I am very excited to announce the publication of new editions of my two "oldest children!" Last year, my pubisher, Ten Speed Press, and I decided to augment the existing editions with a series of full-page full-color photographs, in celebration of my latest public television series.

The new 26-part series is based on "Moosewood" and "Broccoli Forest," with 13 segments devoted to each book. Each show presents a full menu from either book, with about 5 recipes per show. Most of the recipes are the standard originals many of you know, but I have changed some to reflect the evolution in my own cooking stylećand to address the busy, demanding schedules that leave many of us with less time in the food market and kitchen. I have also added new techniques, touches, and recipes that I hope you will find useful and tasty.

Through my orientation as a painter and illustrator, I have a very visual approach to food. This has made it even more interesting to cook on television, where the visual component is dominant. At the same time, I have become an aficionado of food photography, and was very excited when Ten Speed Press gave me the green light to add 16 color photos each to "Moosewood" and "Broccoli."

I chose some of the most time-proven favorites to photograph, then worked as a team with Ten Speed's art director, Nancy Austin (a longtime collaborator-pal of mine, who also co-designed my kids' cookbooks, Pretend Soup and Honest Pretzels), stylists Lorraine Battle and Andrea Lucich, and natural-light photographer Richard Jung to produce a series of images that we all hope will whet your appetites (aesthetically and food-wise).

I revised both "Moosewood" and "Broccoli Forest" in the 90s to streamline the recipes, both for time and for calories, and to enhance the flavor profile of many of them. These new books are basically the same editions, but with a few new recipes added, and, of course, the above-mentioned photographs. We are very pleased to have kept the retail price at $19.95 for the paperback editions. You can order the new books by calling 1-800-841-BOOK.

The new TV series will be released to the public television system nationwide in May. Individual stations will then schedule the program independently, so write to your local station to see when they plan to carry it.

P.S. The photos don't mean I've abandoned my art. The hand-lettering and pen-and-ink drawings are still in the books. AND, I will be doing a new series of paintings for "Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Café," which will come out mid-2001. Stay tuned!