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Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes Audiobook
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(4.01) - 459 listener ratings
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Throughout Maya Angelou’s life, from her childhood in Stamps, Arkansas, to her world travels as a bestselling writer, good food has played a central role. Preparing and enjoying homemade meals provides a sense of purpose and calm, accomplishment and connection. Now in Hallelujah! The Welcome Table, Angelou shares memories pithy and poignant—and the recipes that helped to make them both indelible and irreplaceable. Angelou tells us about the time she was expelled from school for being afraid to speak—and her mother baked a delicious maple cake to brighten her spirits. She gives us her recipe for short ribs along with a story about a job she had as a cook at a Creole restaurant (never mind that she didn’t know how to cook and had no idea what Creole food might entail). There was the time in London when she attended a wretched dinner party full of wretched people; but all wasn’t lost—she did experience her initial taste of a savory onion tart. She recounts her very first night in her new home in Sonoma, California, when she invited M. F. K. Fisher over for cassoulet, and the evening Deca Mitford roasted a chicken when she was beyond tipsy—and created Chicken Drunkard Style. And then there was the hearty brunch Angelou made for a homesick Southerner, a meal that earned her both a job offer and a prophetic compliment: “If you can write half as good as you can cook, you are going to be famous.” Maya Angelou is renowned in her wide and generous circle of friends as a marvelous chef. Her kitchen is a social center. From fried meat pies, chicken livers, and beef Wellington to caramel cake, bread pudding, and chocolate éclairs, the one hundred-plus recipes included here are all tried and true, and come from Angelou’s heart and her home. Hallelujah! The Welcome Table is a stunning collaboration between the two things Angelou loves best: writing and cooking.
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"Something is wrong with you if you don't love Maya Angelou! I could read this as a memoir keeping it by my bedside, regardless of whether or not there are recipes to follow in this book! But there are wonderful recipes here, and little stories to read along the way to keep you entertained while something is in the oven. I could do without the acknowledgment to Oprah and the mention of her in a recipe or two, as there is too much Oprah in the world as it is, but hey - it's Maya and I can forgive her for that. Thank goodness Oprah isn't riddled throughout the book."
— Dutch (5 out of 5 stars)
Hallelujah! The Welcome Table Listener Reviews
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" This book was written for me! At least, I think it was. She's an amazing story teller and she made me want to make everyone single recipe in the book! Can't wait to try the Caramel Cake! "
— Jasmine, 2/18/2014 -
" This is part memoir, part cookbook. Most of the recipes are beyond what I would even try as I like it simple, but the best find for me was Decca's Drunkards Chicken, which is very easy but so tasty. "
— Shelley, 2/15/2014 -
" This was a beautiful book, which included a variety of recipes that Angelou publishes to recount life stories. It really makes you want to sit down and eat. There is a delicious recipe for caramel cake that will make your mouth water. "
— Leticia, 2/14/2014 -
" Maya's southern cooking recipes are paired with some of her own "life experience" stories. I think I liked her stories better than her recipes...she is one bright, creative and talented woman to be greatly admired. "
— Barb, 2/9/2014 -
" Not a big fan of Angelou's prose but her life experiences are so interesting that the book is hard to put down. The recipes look very delicious as well. "
— Laura, 1/16/2014 -
" Each chapter is a short anecdote illustrated with one of Maya's recipes. (Who knew she was a devoted cook?) Pleasant, light reading...with great color photos of food, too. Makes you hungry. "
— Linda, 1/13/2014 -
" i love her way of telling stories! and i love cookbooks that are like this one ~ before recipe's or chapters, the author tells personal stories about the food! "
— Jo, 1/12/2014 -
" The essays were interesting, but the recipes were not particularly compelling. I don't think this book would have ever been published if it weren't written by Maya Angelou. Definitely not her best work. "
— Heather, 12/26/2013 -
" It was great fun to listen to it while cooking on a Sunday night. "
— Anna, 12/16/2013 -
" I enjoyed hearing Maya Angelou read her book. "
— Kristen, 12/6/2013 -
" who knew maya angelou was a foodie? it's a lovely recollection great southern cusine and rib-sticking recipes. great read... "
— Aarti, 11/11/2013
About Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou (1928–2014) was a singer, actress, dancer, activist, filmmaker, writer, and mother. In addition to her bestselling autobiographies she wrote several volumes of poetry, including “On the Pulse of the Morning” for the inauguration of President Clinton. She was given a lifetime appointment as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, and in 2010 President Barack Obama awarded her the Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor.