Dr. Maya Angelou's (pictured left) second cookbook, "Great Food All Day Long: Cook Splendidly, Eat Smart," was profiled on ABC's "Good Morning America" Thursday morning.

Exploring Dr. Angelou's signature recipes for roasted chicken -- as well as sumptuous meals such as "Mixed-Up Tamale Pie," "All Day and Night Cornbread" and "Sweet Potatoes McMillan" -- Robin Roberts (pictured) held a delightful conversation with the author at her New York residence. Speaking effortlessly in her award-winning prose, Dr. Angelou said:

"I find great delight in bringing together certain ingredients. Having respect for the ingredients, understanding what fire will do to these ingredients.

"So it's a wonderful treat to me to cook well and to serve beautifully and to eat carefully."

And obviously, her ornate words are also experienced throughout the book, where she employs autobiographical explanations for how these life-long recipes came to be.

Dr. Angelou shared a number of helpful tips (also in the book) about cooking with Roberts, including:

"Take your time. If you don't have time to cook the thing, then don't cook it."

And

"I'd really like to encourage cooks to dare, dare. If you can read, you can cook, but to be a good cook, a serious cook, which is what I call myself, it means I dare something."

For Dr. Angelou, eating doesn't have to be a ritual of punishment, where one consistently denies herself the most decadent melody of ingredients. Instead, Dr. Angelou heralds that all of her dishes can be eaten throughout the day in small portions, which is how she achieved a 50-pound weight loss.

"The truth is, for your own health, and the health of your children, you need to start yesterday in cooking splendidly and eating smart."

Watch one of this country's best national treasures showcase her recipes here -- beware, though, it will make you hungry: