Unless you have the good fortune to live in a culinary mecca and have the means to indulge in the latest gastronomic trends and adventures, your food experiences are likely fairly standard fare. Hoffman and Wise offer those of us in the latter situation a ticket to experience something new in their cookbook Bold: A Cookbook of Big Flavors.

Alongside the enticing & titillating recipes, Hoffman and Wise offer readers interesting bits of regional food histories, facts about the ingredients we may take for granted, and vignettes of the people who have helped form the widely varied foods and ethnic traditions that are encompassed by American Cuisine.

I can't wait to try Chicken Breasts in Coffee, Vanilla, Sundried Tomato, and Currant Cream; Shrimp in Lemongrass Coconut Broth; Roasted Pears with Rum Caramel Sauce and Chocolate Sauce; and Date, Feta, and Prosciutto Roll-ups. Many of the flavor combinations are exciting twists on traditional dishes. Most recipes include ingredients readily available even in Fort Dodge, Iowa. I am thrilled with my copy and highly recommend this cookbook for everyone wanting to break out of their dietary rut--try Bold!