Laurel's Kitchen Caring: Recipes for Everyday Home Caregiving [Paperback]

Laurel Robertson (Author), Carol L. Flinders (Author), Brian Ruppenthal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997

The charm and compassion of Laurel Robertson--bestselling author of the popular LAUREL'S KITCHEN--make this book of wholesome vegetarian recipes the perfect "nurse's aide" for any caregiver. Laurel includes uplifting stories, advice and inspiration for caregivers, invaluable ideas for administering medicine, and original suggestions for making mealtimes a pleasant occasion, even when the patient can't eat much .

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This slim volume is valuable whether you are caring for a child with the flu, a friend with AIDS, or someone recovering from surgery.

Laurel Robertson, author of the vegetarian classic, Laurel's Kitchen, here includes dishes for all levels of caregiving. These are "simple and pure foods, foods with a clear, clean taste" that people prefer when ill. Look for comforting pancakes and macaroni and cheese, Tapioca "Gell-O" to cheer a full liquid diet, soft Red Pepper Pasta Pudding, and herbal teas.

In our holistic age, Laurel encourages home cooking for the healing value of its familiar "tastes of home and affection." She appreciates that caregiving is hard but that such "opportunities to give love are life's real treasures." Caregivers are aided with practical advice such as keeping a diary of medications. Laurel reminds us that the goal is to make two people well. Sharing the food from this book will help this happen.--Dana Jacobi

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898159512
• ISBN-13: 978-0898159516
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars laurel & carol have done it again, September 19, 2000

By 

ktjpsmom (san francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laurel's Kitchen Caring: Recipes for Everyday Home Caregiving (Paperback)

as a long time fan of laurel's kitchen, i bought laurel's kitchen caring just to add to my library, never dreaming how helpful i would find it. since i bought it, i have nursed my daughter through a frightening bout of mononcleosis and my son through pneumonia - at 16 and 14, this is really the first time either of them has been sick, for which i give credit to their healthy vegetarian diet. this book also was a support for my next-door neighbor in this past year as she nursed her husband of fifty-eight years at home as he was dying of cancer and to my girlfriend, who is trying valiently to keep her mother nourished as she dies at home of cancer. the broths, soups, custards and teas have been thoroughly appreciated by all, as have the caregiver's brownies, which i have shared with numerous friends donning the temporary mantle of home-nurse. the lasagna al forno is like an old friend, but enchiladas petaluma, a new offering, has been tremendously popular with those with whom i have shared the recipe, even a couple of seemingly implacable carnivores. the commentary that goes with the recipes serves, at least for me, as an excellent substitute for a care-giver's support group. if you enjoy cooking, and even use it as therapy, this is a wonderful book to keep at your fingertips, ready for the day you are called to assume the role of caregiver on either a short or long-term basis, which, with the way insurance companies work these days, may be sooner than you think! laurel, carol et al. have done it again!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Warm and Friendly Helper at Your Shoulder, November 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Laurel's Kitchen Caring: Recipes for Everyday Home Caregiving (Paperback)

This is more than a book of recipes; it is a book about caregiving, a situation many of us will face and are totally unprepared for. Those of us lucky enough to have the original "Laurel's Kitchen" with its introduction of Laurel in its wonderful preface (alas, omitted in later editions) will know that Laurel Robertson is an ideal guide in a rough time: warm, sensitive, generous, and practical (but not too practical). People are more important to her than saving five minutes at the stove. Did I mention that the basis of her fame is that she is also a great vegetarian cook?

Her goal here is to pass on tips that will help you nurture both the patient and the caregiver. A great book. I am not taking care of anyone with a protracted illness at the moment but bought "Laurel's Kitchen Caring" based on my belief in Laurel and all the folks at Blue Mountain (whom you can "meet" in all the "Laurel's Kitchen" books as well as the wise writings on meditation and living by Eknath Easwaran).

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reassurance for the caregiver, March 5, 2003

By 

Cathy Myers (Falls Church, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laurel's Kitchen Caring: Recipes for Everyday Home Caregiving (Paperback)

Laurel Robertson sounds like a wise, nurturing grandmother as she encourages the cook/caregiver, provides special suggestions for children's food and queasy eaters, and offers practical ideas for dealing with odd schedules and restricted diets. The use of some herbal remedies and teas is discussed, as well as hints for keeping the caregiver healthy during this often stressful time. Many of the recipes are followed by a list of variations whereby you customize for the patient by adding (flavor/protein/calories) or subtracting (dairy/fat). Brian Ruppenthal is a registered dietician and provides guidelines for keeping food hot enough or cold enough to be safe as well as nutritional information throughout. It makes me feel good just to have this book on the shelf so the ideas and inspiration are at hand for those inevitable times when good, simple food is important but hard to think about.