southerncooker's Reviews
Cookbook Reviews
117 books reviewed. Showing 1 to 50Sort by: Rating 
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Cowgirl Cuisine: Rustic Recipes and Cowgirl Adventures from a Texas Ranch
By Paula Disbrowe
William Morrow Cookbooks - 2007
I belong to a wonderful cookbook collectors group on yahoo called CookbooksEtCetera and I got this one in a state of the art swap from Anne in Texas in that group. It's wonderful read. It has a beautiful story weaved through the book and the author manages to connect the recipes to the chapters in her story of moving from NY to her ranch in TX. She shares the journey of her and her boyfriend, now husband and how city slickers became a cowboy and cowgirl. You get romance, adventure and comedy as well as some delicious recipes when you read this book.
Upon first glance at this book I marked several recipes to try; Greens with Red Chili Sauce, Garlic greens, Smoked Turkey wraps, Scorpion Tails with Sauce, Banana Bread with almonds and orange essence, Shiner Bock Beans with epazote and Chocolate Pecan Squares. I have already made the Garlic Greens (we loved them), Smoked turkey Wraps (amazing) and the choco Pecan Squares.
The only complaint I have about this book is the fact you have to turn the page to see all of some recipes, but the information she included with the recipes make this a minor complaint.
This is a fun read and I'm enjoying cooking from it and look forward to many delicious meals from it.
Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant (Cookery)
By Moosewood Collective
Fireside - 1990
This is a nice thick book with 734 pages. It includes a helpful chapter on a guide to ingredients, techniques and equipment. There is also a chapter on menu planning and one called "What we mean when we say one medium onion", as well as a suggested reading list if you want to know more about a particular cuisine.
I love trying new recipes from different cuisines and I enjoy the other Moosewood books that I have, so this was a welcome addition to my Moosewood collection.
If you don't already know or haven't already guessed Moosewood is a Vegetarian restaurant located in Ithaca, NY. It is collectively owned and operated by the same group who puts out the cookbooks. In the introduction they explain Sundays at Moosewood are different from the rest of the week. Sunday night is Ethnic night.
If you enjoy vegetarian cooking, experimenting with different cuisines, or are looking for some interesting recipes then this is a great book. Bits of info are included with most recipes so this is a fun one to read as well.
Coyote Cafe
By Mark Miller
Ten Speed Press - 2002
This is a wonderful book and I've enjoyed reading it so much. It is
filled with recipes made at The Coyote Cafe in Sante Fe, New Mexico.
Sounds like a wonderful place to eat. Before each recipe is a very
interesting blurb about the recipe from the author which describes the orgin of
the recipe or an anecdote connected with it.
Sprinkled throughout the book are great tips and hints, as well as how
to step by step photos and lots of great Native American art work, as
well as interesting Coyote stories. For instance, stories like "How
Coyote Brought the Chilies" and How the Coyote Got His Cunning". There are
also a few American Indian Poems. The introduction was a delightful
read about how the restaurant came to be and his previous work in other
restraunts including him working with Alice Waters.
Before each chapter is a couple pages of interesting information from
the author, often about his travels and experiences. The Coyote's Bag of
Tricks chapter includes dishes said to make you howl with delight. Some
interesting recipes included in this book are Texas Blue Crab Cakes,
Desert Prickly Pear Sauce, Blue Corn Bread, Cowboy Steak with Red Chile
Onion Rings, Pork Tacos with Wild Mushrooms and Tamarind Chipotle Sauce,
Orange Cumin Bread, and a Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Poblano Chilies.
If you love cooking and eating southwestern cusine or just reading
about it this is a wonderfully interesting book and I highly reccomend it.
dori sanders country cooking
By Dori Sanders
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill - 1995
I read this one from cover to cover in no time. It's one of those kinds of books
you can't put down until you've finished the last page. Then when you get to the
last page you don't want it to end. So many of these recipe are like ones I grew
up on.... good old fashioned, down home, country, Southern cooking, with a few
surprises thrown in for good measure. So many of the chapters and stories
brought back pleasant childhood memories for me. Like Dori, I always enjoyed
hog-killing time with my family -- Mom, Dad, grands, aunts, uncles, siblings and
cousins.. I love helping prepare the hams to cure and making liver mush,
sausage, pork skins and rendering the fat for lard.
Making Molasses was also lots of work but fun too. My uncle owned a boiler and
let family and friends use it. Most times it was used on weekends and would
start very early in the morning each day and go till way in the night. We would
roast marshmallows and hot dogs in the fire beneath the boiler and chill drinks
and watermelons in the creek. After the molasses were finished we always had a
cane stick to sop the boiler with.
If you like books with stories among and about the recipes then I know you'll enjoy this one. I have had this book for some time and recently got it autographed by Ms. Sanders at our local library. She is a very gracious southern lady.
Tangy Tart Hot and Sweet: A World of Recipes for Every Day
By Padma Lakshmi
Weinstein Books - 2007
This book is filled with beautiful color photos, as well as interesting sounding recipes from around the world. Also included are personal essays about Padma's connection to food and cooking. I enjoyed reading the notes she included with each recipe, usually where the recipe came from or a bit about it.
One problem I found with this book is that many of the recipes call for hard to find ingredients. I'm listing some of them to give you an idea: Yuzu Juice, black cumin powder, sumac powder, za'atar powder and Labneh goat cheese to name a few. If you're lucky enough to live in an area that has many different ethnic grocery stores then this might not be a problem for you, as it is for me.
Despite the fact that some ingredients are hard for me to find there are several recipe I want to try that I wouldn't have that problem with. I started with the Chicken for the Bold recipe, which was very spicy and we really enjoyed.
I have enjoyed reading this one since I got it from paper back swap. I put it on my wish list there after making the Mexican Mac and Cheese (which was fantastic), for one of my Leite's Culinaria test recipes a few months ago. I was really surprised to get it so quickly since it is a fairly new book.
This book would be well suited to those that enjoy trying new and different dishes. It's a feast for the eyes as well, if you enjoy beautiful color photos in your cookbooks.
Rachael Ray Express Lane Meals: What to Keep on Hand, What to Buy Fresh for the Easiest-Ever 30-Minute Meals
By Rachael Ray
Clarkson Potter - 2006
We like Rachael Ray's recipes and have tried many we've saw on her show. This is the first cookbook of hers that I added to my collection. I got it by sending in Nabisco points and paying for shipping.
It's had handy shopping lists in the back of the book. This one is supposed to be for busy cooks to zip in the grocery store, pick up a few items and hit the express lane and get home and cooking.
The Vegetarian Option
By Simon Hopkinson, Jason Lowe
Stewart, Tabori & Chang - 2010
his is the book I won from Serious Eats. It is filled with wonderful color photographs. The author is from London and is noted on the back cover as one of the UK's finest food writers. He has two other books, Roast Chicken and Other Stories and Second Helpings of Roast Chicken. You can tell by how some of the book is worded that it isn't an American Cookbook. I still enjoy reading the little blurbs included with each recipe and the recipes themselves.
The book is divided into the following sections: Vegetables, Herbs, Pasta, Legumes & Grains, Rice, Eggs, and finally, Fruit. There is one recipe from Mario Batali included in the book, almond and jalapeno relish. Before the recipe the author writes about his first trip to NY and meeting Mario at a party at Babbo. They share mutual friends.
Some of the recipes look and sound very inviting and I really enjoyed the tomato recipe I made recently for the ingredient contest, Tomato Salad with Basil Cream Dressing and Olive Oil. One problem with this book for me though is that quiet a few of the recipes call for ingredients that are either hard for me to find or too expensive for my budget. Some of those things are saffron, agar flakes, sunflower oil, Amontillado Sherry, Chervil, and carnaroli rice. I do occasionally purchase saffron but if you made several of the recipes that call for it, it could push up those numbers on the cash register considerably. He also uses Maldon Sea Salt in many of his recipes and white pepper. He says he prefers white over black pepper but you can use whatever you like.
There probably aren't a lot of recipes in this one I will make but it's a fun read and the photos are very easy on the eyes. Sarita does want to borrow this one and make the cauliflower with cheese and I can't wait for cooler weather to try the Lima Beans with Sage, Olive Oil and Dried Chili and the Thyme, Onion and Gruyere Tart sounds like one I'd make as well. I think I'll try the macaroni and cheese with tomatoes soon, with some of our garden tomatoes. So even though there are recipes I know I wouldn't make there are also some I will. I guess that is probably true of most of our cookbooks. I probably wouldn't have bought this one for myself but I'm sure glad I won a copy.
Semi-Homemade Weeknight Wonders: 139 Easy Fast Fix Dishes (Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade)
By Sandra Lee
Wiley - 2009
I've had some really good luck on Paperback Swap lately and that's where this one came from. When I learned about this one I almost didn't add it to my wish list, but I'm sure glad I did. I've already made two things from it and both were great - Brie Hash brown Casserole andTomato Garlic Short Ribs. The short ribs took a little longer to cook than something I'd make during the week but it makes a great weekend supper. I made mashed potatoes and sweet potato biscuits to go with and it was a great fall meal. I also made a chicken version for my daughter, Sarita and regular biscuits for the guys. I tasted of Sarita's and it was good too.
Several other recipes I have my eye on for future meals: Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Sauce, Farm Stand Tomato Tart, Queso Blanco Skirt Steak, Chili Garlic Pancakes, Sweet Potato Cake with Citrus Glaze, Orange Almond Tea Cakes, Spinach Ricotta Tart, and Red Eye Texas T-Bone.
Things I love about this book:
Color photos for every recipe.
Recipes for easy weeknight meals, plus a few great for the weekend.
Most ingredients are easily found at any supermarket and she lists brands to help in finding them.
Some recipes call for the Garden Gourmet line of spices like my sister and I won at the Southern Women's show.
Recipes are not continued on another page.
Chapters include: Dinner Delights; Asian American; Coast to Coast; Sassy Southern Style; Taste of Italy; American Classics; Amazing Mexican; Family Snacks and Finger Foods; Comfort Food Favorites
If you're not familiar with Semi-Homemade here's the definition from the inside front cover:
sem.i-home.made
adj. 1: a stress free solution based formula that provides savvy shortcuts and affordable, timesaving tips for overextended do-it-yourself homemakers 2: a quick and easy equation wherein 70% ready-made convenience products are added to 30% fresh ingredients with creative personal style, allowing homemakder to take 100% of the credit for something that looks, feels, or tastes homemade 3: a foolproof resource for having it all -- and having the time to enjoy it 4: a method created by Sandra Lee for home, garden, ccrafts, beauty, food, fashion, and entertaining wherein everything looks, tastes, and feel as if it was made from scratch
Everyday Pasta
By Giada De Laurentiis
Clarkson Potter - 2007
I love watching Giada's Everyday Italian and now her new show, Giada At Home. I have tried some of her recipes from the shows and enjoyed them very much.
The book starts off with an introduction that includes -- The Origins of Pasta, Giada's top 10 Pasta cooking tips, and info on matching pasta shapes to sauces. It is divided into three sections -- Pasta Go-Withs, which has two chapters: Antipasti & Appetizers and Something on the Side. The second section - Pasta for all Seasons contains 5 chapters -- Soups & Pasta Salads; Hearty Pastas; On the Lighter Side; Quick & Easy Working Night Pastas; Pasta for Special Occasions. The final section Pasta Basics -- includes Basic Recipes; Menus; Credits; and the Index.
This is a beautiful book with very colorful borders and chapter beginnings, as well as lots of beautiful mouth watering color photos of the dishes. This book reminds me of The Barefoot Contessa's cookbooks and is published by the same publisher, Clarkson Potter.
If you enjoy pasta I think you'll like this book. I love the fact it has a lighter side chapter as well as a Quick and Easy weeknight one. Sometimes I find in Italian books and even in some of Giada's previous
books, recipes include ingredients that are hard to find. I don't find that to be true in this book. There are a few types of pasta that might be hard for some of us to find, but in that case she gives a recommendation for an alternate pasta.
Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Slow Cooker Recipes
By Sandra Lee
Wiley - 2006
On the front cover it says "All new bonus chapter: Easy Oven-baked One-dish meals". The type is easy to read, black ink, with names of recipes, serving sizes, prep and cooking times in tan.
I know some people don't care for Sandra Lee, nor her Semi-homemade way of cooking but her recipes can be a life saver for many people today- those on a budget, busy Mom's and working families.
Although not a big fan of Sandra's way of cooking myself, I do enjoy some of her recipes from time to time. I didn't enjoy her old show with the table scapes that much, but I really enjoy her new Money Saving Show.
I enjoy using my slow cooker as it's so nice to come home from work to a simmering meal. Also with a slow cooker you don't heat up the kitchen in the summer.
Included is information on choosing a slow cooker, how to adapt some of your own favorite recipes for use in a slow cooker, and even easy entertaining from your slow cooker.
If you're partial to photos in your cookbooks this one has a color photo of every dish. Each recipe suggests the size of slow cooker to use and includes prep and cooking times. As with all her recipes she often uses canned and pre-packaged ingredients to make the recipe easier and faster on the cook.
Quick Fix Meals: 200 Simple, Delicious Recipes to Make Mealtime Easy
By Robin Miller
Taunton - 2007
I really enjoy watching Quick Fix with Robin Miller on the Food Network. Although I don't always agree with some of the things she prepared ahead of time, for instance pasta and rice. They only take a few minutes to prepare and taste so much better when freshly made in most cases. I do find some of her ideas helpful though. One of those is to prepare extra of whatever you're cooking, like chicken, fish, beef or pork, to use in more than one dish later in the week. Robin calls this morphing.
There are a few color photos in the center of this book. Recipes are written in green and a brownish color. I like the information she includes with each recipe. In the side bars she also includes things like good health notes, quick fix notes, storage savvy, ingredients notes, variations, time saver tips and quick fix it your way tips. If you have a busy lifestyle but still want to put delicious meals that are easy to prepare, on the table for your family I think you'd also like this book.
Spirit of the Harvest: North American Indian Cooking
By Martin Jacobs, Beverly Cox
Stewart Tabori & Chang - 1991
This book is filled with information about the foods the Native Americans across the US ate and used in ceremonies. The recipes included are ones that you can make today. There are traditional dishes from tribes such as Cherokee, Chippewa, Navajo, Sioux, Mohegan, Iroquois, Comanche, Hopi, and many others.
Also included in the beautiful, artfully arranged photos of some of the recipes are an array of historic Indian artifacts. This book is equally fun to look at and read as it is to cook from. There is a map in the beginning to show you where each of the tribes was located and the foods they ate most, grew or harvested.
If you are interested in Native American food and history, I think you would enjoy this book.
Spirit of the West: Cooking from Ranch House and Range
By Beverly Cox, Martin Jacobs
Stewart, Tabori and Chang - 2002
This book is filled with over 100 recipes that are from the first western ranchers who originated from Mexico, as early as the 16th century and continuing through those still working at dude ranches today. It tells the story of the American Frontier thorough the food they ate. Also included are stories about and from descendants of the first ranchers and those that work on today's ranches. The book is sprinkled with beautiful color photos of the foods, artfully displayed for the viewers enjoyment.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history served along side their recipes, as well as those intrigued with the old west, cowboys, outdoor cooking, cast iron cooking and or the frontier. This is a very interesting read filled with tasty sounding recipes, many of which have a Mexican influence.
Butter Sugar Flour Eggs: Whimsical Irresistible Desserts
By Gale Gand, Rick Tramonto, Julia Moskin
Clarkson Potter - 1999
Chapters in this book are divided by ingredients: butter, sugar, flour, eggs, chocolate, citrus, fruit, nuts, cheese, spice, and finally one each for holidays and drinks. After the introduction is a chapter on the basics. If you are a seasoned baker you may already know and follow these basic tips, but it's helpful for those who don't bake often or are just starting. Even if you bake often you may find a helpful tip you hadn't thought of or maybe had forgotten.
There are lots of great dessert recipes included in this book. Some of them you may have saw on the food network and others on Baking with Julia on PBS. Still others may have been served at one of Rick and Gale's restaurants. I love the side bars included with each recipe, interesting things about the recipe. Each recipe also come with a drink suggestion.
This is Gale and Rick's 2nd book together, their first being American Brasserie, which was published in 1997. We've always had great results when using Gale's recipes. If you are looking for a dessert book you can't go wrong if you choose this one.
Intimate Gatherings: Great Food for Good Friends
By Ellen Rose, Jessica Strand, Maura McEvoy
Chronicle Books - 1998
This is a menu book seperated into the seasons with beautiful color photos. This
book is very special to me as I got it at the Cook's Library and Ellen signed it
to me.
It is divided into
Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. In each season there are recipes for
gatherings for Dinner for Two, Dinner for Four, and Dinner for Six. At the
begining of each menu there is included a very helpful Menu Manager, with tips
to do 1 day before dinner, day of diner, about 1 hour before serving, 10 minutes
before serving, and just before serving. In some cases there are things to do
from 1 month to 4 days before the dinner.
This book would make a great addition to anyone's collection but especially if
you enjoy entertaining or just love to cook.
Marcia Adams' Heirloom Recipes: Yesterday's Favorites, Tomorrow's Treasures
By Marcia Adams
Clarkson Potter - 1994
This is a companion book to one of Marcia Adams' PBS series, which I used to
enjoy watching when it was on PBS here.
This book is divided into seasons with more categories under each.
She includes postcards with information about the people and places she's
visited collecting her heirloom recipes and often some background information.
You will also often come across a page of travel notes about the places she has
visited and what she did during her travels. This book is filled not only with
treasured recipes from all over the US but, interesting reading material as
well.
Scattered thru out the book are pictures of antique kitchen tools. All the
photos are black and white which gives it an old timey feeling and I think this
goes great with the recipes she chose to include. If you enjoy some history
along with your recipes you'll love this one.
Recipes for the Good Life
By Patti LaBelle, Judith Choate, Karen Hunter
Karen Hunter - 2008
This is a fun colorful book with several mouth watering color photos. Patti's take on living the good life refers to eating healthy most of the time and living life to the fullest. She says you don't have to have money to live the good life but it does make it easier..
The book starts off with an introduction to the good life followed by Miss Patti's perfect pantry and then setting the right mood for the food. Next are the recipes.
Through out the book Patti shares personal stories and cooking tips.
Many of the recipes call for things from Patti LaBelle's Good Life product line. These include her all natural pepper products and blended seasonings. I haven't seen these in stores but she does give you a web site for more information.
http://www.pattilabellefoods.com/
I'm sure you can substitute whatever similar brand you have on hand, which is what I did.
The Best-Kept Secrets of Healthy Cooking: Your Culinary Resource to Hundreds of Delicious Kitchen-Tested Dishes
By Sandra Woodruff
Avery Trade - 2000
This book lists nutritonal information for every recipe and includes tips and
hints among the recipes on how to make dishes lower in fat and healthier.
Besides the frittata we made there are several other varriations that also sound
good and may have to try soon as this makes a wonderful weekend breakfast -
Zucchini & Tomato, Spring Vegetable, Sausage Pepper & Onion, Shrimp & Bacon, and
Spinach & Ham. Other breakfast items I've marked to try are Cottage Cheese
Pancakes and Honey-Orange Syrup.
I love this book and think it will be one I'll cook from often as it has post its sticking
out in all directions. Don't know why it took me so long to plunge into this
one. I have a few others by the same author and plan to cook from them soon too.
Back to the Table: The Reunion of Food and Family
By Art Smith
Hyperion - 2001
This is a wonderful book to read. You can almost feel the love of cooking and feeding those that are special to you in Art's writing of this book. It is filled with great recipes you can make for those you want to share a table with. This is what he considers family, anyone you welcome to your table to enjoy food with.
I enjoyed reading the little blurbs included with each recipe. The names of the chapters are wonderful as well: Back to the Table; Setting the Table; Bless the Table; Breaking Bread; The Family Meal; Family Traditions; Food as Love; Family Celebrations; and finally Friends as Family. The book starts off with a list of all the recipes. It is filled with great photos as well.
I made the Red Beans and Brown Rice. This is noted as a healthful vegetarian version of the Creole Classic and was easy to make and delicious. I'm sure I'll cook more from this one. I've been wanting this one since I saw it on Oprah. Art is or was her personal chef and has appeared on her show several times.
The Minimalist Entertains
By Mark Bittman
Broadway - 2003
This book is divided into the 4 seasons and then into menus for different types
of interesting dinner parties, cocktail parties, barbecues and more entertaining
occasions. The book is based on the popular NY Times column written by Mark
Bittman. There are 40 seasonal menus for entertaining included in this book.
For each menu it lists the items for the
meal, then a blurb about the menu, then keys to success, Wine suggestions and a
timetable. There are useful and interesting tips included with each recipe.
The writing in this book is green, ingredients and tips or information about the
recipe in a lighter green and instructions id darker green. This doesn't bother
me but it might some.
Emeril's Potluck: Comfort Food with a Kicked-Up Attitude
By Emeril Lagasse
William Morrow Cookbooks - 2004
I enjoy Emeril's cooking style
especially if he doesn't use overly expensive or hard to find ingredients. Some
of his books do have recipes with the hard to find ingredients but this one does
not. A few of the recipes do call for some of his spices like his essence but
you can make your own and the recipe can be easily found on the internet or in
some of his previous books.
There is an orange border up each side and across the top of the name of each recipe
and also a row of orange dots across the top and bottom of each list of
ingredients. There are also orange blocks with white writ ting in them with
hints and tips or bits of information scattered through out the book. There are
interesting little blurbs about each dish right after the title of the recipe.
Since this is a pot luck cookbook all recipes serve 8-10 people but it says to
not assume you're making too much since everyone will want seconds and maybe
even thirds.
Mom gave Dexter some Key Limes she got at a flea/farmers market so we decided
to make Mr. Lou's Key Lime Pie. It was a simple pie to make and quiet good. I did cheat and buy a premade Graham Cracker crust.
Macaroni & Cheese: 52 Recipes from Simple to Sublime
By Joan Schwartz
Villard - 2001
We all love mac and cheese here but especially my daughter, Sarita, who's been
experimenting with different recipes since she first started cooking. She
even had one of her macaroni and cheese recipes published in the cookbook
Hungry for Home, Stories from food across the Carolinas.
It was hard to choose which recipe to pick to try first, but we finally decided on Baked Four Cheese Pasta. It was fantastic.
The only color photo in this one is the great looking bowl of mac and cheese
on the front cover. There are cute nostalgic looking black and white drawings
through out the book. In addition to the recipes from the author there are
recipes from many well-known chefs, including Bobby Flay, Rocco Despirito,
Rick Bayless and many more. Also in the back, included are the chefs'
Biographies.
There are recipe that are truly simple, using only a few ingredients and one
or two well known cheeses and also those more spectacular, which use things
like lobster, truffles or truffle oils, wild mushrooms and exotic cheeses. I
can't wait to try more recipes from this book and I'm sure I'll use this book
many times. If you love mac and cheese too then this would be a great addition
to your cookbook collection.
Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen: An Indispensable Guide for Anybody Who Likes to Cook
By Tyler Florence
Clarkson Potter - 2003
This book has great color photos of many of the dishes. I enjoy watching
Tyler's Ultimate and some of the other shows he has had on the Food Network
and so naturally I had to have this book.
I only have one complaint about this book some recipes continue on the
following page so you often have to keep turning the page back and forth when
making a recipe. This is Tyler's first cookbook and at the time it was wrote
he was host of Food 911.
You'll find recipes for down home country type food such as meatloaf and
chicken pot pie. Also included is the less familiar to home cooks, things
such as Dim Sum and Sushi. Finally there are also recipes that many might
consider gourmet, such as Chilled Pea Shots with Spicy Crab and Roast Prime
Rib of Beef with Horseradish Crust and Wild Mushrooms. Seems there is
something for everyone no matter what type of things you're looking to cook.
For Mother's day one year, Sarita chose to make me the Blueberry Scones with Lemon
Glaze. Unfortunately the blueberries weren't ripe in NC and they were
extremely expensive at the local stores, so she substitute strawberries
instead. They were delicious with the lemon sauce and even good cold. Besides
having a warm one on Mother's Day I took one a day for my morning coffee break
until the rest were all gone. Of course I shared a few with Harold and Sarita
as well. Dexter doesn't like them.
Cooking From the Hip: Fast, Easy, Phenomenal Meals
By Cat Cora, Ann Krueger Spivack
Houghton Mifflin - 2007
This book is divided into five sections: Fast, Easy, Fun, Phenomenal, and Good
to Know. It also includes resources for hard to find ingredients, which some
people find really helpful. It has beautiful color photos and lots of notes
from Cat throughout the book.
Cat Cora is the Food Network's only female Iron Chef and I enjoy watching her
compete on that show.
I made the Two Bean Salad with Hearts of Palm and Blue Cheese and it was
great. It was so pretty layered in my glass pedestal serving bowl. I did have trouble
finding Sherry Vinegar so I used 1/2 red wine vinegar and 1/2 rice wine
vinegar. I also used black beans instead of kidney since I forgot to get more
kidney beans and had a couple cans of black beans already in the cabinet.
Dexter likes black beans better anyway. He also wants me to leave out the
chick peas and make this one again.
Cat encourages you to "cook from the hip" (hence the title of the book),
taking these recipes as guide lines. She suggests using what you have on hand
or your family enjoys and making substitutions if desired, which I did. This
is a beautiful, fun book to read, cook from and enjoy.
Rotisserie Chickens to the Rescue
By Carla Fitzgerald Williams
- 2003
If you like rotisserie chicken and want some great recipes to use them in then this is the book for you. Most of the recipes are quick and easy. I got this one at the LA Times Book Festival several years ago and got it signed by the author. She was a very nice lady.
Jack Daniel's Old Time Barbecue Cookbook
By Vince Staten
The Sulgrave Press - 2001
Lots of good information about barbecuing in this one. Many of the recipes do use Jack Fun book to read as well as cook from.
Jack Daniel's Hometown Celebration Cookbook, Volume II
By Pat Mitchamore
Rutledge Hill Press - 1990
This is the seconed book by Pat Mitchamore and Lynne Tolley. It has some interesting information as well as some good sounding recipes, many using, of course, Jack Daniels.
Hala Food Fun and Laughter
By Linda D. Delgado
- 2005
Even though the target audience for this book is Muslim cooks, I think
cookbook collectors who are interested in or curious about other
cultures or religions would find this book to be a great addition to their
collections. If you like trying new recipes from around the world then
this is a great little book.
Passion for Potatoes
By Lydie Marshall
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1992
When I was growing up there were three things that were always on our table at supper time, one was some kind of meat, the 2nd was usually corn bread but occasionally biscuits, and the last and most important was potatoes, so naturally this was a book I had to add to my collection.
On the back of the book there are praises for the book from such famous people as Patricia Wells, and Alice Waters. Inside along with the recipes is a history of potatoes, how to store them, and potato folklore.
Chapters included are:
Appetizers; Soups; Potato Salads; Breads; Main Courses; Mashed Potatoes;
Baked,Sauteed, Braised and Roasted Potatoes; Fries; Gratins and Scalloped Potatoes; Potato Dumplings and Gnocchi; Potato Pancakes; and Desserts.
It only has a few pictures and they are black and white drawings, mostly of potatoes. I love the sidebars on each page. They tell something about
the recipe itself - such as where it came from, what to serve with the dish, or ideas, tips ect.
Bobby Flay's Throwdown!: More Than 100 Recipes from Food Network's Ultimate Cooking Challenge
By Bobby Flay, Stephanie Banyas, Miriam Garron
Clarkson Potter - 2010
Are you ready for a Throwdown? If you're a fan of Throwdown with Bobby Flay then you're familiar with that phrase. This book includes recipes from Throwdown seasons 1 through 7 and the pilot episode. For each episode you get the recipe from Bobby and the person he challenges. There are also favorite throwdown moments and behind the scenes peeks.
If you enjoy the show then you'll love this book. You can try some of the recipes and decide if the judges make the right picks. Even if you're not a fan of the show you might still enjoy this book as it's filled with regional favorites from across the USA.
Semi-Homemade Money-Saving Slow-Cooking: 128 Quick-to-Cook Meals
By Sandra Lee
Wiley - 2009
I got this one recently from Paper Back Swap. I enjoy using my slow cooker, especially during the week when I can put things in the cooker before I leave for work and return to a nice hot meal. Since I'm always on a budget being money saving meals helped me to place this book on my wish list.
In the beginning of the book Sandra gives you hints, tips, and information about cooking in a slow cooker, as well as how to choose the best one for the job you want to do. She tells you about cuts of meats, flavor enhancers, cooking with wine, even baking, and sizes of slow cookers.
I know many people think of mixes, cans and prepackaged foods when they hear Sandra Lee's name but she uses lots of fresh and frozen ingredients in many of these recipes. She does use shortcuts and often some mixes, cans or prepackaged items in addition to the fresh ingredients.
There is a beautiful photo for every recipe. After the name of the recipe at the top she gives you prep time, cook time, slow cooker setting (high, Low), standing time, and makes (how many servings).
I have picked out several recipes to try including some calling for frozen seasoning blend. I wasn't sure what that was so I went to one of the web sites listed in her book, www.sandralee.com or www.semihomemade.com and searched around there a bit. When I didn't find what I was looking for I clicked on contact and asked. I received an answer in a couple days that it's a combination of frozen vegetables. There are two brands she suggests Pictsweet Seasoning Blend or McKenzie Seasoning Blend.
Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe
By Joanne Chang, Christie Matheson
Chronicle Books - 2010
I won this one from Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms. The book is autographed by the author, she wrote: "Make life sweeter... eat dessert First! Joanne Chang"
I only have one complaint about this book the print is a little small in the ingredients listing. It's also a bit light there and in the directions. The information included with each recipe is in much bigger and darker print. The instructions are bigger type but still a bit light and hard on older eyes.
The book begins with a few in depth informational chapters to help your baking projects turn out their best. Chapters there include: an Introduction, Techniques, Equipment, Ingredients, and Joanne's Top 12 Baking Tips. The next chapters get to the goodies: Breakfast Treats, Cookies, Cakes, Pies + Tarts, Other Sweets, and Bread. At the end of the book you get Acknowledgments, the Index, and Table of Equivalents.
There is some interesting reading before each recipe about how it came to be on the menu, where she came up with the idea or some memory from the author. She gives both weights and measures for many of the ingredients. She also includes tips with some of the recipes she calls Baker's Bites. With some of the recipes at the end she gives you an option to change the recipe a bit and calls this Same recipe, different flavors.
Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients
By Ina Garten
Clarkson Potter - 2008
If you like the Barefoot Contessa's other books I think you'll enjoy this one also. I love the green used in this book, it's my favorite color. Like her other books it has wonderful photography. You know the kind that makes you want to lick the pages!
In this one she gives you some hints and tips and even shares some of her food secrets at the beginning of the book. Also included on one page at the beginning of each chapter she gives you some good advice about different topics. At the end she answers some FAQ's to help with some basic food questions. She says you can go to her website barefootcontessa.com to see an ever evolving list. On her website are also menus using all her previous books and this one as well.
The book is divided into the following chapters: cocktail hour, soup, lunch, dinner, vegetables, dessert, and breakfast. She also includes a sources page, barn sources and resources, menus, index and a recipe index.
I also like the little tid bits she includes at the beginning of each recipe, something like when she made the recipe, where it came from originally, how she came up with it, or a hint or tip about it. There are also little tips included beside some of the recipes.
Gritslickers: Southern Home Cooking for Today's Cooks
By Lisa Lofton Shively
Lisa Shively Cookbooks - 2005
I got this one at the Southern Women's Show and had it autographed by Lisa. I love the name of this one and Lisa includes the story of how this one was named in the book. Think cityslickers only southern.
I love to cook and enjoy tackling a more complicated and complex recipe when I have the time. On a work night it's usually a different story. I'm exhausted most days when I get home from work at 5 PM, or sometimes even later. On those nights I want nothing more than to get in and out of the kitchen in as little time as possible and with little effort and clean up. It's also a definite plus if the meal is economical. You'll find this type of recipes in Gritslickers.
LIsa says she's often called thrifty, sometimes even as an insult, but she always considers it a compliment. She rarely spends more than $5 on meat for a meal for her family of four. Her recipes more often than not call for a short list of ingredients, which are always found at your local supermarket and quiet often already in your pantry or fridge.
There is a short note included after every recipe. Type is easy to read and black. The book lays flat on your counter. There is up to three recipes per page. Included is a page of tips and a few pages of stories at the beginning of the book. Chapters include: Appetizers & Beverages; Soups & Salads; Vegetables & Side Dishes; Main Dishes; Bread & Rolls; Desserts; Cookies & Candy; This & That.
If you enjoy southern recipes, notes and stories with your food, economical and easy recipes, I think you'll enjoy this one.
I've made several of the recipes already with great results and little effort.
The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life
By Ellie Krieger
Taunton - 2008
I fell in love with this book the moment I laid eyes on it. It has beautiful color photos throughout. Not only does it include nutritional information, it also tells you what nutrients the recipe is an excellent source of and a good source of. In the beginning she shows the essential nutrients for good health and their daily values and functions.
Ellie shares tips for a healthier way to eat and cook, and also shares her New Way Pantry to help get you started on the right track. There are boxes with tips throughout the book. Each recipe begins with an interesting brief note from Ellie.
As soon as I got home with this one I read it from cover to cover and was eager to begin cooking from it. I made a list of over 50 recipes I want to try.
I like Ellie's philosophy that recipes and foods fall into three categories, Usually, Sometimes, and Rarely and there is no Never. She says no ingredients are off limits, some just need to be saved for special occasions or the rare craving.
Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again
By Ina Garten
Clarkson Potter - 2006
I love watching the Barefoot Contessa on the food network and get great ideas for meals as well as trying many of her recipes. This book has beautiful color photos - one for almost every dish.
Each chapter begins with some interesting comments from Ina about topics such as: making a grocery list, outdoor parties, planning a menu, designing a kitchen, and developing a recipe. Included with each recipe is a paragraph just under the recipe title. Also on the side of almost every recipe is a hint or tip sometimes even two. These hints and tips as well as the recipe names are written in bright colors -- orange, green, blue, purple and red. The recipes and paragraphs before are in black ink.
The Comfort Table: Recipes for Everyday Occasions
By Katie Lee
Simon Spotlight Entertainment - 2009
This is a beautiful menu book, filled with lots of color food photos. There are menus for a few holidays and special occasions as well as everyday occasions.
Katie says the most important thing her grandma taught her about being a hostess is that it isn't just about the food -- it's mostly about the way you make people feel in your home. I love what she says about the title of her book, if you put the words "comfort" and "table" together you get comfortable.
There's only one thing I don't like about this book. A few recipes are continued on a page where you have to flip back and forth. Thank goodness it's only a few.
I like that she includes a little story with each recipe. She also includes a few tips throughout the book. Along with the menu at the beginning of each chapter she includes a wine suggestion as well as a play list of music for the event.
My daughter, Sarita chose the Roasted Pumpkin and Pomegranate Salad from the Fall Harvest Dinner Menu, for part of her birthday supper 2009. It was wonderful. My sister, Sarah and son, Dexter who didn't think they'd like it really enjoyed it and my sister had two heaping helpings. We couldn't get my husband, Harold or Sarita's husband, Andrew to try it.
If you enjoy menu cookbooks or need a new book for entertaining ideas I think you'd enjoy this one.
The Deen Bros. Cookbook
By Jamie Deen, Bobby Deen, Melissa Clark
Wiley - 2007
If you are a fan of the Food Network show Road Tasted that Bobbie and Jamie once hosted (it's now hosted by the Neely's who's BBQ place is in the book), and thought this book contained recipes from the people and places they visited, you'd be wrong. Even though the places and people are featured in the book the recipes are from Jamie and Bobby themselves. They include recipes in each chapter that reminds them of the places they visited.
The book is divided into The South, The West, The Midwest and the East. In each section there is information on and photos of the people and places they visited, the types of food served there, and the recipes, along with more color photos of the finished dishes, the brothers came up with for the book. The foreword for the book is written by proud Mom - Paula Deen.
If you enjoyed the show I think you'll enjoy this book. I got this one recently from paper back swap. I decided to try the boys version of Mac and cheese from the Midwest section. This recipe was inspired by Beechwood Cheese Company, Beechwood, Wisconsin as was, Classic Cheese Fondue and Pecan Crusted Cranberry Cheese Balls. We all loved the mac and cheese here.
Sara's Secrets for Weeknight Meals
By Sara Moulton
Broadway - 2005
I used to enjoy Sara Moulton's, Cooking Live and Sara's Secrets on the food network. I've had this book awhile and am just starting to catch some of the PBS shows that feature recipes from this book.
In this book Sara shares her secrets and recipes for getting good, healthy meals on your table during weeknights when many of us are tired after a long day's work. She also gives you tips and lists for stocking your pantry for ease of preparing recipes in the book. There are gorgeous color photos and the print is green and brownish but still quiet easy to read.
In most of the recipes she gives you suggestions for substitutions for many ingredients to suit your families tastes or what you might already have on hand. Most ingredients can be found at your local super market but for those few rare harder to find ones she lists mail order sources.
After the introduction she has a chapter called How to Use this book, where she gives a brief description of each chapter as well as suggestion on how to get your weeknight meals to the table faster. Then comes a chapter on Stocking your pantry. This is followed by chapters called: Basics; Soups for Supper; Entree Salads; The Substantial Sandwich; Breakfast for Dinner; Poultry; From the Meat Dept; From the Sea; Vegetable Plates; Shop and Serve; Just Open the Pantry; Cooking Ahead; Side Dishes Take Center Stage; Quick Sauces; Easy Desserts; Sources; and finally the Index.
Sara lists hands on and total prep time for every recipe. There are more than 200 recipes included and if you consider all the ingredient substitutions that can enhance and change a recipe, there are really many more than that. I love reading what the book cover refers to as Sara's warm, and friendly head notes" that are included in the recipes.
Biker Billy's Freeway-A-Fire Cookbook: Life's Too Short to Eat Dull Food
By Bill Hufnagle
Cookbooks - 1999
This is a vegetarian cookbook filled with spicy recipes which range from mild to extremely hot. Besides the recipes there are also tips for growing, buying, handling, and cooking with the hot peppers that make the recipes sizzle. The Burpee Seed Company named an extremely hot hybrid jalapeno after Biker Billy. This is his second cookbook, the first being, Biker Billy Cooks with Fire.
In the first chapter there is a Scoville unit list and a list dividing the peppers into - mild, medium, hot and atomic. He also lists them by fresh and dry and describes each. He shares his biker pantry. There are recipes for salads, pasta, appetizers, breads, main dishes, and even drinks.
One thing some people might find irritating is that the names of recipes and list of ingredients are in a red ink.
If you are vegetarian and like you food on the spicy and sometimes wildly hot side or just want to add more wild and spicy vegetable dishes to your life, then I think this is a good book for you.
Paula Deen & Friends: Living It Up, Southern Style
By Paula Deen
Simon & Schuster - 2005
Paula Deen starts the book off just like she does her show -- Hey, Y'all!. I can hear her voice with the familiar southern drawl as I read the introduction. In the introduction she continues the story where she left off in a previous book. She shares some more about her and Michael and of marrying him on a food network special called Paula Deen's Wedding. She also shares a little about the movie Elizabethtown she played in. She ends the introduction similar to the way she always ends her shows, sending best dishes and love from Savannah, GA.
Lots of great sounding recipes Deen style are included in this book. If you enjoy Paula's Home Cooking, her other cookbooks, or southern cuisine, then this is the book for you. Paula and her friends share stories, ideas for southern style entertaining and their recipes in this wonderful book.
I like the little notes from Paula included with each recipe. Be forewarned though for those who don't enjoy colored ink, the ingredients for each recipe are in dark blue ink, the rest of the recipe is in black. I don't think the dark blue is hard to read at all though so maybe it won't distract from the recipe for anyone.
Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader: Recipes from Mitford Cooks, Favorite Tales from Mitford Books
By Jan Karon
Viking Adult - 2004
If you've read any of the Mitford books by Jan Karon you'll know that food often plays an important part in the characters lives. Some fans actually wrote Ms. Karon and told her that her books made them hungry. This book is great for reading as well as to cook from.
I really enjoy the Mitford books and can relate to them. They are set in North Carolina. This book has lots of southern recipes since Mitford is a fictional town patterned after Blowing Rock, NC, where Karon lived for awhile. Karon was born in Wilson, NC.
Liver mush, Baloney, Dukes Mayonnaise, White Lily Flour -- some of the very familiar items I've grown up with and are explained and included in this book for those who may not be familiar with them.
Although this book is mainly targeted to Mitford fans, if you enjoy southern cooking or want to find out a little about the books in the series, I think you'll also enjoy this book. Jan Karon's books tend to pull you in and make you feel a part of the Mitford family and I think this is also true of the Mitford cookbook. Jan even shares some of her real family photos with us in this book. Good reading, good food, and you feel like a part of the family.
This book is divided into chapters which are the titles of Mitford books, with the last chapter being of Karon's Mama's recipes. Included in the chapters are excerpts from that book, favorite recipes of the characters, and also helpful hints.
You'll read Jan's thoughts on aprons, what several people told her they'd want for their last meal, and you can learn how to season a black iron skillet, among other things. You'll be treated to recipes for 150 dishes that will please almost anyone. Good down home cooking.
Included is one of Ms Karon's most requested recipes -- Esther's Orange Marmalade Cake. She kept telling people it was a fictional cake but they kept requesting the recipe. In 1997 Victoria Magazine invited her to be their writer-in residence. During the year she was there she wrote a Mitford story that was printed in the magazine and in that story she also mentioned the now legendary cake. That story is also reprinted in the Mitford cookbook. And editor at the magazine there said there should be a recipe for that cake. The recipe was created by Scott Peacock, famous chef and often linked to Ms. Edna Lewis, a wonderful southern cookbook author. They co-authored the book The Gift of Southern Cooking.
Jack Daniel's Spirit of Tennessee Cookbook
By Lynne Tolley, Pat Mitchamore
Nelsonword Publishing Group - 2009
Lynn Tolley is the great-grandneice of Jack Daniels and is the proprietress of Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House Restaurant in Lynchburg TN.
Not all recipes in the book use Jack Daniels but many do. There are lots of great information and photos included among the recipes. Included in the information is How Jack Daniel's is made; About Barrels and Barrel houses; Hog Killing time in Tennessee; Tennessee Walking Horses; Southern Food Something Special; The art of Tall Tales and The Lynchburg Hardware and General Store, to name a few.
If you enjoy cooking with spirits or a bit of history with your recipes, then this would be a good book for your collection.
The Gift of Southern Cooking: Recipes and Revelations from Two Great American Cooks
By Edna Lewis, Scott Peacock
Knopf - 2003
I immediately read it from cover to cover when I got this one. This is one that was so interesting to me it was hard to put down. It's almost as if you can hear Miss Lewis and Scott Peacock talking to each other and you, while sharing their love of cooking and eating southern food. Many of the recipes combine the best from each of the authors recipes to make an even better one. They also share parts of their lives and families with you through recipes and wonderful photos. If you enjoy southern cooking then I think you'd enjoy having this book in your collection.
I love the way each recipe has some background information included with it. These are the places where you feel that you're being let in on the authors secrets of great southern cooking. This book isn't meant for those on a diet though since they often use butter and lard.
Fast Food Fix: 75+ Amazing Recipe Makeovers of Your Fast Food Restaurant Favorites
By Devin Alexander
Rodale Books - 2006
Devin Alexander has a show on Discovery Health called Healthy Decadence She is also the author of The Biggest Loser Cookbook.
With this book you can have your fast food and still loose or maintain weight. Nutritional information is included for all recipes. In the first chapter she tells you how she choose the recipes for the book and how she came up with the healthier versions. I enjoyed reading this section as well as what she wrote about each recipe.
She includes Drive thru tips which are time savers, and Even Better tips which save more calories and use even less fat. Most recipes make only one serving but are easy to double or triple or what ever to make as many as you need for your family. She also uses a clock symbol to denote which recipes can be made in 30 minutes or less and there are 58 of those. There is also a Stop sign to indicate things you need to know before you start a recipe.
The Most Decadent Diet Ever!: The cookbook that reveals the secrets to cooking your favorites in a healthier way
By Devin Alexander
Broadway - 2008
Devin is also the author of The Biggest Loser Cookbook, The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook, and Fast Food Fix.
I enjoy cooking from this one. Nutritional information is included for all the recipes. Sometimes she even gives two and in some cases even three different serving size nutritional information in case you want to eat a bigger or smaller serving size. I find this very helpful.
At the beginning of the book she gives you information on following a food plan like the way she eats. She has maintained a fifty-five pound weight loss for over 16 years. She is a chef and former LA, CA caterer. She also encourages you to follow your own plan, whatever it may be and incorporate the recipes in the book into your plan.
There is lots of great reading in this book. She includes interesting background information with each recipe. Things like how she came to make the recipe healthy and information on where to purchase some ingredients you may not be familiar with. At the beginning of the book she also shares her decadent pantry with you, as well as a section on explaining ingredients you might not be familiar with and a helpful tool list. There are lots of great color photos.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting some tasty healthy recipes. These recipes fit well if you are a weight watcher or just watching your calorie count or even want to follow her Healthy Decadent Diet.
Last Dinner On the Titanic: Menus and Recipes from the Great Liner
By Rick Archbold, Dana McCauley, Walter Lord
Hyperion - 1997
This was a very interesting read with some photos of recovered items from the
actual Titanic as well as photos, paintings and drawings of some of the
famous passengers from the ship. There is a picture of the actual menu from
the first classs dining saloon and according to the book it would have
probably included eleven courses. Included in this were things like Oysters a
la Russe, Cream of Barley Soup, Poached Salmon with Mousseline Sauce, Filets
Mignons Lili, Lamb with Mint Sauce, Poasted Squab on wilted cress, many
veggies, Waldorf Pudding, Chocolate Painted Eclairs, and of course wine or
spirits with every course.
A third class meal included vegetable soup, Roasted Pork with Sage and Pearl
Onions, Green peas, Boiled Potatoes, Plum Pudding wiht Sweet Sauce, Cabin
Biscuits and oranges.
Included in the book is information on how to host your own recreation of the
Last dinner on the Titanic and how to brief your guests to portray different
people who were onboard.
There are 50 recipes included in this book which are said to be researched and
carefully tested for modern kitchens.
New Soul Cooking: Updating a Cuisine Rich in Flavor and Tradition (Melting Pot)
By Tanya Holland, Ellen Silverman
Stewart, Tabori and Chang - 2003
his is a beautiful book from one of my favorite people from the now canceled, food network
show, Melting Pot. This book is also special since I got to see Tanya at the LA
Times book festival and she autographed the book to me. Growing up in the south
I grew up on good old southern type soul food and it's nice to have this book
that uses fresh and healthy ingredients. Even though there is no nutritional
values listed you can tell by the ingredients that these dishes are healthier
for you than many of the standard southern recipes.
There are 95 recipes included in this book, many with beautiful color photos.
At the festival from this book Tanya made Sweet Potato Blinis with Bourbon-cured
salmon and caviar; File-crusted scallops with tomato and okra ragout; and a most
unusual dish - Raspberry Grit parfaits. They looked really good and she said the
photographers son loved them as proved by the picture of him enjoying one in the
book.
Weight watchers take out tonight
By
Weight Watchers Publishing Group - 2002
I love this book! Out of 150 recipes there are 111 I'd love to try. Several
more really but there are a few items in those that are harder to find here such
as miso, wakame, fresh tuna (can sometimes but the price is outrageous), mirin
and a few others. Most recipes use ingredients that are readily available in our
area or they offer substitutions that are.
This book includes lots of favorite take out items made healthier. Each of the
recipes includes easy how to tips and nutritional information as well as weight
watcher point values for each serving. Each recipe has a fraction of the fat and
calories of it's restaurant counterpart but in my opinion all the flavor. At
least that's true for the three recipes we've tried so far.
Mom picked this one up for me not too long ago at a yard sale. I'm sure glad
she did as I'm gong to be using this one quiet a bit since there are so many of
our favorite dishes included. Things like Hot and Sour Soup, Shrimp & Pork Won
tons, Shrimp Fried Rice, General Tso's Chicken, Chicken Empanadas, Spinach Rice
& Black Bean Burritos, Nachos Supreme, California Vegetable Rolls, Pizza
Margherita, Vegetable Calzones, Scampi, Shrimp Pad Thai, Tandoori Chicken, and
too many more to mention. Am I making you hungry yet?
To start off I made out a list of 25 recipes I thought our family would enjoy.
I then listed all the ingredients I don't normally have on hand beside the
recipe to take with me to the grocery store. That way I can check my list
against sale items and pick a dish or two to try each week.
Most of the recipes include a clever cook's tip. In the back are a dry and
liquid measurement equivalent charts, and three lined pages for notes. There is
also a section in each chapter for the perfect pantry for that particular
cuisine.
A few days ago I made two recipes from the Indian section, Dal with Spiced
Tomatoes and Potatoes and Chapati (an Indian Bread). Sarita and I loved them
both. Harold and Dexter don't care much for India food but Harold did taste of
it. When Sarita was in college we occasionally had lunch together at an Indian
Buffet place near her college either when I took her back or picked her up. Now
we can make some of these items when ever we're in the mood.
Seasoned in the South: Recipes from Crook's Corner and from Home
By Bill Smith
Algonquin Books - 2006
his is a small, seasonal book divided into Fall, Winter, Spring and summer.
It utilizes the foods of each season just as they do at the Crook's Corner
restaurant, located in Chapel Hill, NC, where many of these recipes are served.
I haven't had the pleasure of eating there but I have heard many good things
about this restaurant and it's on my someday places to eat list.
I wish I could say I have this one in my collection but it is one I checked
out from the library. It is on my wish list though and in the mean time I've
copied a few recipes I want to try. His version of Fried Green Tomatoes,
Honeysuckle Sorbet, and Green Tabasco Chicken sound like dishes our family would
really enjoy tasting.
Bon Appetit Magazine called Crook's Corner, " a legend", and Travel and
Leisure Magazine called it, " country cookin' gone cool". Delta Sky rated it
"the best place to eat in Chapel Hill, in NC and possibly on earth."
Bill Neal was the first chef there in 1982 and was there for several years. He
also has several wonderful southern cookbooks available and I have a few of his.
For more than a decade Bill Smith has resided over the kitchen. While there he
has reinvented Southern Classics and also offers imaginative interpretations of
bistro fare.
He puts together traditional and classic southern dishes with his own unique
style. He includes some information about each recipe, such as who he got it
from, what he based it on, or how it came to be. He also includes commentary
about when and where he first acquired a taste for a certain food and a little
about people who have worked or eaten at the restaurant.