Some of the stories in this charming collection will make you smile and even laugh out loud; others will touch on sweet memories. You'll meet characters like Cousin Soupmeat and Crazy Ruthie, and enjoy an encounter with a movie star in Rome. The whimsical themes include eating chocolate after dark and visiting a fortune-teller, a family's history as viewed by the dining room table, crab apples, a culinary visit to Paris, and the foibles of owning and maintaining a family cabin. Each story is unique, as are the recipes included with a few of them, but in various ways they all exhibit the author's humor, wit, and insight into subtleties of human character and the value of social connections.

Margie Zats is a Minneapolis-based author and chef. She is a graduate of École de Cuisine La Varenne in Paris, and has worked as a cooking instructor, a food columnist, and the long-time creator of the pastry gift-baskets "Margie's Marvelous Munchies." Her other books include Great Recipes from Someone who Loves to Eat, A Platter of Chatter: Charming Stories and Terrific Recipes, Stories from Someone Older Than Television, and two novels, Alexandra the Grate and Dancing on a Silver Moon.