No comments about West: The Cookbook.

5 comments about Kathy Casey's Northwest Table: Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Southern Alaska.

1. Everything we have tried from "Kathy Casey's Northwest Table" has been incredible!! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to impress their Family and Friends with delicious (and fairly easy---a must for me!) Northwest favorites. You can't go wrong!



2. Last night we finally got rid of the left over turkey from Thanksgiving and I get to think about fixing something else. I think I'm in a shrimp mood, and this book just fell open to page 66 with Sesame Roasted Shrimp Sticks with Zippy Apricot Dipping Sauce. Spicy, quick, easy and they look absolutely delicious.
   
   As you would expect, this book from the Northwest has a lot of seafood. More ways to cook salmon that you can count (well, really you could count them) including some ways that are quite different from the others I've seen.
   
   Another food area that has a lot of production in the Northwest is fruit, and some of her combinations of fresh fruit with farly shart ingredients like blue cheese look like the evenings side dishes are well taken care of.
   
   Complaints, well there's one - Martini's are sacred things, you don't go messing them up with things like cucumber and sake (see page 38) - you don't even make them out of vodka - yuch! And Seattle Expresso Martini isn't really a Martini at all. Then again, the Slow-Roasted Martini Short Ribs (page 134) maybe I won't do shrimp tonight after all.
   
   There are a lot of things here that you don't see in other cookbooks.



3. This beautiful coffee table cookbook has it all; from creative uses of apples and hazelnuts to raspberries and rhubarb (w/honey mousse!). Crab, salmon, muscles, oysters, and halibut all here as well as pork loin, lamb, chicken and duck. And the cocktails and desserts are spot on for our region. As a northwest native and editor of The Good Home Cookbook: More Than 1,000 Classic American Recipes, I can say that these recipes well represent our region in a classy, tasteful and accurate manner. I highly recommend it!



4. I just picked up Kathy Casey's new book and I love it. I must admit that I am one of those cooks that needs pictures to entice me to make something and Kathy's cookbooks always have them. Her salad recipes are to die for. So many salads are just so bland, but the Endive salad with Roasted pears is amazing. I'm also a big fan of her French Seasoning salt. I put it on everything!



5. I have to say that even though I love food and finding awesome recipes, I rarely use the awesome cookbooks and recipes that I already have. EXCEPT THIS ONE! I can honestly say that I have made and tasted several of Kathy Casey's recipes. I really like that the ingredients are all easy to find in your local, normal grocery store. (B/c I want quality AND a one-stop shop.) I also love the flavors that come from the finished product. Try the crab cakes or endive salad!

5 comments about The All New Purity Cook Book (Classic Canadian Cookbook Series).

1. I was so happy to find this book listed in your selections. I had "worn out" my original copy of this book, and was looking for a replacement. It is perfect, and with this one now do not need any other cookbook.



2. My grandmother had this cookbook. I had to get one for myself. Every household should have this cookbook.



3. Hello,
   When I first started seriously baking back in 1968, I was given the Purity Cook Book. It was easy to follow and the recipes had ingredients that I enjoyed. Over the years, my cookbook was tattered, torn and spattered with ingredients. I had ALL the pages BUT they were not in order.
   Over these past few years, I started searching for a newer version of the cookbook. Just last month I FOUND 'The All New Purity Cook Book' on Amazon.com. I was so happy and excited to be able to have a CLEAN version of my FAVORITE cookbook. I have other cook books but NOT like this one.
   I would recommend the Purity Cook Book to everyone. It is a special cook book and I know you will be very happy with all its recipes.
   Signed:
   Happy Baker



4. I was given this cookbook as a wedding gift in 1968 and taught myself how to cook from it. The step-by-step pictures of how to bake bread were especially helpful. Recently I lost my original copy and was so glad to find it in a re-print on the internet. Thanks to Amazon for reconnecting me with my "right arm" in the kitchen!



5. My wife who does not like to cook and does very little has probably 50 cookbooks that she keeps buying. I asked her why and she says they are for me. I told her I have two cookbooks.
   One was my moms and is at least 60 years old and I have the Purity Flour book that my wife had before we maried in 1970.
   I don't follow books real closely since I am fortunate enough to have a good imagination and change receipes all the time.
   I have made the chilli from this book for many years and when we have family get togethers I always take it along, it is an amazing receipe and never bring any home.
   It has a great variety of receipies and is the best starter book. Guess I'm still starting I still check it first.
   Bob

5 comments about Chef at Home.

1. Too early to evaluate at this time. First reading indicates that I am satisfied with the purchase.



2. I originally saw Michael Smith on TV while on vacation in South Africa. I could not wait to get the book and I have not been disappointed. I love the way he helps you through recipes and encourages you to add your own touches to make the dish your own.



3. Excellent cook book, very easy to follow and the meals are lovely. Very user friendly.



4. Its a cookbook that is EZ to use with fun things to make that you can injoy.



5. This recipe book is so easy for anyone who is not a "cook." Love it!

5 comments about The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook.

1. I bought this book for a friend, but before I gave it to her I poured over it. It is adorable and a great book for True Anne Lovers... and not just for kids! I made the raspberry cordial and it is simply delicous. This book brings back memories of Anne's adventures and important events in her life. You will enjoy this book if you are an Anne fan or if you are a cook... you will LOVE this book if you are an Anne fan AND a cook!



2. I gave this book to a friend (25 yrs old at the time) and she loves it. We are both huge Anne Shirley fans and actually L.M. Montgomery fans too. This is a very sweet book that provides you with memories of some of Anne's memorable moments and adventures.



3. This book is amazing! The recipes are easy to follow and absolutely delicious :) I had to do a project for Home Ec. in which I planned and cooked a 4 course meal, then had people evaluate it, I used only recipes from this cookbook and it was fabulous. I would definately recommend this book to anyone. The illustrations add a wonderful touch to this masterpiece.

   P.S. I got 96% on my project :)




4. I received this cookbook a long time ago, when I was a little girl and could not cook. This book gave me the confidence to prepare delicious dishes, like Anne's saucy chicken and Mrs. Irving's Shortbread. The first dinner that I cooked for my boyfriend (now he is my husband) was Anne's saucy chicken. He was so impressed that he thought I was a chef or something. What he did not know was that was the only recipe I knew! Since then, I have expanded my horizons, but I will treasure this cookbook forever.
   
   PS: My husband and I went to Prince Edward Island for our honeymoon, so my love for "Anne" definitely determined our destination!



5. I tried the shortbread recepie yesterday and it came out delicious. I was impressed! My parents, who are big fans of shortbread, loved it. My mom (who also makes shortbread) said it was the perfect taste and sweetness. Best of all it was easy, quick, and the ingredients were simple. Can't wait to try all the other recepies! (They also look easy enough).

5 comments about The Bacon Cookbook: More than 150 Recipes from Around the World for Everyone's Favorite Food.

1. In response to the prior review, there's definitely much more here than just instructions on how to cook bacon -- the book includes recipes using bacon in all different kinds of dishes, even dessert, believe it or not! I always find James Villas's books to be thorough and well-written, and this one is no exception -- definitely a great gift for a bacon-lover!



2. I got this book as a gift and skimmed it before giving it to the couple. Every recipe was interesting and looked tasty. I always look for cookbooks that have lots of pictures and this one delivered. They even had bacon desserts that looked appetizing as well. A definite bet for every bacon lover.
   
   mmmmm....BACON!



3. First of all: who WOULDN'T like a cookbook dedicated to bacon? Every recipe in here uses bacon. Or pancetta. Or lard fumé. Or salt pork... And the recipes are a good variety, too: appetizers, soups and stews, entrees -- even bacon-wrapped desserts.
   
   A couple quick notes:
   (1) Keep in mind that because this cookbook is about bacon, is dedicated to bacon, and is gourmet, it's going to all for some specialty varieties of bacon. Granted the introduction tells you a bit about how to work around this but the recipes will also say that it won't be the same without some specialized type of salt-smoked bacon only made in Western Canada.
   (2) While most of the recipes are ones that are sure to please, quite a few of them also call for organs -- liver and kidneys. Be warned.



4. I'm sure it's a great cookbook - but there are hardly any pictures of the dishes. At the beginning of each section there are several pictures but they are not identified. I like a cookbook that has a picture with each recipe.
   
   Seller was very responsive and refunded me the cost of the book when I returned it.



5. The Bacon Cookbook is a bacon lover's delight. At first glance it looks like it could just be a novelty cookbook that one might not actually cook from day to day, but after spending time with this cookbook it is clear that this is not the case at all. It's full of interesting, unique, and classic recipes that will allow you to use bacon in all kinds of diverse ways.
   
   The book begins with a comprehensive introduction on bacon that tells you almost everything you would want to know. It discusses what bacon is, the history of it, international styles of bacon, how to buy and store bacon, etc. It also has a pretty extensive list of mail order sources for premium bacon if you want to go beyond what can be purchased in your area. It was pretty exhaustive and enlightening. The only thing I wish it had covered was recipes to make your own bacon. This is what would have taken the cookbook from 4 to 5 stars for me. It would have been especially great to have recipes for some of the artisan and more unique bacons called for in the recipes incase you cannot find them in your area.
   
   The rest of the cookbook covers recipes for appetizers, breakfast, soups and chowders, salads and sandwiches, casseroles and stews, main courses, vegetables and fruit, pasta and rice, breads, and desserts. I was really impressed with the breadth of recipes offered in this book. You'll find some great classic American recipes in here, but there are also dishes that draw from international cuisine as well as fusion dishes. I really appreciated that there were a lot of recipes here that I hadn't seen in any other cookbook (and I have a pretty extensive collection) so even if you have a lot of cookbooks you won't feel like you've seen everything in here before. Some of the recipes that most excited me were the Venezuelan Squash, Potato, and Bacon Pancakes, Hot Bacon-Blue Cheese Dip, Bacon-Cheddar Popcorn and especially the Bacon Truffles. The variety of recipes also means that this book is great for people with different palates. Those who like more traditional dishes will find plenty in here to like as will people who enjoy more adventurous or international cuisine.
   
   The recipes are also very clearly written so they are easy to follow. The one thing worth mentioning is that most of this recipes do take a little prep time so many fall outside the 30 minute window. If you're looking for quick and easy meals many of the recipes won't qualify. However, my feeling is they are worth the time.
   
   Overall this is a great book. I highly recommend it for any bacon fan who wants to learn more about this pork product and find more creative ways to cook with it.

5 comments about Whitewater Cooks: Pure, Simple and Real Creations from the Fresh Tracks Cafe.

1. Some of my favourite recipes from the amazing whitewater cafe. They bring back great memories of growing up in the Koots, and my winter at the Whitewater ski hill...
   And it's great food, with tastes coming together from around the world.



2. That's all there is to it. There's not a single miss in this book. Every recipe is a hit!! And the pictures are awesome too!! I'd pay $100 for this book if I had too. Do yourself a favor and get one. You won't regret it.



3. I tried to order this from Amazon but then received a notice that the book would be available in 1-3 months, not 1-3 weeks as listed here. Having already waited 6 weeks for the book to arrive I ended up ordering directly from the publisher (Whitecap Books) and it arrived within 1 week!!! The price was higher but I would recommend this book at any price. There are some wonderful great recipes. Get a copy while you still can.



4. this is a wonderful cookbook, especially for cold weather cooks! Lovely photographs, very detailed receipes..not for a fast dinner but really worth trying!



5. Fabulous memory of Whitewater ski resort, the food and easy to cook unusual recipes.
   
   -Steve-

5 comments about North American Clone Brews: Homebrew Recipes for Your Favorite American and Canadian Beers.

1. I bought this book and I am having a hard time with it. I have been an extract brewer for 15 years. I'm responding to "sioux181" when he says "Give a guy a break!", give the brewer a break. I bought the ingredients for two of the recipes in this book and when I started making them, I realized that the conversions he made from mini-mash to extract were incorrect and I had to guess at what to do. How can I give the author a break? I will admit that mistakes happen, but you sound like you must be the author because any homebrewer would be very upset with incorrect information on brewing a beer. Both the errors that were pointed out previously are pretty obvious. However, I don't think the author spent the time to correctly convert to extract. For the Immortale recipe I start with 3 gallons of water for the specialty grains, he tells us to omit some ingredients, then follow the mini-mash recipe. It wasn't until I started that I looked at the mini-mash recipe and it said to sparge with 4 1/2 gallons of water. I have never brewed an extract beer using a 7 1/2 gallon boil (for a 5 gallon batch). The other recipe I made was Whale Tale Brown Ale, with his recipe I would end up with a 5 gallon boil. If I wanted to do a 5 gallon boil, I would switch to all-grain. It is obvious that the conversions are incorrect. Every recipe is like this. I have to guess at how much water to use for the specialty grains and sparging. Also, among various other small but important pieces that are essential to brewing, he has completely forgotten about adding Irish Moss.



2. While there are mistakes in this book (as there are in Clone Brews and Beer Captured), overall this is a worthwhile book-all the recipes I have made from this book have turned out well.

   Much of the criticism of this book seems overdone. Beerman11, for instance, says that the extract version of the Immortales recipe asks you to continue the recipe with mini-mash recipe, and that this would require boiling 7.5 gallons. In my copy, the extract recipe asks you to use the mini-mash recipe after the boil--which would result in a boil of 3 gallons.

   Admittedly, some of the criticism is fair. The book does not suggest lowering the amount of hops for the all-grain recipes, which is odd. I could not find the barleywine error mentioned elsewhere (although I'm not a big barleywine fan); it is possible mistakes in the first edition were corrected. On the other hand, Russell did actually include lagering in his recipes, which the Szamatulski's did not in Clone Brews (and included only in the Helpful Hints section in Beer Captured, their latest book).

   Frankly, I suspect many of the problems with this book are a result of the publishing format, which applies to both of the Szamatulski's books as well. The short, one-page recipe format doesn't leave enough room to discuss technique and other issues involved with making the beer, and I think a lot of useful information is left out. However, I can get this information elsewhere.

   Overall, I liked this book better than the original Clone Brews and almost as much as Beer Captured.




3. I love this book. It is informative, original and full of some very good recipes. There are great instructions for the both beginner and seasoned brewer. There is a good variety of easy recipes and just enough variety in the complex brews to keep you busy for months. Each recipe has a complete header of beer specifics. Great for the beginner who wants to move beyond the basics.



4. There are a few problems with this book, as already stated elsewhere. However, this is a very good book to get you very close to your favorites brews. I've done 5 recipes from this book, and have been pleased with all of them except the Fat Tire clone (try #2 is in the secondary). It saves a lot of research time trying to formulate your own clone recipe. It also is educational.



5. Just got the book (along with 'Radical Brewing: Recipes, Tales and World-Altering Meditations in a Glass' ). It was recommended to us from a brewer in McCall Idaho. He said it was a 'must have' book when you are just starting out. The first chapter is clear and basic, it explains the process in a nut shell along with the needed equipment. The recipes are from all over North America from some very popular breweries and brands you see in stores. So far I give it a big thumbs up!

5 comments about Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook.

1. I went to a work function where we all brought a dish and someone brought a salad dish from this book, which we all gobbled up. I purchased the cookbook shortly after tasting a soup she brought to another function and have never regretted it. I've owned this book for 2 years now and LOVE it. In fact, every person who has tasted one of the dishes from this book has gone out and bought it right after (even non-vegetarians). It's the wonderful combination of fresh ingredients and herbs that makes it. You can not fail with the recipes in this book. I have bought this book as gifts for close friends who always thank me afterwards. I could not live without the recipes in this book. I particularly like the Rustic Bread Salad, the lotusland linguine and the tofu chocolate (vegan) cheesecake. I have many cookbooks on my shelves, but this is the one I turn to first. I highly recommend it!!!!! I only wish I could visit the restaurant myself, but maybe one day l will.



2. this is by far one of the best vegetarian cookbooks around. The hummus is divine and the soups are fabulous. All around amazing!



3. I left this out just to see what my DH's daughter would say since she is vegetarian...she read it & even said she loved almost all the recipes...so, I gave it to her as an early Xmas present! She seemed thrilled.
   
   We ate there while in Victoria, BC and were really impressed...noticed a lady come in & buy 2 cookbooks, so decided to research it when I returned home.
   
   I enjoyed reading almost every recipe; but sort of chickened out of making any when the daughter was here...but, I will be ordering another cookbook for ME...I'm that convinced I'll love the recipes. I already know I love the stories that go with them.



4. We stumbled into the restaurant a few years ago and we were blown away by the food. We are meat eaters and this has become one of our favorite cookbooks. We have not found it difficult to use. Nothing has let us down and we are cooking from it tonight! Tuscan White Bean with rosemary and kale, simple and great.



5. The book was in perfect condition. It was exactly as described. Interesting and tasty recipes.

5 comments about Au Pied de Cochon: The Album.

1. I have eaten at Pied de Cochon many times and have always enjoyed their food. The book is colorful and well written but it is more a story about the business than a cook book whose recipes you are likely to follow. The recipes are complex and contain ingreidents you are unlikely to purchase. If you are familiar with the restaurant or enjoy eating spare parts this is the book for you.



2. I'm a big fan of this book. While many of the recipes are difficult to recreate, why would we want to go to a restaurant that had easy recipes? As 'restaurant books' go this is a wonderful tribute with great art work. It's a wonderful conversation piece to have in any foodie's collection. Great gift!



3. Brilliant - not that it's amazingly writtent, but it's engaging, and by the time I was done reading it, not only did I have a clear sense of both chef and restaurant, but I was ready to hop on a plane, fly to Montreal, and eat, eat, eat! The recipes are, while involved, reasonably clearly written for someone with good kitchen skills, though definitely beyond beginner level.



4. Excellent book with both good stories, great recipes, and good imagery of the restaurant. I'm planning a trip to Montreal soon and this place will be the highlight of my trip.
   
   While some of the recipes might be hard to follow, or require a trip to a specialty store, it's definitely worth giving a try.
   
   The backstories to each new section are also very entertaining, by far this is my favorite cookbook I own if for nothing else it's entertaining.



5. The book, the DVD, the pictures are all great, but its the recipes that I was after. After seeing Au Pied de Cochon on TV, I had to get this book and make some recipes. Be warned - these are recipes for the meat, fat, and lover of excess. You could just buy the book for the info and the pics to,