If you’ve been known to highlight your hair just a &uot;little blonder&uot; or have what is commonly known as a &uot;blond moment&uot; then there is a new cookbook waiting for you downtown on the shelves of Sun, Moon and Stars.

Titled &uot;Any Blond Can Cook&uot; this book comes to us from three blondes in Jackson. These three blondes have decided to embrace their &uot;blondness&uot; and roll with the punches and punchlines that come with being blonde.

One of these blondes is very near and dear to me. Cindy Lynch was my little sister in nursing school and like me she has three children all very similar in ages to mine. Also, sadly enough, she is widow at a young age like myself. But also, like me, she is a determined person that moves on in life and refuses to let the circumstances of the world get her down (must by that catholic education we got at St. Dominics).

After you read all the blond jokes and laugh yourself silly then you can move on to the recipes that are really good. Most of them have between six to ten ingredients so that in itself makes it easy to read and follow. Also, be sure you note that under each regular recipe name is its &uot;blonde&uot; name, they were my favorite.

If you are looking for a gift for the blonde in your life or perhaps you are ready to embrace your own blondness (regardless of your haircolor, natural or otherwise), this book should be high on your list.

White Chili

&uot;Bleached Blonde&uot;

4 chicken breasts, cooked, diced

3 (16 ounce) cans northern beans

3 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth

1 small cans chopped green chilies

8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese

2 tablespoons oregano

2 teaspoons cumin

1 (12 ounce) can shoe-peg corn

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Add all ingredients together and simmer for one hour.

Q: Why did the blonde stare at the frozen orange juice can for two hours?

A: Because it said &uot;concentrate.&uot;

Juicy Tea

&uot;Lip Smacker Tea&uot;

1 cup instant sweetened tea mix

1 (6 ounce) can frozen limeade

1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade

1 (6 ounce) can frozen pineapple juice

2 cups cranberry juice

8 cups of water

Combine all ingredients together and serve over ice.

Turtle Cake

&uot;He Takes His Time&uot;

1 box German chocolate cake mix

1 (12 ounces) jar caramel topping

2 sticks margarine, softened

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 (6 ounce ) bag chocolate chips

1 cup pecans

Mix the cake according to the directions. Pour 1/2 of the batter into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Mix the caramel, margarine and milk together and pour over the cake batter in the pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and pecans over the batter. Top with the other half of the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

Christina Hall

writes a weekly column for The Democrat.