Made from Scratch by Sandra Lee
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(Hardcover)
- Publisher: Meredith Books
- Pub. Date: November 2007
- ISBN-13: 9780696239199
- Sales Rank: 67,007
- 272pp
| More Formats | Online Price |
|---|---|
| Compact Disc - Unabridged, 5 CDs | $24.95 |
Synopsis
The true story of how celebrity chef Sandra Lee went from being raised on food stamps to starring in her own TV show, Semi-Homemade Cooking, on the Food Network.
This powerful, emotional, and astonishing story will inspire anyone who has faced adversity to overcome challenges and persevere. Sandra’s candid account of her personal journey offers a rare glimpse into the life of the woman behind the phenomenal success of Semi-Homemade. Smart, witty, and moving, Made From Scratch is an uplifting tale of determination and survival. Sandra is stunningly open about her abusive childhood and the responsibility thrust upon her at an early age to be the caretaker of her family.
Through a series of tragedies and challenges, she painfully discovered that we are all responsible for the choices we make in life. With the guidance of her grandmother, Sandra learned to be a self-sufficient and independent woman. After moving to Wisconsin at 15 to live with her father, an unexpected tragedy and the fallout from his mistakes required her to get her own apartment while still in high school. At 21, Sandra moved to Los Angeles, where she found tremendous success, launching her first product line, Kurtain Kraft. Working with the gritty resolve and make-do skills she learned as a child, she became a millionaire by the time she was 25, only to lose her fortune before the age of 30 and have to start all over again. Sandra started Semi-Homemade, smarter and wiser from her past mistakes, and has never looked back.
Now dedicated to helping others through various charities and foundations, Sandra is committed to aiding and inspiring people to reach their dreams. Her unforgettable story will show that if she can do it, you can too. Made From Scratch will make you laugh, cry, think, and embrace the grace and glory in every day. Sometimes feisty but always sincere, Made From Scratch has all of the ingredients that make up the recipe of a courageous life and remarkable success.
Biography
Sandra Lee is a lifestyle expert and a New York Times and Amazon.com best-selling author. With 13 books to her credit, she is the host of a top-rated TV show, Semi-Homemade Cooking, on the Food Network. Sandra resides in Los Angeles and New York City.
Laura Morton is the author of 30 books, eight of which are New York Times best sellers, including The Truth Is, Melissa Etheridge’s memoir; Bringing Elizabeth Home, the Elizabeth Smart story; and Healthy Living, Joan Lunden’s personal journey. Laura lives in New York.
Customer Reviews
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Made From Scratchby Vicki-D
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December 15, 2008: There were many questions in this book I wish were answered. Sandra Lee was known for Kurtain Kraft back in the 90's and I was excited to see how she went from curtains to cooking. I didn't find the answer here.Sandra has a tough start with her mother and father abandoning her and her little sister with there Grandmother. From age 3-6 they live with Grandma and learn everything she would need to know for the rest of her life (how to budget, use coupons) her mother and new step-father pick them up when she is 6and take them back where they move to Washington and live a sad life for some years,her mother suffering from mental-illness eventually she leaves to live with her long-lost Father, then trouble broos there too, she goes off to college, then meets a boyfriend who hits her for staying out late 1x (don't worry she hits him back and leaves after that incident) then she moves to Malibu, starts a business, it fails then she marries a very rich man, who gives her everything, when he has her sign a prenup before the marriage she starts to fall out of love but gets married anyway, as she travels to the best places she craves to make homemakers all over the world find quicker ways to make meals, SUPRISE- her husband doesn't understand her anymore, after a few weeks at Le Courdan Bleu she decides to do semi-homemade, which simply is a short cut on existing recipes(example, when making a Cake, use Wilton's BLUE food coloring in the frosting for an ocean themed cake) she decides to do a cooking show in New York (when she is married and lives in LA)she divorces, moves out of her Beverly Hills Mansion and relocates into an ocean front home, buy back her company from the people she had signed on with. Tragedy? I'm not sure. The saddest part is when Grandma dies, however Sandra is not there, also when her mom sends a heart-felt letter but she never responds to her mother with the mental illness. Book writer she is not, woman who finds short cuts to make alot of money she is. You can easily read this book in 1 day.
Suprisingly Disappointedby Anonymous
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December 14, 2008:
I just got done with Sandra Lee's book "Made From Scratch" I must say that I went into this book with an open-mind. I have seen her on her daily cooking show and I thought she is adorable and seems super-nice, I have made a few of her recipe's and although they were just okay (nothing to write home about) I was hoping her story would be much more home-made.
I was dissapointed and let me exlplain why. I found her childhood to be unfortunate since she was sent to live with her Grandmother, but she makes her Grandma to be a saint doing EVERYTHING perfect. I couldn't understand why when later in the book she leaves her mentally-ill mother she goes to her Father and not her Grandmother. There were many moments in the book where you wonder if this is all made-up or maybe too Danielle Steele insired story telling. I continued to read however... she leaves her mom and siblings behind and doesn't seem to have any trouble moving on with her life.. it's like this through the whole book. There's no moment of "I need to save my siblings from this horrible person!! I need to call 9-1-1"...instead she talks about a great boyfriend and joining the pom-pom team..... just doesn't make sense- I found alot of similarities between her and I but her actions were far from what would seem to be the normal reaction (example her step-father Molests her, yet she stays in touch with him through her college years and never attempts to remove her siblings from him? It's not till he refuses to give her money that she severs ties??) I found this book confusing. As she gets older she talks about her gazzilionaire husband and this jet-setting life and how she goes here and there-it's kind of annoying after the 20th trip to Saint Tropez.. suddenly she loses her entire Kurtain business and then she's back on her feet suddenly deciding to do semi-homemade?? She also goes on to say that she wrote 7 cookbooks in 2 years? Thats not quality it's quantity! She seems to have such a hard life but she takes a Eurpean trip every 2 pages! Thats doesnt seem hard to me....it's a little unrealistic and it felt like she was trying too hard to come down the same level as her audience, it is kind of weird like that... I think it takes guts to right a book about your life, but I couldn't really buy this sad-story (sorry Sandra) but there are alot of people out there with much more struggles! In the end of the book she talks about being at the Doctors office becuase he thinks she might have Ovarian cancer, I totally got choked up thinking "finally realistic sad story... then in one sentence "no, it wasn't ovarian cancer afterall!" I was reading like "WHAAAT!" I couldn't understand why she would even write about it! Then it hit me "just another sad story to add to her collection of sad stories! I thought the only part of her whole life was sad was her depressed Mother, however she lived with her real mom for a few years! I found this book VERY hard to relate too! I'm glad I got this book free from the Library and didn't spend $24.95 on this book, it's a check out book not a keeper.
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