We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook: Happy Book Release Day!

Releases Today!

By 3:00 P.M. I was still in my PJs. My hair was uncombed. I looked homeless. I’d been up since early morning on the phone and computer, in Mom Mode, trying to help out in a family crisis. Then I’d  switch to my Author/Blogger Role as I  prepared for … (wooden spoon drum roll here) … today’s  BIG RELEASE of  … (insert cymbal sounds of two saucepan lids clapping together) … Our NEW BOOK:  We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook.

I found myself tipping back and forth between joy and worry. I was feeling fragile and disoriented. I could be easily blown, like a feather, toward tears or laughter, depending on the hour. Or minute.

What did I do to help calm and steady my emotions?  I put on an apron and whipped up the first recipe from our book, a rich Puttanesca sauce that my daughter Rachel (a vegan) and I tossed together one day, working like a pair of well-olive-oiled machines.  Puttanesca is an Italian sauce flavored with rich briny goodies like capers, pepperoncini, olives, artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes.  Instead of adding meat, I topped it, as Rachel does, with roasted chickpeas.

The dish, as always, was divine, a feast of taste sensations; however, the kitchen where I prepared the deep red vegan marinara looked as though I’d just butchered a hog. (I’m a good, fast cook; but not a neat one. The neat one would be my daughter who is probably reading this now, her eye twitching just a little at the thought of the image I just described.) The act of preparing a meal, tasting and tweaking … centered and calmed me, as it often does.

I looked over the day, half spent, and realized I’d laughed, I’d cried, I’d cooked.

Story of my life. And Rachel’s life. And perhaps, your life, too.

Now those stories can be yours for the reading, laughing along with, and sharing with others. Our food memoir (with lots of yummy recipes) can be purchased today on the most popular online bookstores including, Amazon, BN.com, and Christianbook.com in paperback, e-reader (Kindle, Nook) and audio form. (Rachel and I were honored do the voicing of the audio version.)

Please visit our Book Page to read more reviews, endorsements and samples of the book.

Here’s a few comments from others to whet your appetite:

“Amusing, endearing, and spiced with a close mother-daughter bond…. ” –Publisher’s Weekly 

 “We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook made me want to cook, made me want to call my mom, and made me want to gather the people I love into my home and around my table….” –Shauna Niequist, Author of Bread & Wine

“A poignant memoir. Each story is beautifully rendered, exposing one layer at a time until I felt as if Rachel and her mother Becky were in the kitchen with me as I sautéed and stirred. Written with honesty, humility, and spot-on prose.” –Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling Author of Into the Free

“….As engaging as a novel. A delicious book.” –Dianna Booher, Author of Creating Personal Presence

“Someone once said, ‘She who bakes bread without love nourishes only half the man.’ I have eaten at Becky’s table many times with her husband Greg, and I can tell you firsthand that when she serves something from her kitchen, it nourishes the whole of you.” –Ken Gire, Author of Moments with the Savior, Windows of the Soul, Relentless

“Unique. Special. Surprising. Entertaining. Humorous and heartwarming. You will be rolling on the floor laughing one minute and wiping a tear the next…” –Carol Kent, Speaker and author of Between a Rock and a Grace Place

“Food is increasingly dividing us. How we need B`ecky and her daughter Rachel, a vegan and a butter-loving mama to show us how to not only break bread together, but to make bread—and soups and all kinds of creative meals— together.” –Leslie Leyland Fields, Author/editor of The Spirit of Food: 34 Writers on Feasting

“From the moment I received We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook, it was constantly in one hand while the other tended to kid-tastrophies…” –Heather Riggleman, Speaker to MOPS moms and author of Mama Needs a Time Out

“A delicious, well-marinated read!…. I love this book!” –Sue Buchanan, Author of The Bigger the Hair the Closer to God

“…If they were kitchen utensils Rachel would be a bento box and Becky a salad spinner.  Not just funny, these women are real…” –Lucille Zimmerman, Licensed Professional Counselor and author of Renewed: Finding Your Inner Happy in an Overwhelmed World 

There is nothing like word of mouth, or “word of internet” to get out good news.  We would SO appreciate if you would tweet, facebook, pinterest, blog or send smoke signals sharing today’s post with others. We could not have done this without the love and support of our readers and friends.