Cook What You Love : Simple, Flavorful Recipes to Make Again and Again

More than a decade ago, Bob and Melinda Blanchard decided to follow their dreams, taking a risk that many of us would not chance: They uprooted themselves from the cold winters of Vermont, moved to the Caribbean island of Anguilla, opened a seaside restaurant, and settled into the beautiful rhythms of a new life on island time. The Blanchards chronicled this inspiring transformation in their book A Trip to the Beach—the story of their journey to living the life they love. Here, in Cook What You Love, Bob and Melinda extend that journey into the pleasures of the kitchen, teaching us that even if we can’t move to paradise, we can create our own little paradise wherever we are, at any time of year.

In Cook What You Love, Bob and Melinda bring food and people together in the kitchen and around the table. With simple ingredients, no-fuss instructions, and flavorful meals that can be prepared in a snap, this book celebrates the Blanchards’ knack for combining the sublime comforts of great food and great company with glimpses into their paradise.

Cook What You Love blends many of the Blanchards’ favorite recipes with anecdotes about how their love for food seeps into every part of life. Bob and Melinda’s transporting stories take you from making tortillas and salsa in the mountains of Mexico to discovering the combination of lime, coconut, and ginger in Thailand and grilling chicken and ribs at an Anguillan bike race. From Blue Cheese and Mango Bundles, Reggae Pork, and Pistachio-Crusted Goat Cheese Salad to Crunchy Coconut French Toast, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, and Key Lime Pound Cake, every recipe merges the timeless flavors of the Blanchards’ classic New England roots with the rich influences of the Caribbean.

The delicious recipes are accompanied by expert cooking tips and, to make it easy, include prep and cooking times. Cook What You Love joins some of the Blanchards’ most celebrated restaurant recipes with their personal home-cooked favorites, creating an incredible breadth of both everyday and special-occasion dishes—all enlivened with their infectious enthusiasm for exploring new tastes, places, and friendships around the common bond of food.

Married for thirty-two years, Bob and Melinda Blanchard divide their time between Norwich, Vermont, and Anguilla, where they operate Blanchard’s Restaurant. In addition to their eight successful business endeavors, the Blanchards have hosted television shows on the Fine Living Network and PBS and have been featured on the Today show as well as in People, Gourmet, USA Today, US Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, and the Washington Post, among other media. They are the authors of A Trip to the Beach, At Blanchard’s Table, and Live What You Love. The Blanchards can be reached at blanchardsrestaurant.com and livewhatyoulove.com.