The Quilter's Kitchen

October 15, 2008
This is the third Elm Creek Quilt novel intended especially for the holidays. The slender volumes action takes place in one day as Anna, the new chef of Elm Creek Manor (first introduced in 2006s Circle of Quilters), and matriarch Sylvia Compson pack up their outmoded kitchen so that a much-needed remodeling can take place. In the process, Anna learns about some of the past history of the manor and the Elm Creek Quilters. Soon she is planning a cookbook with recipes for welcoming banquets, quilting bees, picnics, potlucks, harvests, and farewell breakfasts, in addition to holiday recipes for National Quilting Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. As Anna says, You cant have a gathering of quilters without food. The story is interspersed with 100 recipes contributed by Sally Sampson, a prolific author of well-received cookbooks. Anna and Sylvia also vow to use the scraps of a half-ruined tablecloth and a trove of almost-worn-out aprons to create a new patchwork quilt. Chiaverini is the author of nine full-length novels in this popular series and several volumes of quilt projects inspired by the novels.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)