Guest Book Review & Giveaway: Apron Anxiety

By Sara Steven

**Giveaway is now closed**

I’ll be honest: when I first saw the cover to Apron Anxiety, I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy the book. There’s an image of a woman placed precariously barefoot onto her kitchen counter tops, with a mixing bowl in hand and a floral apron tied around her waist. It’s not that I don’t appreciate cooking. I just don’t choose novels based on culinary topics.

This book definitely fits the motto: “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.”

Alyssa Shelasky, author of Apron Anxiety, is a well-known writer for publications like People, New York Magazine, and US Weekly, to name a few. Apron Anxiety is a memoir into her life, giving us the back story on how she discovered cooking to be a cathartic and at times therapeutic experience for her.

In the beginning, Alyssa could not cook. The thought terrified her. She was a self declared foodie by way of the various restaurants she would frequent, yet couldn’t handle a spatula to save her life. When she begins dating a well known, famous chef  (whom she merely calls "Chef," we never know his real name), she becomes absorbed by their relationship and the idea of being in love, even going so far as to quit her job with People and moving with "Chef" to a small suburb in the D.C. area. She is lonely, without work, and "Chef" is never around, working many hours at his restaurant and leaving her to fend for herself. The strain on their relationship is brutal, and Alyssa takes a hard look at her life as well as her current situation. What’s a girl to do, in order to save herself as well as her fledgling relationship?

Learn. To. Cook.

It’s an epiphany, and Alyssa starts out with a basic Martha Stewart recipe, a baked Macaroni and Cheese that remains one of her favorites to this day. Starting off on a culinary foot, and wading through trial and error, she gradually gets better; feeling stronger emotionally, as well as mentally, and ready to tackle her situation head on, regardless of whether the outcome is a good one...or a not so good one. While reading the book, you will discover various recipes she shares generously, something I very much appreciated considering I am always on the look out for new and interesting techniques with food. You will also find out that Alyssa is not perfect. She’s real, and flawed, and although her life may be light years away from the one you are currently embedded in (the girl has done red carpet affairs, parties with famous hotties and has interviewed/met with several celebrities), who isn’t able to identify with a need for change?

If you are looking for a nice, easy, candid read (and have a full stomach, lest you become insanely hungry), I recommend giving Apron Anxiety a try.

For more information on the author, check out Alyssa’s blog or read her blog reviews and interviews at http://newyork.grubstreet.com/.

Thanks to Random House for the book in exchange for an honest review. They even have one copy for a lucky reader in the US or Canada!

How to win Apron Anxiety:
Please tell us: What are you most afraid to cook?

One entry per person.

Please include your e-mail address or another way to reach you if you win. Entries without contact information will NOT be counted.

US/Canada only. Giveaway ends March 18th at midnight EST.

Sara Steven is a wife and stay-at-home mother of two rambunctious boys in Bellevue, NE. When she’s not running marathons, getting certified in group fitness instruction, or working on her novel, she takes a break and opens up a good book (or turns on her Nook). Find her at her blog, Momarock.

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