"Mariana's Letter" is a cookbook written as you would write a note to a friend. This book comes from the many newsletters I wrote over the years. The recipes come from many sources but are mainly French and American. I have tried to stay away from recipes that have too many or hard to find ingredients or require too much to be done at the last minute. Recipes are often accompanied by stories, true or fictional. You do not have to be a cook to enjoy reading this book - only to enjoy the thought of a good meal and listening to a good story.I have always followed the rule that if one can not taste the recipe by reading it, it is better to discard it for one that tastes good in your head.

I have spent some time in France as well as Washington, D.C., New York City and the Rangeley Lakes of Northwestern Maine and I come from a family of writers who loved to cook and tell stories