You're Grown - Now You Can Cook was written to help everyone prepare beautiful and delicious food for themselves, their families, and their friends with complete confidence. This cookbook is the perfect gift for a graduate, new apartment dweller or homeowner, newlywed, or someone who simply wants to enjoy exciting recipes and prepare meals at home. It will also appeal to the experienced cook who enjoys creative cooking and delicious food. You're Grown - Now You Can Cook, is not only about mastering your own kitchen, but also about gaining the independence to rely less on processed convenience food, take-outs, and overpriced restaurant meals. It promotes the idea that any person with the desire to do so can cook satisfying and healthy meals not only for themselves, but to the delight of guests as well. This cookbook was originally written at the request of my son as he moved into his first apartment and wanted to cook for himself and friends. His plan was to eat well, without spending absurd amounts of time or money in the process. As he prepared amazing meals for his friends, he discovered that they loved his recipes and wanted copies of this cookbook. Soon so many people asked for copies that I realized the concept had merit and deserved to be a "real" book, so here it is: You're Grown - Now You Can Cook. One handy feature of this cookbook is that to simplify preparation, the directions for the recipes are listed in a step-by-step format rather than in paragraph form, making them concise and easy to follow. The recipes include helpful hints, serving suggestions, menu ideas, and ingredient substitutions, plus advice about where to locate products in the grocery store, and even tips to simplify kitchen cleanup. Creative menus and bonus recipes make meal planning a breeze. Informative and entertaining text insures that reading the book is an enjoyable experience. It is important to note that these recipes don't require special equipment or challenging techniques, just the desire to prepare tasty dishes that the cook can be proud of and enjoy. There is an emphasis on using fresh and homemade ingredients and tips for purchasing healthy products. Cooking with confidence is just one more way for any person, be it someone new to the kitchen or an experienced chef, to feel good about themselves and their abilities. I have been fortunate to have a career working with students and young adults so I am confident that the tone of this book is one to which a novice cook can easily relate. While many cookbooks offer only ingredient lists and a brief paragraph of directions, this book goes several steps further with each individual recipe. From the format of the directions, to tips for shopping, preparation, ingredient substitutions, clean up, and how to store and use leftovers, this book leads the cook through a simple process for producing perfect dishes every time. The result of cooking with You're Grown - Now You Can Cook, is food that is beautiful and will inspire confidence in a beginner and pride in an experienced cook. This is the cookbook you will rely on and enjoy forever. Not only are these recipes destined to become life long favorites; the best part of all is that the cook is guaranteed be a star in the kitchen.