This visually-appealing cookbook for beginners is sure to please.  Paula Deen, in her planning for the cookbook, first tried to think of events that would lead young people to cook/bake, and organized her chapters as such.  Some of the chapters include breakfast, bake sales, pool parties, sleepovers, Christmas parties, family picnics, and Mother’s and Father’s Day.  Cooking tips (“when cutting, use a cutting board to cut on, never the countertop), a Glossary (garnish, mince, saute, simmer, whisk, etc.) How to Measure (liquids vs solids, for example), and an index are added features.

The recipes contain thorough directions, including such things as positioning the oven racks, and how to prepare your cooking station.  Paula includes helpful information such as the fact that a muffin taken out of the freezer will take about 30 minutes to thaw, or one can microwave it for 45 seconds.

The Bake Sale chapter gives tips on how to have a successful bake sale.  Being from the South, Paula mentions manners throughout the cookbook, as well as presentation ideas to give the finished food a polished look.