5 comments about The African Kitchen: A day in the life of a Safari Chef.

1. The book is simply stunning, I was most impressed with the food and images. I reccomend the termite mound pizza, although with all the termites it isn't really a veggie dish, you can always pick them off....(he he ha ha)

   Really enjoyed it. inpsired me to go to Africa




2. I really have enjoyed this book. It gives you an insight into African cooking and the beautiful scenery. I had the pleasure of meeting Josie Stow at Tswalu and sampled some of the recipes in the book. They are incredible. Most of the items are easy to prepare and the photos will make you want to go there!



3. An inspiring book in every way! Get this book if you are interested in real Africa and African cooking. The recipes are great and the photo's give you real insight into the safari travel and the bush lifestyle.



4. I think that this cookbook represents the best of a chef who has to cook inventive meals under demanding conditions in the African bush and countryside.
   
   It is amazing that the meals come out as pictured in anyone's kitchen without the dust, bugs and wild animals that the chef had to deal with when she created them originally.
   
   Great book to round out your international collection of cookbooks in your library.
   
   Excellent book and I highly recommend it!



5. This is truly one of the most beautiful cookbooks I have encountered. The recipes are unusual and fun to make. Highly recommended.

5 comments about Cooking Moroccan (Thunder Bay Cooking).

1. Cooking Moroccan by Tess Mallos is a mouth-watering, menu-inspiring compendium of step-by-step recipes showcasing some of the best of Moroccan ethnic and regional cuisine. Superbly enhanced by gorgeous photography throughout, the recipes range from Fava Bean Dip; Preserved Lemon and Tomato Salad; Filled Savory Pancakes; and Lamb Tagine with Sweet Tomato Jam; to Couscous with Chicken and Vegetables; Briouats with Goat Cheese; Trout Stuffed with Dates; and Fried Honey Cakes. Thoroughly "kit-chen cook friendly", Cooking Moroccan is especially recommended for those who have a special interest in authentic ethnic cooking in general, and North African cuisines in particular.



2. I wanted to learn to cook Moroccan and this was a good book to start with. Everything that I have cooked has been great. The recipes are easy to follow and not everything involves curry (which I am not a great fan of). I was amazed at the diversity of the food and am anxious to try more recipes. I had a friend who once told me if she used even one recipe out of a cookbook, it was a good book. I have used several and can't decide if I want to make them again or try the others because the things I have made have been so good. Oh, by the way, I am beginning to like curry.



3. Tried out recipes in my tagine and found them to be delicious crowd pleasers.



4. I must admit that I like having a photo for every recipe "goal" that I try. It is an important feature in my purchase choice of cookbooks. This cookbook is a visual stunner. Who does not eat with their eyes first!



5. This book is visually stunning. Many of the recipes are shown with a lovely photograph that just whets the appetite, and the foods and spices are just as delicious. I haven't tied all the recipes, however, I'm willing to broaden my taste horizons.
   
   The book is peppered with interesting facts about Moroccan culture and the inclusion of Mint Tea.
   
   My only con for this and other books like it, is the lack of information on proper tagine (the crockery) preparation and cooking over coals.
   
   This book doth rock mightily!
   [....]
   Bon appétit!

5 comments about Brown Sugar: Soul Food Desserts from Family and Friends.

1. This book is fantastic! I truly enjoyed the stories leading into each recipe. It made me feel as if it let me into a warm and personal side of Joyce White's life. This made reading these recipes interesting and fun.

   I've always had a problem with picking out fresh fruit. However, Brown Sugar takes the guesswork out of it. I was so enlighten with the details on how to select the freshest fruits. With the knowledge I've gained, I ventured into preparing a scrumptious dessert for friends. My choice was the "Fresh Berry Compote". It was a hit and the instructions were so easy to follow.

   Brown Sugar is a wonderful soul food dessert book that I really enjoyed.




2. "Food for the soul" is an excellent way to describe the wonderfully soothing experience a person feels after eating any one of the treats from Joyce White's cookbook "Brown Sugar." Right now, just thinking about the "sweet potatoe pie" brings a smile to my face and that "chocolate cheesecake" makes my mouth water. ummmmmm, "Brown Sugar."



3. As warm and homey as the smell of freshly baked bread, Brown Sugar welcomes you to enjoy a rich and diverse collection of sweets. Candy, cookies, pies, cakes, ice cream and more are all featured in a collection of recipes featuring a wide variety of classics and favorites.
   
   This is also one of those delectable cookbooks you like to snuggle up with and read cover to cover. Mixing practical advice with a wide range of personal family history, White writes the book in such a way that when you close it, you feel like a member of her family.
   
   But even better than that, the recipes themselves are crafted with simple, everyday utensils, using ingredients that are common and can be found at the local store.
   
   There are no pictures of the food, but that is a small price to pay for such a rich bounty of delicious, easy to make desserts.
   
   Highest possible recommendations!



4. Wonderful Book. The recipes are unique but not difficult. The book has great tips on the types of pans to use, where to place your pan in the oven and an education on "brown sugar". Who knew there were so many different types of brown sugar! I would recommend this book to anyone that loves to bake and would love to show off something different.



5. In Brown Sugar: Soul Food Desserts from Family and Friends, Joyce White, author of Soul Food: Recipes and Reflections from African-American Churches, turns her attention to sweet endings. Brown Sugar gathers traditional Southern comfort desserts such as lacy wafer cookies, pecan sand tarts, gingersnaps, chocolate spice cake, a fluffy coconut peach cake, pineapple iced cake, cobblers and pies (including sweet potato and spicy molasses pecan), puddings and custards, candies and homemade ice creams. In terms of repertoire, it's similar to Patty Pinner's Sweets: Soul Food Desserts & Memories, but White includes numerous helpful hints for presentation and how-to's.
   
   There are no photographs, but the recipes include introductions that explain the origin of the recipes and handy sidebars. There are also numerous substitutions and variations suggested if you're looking to branch out, or perhaps to experiment with a more adventurous flavor combination (like substituting cardamom for cinnamon in a coffee cake). There's a chapter devoted to fruits, so if you're looking for a lighter finale, you'll find numerous baked fruits and compotes. These foolproof gems are a wonderful way to slow down and reconnect with a simpler time, and the delicious smells that will be coming out of your kitchen are sure to attract friends and neighbors, who might then sit down for a well-deserved chat over a slice of freshly baked cake or pie.

2 comments about BlackBerry Soul Celebrations: A Handbook for African-American Bridal and Baby Showers.

1. I bought this book and really loved it! I needed some help planning a bridal shower for my best friend and this was definitely a life saver. I looked at some of the other shower books and they had the same things over and over. This book was different from everything I'd seen. There were so many games that I could relate to. The pictures are great as well. They reflect African-Americans which is something I hadn't seen in all the other books I looked at. My girlfriends and I had a ball playing the games from the Hip-hop and old school section. The games in the Television and Movie section were also fun. It's about time that someone did something like this. I would highly recommend it to everyone. Thanks to this book, my guests said it was the best shower they had been to.



2. You have volunteered or have been snagged to host a bridal or baby shower and you do not know where to begin. Or, you have done this before and want to add a little spice to the same ole, same ole. BLACKBERRY SOUL CELEBRATIONS: A Handbook for African-American Bridal and Baby Showers by Kimberly K. Smith is a good place to start. Both the bridal and baby shower sections are filled with creative African-American themes that you can customize to your own liking. The author provides suggestions for budgeting, locations, invitations, games, and the list goes on. With more than 100 games, children and men can be included in the celebrations and feel a part of it. Smith brings it all together by providing plenty of online resources.
   
   BLACKBERRY SOUL CELEBRATIONS: A Handbook for African-American Bridal and Baby Showers is a small book filled with a wealth of ideas to plan the best bridal or baby shower on any budget. It is set up in a user-friendly format with easy to photocopy pages. If you utilize the ideas within, you are sure to be a winner if you are lucky enough to be tagged the hostess of any event. It is also a nice gift for the person on your list who enjoys planning and hosting. I enjoy planning and hosting events and this self-help guide will come in handy in the future.
   
   Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves
   of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

1 comments about A Slice of Africa: Exotic West African Cuisines.

1. "This is a very good book. I've bought several copies for my family members"
   Fletcher Paschal,Sr.
   Miami, Florida

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.

5 comments about Somali Cuisine.

1. I have used most of the recipes in this book, they are very well detailed, simple, and so delicious.
   
   I always wanted to know how Somali cuisine was prepared and cooked, this book was indeed my openning into that venue and now I am becoming a specialized cook in the recipes contained in this book.
   
   I highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who wants to cook any sizzling recipes and different kinds of spicy and not so spicy foods.
   
   Job very well done!



2. When I ordered this book I wasn't sure what to expect. I've never had Somali food, but heard about a Somali Restaurant in another state that was really good. Rather than travel I though I would try my hand at it since I'm a huge fan of cooking world cuisines.
   The first thing I loved is that there is a color photo for nearly every recipe. When you are unfamiliar with a cuisine I think this helps to let you know what it should look like and what you might find more appealing.
   I have made some of the recipes and was so pleased that I'm encouraged to make more of them. The ingredients are obtainable in most grocery stores and the instructions are clear and simple. Clearly this was a labor of love for the author and her effort shows. As a picky eater I didn't find this to be a scary cuisine filled with fish eye stew type recipes. These home style meals have great appeal, are economical and would be a HIT at your next dinner party. This book does include some nice desserts and some refreshing alcohol free drinks as well.



3. Somali food is divine! It is so aromatic and layered with subtle flavors. This book is jam packed with easy to follow recipes that taste exactly like home. I make everything from vegetarian entrées, to Somali breads, to Somali-style fruit juices and deserts. I never thought I'd see a cookbook like this. It's exactly what I've been waiting for. I love it!



4. The Somali cuisine is a one of the best ethnic cookbooks in North America. The recipe is easy to follow and pictures are just fantastic. It is very helpful for those interested in East African and South Asian dishes. It is particularly helpful for everyone interested in ethnic dishes. My favorite dish is the Moos Bukaani (Plantain Banana). I like it because I did not have the chance to learn how to make it on my own. But, thanks to the Somali cuisine, now I know how to make it on my own. It has my full recommendation.
   
   Lul Omar



5. I have tried most of the recipes in this cookbook for the past year. My culinary skills in preparing Somali food has greatly improved because of this cookbook. Very easy to follow and precise but unique. Money well spent. Excellent!

No comments about Moorish: Flavours from Mecca to Marrakech.

3 comments about Cooking the West African Way: Revised and Expanded to Include New Low-Fat and Vegetarian Recipes (Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks).

1. Book is overpriced and the recipes is not enough. Would not purchase again for the price.



2. I checked this out from the local library, and have prepared many of the recipes in this book that are just fantastic! The Egusi Soup with Fufu and the Curry were great hits at a dinner party I recently hosted. I find the recipes in this book to be authentic, delicious, and in fact rather simple to prepare. Many of these recipes require an hour or longer to prepare, but I found the extra time well worth it as the dishes are very scrumptious. Many of these recipes are a bit spicey, and that is one thing I LOVE about African cooking, but if you cannot tolerate a bit of spice, then this might not be the book for you. There are only a few ingredients called for in this book that might be difficult to find in the typical American market, but in most cases alternate ingredients are listed. This recipe book also includes a map of the area and a some pages describing the people, culture, holidays, and cuisine. I love this book and its recipes, however, I only give it 4 stars because of the price. This book has fewer than 80 pages, and not so many recipes so I thought that $20 and up is a bit steep. However, there are just a few recipes in there that I simply must have, even at this slightly higher-than-expected price.



3. Great recipes. The pictures helped me to visualize what my outcome should look like. I am a complete novice with African food and this was very helpful.

No comments about The Best of African Cooking Revised Second Edition.