"I love low carbing, but I'm getting so tired of the same old foods."

"I wish I had time to figure out how to convert my family recipes to low carb!"

"I love finding old recipes done low carb!"

Do any of these comments sound familiar? They sure do to me; I've said them all at one time or another. And they are so true-two years later and I am still trying to find the time to try and convert some of my favorite old recipes, especially with the holidays arriving!

I am determined this holiday season to stick with my low-carb eating plan, and I decided since I couldn't find the time to convert my own recipes, I needed to find some good alternatives. I hit the jackpot with Low Carb Christmas Cookin' With an "Old-Fashioned" Cook by Jan McCracken (Poppyseed Press, 2003).

Jan's brand new cookbook is an entertaining delight. Every page delivers a smile, laugh or grin-and terrific recipes. Low Carb Christmas Cookin' is a colorful, easy-to-read, 224-page paperback book liberally sprinkled with fun. From funny and sometimes outrageous photos of the author mugging for the camera to anecdotes, homespun quotes, and humorous ways to prepare recipes, all the way through I got a strong sense of the fun and spirit of this feisty and entertaining lady.

Low Carb Christmas Cookin' isn't just fun. Though smiles lurk on every page, the recipes are seriously good. The cookbook is broken into nine chapters. Some of my favorites are, "Dollops & Plops," "Feliz Navidad... Low Carb Fiesta Christmas!" and "Holiday Affair with Chocolate." The "All Thru the House" chapter has some great potpourri recipes, too.

I've tried several recipes from the book, and so far they are all keepers. My mom adores "Ole'...It's Holy Guacamole!" and I made the "Staggerin' Swiss Chicken" for friends, and it was a huge hit. Other personal favorites from Jan's book include, "Pineapple Upside-Down French Toast Casserole" and "Hot Cashew Chicken Salad." Since this is a holiday recipe collection, you should expect that there are some recipes that call for fruit, so for those on very low carbs you may need to watch the portions, but Jan has done a good job of keeping her recipes low on the low carb scale.

I just fell in love with the humor and joy so obvious throughout the entire book, and I drooled over the recipes. Honestly, I'm not sure what I enjoyed more, reading it or making the recipes. Either way, I will be sending copies of this low-carb cookbook to low carbers on my Christmas list... and I know one old sugar grouch that will find one in his stocking!

Low Carb Christmas Cookin' With an "Old-Fashioned" Cook by Jan McCracken can be purchased through www.lowcarbcookin.com.