GROVE CITY, PA. Local woman cooks up success

Her book, featuring many heart-healthy recipes, is in its third printing.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
GROVE CITY, Pa. -- Karen Danielson thought she was just creating a legacy for her children and grandchildren when she had a cookbook published last summer.
Danielson, director of student health services at Grove City College, is a registered nurse and a lifelong cook.
"Cooking has always been a passion of mine," she said.
She taught heart-healthy eating classes for the college staff for years but when her daughters-in-law began asking her how to make certain foods her four sons liked, she decided to put her recipes into book form. She'd been collecting them for years, she said.
She was spurred into completing her collection after a February guest appearance on the show on "WQED Cooks," which is broadcast on WQED, the local public television station. On the show she mentioned that she was preparing a cookbook.
She began to get calls from people wanting to reserve copies, she said.
She completed her 300-recipe book and "Creations and Collections from KD's Kitchen" was born.
About one-third of the recipes are heart-healthy meal plans, Danielson said.
Had it published: She contacted G & amp;R Publishing of Waverly, Iowa, a publishing house specializing in cookbooks, and paid to have just 250 copies printed.
Her first sale was on Aug. 6, and she sold nearly 80 copies at a Nov. 3 food tasting and book signing at County Market in Pine Grove Mall.
The demand didn't abate, however, and she ordered a second printing of 200 more books, going through that supply almost as quickly .
She ordered a third printing of 200 more and those are now available.
"It was written with a 'How to' in mind," Danielson said, explaining that most of the recipes are complete with little stories or anecdotes about how she got them or how she used them. There are also some household hints.
How to order: The books sell for $12.50 each (plus $2 for shipping and handling) and are available by contacting Danielson at (724) 458-7778 or by e-mail at kkdcook@infonline.net.
She will be attending another food-tasting and book-signing session from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 26 at County Market and will teach cooking classes in the spring at The Kitchen Shoppe in Volant.