewood Cookbook and Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything series. With a unique tone and caring approach, Elsbach identifies eight different lifecycle occasions, from births to passings, that demand lovingly delivered food. Her audience is everyone who wants to help their friends and loved ones during such times, and she provides 70-plus recipes for doing just that. With special attention to overall health and specific diets, some recipes require more unusual ingredients like, say, kombu seaweed and slippery elm powder and attention to detail. Protein-packed lettuce cups are recommended for the rearranged and relocated, unmeatballs for solace seekers, and roasted broccoli for caregivers. Very personal introductions accompany each chapter, including tales of Elsbach's children's births as well as caregiving tips for an out-of-country relative. When mixed with Anna Brones' woodcut illustrations, this is a collection to be cherished, though not necessarily easy to emulate. Like Mother Teresa said, There should be less talk. Take a broom and clean someone's house. That says enough. --Barbara Jacobs Copyright 2018 Booklist