There is no one – and I mean no one – that has mastered Christmas cooking and entertaining like Tammy Maltby.
This woman has been a friend and mentor of mine for nearly two decades now. From my teenage and young adult years, I have found memories of being at her home and staring in amazement at the unbelievably stunning d´ecor that graced her living spaces. Then I’d listen in wide-eyed wonder as she’d take time to tell me the practical, hands-on, no-fuss and frugal way she’d pulled it all together.
I also can’t even begin to tell you all of the many times my taste-buds have been tantalized by some unbelievable culinary creation that she served on a table that was almost too beautifully set to actually mess up. Afterward, she’d answer all my questions about how she’d gotten it done and then lead me to her recipe box so that I could photo copy everything that I wanted.
Shoot, I’ve kept those recipes for years (and some photos of all the cute corners of her home that I snapped – unbeknownst to her).
I’ve always been stunned by her home; her life really – it is godly, life-giving, fun and immaculate all at the same time. And some how, she has always made it all seem do-able for regular girls like me who aren’t known for their “Martha-Stewartness”.
So, even before I had a home to make for a family or to entertain others in; this woman inspried me to make memories in the kitchen and every other room in the house.
This was the woman that told me that pie-crusts didn’t have to be made from scratch for the pie to taste homemade and that decorating your house creatively with the stuff of nature that is in your backyard is beautifully unique and far more inexpensive than store bought options. When I registered for wedding china, she was the one that told me silver plated flatware was just as gorgeous as the real deal and required far less maintenance. (I should have listened.) And, she was the woman who told me not to save my china for special occasions because family and my most familiar friends ARE SPECIAL.
Yes I’ve learned a lot from this lady and I couldn’t wait to share her with you. I spent a few hours with her in a little tearoom tucked cozily on a not-so-busy street corner in Colorado Springs. (I can’t believe that I forgot to get a photo of us together). When she reached across the table to hand me a little gift, I just gasped!
So many of her amazing recipes and simple ideas for making the holidays memorable are tucked in here. You’ve got to get your hands on a copy. If it gets to you too late to implement this stuff before December 25th, you can use the year ahead to prepare for Christmas 2012 with this manual – which will be here before we know it. In reality – and I can just hear Tammy’s voice in my head when I say this – we have no business waiting until Christmas to do some of these special things anyway. The stuff you’ll find in this little treasure chest of wisdom can be used all year long – and should be!
In fact, Tammy is available to you and to me all year long. You can find her and all of her deliciousness right here.
Enjoy my friend.
Priscilla
*To order the cookbook, contact Tammy at tammymaltby@gmail.com or contact her on her Facebook Page
