By Dawn McNutt
Special to THE DAILY

In spite of the wonderful bus service provided at my children’s school, I have begun picking them up every afternoon per their request. Because of this time-consuming plea, I spend almost 40 minutes a day, sitting in a line that resembles a minor traffic jam of sorts.

The first few days I just smiled at all the other parents like me, sitting patiently, awaiting the appearance of their little darlings in far, far away land (a.k.a. the front door of the school).

On the fourth day I wised up, grabbed a super-sized iced coffee and a book to pass the time.

I didn’t choose just any book, however, but a wonderful little book called “The Amateur Gourmet,” that transplanted me to L’Atelier du Joel Rubuchon restaurant in Paris and Mario Batali’s kitchen, where I learned to make his fabulous spaghetti sauce.

From there I made a Strawberry Country Cake with Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) and then I learned The Ten Commandment of Dining Out by Ruth Reichl (editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine).

The Seventh Commandment, “Eat until you’re full,” is my favorite.

The legendary Alice Waters provides a mouth-watering recipe for Wild Mushroom Risotto that left me both hungry and disappointed when all I could turn up was a half eaten bag of Teddy Grahams under the back seat. I also learned the correct way to sharpen kitchen knives from Union Square Café chef Eric “Bubba” Gabrynowycz, who swears that bamboo cutting boards equal death to your blades.

Coming away wiser

This book is so darn entertaining and informative, I forgot I was a prisoner of my mini-van. By the end of the week I had finished the entire book and gained some serious kitchen knowledge, as well as a whole bunch of fabulous recipes to test out on willing participants.

Adam Roberts writes with such an “everyman” style that the reader can’t help but be engaged by his words and wisdom.

He truly wants the reader to learn from his mistakes and not be intimidated by cooking. Roberts wants the kitchen to become your comfort zone, where you can create simple, delicious meals that your family and friends will love.

He went from fast food eating law student to serious foodie gourmet and wants to share his challenges and experiences.

His Web site, www.amateur gourmet.com, was named one of the best sites on the web by PC magazine, and is definitely worth checking out as a companion to this book.

“The Amateur Gourmet” would make a great gift for anyone, including yourself. I plan on buying several copies for my foodie friends as Christmas presents, as well as for my cooking challenged brother. It would appeal to almost anyone.

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