Your Iowa Grandmother's Recipe Book

Book excerpt: Every recipe has a story and every story has a secret. For folks in Tatatonka, Iowa, the best recipes in town, and therefore the best secrets, have long been kept in the coveted recipe book of local cooking legend Trudie Melody. When Trudie becomes ill, her granddaughter, successful (at least by Tatatonka standards) garden gnome maker Margot, decides it's no time to be timid and boldly asks for the recipe book. Thinking she's secured the book for herself, Margot's life goes into a tailspin when, after her grandma's death, a crooked probate lawyer determines the book will go to Sheryl, Margot's shrewd first cousin, who needs the book to bail out her flailing career. Margot's only recourse is to sue Sheryl before she can take possession of the treasured book. The courtroom takes on a voyeuristic and carnival-like atmosphere when the Judge rules to have the recipe book read aloud in order to determine the rightful owner