CEDAR FALLS - Customers who have enjoyed a fresh cup of coffee, homemade pastry or bowl of soup in the big white barn just west of Cedar Falls can now enjoy Barn Happy's new cookbook, "Iowa Happy Cookbook."

"My customers have been asking me to do a cookbook for a long time," said Kris Boettger, owner of the all-Iowa made products gift store, located at 11310 University Ave. "I had been giving out a lot of my recipes, and after four years of doing this, I decided to put them all in one place."

Featured are the recipes for pastries, desserts and lunch items served in the store's tea room. Some recipes were contributed by Mary Meyer, owner of Peppercorn Pantry in Aplington, and others came from store employees as well as the Boettger family.

"In the 'Cookies and Candies' section of the cookbook you will find my son, Isaac's 'Barn Size Scotcheroos' that he regularly makes for Barn Happy, and my daughter Adrienne's deluxe 'Yum-Yum Bars,'" Boettger said. "My husband, Tim, has even contributed his Swedish pancake recipe."

Recipe contributions were also made by Barn Happy's family of employees, including Caryn Thede from Reinbeck and Kris Miller from Cedar Falls.

"I love having all of my favorite recipes that we serve at Barn Happy all together in a cookbook," Thede said.

"We've talked about this cookbook for a long time," said Miller. "It is good to finally see the cookbook published. I was born and raised in Iowa and these recipes are foods that represent what Iowa is all about."

Longtime customer Deb Riehle from Cedar Falls made a recent Barn Happy visit with her husband for a piece of Angel Coconut Creme Cake, also in the cookbook. "I am going to buy one even though I don't cook. After all, Kris guarantees that the recipes are all good," said Riehle.

For copies of the cookbook, visit Barn Happy, call 266-0888 or go to www.barnhappy.net. Hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; closed January and February; last day of the season is Dec. 20.

Barn Happy Wild Rice Soup

13 ½ tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons dry onion

1 ¼ cups flour

7 cups chicken broth

4 ½ cups wild rice, cooked

1 cup ham, minced

1 ¼ cups carrots, finely grated

7 tablespoons almonds

Salt, to taste

4 2/3 cups half-and-half

4 teaspoons white wine

Parsley or chives

Melt butter and sauté onion until tender in pan. Blend in flour and gradually add broth. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Stir in rice, ham, carrots and almonds. Simmer about 5 minutes. Blend in half-and-half and wine. Heat to serving temperature. Garnish as desired.