Book Review: Goldy's Kitchen Cookbook

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One of my favorite mystery series is the series of Goldy Bear Mysteries written by Diane Mott Davidson.  I love the way the books are written.  What I have always enjoyed are the recipes contained within the books.  These recipes were written and developed by Diane herself.  She has said during interviews that she developed them all  tried them out on her own family - some with great success, and some were spectacular failures.

Goldy Bear herself is a caterer.  She was a victim of domestic violence, who divorced her abusive husband and struck out on her own as a caterer.  Goldy was a spunky gal who first got involved in the mystery business when a murder during one of her catered parties threatened to shut down her business. Through the course of the books, we are introduced to Goldy, her son Arch, her best friend Marla, and the man who slowly teaches her that she can trust and believe in love once again.

I admit, that in addition to enjoying the books, I also enjoyed the recipes.  After finishing a book, I would make many of the recipes that were in the books.  Each recipe tied into the mystery and were a part of the plot of the book.   A group of us even had a Goldy's Kitchen Dinner a few years back.  We made the entire meal from recipes gleaned from her books.  Wow, that was an awesome meal!

Diane's book The Whole Enchilada was the last book that she will write in the Goldy series.  I will miss Goldy and her family.  I want to know where Arch goes to college, when Julian opens his own restaurant, and when Tom becomes the Captain of the Police Force.  Mostly, I can't wait to see Marla become elected Mayor of the City of Denver.  I do understand and respect that she is finished writing the books, I will miss the story of their family.

But then - this gem was released earlier this week.  It's the cook book from Goldy's Kitchen!  Almost every recipe from her 17 books are included, and she's tossed in some new recipes that are her own family favorite recipes.  Interspersed between the recipes are tales from Diane's life.  Commentary about the books, stories about her family, friends, cooking, and stories about how she got into writing books in the first place.


While I have not yet begun to cook my way through the cookbook, I have read all of the text that she filled in between the recipes.  I loved hearing her writing voice again!  She is a talented writer, and she shines so bright when she writes about her passions.




I will be cooking my way through this wonderful book.  From beginning to end, I plan on hitting up every single recipe.  (OK, I'll be subbing in GF flour so I don't get sick, and I'll adjust cooking times accordingly so I don't turn anything into a piece of charcoal.)

I've already got my recipe for this weekend marked.  We are going to start with Tom's Layered Mexican Dip on Sunday afternoon during the football game. I might have to be very careful with my ankle, but I can still pull together something fun and yummy!