What does comfort food mean to you? Perhaps the better question would be where does it take you? This time of year, it takes you back home to memories of what Grandma made in her kitchen, where she taught you how to make your first cookies and prepare holiday meals that had the whole family around the table asking for seconds before they’d cleared their plates from the first helping. Comfort foods are just that. They make us feel good and take us back to those happy holiday memories. That’s what David Venable had in mind with his debut cookbook "In The Kitchen With David." David has been the resident foodie on QVC for almost a decade, and hosts the program that his book is named for. David has made quite a few friends along the way, including the understated Southern belle that wrote the intro to the book - Paula Deen!

   David know about home and family, having honed his culinary skills in his mother and grandmother’s kitchens in the Carolinas. The book is dedicated to his mother Sarah, and I love what he had to write about her; "you taught me how to cook and how to dream." What I think I like about David the most is the fact he’s not a classically trained chef, he’s someone who loves food and shares that passion. And yes, the boy does love bacon! With 150 easy to follow recipes and some delightfully sweet ones like his Three Layer Chocolate Cake, it’s a good book to start someone on the way to finding their passion for food and cooking.

   David was good enough to take my call right from the QVC set, and it was a fun conversation. I’d recommend the book for all those foodies who dream of taking what they love in the kitchen and sharing it with others. David does that well.

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM KELLY’S KITCHEN

Cooking should never feel like a chore - David Venable