Steamed and Steamy

But even though I’ve been given so many traditional family recipes, already fine-tuned to perfection by my relatives, I can’t help being a ‘tweaker’. What you’ll find in this cookbook will be many recipes that, over time, have been adapted to my own personal style.

When I am writing and my characters get hungry, it feels natural to draw from my own favorite recipes to feed them. As their creator, I like to make sure they get plenty of good food to eat.

I am grateful for everyone who came before me, those foodies throughout the centuries who lit a fire, simmered a pot, and wondered, “Did I already salt that?”

A Note About the Graphics

This cookbook was originally released as a traditional paper book, with the graphics tied in neatly to recipes or aligned to let text flow around them. eBooks don’t have that layout stability. You as the reader are able to change fonts, increase or decrease font sizes, alter line spacing and change margins. This means I can’t control if you are seeing a graphic snugged up next to its recipe, or if it popped down to the next page. If this annoys you, might I suggest purchasing Steamed and Steamy in paperback?

How To Use This Cookbook

Industralia is a hardworking country, where everyone firmly believes in the value of a lavish breakfast. Industralians may skip lunch, and even delay dinner if necessary, but they never skip breakfast. However, this cookbook tries to strike a balance and include all the meals.

Because I am including excerpts from the books alongside these recipes, it seems cozy to keep together all the dishes that are served as a meal. So for example, ‘Dinner at The Bonnet House’ is presented as an entire meal, including dessert.

Just to keep things interesting, some of the recipes are also offered in narrative form. For example, a late night breakfast at the Grand Sterling is an excerpt pulled directly from The Flight To Brassbright. In other words, not all recipes are written in traditional form. Some are anecdotal in nature. Cookie’s circus breakfast is told in his ‘rustic’ narrative form. Hannah Vanbrugh’s tomato soup recipe is revealed by her inner thoughts. Other recipes are grouped as best I could manage. Industralians are very difficult people to pigeonhole, and apparently so are their recipes.

Please do not panic over these complex culinary cow paths. If you are looking for a particular type of recipe, simply turn to the recipe index in the back of the book, which is organized in a traditional, logical manner.

Since I am an American, these recipes are presented using the U.S. measuring system. It is an unfortunate reality that there is no international standard for cooking and baking, so I am using the one I am most familiar with. Luckily there are conversion charts available on the internet, for those of you using a different measuring system. So remember that tablespoons and teaspoons are different amounts, and our cups are not the same as a teacup!

Finally, some important advice—always read a recipe three times before you start cooking or baking! The first time, read to appreciate the recipe and to learn if this is a dish you would enjoy preparing. The second time, read to check your available ingredients and equipment. The third time, read to understand the cooking method. Then… have yourself some kitchen fun!