An excerpt from the article, "Pie, Oh My!" by Teri Dunn

Is there a finer dessert, or snack, than a good slice of pie? Fans of diners and other home-cooking eateries relish iconic pie and coffee, preferably enjoyed at the counter. Let us be precise here. It should be served on a small but durable dessert plate, with a fork, no matter how tall, broad, or slumped it may be, so you can relish it bite by careful bite. If the crust is good, you may eat every last crumb. Naturally the mug of hot coffee alongside is needed, to sip, to warm your hands, to wash down the pie’s sweetness, to add to the overall climate of savoring a treat...

Read the rest of "Pie, Oh My!" by Teri Dunn
at roadsideonline.com

An excerpt from the article, "Where There's Smoke, There's Flavor" by Teri Dunn

When it comes to flavored wood chips, any old wood won't do. Softwoods, such as pine, spruce and cedar, are no good for the job. They're full of resin and produce clouds of acrid smoke that spoil your food's flavor and cause flare-ups...

Read the rest of "Where There's Smoke, There's Flavor" by Teri Dunn in Backyard Living (PDF)

This is a cookbook--a wonderful cookbook--and an appreciation of the diners and other homegrown restaurants that supplied or inspired the recipes.

The title and subhead, "More Retro Diner, A second helping of roadside recipes," were conceived by the publisher and in retrospect don't really serve (pardon the pun!) the book well. It was conceived as a sequel to an earlier, similar title; this one was written and compiled by Teri and her longtime collaborator, Roadside Magazine publisher Randy Garbin. The older book has since gone out of print, while this one motors on, even with the goofy title. We wish it had more accurately been called, simply, "Comfort Food from the American Roadside."

Inside, there are many delicious recipes, from Jigger's Pumpkin Pancakes (from a small diner in a small Rhode Island town) to Oasis Cafe French Onion Soup (from a much-missed hole-in-the-wall Boston restaurant) to Ann Sather's Creamed Spinach (Chicago residents, you KNOW what I'm talkin' about here!) to Teri's own Southwestern Stuffed Shells (with cilantro, mmm). All were tested in Teri's kitchen--just ask her family!--and are guaranteed not only to produce the expected results, but to lay out the steps in logical order (a pet peeve of Teri's with some other cookbooks). All this is wrapped in a generous coating of Randy's eloquent and impassioned praise for the roadside restaurants that serve good comfort food. Bon appetit!