Anna Mintz is a Publicist for Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, and is an editor for The Recipe Club. Originally from Atlanta, she now lives in New York City and loves exploring NYC’s restaurant scene and trying out new recipes in her own kitchen.

One of the most interesting parts of my job as a publicist is that I am able to accompany some of our authors on their book tours across the country. This month, I was traveling with Food Network’s Melissa d’Arabian, whose debut cookbook Ten Dollar Dinners (Clarkson Potter, August 2012) went on sale a couple weeks ago.

Drawing on personal life experiences – growing up on a tight budget, earning her MBA and working in corporate America, and managing her own family’s resources as a stay-at-home and then working parent – Melissa easily relates to home cooks and encourages them to think about cooking in a different way. It was really fun for me to get to witness Melissa in action over the past two weeks, taking photos with her fans, answering questions, and dishing out grocery shopping advice.

Our travels took us all over the U.S., from New York and New Jersey to Los Angeles and San Diego, and everywhere in between! Melissa has lived in many different states over the years, so it was exciting to go to each city and wonder who she was going to run into from a previous stage of life — from former Georgetown classmates in DC, old neighbors in Dallas and Seattle, bridesmaids from her wedding in Los Angeles, or her aunt and uncle in Orange County, old friends showed up all over the country; it was clear that Melissa is well-loved wherever she goes.

Enjoy some sample recipes from Ten Dollar Dinners by Melissa d’Arabian:
Recipes From Ten Dollar Dinners by Melissa d’Arabian