5 comments about Cruising Cuisine: Fresh Food from the Galley.

1. Being landlocked for 50 weeks out of the year does little in stopping my efforts in looking for the perfect cookbook for the open seas. I've finally found a must for my galley.

   "Cruising Cuisine" is well laid out and has easy to follow recipes with an inventory list to help you pick and choose the spices you may need on board. The many tips on preparing and storage come in handy and go far in helping you prepare for your voyage, long or short.

   This by no means is just for the sea, but at home as well. With more than 450 recipes your family and friends will be anxiously awaiting new culinary treats to be transformed from black and white text to mouth watering morsels of enjoyment!

   Red sky at night - sailors delight, red sky in the morning, sailors - batten down the hatches and head to the galley to prepare hot soup and a hearty stew. Your crew and their friends will thank you!




2. This book is essential reading for anyone working in the galley - whether blue water, bay or lake cruising. The recipes are outstanding, easy to follow and amenable to tight quarters. More importantly, Kay Pastorius offers advice about the basics that most of us have to learn the hard way - by throwing rotting food away. Her advice about provisioning, storage and cooking is right on the money, literally. I only wish my boat-mate, a meat-and-potatoes guy (who I wouldn't trade for the world), was as enthusiastic and supportive as Hal. Thank you Kay.



3. We were only a month or so into our cruise having left San Francisco in 1998. We met Kay and Hal at the always helpful & friendly DOWNWIND MARINE in San Diego. I bought the book thinking that I would need some help, especially in our tiny galley. It's been 2 years since we left. Most of it spent cruising the Calif. Coast and Mexico. I've really grown to depend of Kay's book for ideas, tips, ingredients and combinations. Even for ideas for the odd fish that was the only thing available! Thanks for such a comprehensive and great cookbook written especially for cruisers!



4. We had heard about this book while in St. Maarten and finally found it at a swap meet in Trinidad. Many sea miles later, it's still our cookbook of choice. So many other cruising cookbooks left out ingredients, had typos, or had such elaborate preparation steps that you could never make the recipes unless you had a full-sized, professional kitchen. This book is perfect. Simple, yet delicious recipes that can be make quickly (and without leaving an oven on for hours in the tropics). We especially found the appetizer section helpful when we were low on happy hour ideas.



5. I absolutely love this cookbook because it is simple and no-nonsense but yet full of very nice and tasty recipes. What I personally like best about this book is that often you'll find a base recipe for i.e. cookie dough, souffle, pancakes, you name it and then has several different flavour variations. So one dish, many different flavours. Too easy!! I am going sailing soon and have been assigned to the cooking - this will be my bible as we travel... ;-)

1 comments about Williams-Sonoma Mastering: Hors d'oeuvres (Williams-Sonoma Mastering).

1. If I were looking for a present for a new cook -- say, newlyweds -- this would be a superb choice.
   
   This entry in the Williams Sonoma lineup contains all the "expected" recipes; there's very little here that will surprise an experienced cook. That's a strength, in a way; when you need a good, basic recipe for stuffed clams or tapenade, it seems like all the books you grab have some foo-foo "alternate" version. And you're just hankering for mom's deviled eggs.
   
   But where this cookbook really shines is its instruction. It doesn't take anything for granted; the author uses this an a primer for entertaining, not just how to throw together a bunch of ingredients. The photos go into exhaustive detail -- overkill, if you're just looking for that basic deviled eggs recipe, but sure to be appreciated by someone who does not feel deft in the kitchen. Turnover dough, for example, has 8 photos. Stuffed vegetables with herbed cheese filling (you're invited to use cherry tomatoes, endive, or steamed baby potatoes) has 20. There's no question about how to make these dishes!
   
   The book has good organization: basic recipes, key techniques (such as shucking oysters and blanching veggies), dips & spreads, cold hors d'oeuvres, hot hors d'oeuvres. Most recipes go into how-to detail, then another couple of pages list some variations. White bean dip is followed by pinto bean dip, hummus, fava bean dip, black bean dip, cannellini bean & roasted red pepper dip, and edamame dip. Each of the variations is a specific recipe, too, not just "you could use pinto beans here but add more garlic if you do").
   
   The recipes are good, dependable versions of the Expected Things using ingredients easily obtained at any grocery store. That's plenty fine with me, as I can't imagine anyone would object to someone bringing prosciuttto-wrapped figs & melon to the office buffet, or contributing guacamole to a holiday potluck, or starting a BBQ with chicken sate (chicken skewers with peanut dipping sauce).
   
   There's only about 50 recipes here -- but that's fine. It's a really nice cookbook. Sometimes, the "usual suspects" are just what you want.

2 comments about Tapas Deck: 50 Little Dishes that Capture the Essence of Spanish Cooking.

1. I am not sure what I expected, but it was not very simple recipes that fit on a single side of a 3 x 5 card. Many pictures did not even look good and all were unimpressive and simple.



2. I really loved this idea of a deck rather than a book because you can pull the one you're using, take it to the store and set it where you can read it during preparation. I had never made tapas before but after eating in a great tapas restaurant, La Boca, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I became interested in trying to prepare them.
   I think the photos are beautiful and inspiring and the recipes simple enough for a tapas novice. All my cook friends are getting this deck for Christmas along with a nice bottle of Spanish olive oil.

1 comments about Atkins Holiday Recipes: Celebrate the Season with More Than 160 Low-Carb Dishes.

1. If you're committed to the low-carb lifestyle, there is no reason to keep these recipes for holidays. I'm more interested in eating well EVERY day, and there are some lovely recipes in this book. Beautiful photography, nice quality paperback. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because I wish there were more recipes for Phase I (which I sometimes have to stay in for a while when I "fall off the wagon").

4 comments about Delicious Dips.

1. I have made a number of dips from this book, and I'm always satisfied. The recipes are easy to follow, and the dips seem to always receive rave reviews. The dips are basic enough, but also usually have a unique twist that satifies. If you need to make a dip, then you should pick up this little gem of a book!



2. I was not real impressed with this cookbook, a little too far out for my taste. I think I wanted something more basic. There are some dips that I'll probably make and some I might be willing to try. The book has a pretty good section on dippers. I think there should have been a section for salads as some of the recipes reminded me more of a salad. If I had looked through this book before buying, even at the bargain I got on it, I would have passed this one up.



3. Once again an excellent book by Diane Morgan.
   Quick and easy to prepare recipies full of flavor!



4. This cookbook is one of my favorites. I love the recipes, they are simple but a tad different than your "traditional" recipes. My favorite is the BAKED ARTICHOKE-PARMESAN DIP. It is awesome because there is no spinach or garlic but rather more artichokes and lemon and shallot.
   I also find the dipper section helpful since I always forget how to make the little crustini's for my dips. I would definately recommend this to anyone who enjoys cooking and is looking for some new recipes to try. Great for parties.

5 comments about Five in Ten Cookbook.

1. These are great to use for a busy person.

   And Jim Owen --- writer of review about orange butter.... you need to mix the ingredients, if you had all the OJ left, that's why there was no flavor in the butter.

   Think about it.




2. This has been one of my favorites for years, a real go-to book. Unlike most cookbooks that make time claims, most of the recipes here really do come in close to their ten-minute limit, and I'm not a particularly fast cook. The book is divided into eight sections: Appetizers and Snacks; Soups and Chowders; Salads; Chicken, Turkey, Beef, Pork and Lamb; Fish and Shellfish; Pasta; Vegetables and Side Dishes; and Desserts. It also has a sturdy interior spiral binding so it lies flat when open.
   
   I've tried maybe a dozen recipes (some standouts: curried carrot soup, broiled scallops with bread crumbs, berry gratin, caramelized apples) and would have no qualms about serving them to company. I have four books in this series, and though they're all quite good, I find this to be the best.
   
   I'd like to respectfully address reviewer Jim Owen. I'm sorry for his poor experience with the book, but I looked up the recipe he referred to, and he's a bit off. The noted amount of butter mixture was to be spread on SIX FULL pita breads, not four halves. That's three times the amount he apparently mistakenly used. It's unfortunate that he based his opinion of this exceptional book on faulty information. If you're trying to decide whether or not to buy it, please note that his was the ONLY negative review among a dozen. Seems quite unfair that it was chosen for a spotlight review.
   
   I have a couple of quibbles with the book: It has no page headers to tell you what section you're in, and the index is less than comprehensive. But I still unequivocally rate it five stars on the strength, variety, and reliability of its recipes.



3. I have 3 copies of this book. One for my kitchen, one for my office and, as a practicing counselor, one to loan to clients when I tell them they need to have family meals and they say they don't like to cook or don't have time. I have tried about half of these recipes and there wasn't one my family didn't like. Also, these recipes don't just say they are quick and easy, but they really are. They don't use weird ingredients. This is a cookbook for anyone who wants great food and not a lot of preparation.



4. Happy with book but the recipes it would seem to take a bit longer than 10 minutes and no pictures but having said that most of the recipes are easy enough you don't need a picture. The book is smaller than I thought but easy to use as it lays flat 180 pages. Happy I got this one



5. I hate to cook. However, I hate fast food and takeout even more so I was forced to figure something out that went beyond salads, spaghetti and sandwiches. Cooking "real" food daunted me because of the long list of sometimes difficult to find or expensive ingredients, the amount of them needed, the time it takes, or the amount of food you end up with when you only want to cook for one to three people max. On the flip side- you're stuck with boring one trick pony soup-can casseroles day in and day out if you take the simple route.
   
   This lovely little cookbook solves all of these problems and more in tasty, easy, inexpensive and often creative ways. It has cured most of my kitchen phobia (except the cleanup, heh) and encouraged me to try a lot of new things I probably wouldn't have if I hadn't discovered how easy it could be. 5 items, 10 minutes (half an hour, tops) and there you have it. I think this book is best for those of us with cooking phobias, lack of time and/or skill and knowledge or simply those who like the KISS method. I'm interested in finding the other books in the series too.

3 comments about Easy Tapas: Spanish Snacks to Serve With Cocktails.

1. This book is great. The recipes are easy to follow and they don't require too many ingredients.
   
   I made several dishes from this book for a recent "Girls night out" and by the end of the night everyone was asking for the title of the book to purchase it. I'm a novice at cooking, so these dishes really made me look good.



2. If you like tapas and are looking for easy, varied recipes, try this book. Your tummy will thank you.



3. Thr cookbook, although quite small, has a fairly representative selection of tapas and is a good starting point for cooks interested in Spanish appetizers and having a desire to begin cooking them.

2 comments about Grazing: Portable Snacks and Finger Foods for Anytime, Anywhere.

1. I cannot even begin to tell you how impressed I am with this book!! I love it so much I have bought 6 copies already to give as gifts. The white bean cookies are to die for...seriously. You would NEVER guess they had white beans in them! The dips, the snacks...the coffee cake will make your knees weak, all the while being low in fat. Anytime I need to go to a function where I need to bring something, I get to proudly walk in and announce that MY treat is either low in fat or healthy, and it's not a place of boring vegetables with a crappy dip. Carmelized onion dip, roasted red pepper dip. AND there's even a recipe in there to make your own dipping breads, all low in fat!
   
   You will not be dissapointed.



2. With everyone in the family 'on the go', it's no wonder small, portable foods and snacking has become so popular: it's just too hard sometimes to sit down and partake of a mean, and eating on the run actually can have its plus side, as doctors advocate eating several smaller meals and snacks over the course of the day for maximum energy. Enter Grazing: Portable Snacks And Finger Foods For Anytime, Anywhere, second in a series of low fat cookbooks and devoted to portable snacks and finger foods. From various dips and chips to BBQ chicken pizza and 'food on a stick' such as satays, there's plenty to inspire in Grazing's examples of healthy food for those on the go.

No comments about Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast: Small Plates (Food Made Fast).

3 comments about Salsa Lovers Cook Book: More Than 180 Sensational Salsa Recipes for Appetizers, Salads, Main Dishes and Desserts.

1. People have said powerful things come in small packages. Maybe that's why this "hot" book comes as a small thinner book. Salsa Lovers Cookbook comes with less than 130 pages, but is filled with "more than 180 sensational salsa recipes for appetizers, salads, main dishes & desserts!" Almost every page is filled with at least two recipes and I can't think of another salsa recipe that would possibly be missing from this collection.
   
   This book starts out with an Anatomy of the Chile section with history, cooking ideas, tips and suggestions. The recipes go from an All Canned Salsa to an All Purpose Salsa to recipes like: Cherry Red Salsa; Instant Fire Salsa; New England Salsa; Any Meat Salsa, Avocado Salsa for Fish, Black Bean Salsa; Chili Cheese Salsa; Cucumber & Radish Salsa; Dry Salsa for Seasoning Steaks; Fresh Vegetable Salsa; Holiday Salsa; Madera Salsa; Mango Salsa; Pico de Gallo I through V; Salsa Carne; Salsa por Scallops; Salsa with Bourbon; Sweet Spicy Salsa; Yellow Fruit Salsa; Avocado Salsa for Salads; Salsa for Fruit Salad; Salsa for Watercress Salad; Banana Salsa; Champagne Salsa; Chocolate Salsa I through VI; Coffee Salsa; Orange Peach Salsa; Pineapple Dessert Salsa; Raisin & Rum Salsa; and Wine Salsa for Fruit.
   
   Almost every recipe has ingredient readily available and can be made in only a few minutes. This is one of the only cookbooks that I can remember seeign that has each section in alphabetical order for very easy reference. Some of the recipes, in my opinion, have stretched the definition of Salsa, and some are a little-off-the-wall, however this is one of those fun books to add to your shelf.



2. The 180 salsa recipes in this book could be reduced to 12 or so good ones. Many are simply repeats of others in the book with only very slight variations and a different name. I'm glad I got the book, because I will use the 12 good recipes, but don't buy it for 180. You'll be disappointed if you do.



3. I enjoyed this book so much I had to purchase one for a friend! The book is inexpensive and I've had fun trying the various recipes to see which ones I liked the best. I also like the fact that some menus had canned items and some were for fresh items.