I got this for Christmas when it first came out. My husband spilled coffee all over it, so this is my second copy. What I love most about this book is that it is arranged by Season, so each recipe contains fruit and vegetables that are ripe for that season. It's a great, fun way to learn what's good when because, let's face it, just because we Americans get our produce year-round does not mean that things taste good year-round!There are some great salad recipes in here if you like salads. Mine always ended up being the same boring thing, so these recipes mixed it up.I have found most of the ingredients in my regular grocery store (HEB), which surprised me because some things I had never heard of. I thought I would never find it in my store, but I did. I realized then, just how many items a grocery store has that we just pass by because it's not in our usual repertoire. I've only had to go to Whole Foods once or twice to find something, and I've tried most recipes.I've even made myself try things I would normally never eat like tofu and clams. (I like in Texas. We eat beef!) And we have liked just about everything I've cooked, even my 5 year old.This cookbook is my favorite one. I made myself follow it to the letter. I'm the queen of substituting things I don't eat with things I do. But I wanted to try new things and cook new things because our dinners were becoming so boring and redundant, cooking the same ole things. This book helped me step outside of my comfort zone and it's been great fun!!