Reviewed by Michelle Stanley for Readers’ Favorite

Giacomo Family Recipes is a collection of recipes by Angel Giacomo. These recipes have been handed down in the Giacomo family with lots of love and pride. Many of the recipes appealed to me. These include Cranberry Salad, Carrot Cookies, and Raw Apple Cake, Penne Pasta with Eggplant Marinara, Pasta Fagioli Soup, and Snickerdoodle. Learn how to make taffy, Candied Pecan, Apple Butter, Hot Spiced Tea, and other delights. How about the prize-winning Homemade Chili, Biscuits and Gravy Casserole, and Hash Brown Potato Bake? There are many healthy, hearty meals to choose from.

The family photo is another confirmation of how closely knit Angel Giacomo and her family are and I can imagine their reunions filled with love and delicious food. The handwritten recipes with tips were lovingly contributed by descendants of Angelo and Theodora Giacomo who had left Italy to start a new life in Oklahoma as farmers. Typed copies follow each one in case you’re unable to understand the written ones. The family has not only preserved their Italian heritage through cooking but included numerous variations to traditional favorites. It’s a blend of Italian and mid-west cooking. I'm sure that Angelo and Theodora did not always have the traditional ingredients they were accustomed to when cooking in Oklahoma, so they had to make substitutions. Maybe Cowboy Cookies and John Wayne Casserole, which seem quite tempting, are two of them. Giacomo Family Recipes is a cookbook that will bring your family to the table without hesitation.