From The Columbia Record October 1, 2005

The Smoky Mountains Bulldog Club is an AKC Licensed Club and member of The Bulldog Club of America. The group mission is to promote the betterment of the breed, provide fellowship and a forum for discussion, educate members and rescue unwanted pets for placement in caring homes.

A closer inspection of the cookbook revealed a collection of 130 well-written, easy-to-follow recipes from many of the club's members - all great cooks in East Tennessee. The cookbook features people-pleasing recipes for solid comfort foods such as Beef Brisket with Dried Fruit, Turkey Lasagna, No Bull Quesadillas, Orange Tomato Beef Stew and Roasted Pork Loin with Mushrooms and Garlic and Sour Cream Gravy.

I am not sure if old dogs can learn new tricks, but 'seasoned' cooks can whip up recipes in a snap. Try the winning side dishes like Ambrosia-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, Apricot-Chestnut Dressing, Harvest Salad (with squash and wild rice) and Grapefruit Salad with Champagne Dressing. The Cajun Way to Cook Rice is a foolproof recipe, which promises, "every grain crawls by itself."

Stay out of the doghouse by surprising your family with a basket of Ginger Moore's famous Refrigerator Yeast Rolls or the tender Fish Market Biscuits. Equally tempting are recipes for the Giant Apple Pecan Pancake, Bullyberries n' Cheese Coffee Cake, Raspberry Cake with Marsala Crème Fraiche and Raspberries and the Molten Chocolate Cakes.

If you cook for canines, you will appreciate the chapter titled,” For Our Furry Friends”. There are twenty 'mouth-slobbering' recipes for "the tail wager in your family" that sound doggone good to me - for the most part.

As quick as a dog can lick a dish, these healthy canine snacks are sure to disappear. Indulge your four-legged friend to a mouthful of Cheese Please Nutty Buddies, Baby's Birthday Cake, Bulldog Banana Bliss Cookies or Liver Breath Brownies. These recipes certainly give new meaning to the phrase, 'cooking from scratch!'

Halloween is just around the corner. Why not fill trick-or treat doggie bags for your canine pals with Howling Good Pumpkin Treats, Corn Pup Muffins, Doggie Doughnuts or Sit Pretty Biscuits. They are sure to please the most discerning palates.

When the temperatures rise your pet will probably welcome an icy treat like the Dog Days Coolers. Another handy-dandy recipe is Amos' Handy Skunk Recipe, "guaranteed to deodorize the stinkiest skunk encounter!" The treatment comes with a warning: "when your pet is wet or heated up, he will emit noxious fumes up to a year! Love him anyway!"

The appendices in Bone Appetit! include a recipe index and a 'must have' Furry Friend First Aid Kit Supply List.

The large-size format has easy-to-clean covers and a spiral binder that allows the book to lie flat on the counter. Ten recipe chapters are separated by sunny yellow dividers with more fetching bulldog photos involved in humorous antics.

There is no better gift than a grassroots cookbook with recipes from a particular region, especially one that benefits community projects and the welfare of animals.

My copy of Bone Appetit! is already becoming 'dog eared' and spattered from use. The people-recipes will have you drooling and your pet will be 'head-over-paws' with enthusiasm while begging for more doggie delights.

-----Susan Slack