The cover - it's a beautiful picture. :-)
The falling stove gets your attention, but maybe not in a good way...? I think it's a great image to include with your writings and immediately gets across the "grandmother" idea.
Honestly, I'm probably the last person to be asked about graphics design issues. I think it's well done, and it gets your attention, but it's also a little distracting from the food.
Maybe Rand can offer some thoughts?
Cheers,
Scott.