5 comments about Your Backyard Herb Garden: A Gardener's Guide to Growing Over 50 Herbs Plus How to Use Them in Cooking, Crafts, Companion Planting and More.

1. Gave me exactly what I needed! From growing seeds to jarring salves, this one has it all!



2. This was one of my first herb books, and it really gave such great instructions, I had a great experience and plan to double my fun this year. When I picked this book I knew NOTHING about gardening. I succussfully grew:
   -Rosemary
   -Lemon Balm
   -Sage
   -3 types of Basil
   -3 types of mint
   -orageno
   -thyme
   -chamomile
   -lavender (had some trouble but it's coming back great this year!)
   
   I've read more about herbs now, but this book is still used all the time. If you could get only one, get this, you won't be sorry!!!
   
   I give it an A+



3. I really like this book. It is exactly the book I was looking for. I am growing my own herbs and the recipes that are included are perfect for my needs.



4. For not knowing anything about herbs and growing them, I praise this book. Easy to find information. Covers a vast number of herbs, edible and non edible. Has info about how to use the herbs for cooking. How to grow them and where. My basil is three feet tall and bushy. It has been very helpful and my herb garden thanks you.



5. This book is very beautifully made, and at the same time very interesting and informative: lots of useful info about planting and growing herbs, using them for various cooking, cosmetic, home styling and other purposes. It's a pleasure to just flick through the pages, the book is very pretty and would make a nice gift to someone who loves herbs and gardening.

5 comments about If You Give a Pig a Pancake (If You Give...).

1. If You Give A Pig A Pancake
   By Laura Numeroff
   Illustrated by Felicia Bond
   
   "If you give a pig a pancake, she'll want some syrup to go with it."
   One thing leads to another in this silly children's picture book. When the pig gets through with your house, you will think you'd been visited by the "Cat in the Hat."
   Then the pig will want another pancake and more syrup.
   
   Jill Ammon Vanderwood
   Through the Rug
   Through The Rug: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)



2. Another in the wonderful series by Numeroff and Bond, this one features a young girl who gives a pig one of her pancakes. The pig asks for syrup, then gets all sticky and wants to take a bath, and the fun ensues as each request leads to another. All young children I have read this book to have responded with delighted laughter -- the humor is perfect, and the scenarios are just close enough to their own experience to let them enjoy the fantasy without being confused by it.



3. The wife's grandaughter had refused to let this be taken back to the library!
   It had to go back so I brought this to replace it. Nana is still reading it to her.
   Who am I to argue with that?



4. I never paid much attention to the 'If you give...' series, but mos. ago picked up 'If you give a mouse a cookie' board book and my toddler loves it. It's enjoyable to read. Easy to give silly voice inflection and your little one will quickly catch on and wait with anticipation for the next page. Same goes with this book. I picked it up at the library. My daughter likes pancakes. Seemed like a good book. BUT oh my goodness, we find this hilarious! My kid's just giggle non stop! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the images. Every child should read this book. :) I'd love to see a cartoon of this series!



5. These books are so popular. I've received three of them - the Pig, Moose & Mouse. In all fairness my daughter is 14 months old and may not be old enough to enjoy this series yet. Sadly, I don't enjoy them either. They are not fun to read aloud and seem to send the message that no matter how much you give, the taker will demand more. I've asked other parents about these books and have been told that when children are a little older they like the fact the message of consequence - the "and next, and next and next" of it. If you give them a pankage they'll want syrup to go with it. If you give them syrup, they'll want ice cream, etc. Again, I just don't enjoy reading these aloud but will introduce them again when my daughter is older in case they appeal to her.

5 comments about Herbs & Spices: The Cook's Reference.

1. Great book, full of useful information. my only gripe is that I was looking for more of an encyclopedic format, but still a great addition to my collection.



2. A 'How-to-Book' on Combining Herbs & Spices for Everyday Aromatic Meals -- I Have Been Looking for Years for a Book Like This One!
   
   I enjoy the information given about the herbs and spices in the first part of the book, much like a simplified encylopedia. In fact, I value more these herbs and spices for their medicinal (health qualities), as well as their taste properties, now. I plan to purchase plants or grow from seed, several of the herbs and spices for use in my landscape which will not only be convenient for cooking, but add their beauty as they propagate and are trained as schrubs.
   
   Interspersed within the initial information for a herb or a spice is how to prepare them. I like, too, that I am told which herbs and spices go with what foods the best. THIS HAS BEEN A MAJOR QUEST FOR ME.
   
   The last part has recipes from around the world and the different cultures. I have heard about and tasted a few of these recipes, but did not know how to prepare them. Now, I have the source in which to achieve "OOUUUUUU LA LA" meals everyday.



3. If you are serious about cooking, buy this book. It has detailed listings of the spices and herbs from around the world, with complete descriptions, photos, flavor analysis, recommended uses, preparation techniques, and recipes. It also includes info on how to make your own herb and spice mixtures, herb vinegars, and herb and spice oils.



4. This book is not only informative, but a joy just to look at and read. Wonderfully colorful and appetizing.



5. Very visual photos and descriptions of herbs and spices including how and why they are used.

5 comments about Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook (Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbk).

1. I love how personal this cookbook is, along with hundreds of great recipes that make me feel better aobut what I eat and feed my family.



2. This book has some amazing recipes. I love the lemon snaps and the ginger snaps. Oh man! Excellent! I made the granola & my husband loves it! It's a beautiful book. Glossy full color pages and hard cover. Generously sized. Lots of yummy recipes! Very happy I bought this.
   By the way I bought this new from a seller other than Amazon, but through Amazon & paid next to nothing for a great book. What a deal!



3. Excellent book! I love her story about the start of Earthbound Farms and how it grew! I also absolutley LOVE the recipes! I am very happy with the store that had the book as well! They delivered it instantaneously! Highly recommend them to people.



4. I have quite a colection of cooking books, most of which I rarely use. I found out about this one after I bought some of Earthbound's lettuce and decided to check out their website. I'm glad I did. Like the author, I have many raspberry bushes so having them first in the book was perfect for me. As I went through, I found that she has recipes for all those vegetables and fruits I grow in my backyard and then some (which I will be adding once the snow melts and the temperatures are not in the double digits below zero). I've already tried some of her (and friend's) recipes and they are really good. It is obvious the book's author actually knows how to cook (which is not always the case with "famous cooks" de jour).



5. I have given this book to a couple of 'foodie' friends, safe in the knowledge that they will find it a useful and informative addition to their collection of cook books. Personally, I like it more for the story it tells about how Earthbound Farms came into being, as the recipes are all a little unexciting, but it is what it is. I have made several dishes from it, and they always turn out well, which isn't always the case with a recipe. Several of the dressings have become firm favorites of mine, in particular, the classic red wine vinaigrette (page 95) The Flying Fish sesame seed soy dressing (page 95) and I make the Tabbouleh (page 272) all the time(minus the peas though). I have also made the corn and black bean salad (page 237) which is delicious. I really want to make the Swiss chard with raisins and pine nuts (page 262) but have yet to try it. Al in all I would say this is a great book to read, and it does have some really nice vegetable recipes, but please note it is NOT a vegetarian cook book.

5 comments about The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Foods: Creating Old Favorites with the New Flours.

1. Good everday cookbook. Would also recommend "Gluten-Free Baking Classics" as the deserts in it are even better than in this one, but this one has great comfort foods like biscuits and gravy. Happy Cooking!



2. If you are Gluten-Free & want to cook good & tasty foods this is the book for you. It is easy & the food is delicious.



3. This book is a very good resource for anyone who has to follow a gluten free diet. The author has included flour mixes that you can make for your own use. I would highly recommend the book.



4. I got this book out of the library but now am going to have to buy it.
   Love, love love the recipes. Useful for every day cooking. I guess I like "comfort" foods a lot :)
   
   Everyone has already said how great this cookbook is and the author was one of the first to develop recipes for celiacs so they could eat regular food again without missing out on baked goods.
   Wheat and gluten are so present in purchased foods and hard to replace. This book helps make life better.



5. I hate to give this book only 2 stars because there are some great recipes. I have to give the low rating becasue it's not really a "comfort" cook book. I was born and raised in the south and was disappointed that these classic "comfort" recipes were not in the book: fried chicken, fried okra, fried green tomaotes. There are no corn bread or grits recipes. I have to disagree with the person who said the chicken pot pie crust was not in the book. it is on page 279. This mix is for several recipes. I made it for the hamburger pie - which is great. My son loved it! I have not made a lot of recipes in this book ,but glad I have it and plan to try more. I think a better title would have been "quick and easy". Most of the recipes don't have a lot of ingredients, but you do have to make your own flour mixes. This is standard with any gluten free cook book.

5 comments about Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys.

1. AMAZING!!! This is a must for any kitchen. My husband begs for me to cook something else from this book!



2. This is a great book. The food is good, the design is good and the photography is good. I'm a guy and I got this for my girlfriend as a joke because she usually feeds me, but I also enjoy cooking out of this book. The man crépes are amazing!



3. This book leaves you wanting more! More of the easy, original, tasty and versatile recipes, more of the beautiful photographs. I have 2 little boys and this book has given me great insight on how to build family traditions and family moments around the table. Also, great ideas of how to teach them how to fend for themselves. I recommend this book to everyone, not only moms of boys. Especially those of you who like wholesome, homemade, authentic food. I hope LSQ writes a second book like this one, I'd surely buy it. Only thing: photos are awesome, it's a pity that not every dish is photographed.



4. I do not have children, but I do have a hungry husband, brother-in-law and 3 nephews and I cook for all of them whenever we're together. I found a recommendation for Mad Hungry on a website & purchased it. It arrived today and I spent over an hour looking through it. Every recipe is hearty, made with whole ingredients, which is how I cook. The recipes have simple ingredient lists and the steps are easy to follow. The recipe's are not cumbersome or intimidating. I love it when a cookbook author gives a story with each of their recipes and Lucinda does just that. Tomorrow night I'm going to make the vinegar glossed chicken, smashed potatoes and braised collard greens and I can't wait. I have many (many, many) cookbooks, but a book as complete as this makes me want to go through my collection and lighten my load. Thank you!



5. I'm on my own little personal crusade against the Hot Pocket and its ilk. I firmly believe that food you eat at home can--and should--be made at home. This book does an excellent job of providing the tools that a busy cook needs to do just that. But to target this book to just men and boys is a disservice. Basically it's a really good primer on how to wean yourself from meal-in-a-box dependency and start cooking healthy, affordable food for ANYONE.

5 comments about Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express: 404 inspired seasonal dishes you can make in 20 minutes or less.

1. Prominently displayed in "new books" at my local library. Checked it out, read through it, made a couple recipes.
   
   There are many interesting recipes for quick dinners. I'm comfortable with the chatty recipes, none of which has any explicit measures. If you're learning to cook, this isn't the cookbook for you. If you're comfortable in the kitchen, this is a great cookbook with many interesting sounding recipes.
   
   It's in my cart right now. I'll probably give it as a present to at least one of my cook friends.



2. I bought this for my husband who is starting to cook most of our family dinners and we were so disappointed we returned it. I had read that the meals were healthy, and it's not that they aren't, but they were heavy. Almost every main dish centers around meat and there didn't seem to be many vegetable dishes. Also, there is no list of ingredients at the beginning of the recipes. The recipes are just a paragraph, and to figure out the ingredients you have to read through it carefully. That's maybe okay for an experienced cook, but for a beginner it's too much. We didn't try any of the recipes, they may be great, but it just isn't the way we eat. Lots of desserts as well, which we never make.



3. This review relates solely to a technical problem, not to the content of the book. I know and love Mark Bittman's material mostly from the New York Times and, although I have only glanced at this book so far, am confident I would like these recipes too.
   
   The problem is that the book's index has been deleted from the Kindle edition. This means you can't look and see what recipes are in the book, much less find one. My assumption is that Amazon deleted the index (which the print edition has) from the Kindle edition because of the lack of relationship between the original page numbers and the Kindle "location" numbers that replace them. Whatever Amazon's general goal in replacing the original page numbers of the books available on Kindle may be, deleting the index, leaving the reader without so much as a registry of the contents, truly adds insult to injury.



4. This is a GREAT cookbook. The recipes are written in paragraph form instead of the standard form and somehow this makes recipes way easier. Bittman has a knack for helping you LEARN to cook instead of just making a recipe, because he is always giving tips on things you can substitute or other things you can try. I find myself coming up with my own dishes based on his. This is a great way to add variety into my everyday diet - plus I always love his whole food approach to cooking. Great cookbook!



5. Being raised in a family where most meals involve food from cans or boxes, I started my adult life with a real handicap in the kitchen. Mark Bittman helped me overcome it. I already owned "How to Cook Everything" and turn to it frequently. This book, however, fills a real need in our lives: how to eat well on weeknights with a baby pulling at my legs as I prepare dinner.
   I love the paragraph style recipes. I have enough common sense to know how much chicken, onions or garlic to start with, and Mark knows that. I usually ignore given amounts in recipes anyway, so this approach just makes sense for me.
   I love the flavors. I have cooked at least 20 recipes from this book and they have all been both quick and delicious.
   I do not love the layout. The arranging recipes by seasons is a nice idea but in the end, lots of the recipes in the book are all-season recipes that a reader might miss out on if they only browsed the current season. This is a small complaint, however, because the index is comprehensive.
   I have Mark Bittman to thank for teaching me broiling, braising and how to cook seafood. Thanks Mark!

5 comments about Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table.

1. I used to say that my ideal job would be to be a restaurant critic...but not to gain weight! I've gone on to fulfill other dreams instead, but reading Ruth's books allows me to live this particular dream vicariously. For anyone who grew up in the 60s/70s this particular book provides a lot of nostalgia as well. I'm not a cook, but I admit that the recipes sprinkled throughout here make me want to cook. We discussed Tender at the Bone at our recent book club meeting. One member DID make the brownie recipe here which is wonderful...and the book triggered one of our liveliest discussions ever. about the foods our moms made.
   Kathie Hightower, co-author of Help! I'm a Military Spouse -- I Get a Life Too! 2d Edition.



2. The title gives me goosebumps when I think of how accurate it is to describe Ruth's upbringing. With humor and just enough detail, she describes how she becomes the woman who will eventually become an influential food critic (arguably, most influential).
   
   Sheila Ellenbogen



3. This book is about living with a mom who happens to have a mental illness, bipolar disorder. It is also about being of Jewish heritage, living, studying, getting married, and above all about cooking. The author writes clearly, humorously, and interestingly, making it a difficult book to put down. It actually renewed my interest in cooking again....a little!



4. Before picking up this book I was familiar with Ruth Reichl but had never picked up any of her books. After Tender at the Bone I think I am hooked! The memoir follows her experiences with food from a young girl carefully avoiding her mother's often tainted food to early experiences as a food writer. The result was a book that was so well written and full of lovely descriptions that I looked forward to my commute on public transportation each day so I could read a litle more. Reichl manages to weave together vastly different experiences in her life into a memoir that flows beautifully and hooks your attention. As expected, food is the central theme throughout all of it and what makes the book interesting is the sheer diversity of eating experiences she has ranging from working at a summer camp in France to eating at the table of a wealthy family in Canada to a meal made entirely out of goods gotten by dumpster diving. In addition to the food there is also interesting exploration of her tense relationship with her mother, which I could certainly relate to in parts.
   
   Overall this book is fantastic and is a breezy read. It went by very quickly and left me eager to pick up more of her books. I would highly recommend it to any foodie who is looking for a leisurely read.



5. 4 1/2 stars
   
   Author Ruth Reichl is a renowned culinary professional who has been around the block more than a few times -- and she definitely did NOT learn to cook from her mother, (as most of us typically anticipate reading in such works.)
   
   Reichl's mother suffered tragically from bi-polar disease and was perceived by her daughter as more-or-less the Antichrist of home cooking. Ruth's mother once sent 26 people to the hospital subsequent to a UNICEF benefit dinner which she organized and where she inadvertently served bacterially-modified seafood, (this strange gathering was also a pre-wedding dinner for her unfortunate son, the groom, and she actually charged her new in-laws to attend.) Fortunately, all the guests survived. The food for this unusual gathering was chiefly obtained from a local automat restaurant and the owner sold her these cartons of moldy mush at a huge discount! The author notes that her mother could never resist a bargain.
   
   Ruth was an ambitious young lady and in this well-done autobiography we travel with her to Europe, Canada, and all over the United States. She was active, on a grassroots level, in promoting Civil Rights and later resided in a California commune, a counter-culture aggregation for whom she did the bulk of the cooking. This is a fascinating and compelling tale... a roller-coaster ride of harmonious pinnacles and forlorn valleys. This true story reads as fluidly as does a great novel.
   
   Reichl is probably chiefly well-known for her long association with "Gourmet" Magazine. She eventually served as editor-in-chief for this marvelous cookbook, one which I consider a great jewel and which adorns my own cookbook shelf: The Gourmet Cookbook: More than 1000 recipes.
   
   If you're anticipating an upcoming "lost weekend" and you'd like a great read to help in passing the time, Reichl's autobiography would be a terrific option. In addition to the 282 pages of fascinating prose, you'll also enjoy the intermittent recipes which she judiciously tossed in.
   
   If you savor these sorts of books you will surely also enjoy, (I have reviewed both):
   
   Life a la Henri: Being the Memories of Henri Charpentier (Modern Library Food),
   
   and...
   
   The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen.
   
   Reichl's book: highly recommended!

5 comments about Fast Food My Way.

1. I loved this book, just like I love his tv shows. It's nice to have quick recipes handy.



2. This is one of three Pepin books we bought. We have tried a good number of recipes from this book and have never been disappointed. ----mt



3. As a vegetarian, I'm always looking for inspired, easy and delicious vegetarian food. Although, this is not a vegetarian cookbook, Jacques Pepin has created many easy vegetarian recipes in this book and many others that can simply be modified by omitting or substituting the meaty ingredient.
   
   I like to check cookbooks out of the library to give them a test run and this one made the cut - I bought it. I love cooking, but I find there are few cookbooks that I routinely cook from - these recipes are so quick and elegant, this book has become a favorite.
   
   Some of my favorite recipes: in the "More quick ideas for quick dishes section" he has several suggestions on easy desserts - graham cracker topped with ricotta, honey, dried fruit and, if you like, a few drops of Grand Marnier (p 17); Instant vegetable soup (p 46); Silky tomato soup with spinach coulis (p 49); Zucchini and tomato salad (p 70); Summertime pasta (yum!) (p 110); Soupy rice with peas (p 106); Apple skillet cake (p 179).
   
   If you're only going to try one recipe, try: Parsley and pumpkin seed salad (p 72) - full of shredded carrots (I leave out the sardine and add some ume vinegar - delicious!). Jacques Pepin gives us a splendid way to eat this "superfood", parsley. Parsley leaf contains 22% protein and is high in calcium and essential fatty acids.



4. I've watched all programms with Jacques Pepin on TV. And this book is exactly what I wanted...EXCELLENT BOOK!!!
   I highly recommend this book for those who likes to experiment in the kitchen but doesn't have time for this!



5. Bought this book for my Sister... she is one of the best cooks ever. She loves it. Fast Food My Way is for those who want Great Food without a lot of time to prepare. Excellent Book, same goes for More Fast Food My Way. You are going to love both of these books. Jacques is the best.

2 comments about Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2010: Every Recipe...A Year's Worth of Cooking Light Magazine.

1. My wife has been ordering, using, and enjoying the recipes in Cooking Light Annual Recipes for years. I can only guess that this will continue with the current volume.



2. I like having the year's recipes in one place. I buy the book every year.