1 comments about Kwanzaa: An African American Celebration Of Culture And Cooking.

1. Kwanzaa is rapidly approaching and as with all holidays requires detailed preparation. Contained in these pages are all the components you need for a meaningful Kwanzaa celebration with ritual and food.

   Eric Copage shares with us the origins of Kwanzaa as well as his own experiences in first celebrating the holiday. We are introduced to the seven princples of Kwanzaa and the relevance that it has for the African-American community.

   You can't have a true celebration unless good tasting food is present. At the very heart of the book are over 120 recipes for you to prepare for the Kwanzaa feast. The recipes are samples from Africans throughout the diaspora. Indulge yourself with pigeon peas and rice from the Caribbean. Avocado mousse with shrimp sauce from Brazil will tantilize your taste buds. A pot of mustard greens from "down home" (the South) in the United States will fill your belly. And let us not forget spicy matoke from Kenya. If you mouth is not watering yet for these delicious treats then something must be wrong with your taste buds.

   The above dishes are easy to make and you are provided with suggested menus for the feast. If by chance some of the unusual ingredients are not available in your local grocery store, never fear. Mail order resources are provided for you in the book. As Kwanzaa approaches enjoy the friendship, food and celebration but must of all stand firm with the principles which bind us together as a people. Enjoy! Happy Celebration.

5 comments about Black Family Dinner Quilt Book.

1. I purchased this cookbook 3 years ago, just on a whim. To my suprise, it's been one of the best investments I've ever made. My family loves the recipes! They remind me of the meals my grandmother used to make. Wonderful collard greens, cooked with smoked turkey wings, instead of hamhocks or salt pork; tasty oven-fried chicken breasts; mouthwatering barbecue chicken; and an array of great dessert recipes. The recipes are easy, and the nutritional information lets you know you're eating healthy. This is one book in my collection that never has time to get dusty.



2. I've enjoyed owning The Black Family Reunion Cookbook for many years, not only for its excellent recipes but also for the many narratives.

   Once again, the Council has issued a winner. The recipes I've tried out of this new book have worked as well as their original cookbook. Actually, I didn't notice that these recipes are supposed to be 'healthier' until I began to write this review!

   I've particularly enjoyed the black-eyed pea soup, the mustard greens and potato soup, and the collard greens and turkey wings. The pound cake recipe is standard, but the pear upside-down cake is terrific. The banana oatmeal cookies will be a hit for you. The chicken broccoli casserole is yummy!

   I could go on, but I'll just say that every recipe I've tried has worked well. This is good home-style cooking, nothing too fancy, and the recipes are well written.

   However, it's the stories and parables running through the book that make it special. I've always been a fan of Ms. Bethune, and the narratives here about her are particularly enjoyable.

   This book is not only excellent, but it's also an excellent buy!




3. I'm not a huge fan of soul food, but really like this cookbook nevertheless. The recipes were submitted by members of the council and are terrific. Importantly, the authors made efforts to cut out much of the fat from the recipes and did a great job.

   I also really enjoy the stories that are interspersed throughout the book. A number of prominent African-Americans share their memories of Dorothy Height and recount times that they shared a meal with her. One word of caution - the recipe for Hoppin' John calls for 2 pounds of brown rice...I think this is a typo and perhaps should read 2 cups. I ended up with a HUGE vat of rice with a few black eye peas. Otherwise, a very fine collection!




4. You can buy this book with confidence. You won't be disappointed. Unlike other cookbooks that entice you with 5 star reviews, only to be disappointed with 1 star results, this book delivers. So...sit back, relax and have a gastronomically good time.



5. I bought this book because I am an avid quilter. I wanted to see what quilts had to do with cooking. The book turned out to be so many things that delight me. I enjoyed the stories about famous African Americans. The recipes are great because, with the low calorie ingredients, you can have soul food without guilt. The quilts are displayed with a bit of quilt history and a glimpse into the soul of the quilter. I reach for this book again and again.

2 comments about African American Foodways: Explorations of History and Culture (The Food Series).

1. I guess I had an appreciation for a writer who writes for the masses, no pretense. I relatively enjoyed this book. I appreciated some author's more than others. I am blaming it on style of writing.
   
   My favorite contribution was Chicken and Chains by Pyche Wilson-Forson. I am interested enough to find the book and read it in its entirety. I also enjoyed Excavating the South's African American History by Anne Yentsch.



2. I used this book as a source for a college paper about African American foodways. This book is fascinating and provided so much information on a variety of subjects, including original sources of "Southern" American foods, and preparation methods that have their roots in Africa and the Caribbean. I have not read all the essays in this book, as they did not all apply toward my particular topic, but I am very impressed with the editing, the selection of essays, and the topic coverage in the essays I did read. If you are interested in the ways African American cooking methods and preferences have changed in the past 100 years, I would recommend reading "The Food of a Younger Land," edited by Mark Kurlansky, along with this book. "Building Houses out of Chicken Legs" by Psyche A. Williams-Forson is also excellent.

4 comments about Harlem Really Cooks: The Nouvelle Soul Food of Harlem.

1. From the HOT pink cover to the recipes that literally make your mouth water, this book is a joy! Many of the recipes are named after someone, and sound so deliciously REAL that you imagine yourself watching them cook and wishing you could sit down with them to sample the dish. Wonderful illustrations by Benny Andrews.....Let's Eat!



2. It's a great book. I like the fact that it's broked down into seasons and the receipes are easy to follow. The Cuban port receipe is wonderful! I love that it also has nice art work.



3. Harlem Really Cooks is more than a cookbook. It's a sharing of stories at a family reunion, a visit to an art gallery, it's experiencing Harlem, Africa or the Caribbean, without leaving home. I love this book and give it the highest recommendation.



4. Harlem Really Cooks is a beautiful work of visual and literary art that documents a specific period in Harlem through recipes, illustrations, references and stories. The book provides menus that are composed of a mélange of recipes from the author- Sandra Lawrence, and her social network which spans the US, Africa and the Caribbean. She shares personal and humorous stories around the menus and recipes that are gustatory celebrations of a slice of the American life, relationships between mothers and daughters, aunts and nieces, grandmothers and granddaughters, friendships forged across the Caribbean and Africa- Guyana, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Senegal and Ethiopia. Food is depicted as the expression of love, friendship, struggles and celebrations. This is complemented by Benny Andrews' selected works from his illustrations between 1985 to 2004, magnifying a part of life that is musical and poignant and that celebrates life and history. The blues motif illustrations complement the recipes influenced by the historical struggle. And, the selections from the Langston Hughes and Migrant series conjure up images of the poetry of Harlem renaissance and the first migration. These expressions of Sandra Lawrence and Benny Andrews provide a sense of timelessness in the shared understanding of food as the expression of love, commitment, meaningful interactions and history I read the book not as a cook book but as a historical document, designed beautifully and deserving a place in museums that capture a slice of the American life.

1 comments about Austin Leslie's Creole-Soul: New Orleans' Cooking With a Soulful Twist.

1. Austin Leslie remains one of the greatest chefs to come out of New Orleans. His untimely death, as a result of Hurricane Katrina, makes one appreciate even more his remarkable skills and his charismatic personality. These recipes sum up the whole of Creole and soul cooking. The book includes all of his famous recipes, including those for fried chicken and barbecued shrimp. The book's format is organized and easy to follow, important points for any cook. I'm so glad this book is available, because Chef will live forever. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in New Orleans' style cooking.

5 comments about Down-Home Wholesome: 300 Low-Fat Recipes from a New Soul Kitchen.

1. This is an excellent culinary memoir; the recipes are updated, defatted, and most importantly, delicious! 300 recipes in all--regional, family favorites--a new twist on early American soul.



2. I cook often, for big dinners and small ones, and I'm always on the lookout for new tastes and flavors. That's exactly why I loved this book so much! I mean, Soul Food that was light, elegant and tasted like fine French cooking--and was easy to prepare besides? I've devoured Down Home Wholesome, cooking at least half of the recipes within it--scrumptious! Plus, I really loved the warm way the author has with talking about her family, her reminiscences of her experiences with these foods, and her filling in the blanks on how the slave diet contributed to the length and breadth of the American palate. TRY THIS BOOK - YOU WON'T REGRET IT



3. I love cookbooks that speak to the reader as this one did. It was a virtual tour of the author's kitchen



4. I borrowed this book from the library and after finding at least 20 recipes I wanted to copy (and I was only through a third of it!) I bought this book. Ms. Carter has developed wonderful, homey recipes. You can practically smell her cooking as you read along! Her stories are delightful as well. I recommend this book as a true tribute to Soul Food at its best! Without losing any of the taste, she has succeeded in creating low fat meals that anyone would love! Bravo!



5. I have this book in my personal cooking library and have given it as a gift multiple times to others who enjoy southern cooking but want to keep the flavors while practicing healthy eating. The herbs and spices are not overwhelming, and the breakdown of nutrients helps to plan a varied and tasty menu for even a covered-dish dinner for our LARGE family of seven children and eighteen grandchildren.

3 comments about Grandma Lena's Big Ol' Turnip (Aesop Accolades (Awards)).

1. I am simply amazed at this author's talents on a daily basis. What a wonderful addition to my baby's brand new book collection! Bravo Denia!



2. Grandma Lena's Big Ol' Turnip is a soul-food picturebook adaptation of an old Russian folktale which is wonderfully illustrated by the fetching artwork of Jackie Urbanovic. A grand tall tail about woman who takes good care of her garden; the biggest turnip in it is so humongous that Grandma Lena, Uncle Isadore, Aunt Netty, and the dog can't make it budge! Who will make the difference? Exuberant color pictures add a whimsical touch to this cheerful tale with a positive message: "Anything worth doing is worth doing right".



3. My daughter, Lena, 3 years old, loves this book. The title first caught her interest but she also enjoys the story. Gardens are intriguing to her and this story centered around a garden brings so many other positive lessons to light including cooperation, sharing, community spirit, family. I highly recommend this book to be included in any children's collection at home or teacher's collection at school.

3 comments about The Healthy Soul Food Cookbook: How to Cut the Fat but Keep the Flavor.

1. The book begins with an insightful glimpse into the world of traditional "soul food": its origins and components. Wilbert Jones does a wonderful job of making simple adaptations to create healthy, extremely flavorful, and virtually fat-free recipes of my time-worn favorites. I was introduced to Jones' work in the form of the Black-Eyed Pea Veggie Burger...a flavorful alternative to fast-food albeit not as fast a meal as I initially estimated. Since that introduction, I have prepared his Skillet Corn Bread, Collard Greens, and Red Bean and Rice. Absolutely, positively delicious!!! Even my picky eaters had no problems with "Mom's experiments!!" My only criticism of this cookbook is that it is too short!! I look forward to more of Jones' work in the future!



2. I have to confess that I have not read the book, but I did order the book today, along with my sister Dorothy & our cousin Teretha. Skeet, I had no idea that you had written so many books. When you came to Clarksdale years ago to research your first book, I had no idea that it would lead to several more. Wilbert Jones or "Skeet" as I know him, lived in Clarksdale, MS for quite some time and later moved up North (as we say in the South)to Chicago (I think). Anyway, Mr. Jones was my neighbor and I would love to hear from him. If there is a way that you can get this to him, I would appreciate it. By the way, this is Ms. Nancy's daughter. I can't wait to get the book.



3. This is a wonderful recipe book! My husband especially appreciates it, because I am a horrible cook. The recipes are very tasty. I learned how to make a great cole slaw, black eyed peas & chicken! Yum! I recommend this book to everyone!

   This chef makes magic with the soul food spice mix.

No comments about What the Slaves Ate: Recollections of African American Foods and Foodways from the Slave Narratives.

2 comments about Food for the Soul: Recipes and Stories from the Congregation of Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church.

1. I *love* this cookbook. It is gorgeous (with many full color photos), and the recipes are clearly written to ensure success. This is a famous Harlem church, and contains many wonderful stories and anecdotes. But be assured that the book will appeal to anyone with taste buds, regardless of race. (I'm caucasian, and love it).
   
   There are many recipes from Carole Darden Lloyd, whose wonderful Spoonbread and Strawberry Wine is one of my all-time favorite cookbooks. And you'll find recipes from names you'll recognize and admire, as well as those you won't know, but who are sensational cooks generously sharing their treasured dishes. Most contributors described why their recipes are so wonderful -- and the church carefully tested them.
   
   Don't miss this one! It is truly outstanding.



2. Inspired by their senior pastor's warning that "far too many black people are digging their graves with their teeth," the congregation of Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, one of the oldest African-American churches in the country, has pulled together a slew of delectable recipes that will give new meaning to the words "soul food." With contributions from renowned restaurants like Sylvia's, Londel's and Brian Washington-Palmer's Native, "Food for the Soul" also entertains with stories about the church serving the local community.
   
   A beautiful book that is both inspirational and enjoyable.