Robin Donovan's Campfire Cuisine: Gourmet Recipes for the Great Outdoors received high marks from me before I even opened it -- it has a compact format and a sturdy paperback cover, perfect for packing in your camping gear without excess weight or bulk. By compact, I am referring only to the cover dimensions; this is a thick recipe-packed book that is well worth the cover price.

Campfire Cuisine prefaces the recipes with essential opening chapters on the basic cooking equipment needed (plus some optional upgrades), how to choose a camp stove, basic storage and packing rules, fire-starting tips and rules, and menu planning. A novice will glean all they need to know about outdoor cooking in these chapters, but even the most experienced camper/outdoor griller is bound to pick up a few extra tips and tricks.

The bulk of the book consists of recipes for condiments, marinades, snacks, breakfasts, light meals, dinner entrees, desserts and side dishes. Most have streamlined ingredients and directions on how to do as much prep work as possible before embarking on the camping trip.

I was struck by how this book can be interpreted at any level. I'm a fairly basic campfire chef who likes to keep her friends happy without too much legwork, and I have picked out dozens of simple but delicious recipes from this collection. If you are a super-chef who wants to entertain and dazzle at the campfire, you can ride this book full-hilt and create awe-inspiring spreads at the camp stove.

Don't limit your use of this book just to camping trips! You can dazzle your friends in your backyard with all of these cooking suggestions, and in fact, that's how I envision myself using it most.