Tasty Temptations    by Connie Bandstra Order:  USA  Can Specific House, 2005 (2005) Softcover      Reviewed by Melissa Parcel Connie Bandstra, the owner of the Teacups & Tiaras tearoom in Des Moines, Iowa, wants to make it easy for each of us to create beautiful foods to serve to family and friends. She compiled this cookbook of her favorite recipes to encourage and inspire women to appreciate cooking and to cook more often. Tasty Temptations includes a plethora of recipes to assist us in doing just that. The book begins with appetizers, featuring dishes from the simple - such as black bean salsa - to the exquisite, like wild mushroom pate. Next up is brunch, with standard fare such as French Toast and Baked Blintzes, but also some more elaborate recipes like French Toast soufflé and Scrambled Eggs and Wild Rice in Phyllo Cups. Following these are soups, salads and vegetables, and main dishes, including Beef Bourguignon, Artichoke Chicken, and Double Good Manicotti, just to name a few. Capping off the collection are desserts, featuring Bananas Foster Bread Pudding, Texas Sheet Cake, and Million Dollar Pie. Each recipe is clearly described and the directions are detailed. Despite the exotic sounding recipe titles, most include ingredients you would generally have in the kitchen or that could be found at any supermarket. The recipes will inspire you to be more creative with your cooking and to realize that you can cook delicious recipes without spending the entire day in the kitchen or going to culinary school first. Ms. Bandstra includes humorous quotes throughout, that make this cookbook a fun one to sit and page through. Most of the recipes are fairly high in calories and fat, so don't look here for light dishes. But they are full of fun and flavor, and will add an extra dimension to your cooking repertoire. 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