Strawberry Delights Cookbook

The king of berries and the pride of gardeners everywhere, the strawberry is the only berry that is synonymous with summertime. From the visual appeal of the bright red berries peeking out from among the lush green foliage, to the unrivaled juicy sweetness found in their taste, strawberries are an oh-so-enjoyable part of everyone's summer experience and can be relished year-round, frozen. In her new Strawberry Delights Cookbook, author and cook Karen Jean Matsko Hood devotes page after page to introducing her readers to innovative ways for using this versatile berry in appetizers, breads & rolls, cakes, pies, salads and more. In the Delights cookbook tradition, this volume also features sections that examine facts & folklore, history, nutritional aspects and cultivation of this wonderful berry, and a sampling of the author's own poetry about strawberries. Please visit our website at: www.strawberrydelights.com. 6 x 9 inches, 320 pp. Whispering Pine Press, Inc. c 2008.

Karen Jean Matsko Hood has always enjoyed cooking and experimenting with recipes. At this time, Hood is working to complete a series of cookbooks that blends her skills and experience in cooking and entertaining. Hood frequently entertains large groups of people and especially enjoys designing creative menus with holiday, international, ethnic or regional themes. Hood is publishing a cookbook series called the Cookbook Delights Series in which each cookbook emphasizes a different specialty or theme. The first cookbook in the Delights Series is entitled Apple Delights Cookbook. Hood is also working to complete a series of Hood and Matsko Family Cookbooks with many recipes that have been handed down from her family heritage and others that have emerged from more current family traditions. She has also been invited to speak on various topics as a special guest speaker on several talk-radio shows. Hood was born and raised in Great Falls, Montana. As an undergraduate she attended the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota and St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. She also attended the University of Great Falls in Montana. Hood received a B.S. Degree in Natural Science and a minor in both Psychology and Secondary Education from the College of St. Benedict. After graduating, Karen and her husband taught science and math on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Hood also completed postgraduate classes at the University of Iowa, in Iowa City, Iowa. In May 2001, she completed her Master's Degree in Pastoral Ministry at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. She has also taken post-graduate classes at Lewis and Clark College on the North Idaho College campus in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Hood is currently working on research projects to complete her Ph.D. in Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Hood currently resides in Greenacres, Washington along with her husband, twelve children, and foster children. Her interests include writing, teaching, and volunteering as a court advocate in the juvenile court system for abused and neglected children. Hood also is a literary advocate for youth and adults. Her hobbies include cooking, baking, photography, indoor and outdoor gardening, cultivating unusual flowering plants and orchids, and raising several specialty breeds of animals including Icelandic horses, bichon frise and cockapoos, and Icelandic sheepdogs. Hood also enjoys bird-watching activities such as observing hummingbirds. Hood finds all aspects of nature precious and demonstrates a passionate appreciation of the environment and a respect for all life.