Showing posts with label home cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home cooking. Show all posts

Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread Cookbook Review

Dairy Hollow House Soup and Bread Cookbook
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This book is as fun to read as it is to cook from. Dragonwagon has a nice colloquial writing style and gives a lot of background on where each recipe comes from, trivia about the Ozarks and the inn she ran with her husband for many years.
Although this book does have a few pages focusing on breads and salads, the soup recipes (which make up about 75% of the book) are truly the shining stars here. The recipes are divided into chapters on chicken soups, fish soups, vegetable soups, bean soups, dairy soups, nut soups, and fruit/dessert soups. There is also a chapter devoted entirely to making the ultimate gumbo, and one on a very versatile "diet" soup. The majority of recipes fall into the vegetable/dairy/and bean soup categories - making this book quite suitable for vegetarians or people interested in cutting back on the amount of meat in their diets. She doesn't eat red meat, and you won't find any recipes that call for beef, pork, or lamb... although there are a couple of exceptions.
As other reviewers have mentioned, these recipes are all easily adaptable to what vegetables you already have in your refrigerator, though you will probably need to make regular trips to the store to stock up on fresh veggies if you intend to use this book often. The recipes call for lots of ingredients, but you can easily leave some out and still have a great tasting finished product. Many variations are given for each soup and some have ideas for using leftovers. Although she doesn't recommend it, bouillon cubes or canned stock could easily be substituted if you're short on time. However, if you ever wanted to learn how to make a great homemade stock, this is the place for it.
The recipes themselves are excellent and I have had fabulous results and many compliments when serving these soups to others. I highly recommend the Mexican-Style The Soup, Greek Navy Bean Soup, and Pea Soup Caraway Adelle. These soups are a wonderful way to save money and eat healthy while still pleasing your tastebuds.
The book has a nice design, but if you're looking for fancy photographs or art, you won't find them here.

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Confederate Cookbook, The: Family Favorites from the Sons of Confederate Veterans Review

Confederate Cookbook, The: Family Favorites from the Sons of Confederate Veterans
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In The Confederate Cookbook: Family Favorites From The Sons Of Confederate Veterans, Lynda Moreau has gathered up 340 diverse and delicious recipes from contemporary Confederate kitchens that range throughout every region of country but evoke the flavor of the Old South as past down to the descendants of the Confederacy through the more than 27,000 member "The Sons of Confederate Veterans", an hereditary organization. From Lynchburg Layered Salad, Southern Meat Loaf, and Skillet Chicken and Gravy, to Great Granny's Confederate Sweet Potato Souffle, Copper Carrot Pennies, and Fried Apple Pies, The Confederate Cookbook is a grand compendium of highly recommended dishes which are further enhanced for the family cook with historic anecdotes and images of identified Confederate soldiers.

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Over 340 of Dixieís finest recipes courtesy of kitchens from Florida to Alaska.

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What Can I Bring? Cookbook (Cake Mix Doctor) Review

What Can I Bring Cookbook (Cake Mix Doctor)
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I'm a good cook and baker, but every time I have to bring something to a get-together, I end up obsessing over what to bring. I fall back on the same old things so much that I get bored, even though people seem to enjoy what I bring. Recently, I have been asked to bring food for various organizations/activities--probably at least once a month. This book, which is under $20.00, is well worth the price. It has more than 200 recipes, and there is a very good variety of recipes, including vegetarian ones or ones that could be easily made vegetarian/vegan. That's important to me because I have a vegetarian daughter. It is great that the author provides information on how to increase the amount of servings if practical, and provides a time-line of how long to expect to take to make the dish. Her notes on "how to tote" the dishes are helpful, since getting the dish there intact is important. There are some recipes at the end of the book for gift-giving and they will be wonderful for Christmas gifts. I like that the author did all my trial-and-error work for me--testing what goes over well at a pot-luck, is fairly simply to make, and travels well. I want to buy more of her books after purchasing this one, because her recipes are "real life, without too many exotic ingredients, and food that people would actually eat.

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Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen: Recipes from My Family to Yours Review

Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen: Recipes from My Family to Yours
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I've been a fan of Trisha's for years (my husband even likes her music and he doesn't care for country music!), so this was a "must have" for me. I've collected lots of cookbooks over the years, but find myself returning to the same type over & over again. I'm sure this one will be one of those books. I've already made the brownies, which were excellent, and the Chicken Pie. Trisha stated that it was "pure comfort food" and the picture looked like a dish I used to order at a restaurant years ago at a restaurant back home in southern Ohio. It didn't disappoint! It was yummy and did taste a bit like the dish I remembered! Thanks for doing a book for people like me.....the ones who don't like complicated recipes, just good food!

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She's adored by fans as one of country music's top stars, but among family and friends, Trisha Yearwood is best known for another talent: cooking.Throughout her life–from her humble roots in Georgia to her triumphant recording years in Nashville and a fulfilling married life with husand Garth Brooks in Oklahoma–Trisha has always enjoyed feeding those she loves. Now she dishes up a collection of more than 120 of her go-to recipes in a tribute to both home-grown cooking and family traditions.Trisha believes a recipe always tastes better when it has a memory attached to it. Here, she teams up with her mother and sister to share their family's best-loved recipes. This is the kind of classic comfort food you'll want at the heart of your own family's mealtime memories.Inside is a full menu of Southern fare with a contemporary twist. But you don't have to be a Southerner to enjoy Yearwood family favorites such as:Trisha's Chicken Tortilla SoupGwen's Fried Chicken with Milk GravyStuffed Pork ChopsBreakfast Sausage CasseroleBlackberry CobblerBanana PuddingAlong with the recipes for inviting soups, textural salads, home-style family entrées, colorful side dishes, and irresistible desserts, Trishashares everything from charming personal anecdotes to practical advice, time-saving tips, and creative ingredient substitutions to accommodate all tastes.With full-color photographs taken in and around Trisha's homes and a foreword by Garth Brooks, this soul-warming slice of Southern life will delight country music fans and home cooks alike. Best of all, this is un-pretentious food that is easy to put together, satisfies even big country appetites, and tastes like home. Trisha's warm evocations of pre-paring food for loved ones will transport you back to your own childhood. These are recipes you'll enjoy with your family for years to come.

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A Cook's Journey to Japan: Fish Tales and Rice Paddies 100 Homestyle Recipes from Japanese Kitchens Review

A Cook's Journey to Japan: Fish Tales and Rice Paddies 100 Homestyle Recipes from Japanese Kitchens
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While the recipes in this book are sound, my largest complaint of this book is that they are all quite bland. They are the kind of foods one gets at Benihana when one orders from the menu instead of the Teppanyaki. Its not bad food, just very white bread and butter. The author's recipe descriptions are more bragging about her travels than anything else, not helpful to the recipes in any way. And I just find the whole book to be rather shallow, albeit nicely photographed. If you are looking for Japanese food recipes of any kind, then let Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art be your bible. As for this book, pick it up in a bargain bin, but pay full price for something else.

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The Best Simple Recipes Review

The Best Simple Recipes
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As a "seasoned" cook, I've been down most of the cooking routes: from the French classics, to one-hour gourmet, to complex vegetarian, to severe, healthy cooking by the docs. Now, I lean to this cookbook's style: simple, tasty, fresh and light -- somewhere between poached quenelles and fried tofu. This is a good grouping of contemporary recipes with zip, often with international flair (oriental, Mexican, etc.). Some recipes are updated twists on old faves like Tuna Melt but with artichokes; BLT salad using mayo-smeared croutons; vegetarian chili with corn; Southwestern salmon cakes. Others take classics but ditch the complex and daunting preparation-- like switching paper-thin potato slices for a potato chip mix or skipping the fish-steaming by laying salmon atop the asparagus, or using rotisserie chicken for a flavorful- but quick-chicken soup. Some clever ideas that work! The book has some surprising ingredient combos like kielbasa with potato leek soup. I appreciate the explanatory notes on the thoughtful but concise hows and whys of the recipes, and am impressed with the recommendations of brand name grocery items that they have tested. It's instructive without being pedantic or fussy. For those of us who like to see the cook in action, there are selected photos of some of the techniques and I picked up a few new ones. This is the kind of cookbook you can actually USE everyday, without resorting to the dumbed-down or goofy ones, or those with exotic hard-to-find ingredients or lengthy preparation. It reflects how we cook these days, and I plan to use it often.

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Most quick-recipe collections promise a lot but deliver very little. Bland, uninspired dishes may be fast, but will you make them again? And clever gimmicks sound great, but in reality, they rarely make sense. The team at America's Test Kitchen has created more than 200 easy-to-make 30-minute recipes that guarantee impressive results with a minimum of effort. With our test kitchen know-how (and relentless testing) we found ways to make naturally fast dishes faster, and traditionally slow-cooked dinners a weeknight option. But one thing we never did was settle on shortcuts that shortchanged flavor. Some compromises simply aren't worth making. No matter the path taken, every recipe in this book is foolproof, full-flavores and fast. And they come with our promise to you: Recipes that work. Every time.

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Cucina Di Calabria: Treasured Recipes and Family Traditions from Southern Italy (Cookbooks) Review

Cucina Di Calabria: Treasured Recipes and Family Traditions from Southern Italy (Cookbooks)
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Even with the knowledge that the author is a first-generation Italian-American (or, more accurately, Calabrian-American), I'm used to these cookbooks proclaiming to contain authentic recipes and they turn out to be nothing more than Italian cuisine that's been completely Americanized (Giada De Laurentiis is one example).
Not so with "Cucina di Calabria."
I was very happy that the author took the time to authenticate American Italian recipes (which, unfortunately but not surprisingly, have been completely Americanized in many cases) and that she tasted and tested the recipes she got from the always gracious people of Calabria. Her efforts paid off in the final product and I'm proud that, finally, a cookbook of the wonderful cuisine that is Calabria's is available to the cooking public in the English language.
While Palmer did an outstanding job with this book, it's important to know that there is no such thing as *the* definitive Italian cookbook. Many people (sadly, American Italians most of all) don't realize that Italy has never been a truly united country since Roman times (and even then it was splintered). The North has a heavy French, Slavic, and German influence (among others) that's prevalent in their cooking (polenta, butter, cream, lard, and the like are staples of Northern Italian cooking) while the South has a heavy Greek, Albanian, and Middle Eastern influence in their cooking style (olive oil, peppers, spaghetti, pizza, etc.). Despite all that, though, the author did one hell of a job in compiling a cookbook that, as it stands now, is the bible for Calabrese cooking.
It also helps to take the time to read the detailed history of Calabria she included in the beginning of the book. I'm grateful for the fact that she didn't overlook the Greek and Albanian influences that are prevalent in Calabria to this day and also included the fact that there is a strong Middle Eastern influence in Calabrian food. And I'm glad someone had the nerve to call it like it is with the prejudice that Northern Italians have against their own people in Southern Italy. Not a lot of people would admit to that but it's very true.
I couldn't have said it any better when Palmer said that Calabrian cuisine took the best of the people who invaded the land over the centuries and made it their own. (And an enthusiastic thumbs up for including two recipes she got from one of my ancestors' towns - Luzzi, in the province of Cosenza!).
I highly recommend this book for its authenticity and downright delicious and easy to prepare food that will result.

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5 Ingredients or Less Cookbook (Gooseberry Patch) Review

5 Ingredients or Less Cookbook (Gooseberry Patch)
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Thus far, everything in this cookbook is GOOD and HANDY (I have only had it a week or so, and have already used it three times, to the neglect of my other Gooseberry Patch cookbooks!) It's lots of fun just to read the recipes, which are both mouth-watering and almost TOO easy. Clear, simple instructions will please even the most novice cooks. I also loved how this book was organized by season: lighter, fresher dishes in the summer section; cozier, comfort-food dishes in the fall and winter.
The recipes are also extremely inexpensive to make, and in many cases, by using the staples you probably already have. In other words, this book is a no-lose situation! I'd choose it as a gift for any newlywed, college student, or family-on-the-go.
There are even really cute ideas for dressing up and changing flea-market finds, and other simple crafts and decorating ideas that even a fumble-fingers such as myself can handily accomplish.
Only one very minor complaint...it seemed that some seasonings were left out of a few the recipes, simply to keep them under 5 ingredients. But the basics here are so good I wouldn't have minded if they called for 10 ingredients.
UPDATE: Today I made the recipe for BIG Chocolate Cookies on Page 57. Something went wrong, or there was poor editing in temperature or ingredients, or SOMETHING. I ended up with a huge, gloppy, inedible mess. I've been baking since age 9 and have never had such a failure as this particular recipe. Gah!!

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The perfect addition to a busy mom's library, this cookbook is filled with time-trimming recipes! Using only 5 ingredients or less, you'll find delicious recipes like buttery garlic chicken, anytime cheesy biscuits and gooey brownies. Best of all, it features plenty of time-saving tips and ideas for making hearty homestyle meals to enjoy with family & friends. Hardcover cookbook, 224 pages.

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Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly: Recipes from Southern Appalachia Review

Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly: Recipes from Southern Appalachia
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"My place, in the midst of this abundance of nature, is back in a mountain hollow on a bad dirt road surrounded by forest, wild blackberries, mountain critters, wildflowers, a few neighbors, and a passel of 'dawgs.'"
So writes Joan Aller, author of this season's must-have cookbook, "Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly: Recipes from Southern Appalachia."

And it's not like Joan Aller is an East Tennessee native who's walked the Appalachian trail with the likes of Bill Bryson or South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. She's from the West, and might be living there still but for urban sprawl and environmental ugliness. So she first moved to Nashville, which is very much a city, and then further East.

Joan Aller is an artist by profession and fearless by nature. No soon had she painted her mailbox than she was off, photographing barns and bridges and learning the ways of her new neighbors. That led quickly to food --- and five years of research. At the end, she had gorgeous photographs of Southern Appalachia, luscious photographs of Southern food, and 8,000 pages of recipes and history.

The good news is that Ms. Aller and her editors put her work on a diet. The result is a 212-page book that was extravagantly handsome until my wife and I started dog-earing the pages. Silly us --- we want to cook almost everything here. Our only non-starters: Appalachian wine, root beer and --- no kidding --- moonshine.

See if just the names don't make you look at your watch to see if it's time for some meal or other: Kentucky "hot brown" (turkey-bacon-Colby cheese sandwich drenched in Tabasco-spiked milk gravy), Mississippi Sin (French bread, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, cooked ham, sour cream, accented with sweet onion, bell pepper and Worcestershire sauce), Butternut Squash Soup with Sweet Tea and Ginger, George Washington Carver's Sweet Potato Pie, Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole, Corn Cob Jelly, And a dip made of equal parts chopped sweet onion, grated cheese and mayonnaise, baked for 25 minutes at 350.

And....but you see the problem --- with the possible exception of boring old blue cheese balls, this book rocks like the Allman Brothers.

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There are many cookbooks about Southern cooking, but precious few celebrate the southern Appalachian food that has sustained mountain folk past and present. Thankfully, we now have Joan E. Aller's Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly.Featuring more than 150 recipes for down-home, soul-satisfying dishes, Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly is more than just a cookbook. Complete with passages on the history, places, and people of southern Appalachia, along with lush full-color photography of the food and scenery of the southern Appalachian Mountains, Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly serves as both a cookbook and a guided tour of the local lore, traditions, and culture of this uniquely American region.

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1,000 Vegetarian Recipes Review

1,000 Vegetarian Recipes
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My mother in-law bought me this book shortly after I married her son. I think she was a little worried that he wouldn't eat well because he married a vegetarian. Our first year of marriage I used only this cookbook and a few recipes my mom had given me. I can't tell you how exciting it was to sit down, read through a section of the book, write a grocery list for the items I would need, write out a dinner menu for the whole week and then call my friends to tell them what I was fixing on each night and ask them what sounded good to them so they could join us for dinner. I did this for several months until my evenings were filled with other activities. (Eating was definitely an activity when it came to using this book.) I have enjoyed every recipe I have used from this book. And they're so easy!! Here are a few of my recommendations (I don't have page numbers in front of me): The Barbecue Red Beans, Corn and Rice; Manicotti; Fajitas; Falafel; Hummus; Black Bean Hummus; and so many more. My only problem with some of the recipes is that I'm not a big salt eater and so I changed a few of the measurements on some recipes. And also, because she uses a lot of cheese (which is my favorite food) I gained a lot of weight that year. I do love the fact that she doesn't suggest using lowfat or non-fat foods to make the recipes but use caution. This is a "must have" cookbook if you love eating really good food!!

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Not just for vegetarians, there's never been a better time for this award-winning book! Carol Gelles, one of the best-known authorities on the subject, offers hundreds of appetizers, entrees, soups, salads, and more, proving that vegetarian cuisine is anything but boring. The flavor combinations are limitless, drawing on the ingredients and spices from every international cuisine. Discussions of vegetables, grains, beans, and soyfoods are interspersed throughout the recipes, making the book easy enough for beginners to follow. And every recipe is coded as lacto-vegetarian (some dairy products), ovo-vegetarian (some egg products), or vegan (made without dairy or meat products).

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Campbell's Weeknight Cooking Review

Campbell's Weeknight Cooking
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As a newlywed and busy college student, this book has been a lifesaver! I bought it on a whim, but this is one time when a cookbook has changed my entire outlook on cooking! I refuse to cook anything that makes me spend time mincing or calls for 1/3 tsp of something they don't have in our small town grocery store. This book has quick, easy meals that are healthy and fulfill my husband's hearty appetite! He and I have loved everything I've made so far! Another bonus: there are not a ton of ingredients for each recipe and everything listed is inexpensive! We are definitely on a budget and we are able to enjoy a nice dinner with these recipes! There is a plastic cover around the outside to make for easy clean-up if something gets spilled on the cover. My book is not spiral bound, but generally stays open while cooking. Also, almost every recipe has a picture which helps me understand what the final product should look like and even offers a variety of sides to think about adding. This is a must-have for anyone like me. Food is important, but with a busy life on a budget, I don't have money or time to bother with multiple ingredients and difficult instructions. I need easy, cheap, quick meals that will keep us healthy and happy! This cookbook helps do exactly that!

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Preparing a tasty weeknight meal is easy and quick with the help of this cookbook. Choose from more than 60 recipes that include meals with four ingredients or fewer, casseroles, slow-cooked main dishes, salads, and side dishes. Campbell s cooking experts offer tips on planning and organizing meals, and getting creative with recipe ingredients.The cookbook is spiral-bound, so it lies flat when opened for easy use. You ll want to try these weeknight recipes prepared with Campbell s Soup products: Zesty Chicken Mozzarella Sandwiches Simply Delicious Meat Loaf and Gravy Tasty Pork Chops Chipotle Chili Three Cheese Baked Ziti with Spinach

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