Recipes that bring to mind a relative or friend who has battled cancer, or help perpetuate the memory of a loved one lost to the disease, are the focus of the first ever Snoqualmie Valley Relay for Life Cookbook, now in the works.

Relay for Life volunteers are seeking recipe submissions for the book, which is being published this year as a fundraiser for the annual 24-hour walk, party and ceremony that supports research for a cancer cure.

The new book is a good way for people to learn about the Valley’s Relay, now in its eighth year, said Relay for Life member Anne Loring.

About 100 recipes have been submitted, but the book’s creators would like to get 300 onto its pages.

“We’ll take as many recipes as we can get,” Loring said.

Recipes need to be submitted by Friday, Jan. 16, and the book will be sent to the publisher before the end of the month.

The more names that are submitted, the more of an impact the book will have.

A dedication and introduction to Relay for Life will be included in the front of the book.

North Bend resident and breast cancer survivor Teresa Warren gathered several recipes for the book, including one, “Pumpkin Soup with Toasted Pepitas,” submitted by Michael Irving in memory of his father, Randy.

Stirring a pumpkin mixture into hot chicken stock, Mary Anne Rohrbach tested out Warren’s soup, and pronounced it good.

“It’s very simple,” she said. “Some of our recipes are more detailed. This is quite an easy recipe. Anybody can do this.”

Rohrbach has submitted recipes for her mother, who died when she was 10, and in memory of her sister, Carol Roddewig, who helped raise her.

A recipe for “Depression Cake,” which she submitted in honor of her aunt, is for eggless, milkless, butterless cake.

“It tastes like a spice cake, and it’s really good,” she said.

Rohrbach remembers her sister Carol as an “un-recipe kind of person,” who once sent her a ‘recipe’ for turkey and dressing that called for a popcorn stuffing.

“You know the turkey is done when the back end flies off,” Rohrbach said.

That “unrecipe,” more of a funny kitchen story, could make the pages of the cookbook.

“I want this to be a fun cookbook,” she said.

Loring has a number of recipes that she may include to fill any gaps in the book. She’s not sure which recipe will go, but the loved one who she will honor is her mother-in-law, Marg Loring.

“I can’t remember which are from her,” Loring said. “She was a very special person.”

Recipes don’t have to be from a specific person, they can simply be dedicated to someone.

With so many people touched by cancer, chances are that many people in the Valley may have something to share.

• To submit your recipe and name or names, e-mail to a.loring@comcast.net, or mail them to Mary Ann Rohrbach, 4721 354th Ave. S.E., Fall City, WA 98024. For information, call (425) 222-5281.