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Oct. 20--Amy Sedaris, best known for her twisted sense of humor, wants you to know her new book is not a joke.
In a letter to readers at the book's beginning she tells us: "I don't like joke cookbooks because I can't take them seriously. This book is full of real information." But just because "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence" is not a joke doesn't mean it isn't funny.
The actor, writer, frequent David Letterman guest, sister to David Sedaris and former Raleigh resident has created a comprehensive guide to entertaining at home with the kind of wacky flair that is pure Sedaris. Filled with offbeat tips and weird pictures, it's the sort of cookbook you're more likely to reach for when you need a quick smile than when you need a quick chicken recipe.
Sedaris breaks the bulk of her book up into chapters on entertaining specific groups such as lumberjacks, rich uncles and rabbits. Each of these chapters includes a menu with recipes, gift ideas and tips that range from "How to Remove Vomit Stains" to what to say to a grieving person (appropriate: "He will be missed"; inappropriate: "Was he drinking?").
Since Sedaris is of Greek descent and grew up in the South, plenty of Greek and Southern dishes are included. I tried the "Southern Fried Chicken," which instructs you to soak the chicken overnight in buttermilk, add cornmeal to make the breading crispier and fry it in lard. It doesn't get much more Southern than that. The result was juicy, flavorful chicken with a crispy crust. But I had to modify the recipe to use cooking oil since lard isn't something I just keep around the house.
Along with these serious recipes are sillier ones such as the one for pumpkin pie: "Directions are on back of can of pumpkin. Follow that;" and steamed carrots: "Put carrots in a steamer and steam."
Obviously, this isn't your mother's cookbook. But it looks a bit like it was excavated from your mother's shelf since the pictures are yellow-tinted, a la Betty Crocker cookbooks from the 1960s and '70s. Except Betty never featured herself leaning against the wall holding a smoke-filled bong alongside a helpful list of "Munchies."
Sedaris also offers a section of do-it-yourself crafts called "Pantyhose, Crafts and Good Ideas." And as the section name suggests, it includes items made with pantyhose, such as a bath sachet and a pantyhose plant hanger.
Overall, Sedaris is right: This book is full of real information. I learned how to make single serving lasagna, how to prevent disputes at children's parties through equitable distribution of favors and that rabbits are not in the rodent family because they have a second set of incisors. I also got some funny tips, such as: "Try filling your medicine cabinet with marbles. Nothing announces a nosy partygoer more successfully than an avalanche of marbles striking a porcelain sink." And as anyone who's ever thrown a party knows, having a laugh in the midst of stressful preparations is a good thing.
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Copyright (c) 2006, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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