No comments about Month of Meals: Soul Food.

5 comments about The African-American Heritage Cookbook: Traditional Recipes and Fond Remembrances From Alabama's Renowned Tuskegee Institute.

1. I specifically searched for this book on Amazon after reviewing it in the library at the culinary school that I recently graduated from. I thought it would be a very useful cookbook to add to my collection and the heritage part was an added bonus. I had recently read an article on the author of the book in one of the military publications I picked up on Nellis Air Force Base and was thrilled to actually get to purchase the book. Although I'm southern born and bred there are some recipes in the book that I have never heard of in my life and I love having the history there to go with some of the recipes.



2. The African-American Heritage Cookbook not only has wonderful recipes but I truely loved the history lessons. I have tried several of the recipes and the food was great. The Smothered Yardbird recipe reminded me of my grandmother's cooking. I look forward to trying many other recipes.



3. A friend was telling me of a recipe her mama used to make when she was a child and how much she had loved it. No one seemed to know how to make it. Well, I found the recipe in this cookbook and surprized my friend with a great meal. She was so thrilled and I'm thrilled for all the other wonderful recipes in this great book.



4. I checked this book out from my local library because i was in search of a recipe book that would bring me back to my childhood. This book did just that . The recipes were amazing ! My Grandmother is a phenomenal cook and every holiday she would bless us with her delicious food and i wanted to do the same for my family , but i could never find a book that had those deep rooted southern meals that i grew up on , until i discovered this book . I would recommend this book to anyone who loves and enjoys good southern food , fabulous !



5. Not only are the recipes very good - the stories that go with them are priceless and I enjoyed the pictures associated with them as well.
   Very educational. I read cookbooks like novels anyway - so this was a special treat. A friend of my had one and showed me before I bought mine. Usually I read theirs and that's it. I had to own this cookbook to go back to whenever I wanted. Excellent.

No comments about Stirring the Pot: A History of African Cuisine (Ohio Africa in World History).

4 comments about Egyptian Cooking: A Practical Guide.

1. I have had the pleasure of using this book in my kitchen for two years now. I can honestly say that there is not a week that goes by that I don't find use for it! Although it is a bit difficult to ignore the page numbers and concentrate on the numbers assigned to each recipe, the outcome is well worth it! This book supplies an amazing number of recipes from every imaginable region of Egypt and many of the variations for each. I applaud the writer's insightful inclusion of such items as a spice index at the end of the book, and technoiques for handling foods not commonly used by Westerners. I would have liked some illustrations to assist with presentation, but all in all I am very pleased with the outcomes of my endeavors



2. This is a must have cookbook for anyone interested in Egyptian cuisine. Samia Abdelnour selected a variety of recipes that are easy to prepare with ingredients that are available locally. She cleverly included a glossary explaining the different foods, spices, kitchen utensils and also some useful hints. This is a value priced book considering the amount of recipes included in it. I have other Mediterranean cookbooks, but I find myself using this one more often. It's size makes it also very handy to use in the kitchen.



3. This is an authentic cookbook, it's been around for almost 20 years, and I've happily made a variety of recipes. The instructions are brief, and helpful. The Iman Bayaldi is prepared different than the style I'm used to..and still very good. Most dishes have 6 or less ingredients...pretty easy to gather up! If it had pictures, I'd have rated it higher--it's so helpful to have the right "look" for authenticity. There's over 300 recipes. The recipes are for 4-6 persons, easy to adjust.The table of contents is sparse; the index can have you running around a bit through the book. Chicken gizzards are not under "chicken" but are under "gizzards"! Beans are separate from lentils...logical, but not always intuitive...not a big drawback! some ingredients are, of course, hard to find if not near a Middle Eastern market...the internet should take care of ordering mastic grains, molokhiya (fresh or frozen), etc...Most ingredients are easily available in the USA. It has recipes for the classics, and also for brains, pigeon, rabbit, trotters, tripe, sheeps head etc...this is not a frou-frou book!
   If you want a broader taste of Middle Eastern foods, get Roden's New Book of Middle Eastern food.. to get a rich feel for Egytian and other similar cuisines which blend together...



4. I've had this book for a couple of years now. This is a good book that gives a lot of Egyptian recipes made by every-day Egyptian people. I recognize many, many of the recipes as ones that are made by my husband's family. So I feel it is a pretty good source for the basics.
   
   That being said, it leaves much to be desired with the instructions, which would be difficult for someone who doesn't really know how to cook or isn't already familiar with Middle Eastern cooking. For example, the recipe for Ta'maiya, or Falafel instructs you to soak the beans overnight, then drain and "mince" with dill, coriander, etc... Now if I took that literally and attempted to "mince" those items with a kitchen knife, the result would be a disastrous effort in futility and frustration. I know that I need to "mince" them in a food processor, and not your garden variety food processor, you need a good one (i use the cuisinart), to do it, otherwise you will quickly tire out your motor, and will have to process this recipe in about 8 batches, with rest time between each (like I used to do when I had a smaller Oscar food processor). Not to mention that she does not give any indication of how finely the mixture should be minced. This is one example of where some prior knowledge of Egyptian or Middle Eastern cooking (or cooking in general) is necessary to be successful at cooking some of her recipes.
   
   The set up is also a bit annoying, with the recipes numbered, and indexed that way (the index gives the number of the recipe, maybe #198, which just happens to be on page 95.) This is hard to get used to and I can't imagine why it was done this way, unless that is the way cookbooks are written over in Egypt. Not to mention that you may have to do some running around as one recipe's ingredient list may have you running to 3 or 4 other recipes.
   
   She has a good glossary, and list of spices in English and Arabic which is helpful, as well as a list of kitchen utensils that are used in Egypt.
   
   Some of the ingredients are not accurately translated, such as "Tomato Juice" in the recipe for Tomato sauce, stewed. I am pretty sure that she is not referring to Campbell's tomato juice or V-8, instead it should be tomato sauce (like from the can), all the Egyptian people I know that make this dish use the tomato sauce from the can.
   
   I felt that the biggest drawback of this book was, after having read it nearly cover to cover, was that there were hardly any recipes I was "dying" to try out. Usually when I read a cookbook, by the time I get to the end, I have a bunch of scrap papers stuck here and there marking recipes I'd like to try. Not so with this one. Maybe more pictures would have helped, maybe a little more "tasty" of a description, I don't know....something to tickle your taste buds and get you feeling a little hungry.... Perhaps some of the dishes were too mundane (would you want a basic American cookbook with directions for grilled cheese sandwich, scrambled eggs with salt and pepper, or mashed potatoes? This might be helpful if you wanted to know about the basics of everyday American cooking but not so appealing to actually hurry up and try to make)
   
   The directions were too instructive, often 3 or four lines, and not written in a way that made the dishes sound appealing. (no one could guess how delicious ta'maiya is by reading the recipe, and that is unfortunate because there are probably countless delicious recipes in this book that just don't sound that great)
   
   For example, minced meat with vegetables:
   Mince beef with vegetables (in this case beef, onion, tomato, parsley, S & P) twice or pound until smooth. Shape into fingers, skewer, and grill basting 1-2 times with cooking oil, or shape into round cakes and fry.
   
   I don't know about you, but I am not running out to the grocery store to get the ingredients to make this tonight!
   
   This is a good basic Egyptian cookbook. There are few of them out there, so if that is what you are looking for specifically, get it because there is little else to choose from (believe it or not, one month after I bought this on Amazon, my father in law showed up with the exact same book that he had bought in Egypt!), and this does give you the basics of Egyptian cooking. I have ordered her other cookbook to see what's in it, as well as another Egyptian cookbook that I just spotted on Amazon. I am interested to see how both of those turn out to be.
   
   If I was rating this book solely on the fact that it is specifically an Egyptian cookbook, I would have given it five stars based on the fact that it is only one of three I have found (one of the others is written by this author)
   
   If I was rating it as a cookbook in general I would have probably have given it 1 or 2 stars because of the above comments.

4 comments about Casa Moro.

1. A must have book for anyone with an understanding of good ingredients. The recipes are fantastic! Love it!!



2. For those who are familiar with the books of claudia roden and penelope casas on middle eastern food and spanish food, this book has definitely a few new things to offer. The recipees are basic, with few ingredients, emphasis on good taste and relatively simple to prepare. Do not expect elaborate "Michelin restaurant" style type dishes. The authors like spiced (not hot)food, so if you like that too, then stock up on your cumin, coriander and paprika, and start pickling your own lemons.
   The book starts with a curious chapter on dishes prepared with wild ingredients (herbs) from the area in spain where the authors live (Andalucia). The four seasons are each presented with 2-3 dishes. While it is apparently meant to set the scene, I found this chapter a bit out of place and too much "Jamie Oliver" with pictures of happy family and tales of friendly neighbours; the dishes are sometimes less easy to prepare with the ingredients listed. What follows is a short chapter on bread which i did not find particularly intersting. Despite the encouriging remarks of the authors, (it only takes 10 minutes!) making bread by hand the classic way takes time, is messy, and the results is always a bit disappointing.
   The next chapters on soups and on mezze and starters however is very good with many good recipees. Other chapters are on slads, fish, meat and vegetables (!). The meat chapter has 6 nice lamb, 2 pork, 2 beef and 4 chicken recipees. They are rather classic (roast lamb, sirloin steak) but again of good taste. However, you will find a much wider selection in both Roden or Casas. The authors admit that they only recently started to get interested in desserts, and the book therefore is relatively short on this item, with a few good cakes, ice and fruit desserts. In conclusion: its not a real restaurant book with complete menu suggestions, and it has frequent accounts of personal life and travels (it is a bit romantic, organic and jamie oliver style), but the few recipies i have tried so far where easy to prepare and tasted very much oke: 4 stars..
   One last remark to the publisher: the list of suppliers and reference to particular brands of flower is usefull for UK readers but of no use to readers outside the UK. Would it be a better idea to include websites of suppliers in europe and USA where foodstuff can be ordered?



3. This is an excellent book, however many of the ingredients are very hard if not impossible to find. If you don't have access to a Spanish cooking supply shop, I would pass on this book. In addition, some of the recipes need a bit of work. I've tried several soup recipes and all of them were lacking in flavor and needed additional work to repair.



4. This book is SO inspiring. We use this book more than any other. Moro really inspires us to challenge our taste-buds and when we have people over for dinner they always want to know where we got the ideas.

No comments about Make it Moroccan: Modern Cuisine from the place where the Sun sets.

5 comments about Soul Food: Recipes and Reflections from African-American Churches.

1. A cookbook will be judged primarily on its recipes and this one really delivers the goods. Unlike so many books that chase prevailing food trends and offer gimmicky recipes with needlessly lengthy ingredients lists, this one presents plenty of time-tested classics that are economical and simple to prepare. A cookbook that you'll really *use*, rather than just put on your coffee table. The affectionate background material included by the author is a charming bonus.



2. I am a cooking fanatic and a cookbook lover. This is a wonderful book just to flip through - the stories are amazing - and the recipes will exceed anyone's expectations!! My favorites so far are the Macaroni and Cheese and the Mean Greens. (They are my favorites because those are the only two that I have tried!) I made the Macaroni and Cheese last Thanksgiving and being one of the last dishes to the table I was surprised to see it as being one of the first to go!! My family asked why I didn't make more! And the Mean Greens have given me a name. (The only thing that I hate is that people keepe requesting them!) I left this cookbook over a friends house by accident and because I know I will have a fight on my hands tryig to get it back so, I just ordered another one so that he can have it! I also ordered Brown Sugar, the dessert version of the same cookbook. I can't wait!!!



3. I collect Aferican-American cookbooks. My perfect book is a good mix of authentic recipes and backroung info to add to heritage of the recipe. While I like the format and actual page layout of other African-American cookbooks better, this book has some solid recipes. Where this book excels over others is that there is a story behind nearly every recipe and there is lots of variety in the recipes. The recipes are easy to follow and do remind you of church anniversary dinners!



4. It would be impossible to single out one recipe in this book and say it's the best. They are all the best and they work well together. I must say, I never thought molasses would be a staple in my cupboard but it is. If you bought this book just for the neat meatloaf recipe, it would be worth it. These are tried and true recipes of the past, each one with its own unique story.



5. This is a great cookbook. It brings back many memories of great and talented family cooks. I gave away six copies as Christmas presents to family members. We are not Southerners, but we are foodies and we do remember church socials and events fondly here in New Jersey. The baked rice, Texas Chili rice and the squash casserole have become big hits in my own household. Kudos to Ms. White and her friends.

5 comments about The Africa Cookbook.

1. This book contains a survey of food across Africa. The author, a food historian, draws on her many experiences traveling through the continent in this collection of recipes. The recipes are authentic and tasty, and many of them are quite easy to prepare. However, I found a few of them a little unrealistic (such as frying slices of four small eggplants in a single tablespoon of olive oil without so much as soaking them in saltwater first), leaving me wondering to what extent Harris had actually tested the recipes. Nonetheless, overall the book contains many exciting recipes and would make a welcome addition to the library of any adventurous cook.



2. What a waste of time this book is! I wouldn't recommend it to anyone for any reason. Save your money.



3. A very interesting cookbook for the serious African/African American cook or for the researcher of the native foods of Africa. There is a lot of compelling information in the book. But, I would rate this book from a cook's point of view as challenging. The presentation is beautiful, but you must have the resources and expertise to follow these instructions of many of the recipes.



4. The book is a nice introduction to African cooking with hard to find senegalese recipes. However, the ethiopian selection is ridiculous, there are so many wonderful possibilites and yet she chose to include a recipe for raw beef with instructions that make it clear she knew very few if any readers would actually want to make this dish. That I found very disappointing.



5. Jessica Harris is an inspirational author with vast knowledge of African cooking. There are more than just recipes in this cookbook.

5 comments about New Soul Cooking: Updating a Cuisine Rich in Flavor and Tradition (Melting Pot).

1. go for Frank Stitt's Southern Table which is what a real Southern cooking book should be. This book is very pretty, but not well written. It's simply kitschy, and the recipes are not good at all. I made several things from this book, and they did not work. I would not advise buying this book. I'm sorry, but Tanya Holland is not a 'real' chef, maybe one of those many people who write cookbooks and put in pretty pictures to sell it. Just my personal opinion.



2. I got this book to cook a traditional Christmas dinner for my family and friends, and I was so disappointed. I would not recommend this book. The recipes were not great. The photographs can be very deceptive. The banana pudding was mere mush.The 'yassa' chicken was disappointing and not to mention demoralizing. As a black woman, I am trying to get away from the 'yess sah' notion. Go elsewhere for true Southern cooking. No wonder there are so many of her books in the 'used' section for under $6.



3. I am a novice who was given this book as a gift. I have to say, this book is perfect for beginners like me, as well as cooks that are more experienced. As someone who is intimidated by most cookbooks, I'll tell you why this book put me at ease:
   
   Beautiful color photography! I don't know why some cookbooks either have no pictures, or bad illustrations. I like seeing what my goal is. And frankly, the pics look so tasty, it
   was quite motivating.
   
   Short list of ingredients. This was key for making me feel like the brown sugar and pineapple glazed ribs are obtainable. Let me tell you, they SO are!! And, I didn't have to search high and low for the ingredients. Whole Paycheck had everything I needed.
   
   Anyway, this cookbook put me as ease, and the result has been several dinner parties where my friend's jaws clearly dropped below the dinner table.
   
   Thank you, Tanya Holland, for inspiring me to cook more, and taking my flavors to an entirely new level!!



4. This book is fantastic. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in expanding their repertoire to one of the most accessible yet distinctive and richly flavorful cuisines. The author is a highly accomplished chef and writes in a lively and engaging manner. More importantly, the recipes are easy to follow. I was able to pick it up and put together a menu for guests that was a great success. Hurray! Also, another reviewer commented about the price. I think it's well worth the value. Most cookbooks are black and white and don't have pictures for everything. This one is beautiful to look at and you will really want to execute the dishes because you can see what the finished product looks like.



5. Nice recipes ideas, but don't think half of them are worth actually trying to make.

5 comments about The New Ebony Cookbook.

1. Delicious is the word for the easy-to-follow recipes in the New EBONY Cookbook. I loved Charlotte Lyon's new twist on soul food classics. Cajun Fried Chicken, sauteed collard greens, sweet potato salad, black-eyed pea salad, and walnut sweet potato pie. Recently I got lots of compliments for a brunch I prepared using the recipes for Fresh Tangerine Mimosa, Shrimp-Filled Deviled Eggs, Champagne-Mushroom Chicken, Stir-Fried Asparagus, Virginia Ham Biscuits and Buttermilk Pie with Mixed Berry Compote. The color photos help inspire you to try the recipes. The timely tips at the end are also helpful.



2. As a novice cook, I really do not prepare a lot of meals. When I got this book, all of the recipes looked so appetizing and easy to follow I couldn't wait to get started! The coconut shrimp, cajun fried chicken, skillet greens with balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar pound cake are my favorites! This is a great book I would recommend to anyone who wants to spice up their kitchen!



3. this cookbook is perfect for cooks like me who really don't know how to cook!!! the language is plain, the ingrediants are simple, and the results.....for me... is usually tasty!!!

   the timely tips in the back of the book are especially helpful. they teach me how to make substitutions, when i don't have certain ingrediants the recipes require.

   i also found this to be the perfect cookbook for my 14 year old son to learn the basics of functioning in the kitchen.




4. This book was a huge disappointment. I have Frieda Knight's wonderful _Dinner with a Dish_ (from Ebony), so really looked forward to this one. But it was so coldly written, with no introductions, anecdotes, or descriptions of the recipes. In the aforementioned _Dinner with a Dish_, it tells how a minted pea recipe became very popular after someone mistakenly used mint tea instead of water to cook some peas. I like that sort of intro/description, and missed it here. For example, all recipe collections include some that are quick-and-easy, some that use up ingredients we keep on hand, some that are very cheap, some that are out-of-this-world delicious show-stoppers, some that have sentimental value, etc. -- and it is important to know which are which before wasting your time and effort. (For example, I'm a northerner, and have never seen or tasted collard greens. A recipe describing them as delectable would tempt me to locate and try them -- but, without such a description, I have no way of knowing if the recipe is listed because collard greens are readily available, or because they taste good.) is book doesn't provide any clues about time or effort involved or results expected. I was horribly disappointed, and will be returning it.

   However, I gave it three stars rather than one, since the above criteria may not matter to all people.




5. No thank you, I won't be having seconds. I already own the original Ebony cookbook so I picked this one up with high expectations. What a let down! The New Ebony cookbook is full of bland recipes that I will never try. Considering that the orignal book is a treasury of Americas finest Black cooking there is no excuse for this new version to be so poor. Stick with the original.