Gumbo Love    by Lucy Buffett Order:  USA  Can Grand Central, 2017 (2017) Hardcover, e-Book      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Surely you remember that wonderful cookbook from Lucy Buffett - Lulu's Kitchen. She has written another Gulf Coast cookbook, Gumbo Love. Procure your very own copy now before your local bookstore runs out of them. Judging by the first of the two by Buffett, the new one will be snatched out of your hands if you don't hold it tight to your chest. I had the good fortune to review LuLu's Kitchen. I loved it. And I feel the same about Gumbo Love. Chef and author Lucy Buffett has once again shared her beloved recipes with us – her fans – so we can eat Gulf Coast cooking, even if we live in the wilds of Alaska or the coast of Maine. A Foreword starts this wonderful tome off, quickly followed by a letter from Buffett herself with a quote from Julia Child. 'To be a good cook you have to have a love of the good, a love of hard work, and a love of creating.' Using Buffett's recipes will put you well on the road to having a reputation of being a good cook. A few pages on Buffett's life and her entry into the food business are not to be missed. She also offers some tips on living. Good advice. To cook Gumbo, you'll need certain ingredients which the author lists with explanations as to why each is important in cooking Gulf Coast style. Buffett starts her newest endeavor with dessert recipes. 'Life Is Uncertain – Eat Dessert First' is is attributed to Ernestine Ulmer. I like his way of thinking. The photo of a Classic Southern Pound Cake with strawberries is enough to send me to my kitchen to check my larder. Southern Tres Leches would be hard to turn down, and I would kill for the Fresh Strawberry and Chocolate Angel Food Trifle. Well, maybe not actually kill, but you get the idea. Like pie? Give the recipe for Buttermilk Orange Chess Pie a try. Floating Island would be my next favorite. Brings back memories of my high school cooking class. The flavor is delicate and exquisite and cannot be beaten. Next is a collection of starters and snacks, always welcome at any gathering. I would settle on the Easy Boiled Shrimp. Of course with the title of this cookbook, seafood is prevalent. Much to my delight. Everything from shrimp and oysters, with instructions on how to shuck those slippery, delicious little devils. Then we arrive at Salsa. Everything from Watermelon Salsa to Pineapple-Cucumber Salsa. Instructions on how make Gumbo make the recipe much easier with such excellent help. Sounds right up my alley. A number of fantastic-sounding gumbos await your ministrations. On to Soups that, with crusty bread, would brighten any table. I suggest making a double recipe of the soups – otherwise there won't be any left for lunch the next day. I simply don't have the room to mention every classification of foods. I can recommend you start at the beginning and work your way through this really wonderful new cookbook. The fish section might have you dusting off your old but trusty fishing pole. My seaman brother once told me that he wouldn't sign on any ship if they didn't serve yellow tail snapper at least four times a week! I'll bet he would have raved over Buffett's recipe. The cookbook coverage ranges from Crawfish Cornbread to Veggies to Deep-Fried foods to Salads to gorgeous sandwiches to alcoholics drinks, Sauces and Dressings, to Gulf Coast Menus. I could wax on for several more pages over recipes I would like to try. But, shoot, you can do the same thing by obtaining a copy of Gumbo Love by Lucy Buffett. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews