Sour Beef & Cheesecake‪:‬

Grace Collins combines her love of food, family, and travel with anecdotes of growing up in Baltimore. Her  heartfelt and humorous reflections on food and family traditions are combined with stylish recipes that are kitchen-tested and easy to make.


Read Grace's stories that show her passion for family traditions and delicious, unfussy food. From her  philosophy of the perfect picnic food, to

descriptions of her experiences of restaurant life, to her quest for the best

French onion soup, to her stories of adventurous eating in Asian restaurants, Grace will make you laugh while sharing recipes along the way. Filled with folksy tidbits, like the secret to making the perfect deviled egg, or where Clams Casino originated, or why a good cheesecake fixes everything, she lays out a plan for new cooks (and cooks of all ages) to map out their own culinary adventure.


Chapter 1: Ninth Day, Ninth Night

Chapter 2: Baltimore: Weird and Proud of It

Chapter 3: ThankYou for Being a Friend

Chapter 4: I Think I'd Be Her Favorite

Chapter 5: Vive le France

Chapter 6: Appetizers

Chapter 7: The Restaurant Life

Chapter 8: Soup is Home

Chapter 9: "Stressed" Spelled Backwards is "Desserts"

Chapter 10: My Ukrainian YaYa

Chapter 11: Picnic Food

Chapter 12: That's Amore

Chapter 13: Adventurous Eating and Foods from the East

Chapter 14: New Jersey Feels Like Home

Chapter 15: "Oh, That's Okay. I Make Lamb."

Chapter 16: A Few More Family Recipes