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Kissin' Wears Out, Cookin' Don't is a compilation of recipes from women who lived during the time when cooking at home was enjoyable, inexpensive, and always involved a family gathering. Money was spent on food and rarely on take-out. Restaurants & fast food establishments weren't on every street corner. It was a pretty routine situation. Dinner was served at a certain hour, usually 6:00, and if you were hungry, you were at the family table. Tom Brokaw refers to this time as the "greatest generation." We refer to this time as "the greatest home cooking" by the matriarchs that we loved and remember fondly. Mothers, grandmothers, and aunts were all good cooks! Everyone met at the dinner table, said a prayer, ate, talked about work or school, and then the cleanup process began. It was a routine-a way of life.Today, this type of family gathering only takes place during the holidays. There was a time when it was a daily ritual. The dinner table meant family, good food, and a chance to share your day. Kissin' Wears Out, Cookin' Don't may not be the answer to getting the family together at the dinner table on a daily basis, but it certainly will bring back the "good home cooking" that we all sorely miss. And who knows, it might be the first step to starting your own family traditions. ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Erica Oblinger-Mount was born and raised in Huntington, West Virginia. She now resides in Charleston, South Carolina, with her wonderful husband, dog, and great friends. She graduated from Johnson & Wales University and is a co-founder of the Tanzanian Education Foundation. The love for cooking has always been a part of her life. She's married to a chef and is employed by a restaurant in Charleston. Although most of her spare time is spent working with her nonprofit foundation, she does enjoy reading, traveling, and cooking. Donna J. McComas, mother, wife, and retired teacher, who was born and raised in Huntington, West Virginia. She has devoted most her time and energy to raising children and teaching in the public school system for 32 years. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, gardening & cooking, especially recipes that remind her of the "good old days." A special time when dinner was served sharply at 6:00, and the family was gathered at the dinner table. Every dish was home cooked and you never left a bite on your plate. Although her children are grown and she's retired from teaching, cooking seems to bring back those wonderful memories- even if it's just one meal at a time.

The Pennsylvania Dutch are a hard working people and as they say, "Them that works hard, eats hearty." The blending of recipes from their many home lands and the ingredients available in their new land produced tasty dishes that have been handed down from mother to daughter for generations. Their cooking was truly a folk art requiring much intuitive knowledge, for recipes contained measurements such as "flour to stiffen, " "butter the size of a walnut, " and "large as an apple." Many of the recipes have been made more exact and standardized providing us with a regional cookery we can all enjoy.