Popular Texas cable chef Christy Rost believes that gathering around the table for a good meal is the best way to celebrate the most important things in life - love, family, good health, and good friends. The key to preserving the family meal is an arsenal of hearty recipes that emphasize the beauty of simple foods, fresh, wholesome ingredients, and reasonably priced wines. So, for her first cookbook, "The Family Table," she offers 250 of her favorite recipes - all delicious, well-balanced, and easy-to-make - to welcome your family and friends to your table. Recipe selections range from all-American favorites to Caribbean, Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, and Mexican cuisine. "The Family Table" is divided into four sections: Everyday Meals, Weekends, Entertaining at Home, and Holidays. Within each section, recipes are grouped by type (salads, entrees, side dishes, etc.) Also included are wine suggestions with many of the entrée recipes. "Eric's Wine Notes", written by a wine expert, contain three wine suggestions in order of least to most expensive. Sample Recipes: Homestyle Meatloaf, Buttermilk Cornbread Muffins, Sunday Best Mashed Potatoes, Tomato Galette, Thick and Creamy Tortilla Soup, Grilled Marinated Pork Chops, Cape Cod Rice Pilaf, Apple Cranberry Muffins, German Apple Pancakes, Mango Spinach Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette, Portabella Mushroom Turnovers, Pink Rum Desire, Berries with Champagne Sabayon, Grilled Lemon Basil Chicken, Rack of Lamb Dijon, Roasted Herbed Pork Loin, Onion Souffle, Stuffed Zucchini Boasts. Author Appearances: Sur La Table Cooking Classes/Booksigning Nov 2 Arlington, VA 2:00 p.m. Nov 3 Richmond, VA 6:30 p.m. Nov 12, 13, 14 Houston, TX 6:30 p.m.; 6:30 p.m.; 10:00 a.m. Nov 17 Dallas, TX Dec 2 Dallas, TX Dec 9 Berkley, CA 7:00 p.m. Dec 10 Los Gatos, CA 6:30 p.m. Dec 11 Kirland, WA 6:30 p.m. Dec 13 Portland, OR 10:00 a.m. Jan 26 Dallas, TX Other Events October 17 and 18, 2003 Grand opening of Kaufmann's new store in Pittsburgh, PA October 19, 2003 Cooking demo at The Best Little BBQ Fest in Texas, 1:00 p.m., McKinney, TX November 10, 2003 Sherrel Jones hosting author at her cooking school in Enid, OK. November 15, 2003 Cooking class at Market Street, Colleyville, TX 6:30 p.m. November 22, 2003 Cooking class and booksigning at Macy's in Dallas December 3, 2003 Cooking class at Market Street, Colleyville, TX 6:30 p.m. December 4, 2003 Cooking class at Market Street, McKinney, TX 6:30 p.m. Decemer 6, 2003 Arcadia Winery event, Santa Barbara, CA December 15, 2003, Blue Ribbon Cooking School, www.blueribboncooking.com January 9, 2004 Junior Charity League, Dallas, TX January 16, 2004 Cooking class at Market Street, Colleyville, TX 10:00 a.m. January 17, 2004 Cooking demo/booksigning, Capital Distributing, 2910 Stemmons Fwy., Dallas, TX, Jennifer Tyrell, 214-638-2681 February 20, 2004 Cooking class at Market Street, McKinney, TX Fall 2003 Texas State Fair Spring 2004 Dallas Wine and Food Festival April 20-25, 2004 International Association of Culinary Professionals in Baltimore, MD