Extra Helping:

Recipes for Caring, Connecting, and Building Community One Dish at a Time

by Janet Reich Elsbach

Papercuts by Anna Brones

Foreword by Julia Turshen

Show up, be kind, and cook!

There is no more essential way to show up for people than on the plate. Extra Helping is for anyone who wants to respond to the challenge of baby announcements, PTO meal chains, and CaringBridge alerts with compassion and creativity; who wants to send something to a niece overcome by finals week or a neighbor who is grieving; who wants to rise above their default setting; and whose limits of time and other resources leave them feeling more confused than inspired. With recipes tailored to meet many of the dietary modifications that illness and recovery (not to mention modern life) often entail, as well as suggestions that range from mailing a kick-ass care package to bringing over a full, hot meal, Extra Helping frames a philosophy of support, a personal identity of tending, a creative and unique-to-you style of saying, "I am here for you"--one delivery at a time.

In eight chapters, Extra Helping walks the helpful friend through cooking for people who are dealing with illness, recovery, and loss--or celebrating babies, birthdays, and new homes. Personal stories from the front lines of care, shortcuts for the time-strapped, and sidebars full of tips and embellishments round out the 70+ recipes, aiding readers in developing a style of caregiving all their own.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book supports Feeding America and their efforts to combat hunger.

Praise for Extra Helping:

“Reading through Extra Helping, it’s clear that Janet Elsbach understands that cooking is not just a way to support people who are doing important work, it’s also an act of love.” --Julia Turshen, author of Feeding The Resistance and Now & Again.

“Extra Helping is a generous, nourishing and luminous work. More than a cookbook, it’s a reminder of the role food can play in connecting and healing us.” --Dave Isay, founder of StoryCorps.

“Extra Helping is not so much a cookbook as it is a manual about how to nurture with recipes as the supporting actors. But those recipes happen to be quite alluring.” --Sara Moulton, host of Sara’s Weeknight Meals and author of Sara Moulton’s Home Cooking 101