Amandas Kitchen

Her mother and grandmother are known as creative cooks. Now it appears the apple (pie) doesn’t fall far from the tree. Fifteen-year-old Amanda Presar, a sophomore and varsity athlete at Canyon Crest Academy, has written Amanda’s Kitchen, a cookbook for her creative writing class. The book boasts more than 100 recipes, including stuffed chicken bundles and butterscotch chewy chocolate bars, along with meal planning ideas, creative table settings, and poetry about her kitten Tigger.

Presar credits her mom Susie for being “the most influential source” for the book. “I was so glad to have her by my side through all 262 pages,” she writes. “She also helped me clean up the kitchen after I made a huge mess.” Her grandparents helped with editing, dad Marcus dealt with computer crashes, and siblings Alexa and Stanton were happy to serve as taste testers. In fact, Presar cooked (and wrote) so much that she already has another book in the works including recipes for a Mother’s Day Brunch: croissant soufflé, sausage quiche, sweet-and-tart fruit salad, and lemon bars. Yum!

Presar is donating a portion of proceeds from the $25 book to the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Dieguito, and to Rady Children’s Hospital. (www.amandaskitchencookbook.webs.com)    ANDREA NAVERSEN