Actress Haylie Duff has turned her passion for cooking into a new moneymaking venture with the release of a new recipe book.

The Napoleon Dynamite star, older sister of singer/actress Hilary, reveals she got the urge to gather her own favorite dishes for The Real Girl's Kitchen after reading through her great-grandmother's notes and recipes.

The 28 year old, who also has her online cooking blog, tells Star magazine, "My dad gave me my great-grandmother's cookbook... I found so much inspiration in it. It had personal letters from people she had met in her travels and handwritten recipes that were passed down through my family. I found a letter she wrote to a man who was a cafe owner in New Orleans asking how to best prepare the perfect cup of coffee in a French press. And he took the time to write her a very detailed response. I thought it was so wonderful - and that's what I wanted my book to feel like, that letter."

Duff is the latest star to become a celebrity chef - Gwyneth Paltrow, Stanley Tucci, Trisha Yearwood and Mayim Bialik have all shared their best recipes in print.

The Real Girl's Kitchen hit shelves on Tuesday (15Oct13).