ASPINWALL: Emeril Lagasse, step asidel.
There's a new cookbook in town, full of culinary delights guaranteed to please the palate. "Divine Delights," published by Christ the Divine Teacher Catholic Academy, is off the printing press just in time to hit the store shelves to stuff holiday stockings.
The book aims not only to satisfy hungry gourmets, but more importantly, to boost fund-raising efforts at the school. Specifically, the money will be used to update the school's library collection.
"We've got a little bit of everything," said Charity Nedrow, committee member and creator of the book's "Shrimp Diane."
"Some are prized family recipes, others are just family favorites."
Nedrow said the book will sell for $10 and contain about 250 recipes. It will be sold outside National City Bank at First Street and Brilliant Avenue on Light-Up Night in Aspinwall. It will be sold later at Christ the Divine Teacher Academy along Brilliant Avenue and also the Aspinwall Bookstore and Rosebud's, also on First Street.
Many have been donated by school families, some by teachers and students themselves. For example, teacher Gerard Conroy will give readers a sneak peek at the recipes he offers in his gourmet cooking class.
"He gave us a salad dressing recipe that people rave about," Nedrow said. "Of course, he kept them simple for us."
Third-grader Tim Livingston donated his favorite, "Very Berry Smoothie," and Nedrow's daughter contributed her original "Double Decker Confetti Brownies."
Local eateries got in on the act too. Chefs from The Aspinwall Grille and Mulligan's, both along Commercial Avenue, will let readers in on some of their top-secret concoctions, Nedrow said.
So far, community enthusiasm seems to be cooking. More than 180 recipes have been compiled and were sent off to a publishing house in North Dakota for production.
The project has been hard work, but Nedrow admits it isn't without it's just rewards.
"I tried a German sour cream coffee cake that was so good I gave the recipe to my sister," she said, laughing.
"I haven't had time to taste them all, of course."
