Alpenglow, Outdoor Celebrations for Every Occasion by Hillary Munro, reviewed

My experience with outdoor living doesn’t extend much beyond Girl Scout camp, the days of which I can count as among the worst in my life. Where not only did it rain, our tent become infested with daddy long legs, the proffered water taste strongly of iron, but the food that they gave us was borderline poisonous. How different things might have been had a lovely book like this one been available for the Girl Scout leaders to peruse in order to make the experience a lovely one rather than fodder for nightmares. But I digress…

Alpenglow, Outdoor Celebrations for Every Occasion by Hillary Munro is a beautiful book, and not just beautiful, but inspiring. Just paging through, looking at the gorgeous photos made me feel much more relaxed. I no longer have access to the wide open spaces that I used to, but despite that, it really has me thinking about outdoor dining in the coming months, and planning for next spring and summer. Is there anything better than feeling at one with nature at a time when you are nourishing your body? This book shows you how to nourish not only body, but mind and soul as well.

  The word “alpenglow,” for the uninitiated, refers to “… the magic hour when the sky turns shades of pink and orange, not found on a color wheel…” isn’t that lovely?The book is set in the author’s home in the high mountain valley of Jackson, Wyoming, but the gatherings and parties, rituals and recipes, projects and crafts, can take place anywhere.

Both cookbook and lifestyle book, there are some wonderful recipes in here, not only for food, but also for party favors and various crafts as well. The photography by Lisa Flood is beautiful. The recipes and craft instructions are easy to follow, and perfectly doable even for the most inexperienced cook. 

 The book is divided into five sections:

Winter Gatherings

Spring Gatherings

Summer Gatherings

Fall Gatherings

Handcrafted Gifts

 One section more inspiring than the other, each with its own recipes, craft, and unique ideas for gatherings.

It lacks an index, something I find quite vexing. I realize that it’s work putting an index together, because I've done that, but I find an index to be invaluable when returning to a book to search for a particular recipe or craft idea. Failing that, it is a gorgeous and inspiring book with ideas to carry you throughout the year, even during the darkest days of winter when we probably need it the most.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Gibbs Smith Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

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