Connie Martin has — for as long as she can remember — loved being in the kitchen, at first with her grandmother and mother, then with her daughters, and now with her granddaughters. From her kitchen, she has branched out to teach many cooking, jelly making, and candy making classes.

Now, at the request of her family and friends, the wife, mother, grandmother, and retired teacher was persuaded to publish her first cookbook.

“On Mother’s Day several years ago, my husband, Pastor Lynn Martin, preached from Proverbs 31, verses 10 through 31, on the virtuous woman,” Martin said. “Several of the young ladies at Ben’s Ford Baptist Church asked me to teach them to cook. I lined up 10 cooking sessions, teaching 35 of my favorite recipes.”

During that time, Martin said she made everybody in her class a “small” cookbook to encourage the ladies to “keep up the cooking for their beloved families.”

The published cookbook is entitled “Delicious Recipes by My Mom and Me and Other Great Southern Cooks,” and it comes at her class’s and her husband’s request. It’s a collection of 161 recipes that have been prepared by Martin and her mother, Mildred “Babe” Ard, many times.

The obviously heartfelt dedication to “Momma Babe” reads, in part: “There was never a celebration or death in her community that she didn’t attend and bring food.”

“Momma Babe” taught her daughter to cook, and apparently loved the pastime as much as Martin does. She was a registered nurse for 53 years, “but she always came home from a hard day tending to the needs of sick people, changed out of her uniform, and headed for the kitchen to prepare a delicious meal for her family.”

The cookbook contains recipes for everything from appetizers to jams, jellies and candy. There is even a page entitled “How to Can Vegetables.”

“But I especially love the main dishes, vegetables and dessert sections — the recipes you can use daily,” Martin said.

She added that her turkey dressing, gumbo, and jambalaya are favorites at church gatherings.

Martin said the reason she published the cookbook is to “encourage women to cook for their loved ones.”

“In today’s society, it seems the art of cooking is dying,” she said. “Cooking is like most other things — the more you practice, the better you get.

“For working mothers, it’s much easier to stop by and pick up a prepared meal. But I believe some of the greatest family memories are made around the table eating a snack or meal prepared by Mom or Dad.”

The cookbooks cost $10 each, and are available at the Cuckoo’s Nest, Simmons Flea Market and Merle Norman in Bogalusa, in the office of Ben’s Ford Baptist Church, and at Salon 16 in Franklinton. Or you can call Martin at 985-732-3760 or 985-516-5302.

Martin said she would like to thank Jammeye Galloway “for typing and putting together this book.”