Like me, Danielle Kartes realizes that food is the great connector–a conduit to bring people together around the table and create new memories. –Rachael Ray

As seen on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Rachael Ray Show, and Hallmark Home & Family

If your idea of love is home baked goodies set on a rustic table, welcome home. This is eating made simple with real food and real ingredients. It is connection made simple through wonderful recipes and rustic cooking. Make something good today… make memories with the people you love.

The Rustic Joyful Food cookbooks are some of the best family cookbooks, developed by self-taught home chef Danielle Kartes and kid-tested and approved by her family in Washington state in the Pacific Northwest. Kartes serves up heartfelt stories along with simple, delicious recipes like:

Creamy Tomato Baked Ziti Chimichurri Chicken Meatballs Flaky Cream Biscuits Curried Carrot Soup (sometimes, you need to step out!) Aunty Pat’s Dilly Potatoes (like nostalgia and home) Off-the-Cob Street Corn with Chipotle and Feta (a new classic) Buttermilk Pound Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Strawberry Lemonade Cake Cherry Pie Bars (as featured on PureWow!) Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart

If you’re cooking to celebrate or to entertain, you’ll find delicious recipes and heartfelt stories in My Heart’s Table, Generations, and Meant To Share.

This soulful cookbook collection is perfect for fans of Once Upon A Chef, Half-Baked Harvest, Smitten Kitchen, Melissa Clark, Allison Roman, Valerie Bertinelli, the Barefoot Contessa and other simple, delicious cookbooks for the everyday cook.

This life we’ve been given is truly meant to share. Rustic Joyful Food: Meant to Share is a tender look at the way food shapes our hearts, souls, and communities. The idea that it’s not just a novelty but a necessity to give food to people and to cook for those we love is the backbone of this book, which celebrates connection and gives you all the tools you need to create amazing moments, one dish at a time, in a way that feels genuine, thoughtful, and effortless. We only have one chance to live life to the very fullest. The food in these pages will ignite connection, not perfection, and feed people in our lives. In the spirit of open-heartedness, I invite you to share your life, your food, and your story with the people in your life.

–Danielle Kartes