5 comments about Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate.

1. It's one thing to collect cookbooks-I own hundreds and use most for inspiration only. Some simply are entertaining with gorgeously appetizing photos-as one of my friends refers to as "Food Porn"!
   However, I have surprisingly discovered in this cookbook some recipes that I rely on frequently. Alice Medrich's recipes have become a part of my everyday 'go-to' repetoire.
   I get consistent results and find her directions clear, her suggestions helpful and sound. The recipes for brownies, cheesecake and formula for ganache are excellent.
   As someone who definitely prefers darker chocolate, I find this book to be a tremendous asset in my culinary library!



2. I love this book - great recipes with lots of options - especially if you are lactose intolerant like me. Favorites are the mousse and marquis - brownies and peanut butter chocolate torte are winners too. I've also had success substituting sugar-free chocolate and splenda to make near zero carb versions of the mousse and marquis and tortes.



3. I have used many recipes in this recipe book COUNTLESS times already. My family especially loves the bittersweet chocolate ice cream recipe and i have made that one alone many many times!!! The freezer is now the local gathering to see if more ice cream has been made.
   
   A really great book; i enjoyed reading about her early history in the chocolate world and i HIGHLY recommend this book to EVERYONE!!
   Jessica



4. This is an excellent chocolate dessert recipe book. A perfect book for the finest chefs.



5. Alice Medrich writes with charm, passion and intelligence. Her descriptions of tempering chocolate or making ganache are thoughtful and encyclopedic. For the writing alone, this is a great book. But, oh, the recipes. Each one of the five or six I have tried has yieled uninspiring, bland results. The "Tiger Cake", a chocolate marble cake with olive oil and white pepper--attractive, interesting in theory, but bland and rubbery. The "Nibby Pecan Cookies"--likewise bland. I could go on...but the short story is that if you like assertive flavors that are rich and satisfying, well, this author isn't for you. And that's why I give it such a low rating...because honestly, no matter how well written, if a cookbook's recipes are poor, well, then what's the point?

5 comments about At Home with Magnolia: Classic American Recipes from the Owner of Magnolia Bakery.

1. I love this cookbook. I made the lemon tarragon chicken tonight - it was absolutely perfect and the green beens!! Wonderful. I have so many "note" stickers in this book - I should have just started at the first recipe and worked my way through instead of wasting a package of "note" stickers. I have all of Magnolia's cookbooks - and you can't go wrong with purchasing them -- they are keepers and this one is particularly great to give as a gift - so many interesting and wonderful recipes and nice stories and pictures.
   
   I think it unfair for someone here to give this book a 2 because they made a mistake and thought it was a cupcake book...don't blame the book for that!



2. This is a good book, and I am a reader of cookbooks, marking some pages to try recipes at a later date. A great way to relax after a super fast paced day at the office. But this is a good book, not as many good recipes as the first one, but a good book.



3. What a pleasure to read and see. This cook book has simple, fresh ideas for casual lunches or get togethers and the photos evoke a easy summer day.
   I have alot of cookbooks and this is on the top of my favorites list.



4. AT HOME WITH MAGNOLIA is a personal and eclectic collection of recipes inspired by what author and Magnolia Bakery owner Allysa Torey cooks at home in upstate New York. It is not a large collection, nor particularly ground-breaking, and it is as much a style book loaded with romantic Martha Stewart magazine like photographs of Torey`s enviable homestead as it is a cookbook.
   
   Torey in upstate New York can depend on her own garden and the local farmer's market in season but is otherwise stuck with the kind of supermarket those of us who live beyond suburbia and exurbia are used to. Thus her lists of ingredients are not exotic and overly expensive, and will not leave many people scrambling to find substitutes or giving up. Her recipes are obviously inspired by a fresh abundance of ingredients. They are simple, but not simplistic or accidental: obviously she has learned what ingredients go together well. She is not averse to using the occasional prepared item: there's one recipe that calls for a can of soup! My favorite: the turkey sausage and broccoli rabe cavatelli. I make it with chicken sausage and have experimented with dandelion greens which worked just fine. Some of her recipes use more heavy cream and butter than I like, and then there are some that call for leaner ingredients. There is, for Magnolia Bakery fans, a cupcake recipe. It is the buttermilk pie, however, that I'm going to give a whirl next. Like I said, the book is eclectic and accessible.



5. At home with Magnolia is a home I wish never to be invited to. After flipping through this book I returned it. Big waste of money.

5 comments about Killer Pies: Delicious Recipes from North America's Favorite Restaurants (Killer (Chronicle Books)).

1. I already own a copy, and decided to purchase another as a gift for a family member who is a whiz in the kitchen and it was a smash hit!! There are so many different recipes you won't know where to start--and reading the story behind each pie is just as enjoyable as tasting the end product itself. Highly recommend!! A hip, quirky, fun pie cookbook.



2. This was purchased as one of the Christmas gifts for my wife. She is an accomplished baker of pies, but I felt that even if she knows 99% of what's included in the book, she might still pick up a hint or new idea by looking through the book. And, she did pick up new ideas as she skimmed through it on Christmas morning.



3. I wanted to like this book. Just look at the yummy pie featured on the cover!
   
   ....But wait, that pie is nowhere to be found in the book!
   
   And if you wondered what makes these pies the best in North America, keep on wondering -- it's never revealed what makes these restaurants/diners the "best" (and I doubt that they are). I looked forward to a tale of the author eating her way across the country, but instead the book begins with a tale about her pie-eating as a child, and the claim that people like to eat pie mostly for nostalgic reasons. Why doesn't anyone ever say that about cookies, muffins, or cakes, I wonder?
   
   Examining these pictures, and the somewhat anemic pies shown in them, I realized the unlikelihood that the photos were taken by the same person; many of the photos depict the pie whose recipe is on the page (from a variety of unflattering angles, and two of dark-colored berry pies are shown on blue plates, making it impossible to really see them), but some photos show the outside of the restaurant. Some show the seating area in the restaurant, or the pie case. One shows a waitress holding a pie. Several of the photos are blurry. I suspect the restaurants submitted their own photos; thus, there is a disjointed feel to the photography, leaving me wondering if the author of this book has eaten any of the pies shown in the book.
   
   The pies were mostly uninspired, and on close inspection, don't even look appetizing. I was disappointed to discover there is not a single recipe I wanted to eat, much less bake.



4. It has an appealing layout and is interesting to READ, but beware of some of the recipes if you are at all health conscious. For example, "Sour Cream Raisin Pie" on p. 37, which makes one 9-inch pie, has a filling made from 4 cups raisins, 1 cup cornstarch, 12 egg yolks, 5 cups packed brown sugar and 4 cups sour cream. Whew! Another example, "Johnny's Cafe Pecan Pie" on p. 45, also a 9-inch pie, has 12 eggs in the filling! Not all the recipes are as rich, but a good many are.
   I know that pies are not diet food but these are really over the limit. I was disappointed with this cookbook.



5. There are so many pie cookbooks on the market that one might wonder at the need for yet another - but you won't find most of these pie recipes in competing titles. They are compiled from some fifty expert bakers across the U.S. and Canada, and feature small color photos, clear directions, and introductions on the pie makers and recipe origins. From Plum-Strawberry Crumb Pie to Chocolate-Covered Cherry Pie, these are decadent dishes packed with flavor and appeal. Public lending libraries, even those with other pie cookbooks on their shelves, will find it filled with appeal.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

5 comments about Le Cordon Bleu Dessert Techniques: More Than 1,000 Photographs Illustrating 300 Preparation And Cooking Techniques For Making Tarts, Pi.

1. The book is filled with great pictures, but the techniques are poorly described, and sometimes are not described at all. I've tried several recipes and all of them have been missing steps that the book assumes you already know. My sponge cake for example could have been used for a spare tire, not sure what happened there! I've used some of the ideas in the book, but have gone to other cookbooks for the actual recipes! This book was not worth the money.



2. The color photographs in this cookbook are outstanding. The reader will find inspiration and instruction in the same package. Many of the recipes produce beautiful presentations with fairly simply techniques. Great value



3. This book is amazing, the pictures are fabulous, the techniques spectacular, and recipes thorough. No, it doesn't explain every single detail step by step, but it's not supposed to. It's not going to hold your hand here, it's a 'techniques' book, not a recipe book. Besides, most of the descriptions are self-explanatory, that as a basic aspiring cook, I myself can understand.
   
   It has some great ideas about different dessert techniques that I'd like to try out. Can't wait to give the choux pastry swans a go at my next party.



4. Although this book doesn't have as many recipes as I'd like, it is full of techniques that enable you to utilize all the recipes you have. The full color pictures that go along with every technique were beautiful. I would have given this 5 stars except that there could be a little more explanation for the techniques in the back of the book. Overall, this is fast becoming my go-to book for creating spectacular desserts



5. Due to "A Customer"'s review, I tracked down Ultimate Cakes. A few pictures are similar, but are not the same. Bogus reviews don't help! If anyone knows of a better ILLUSTRATED book of techniques, please post. This is inspiring for visual learners. I haven't found a better illustrated dessert techniques book.

4 comments about The Sweet Spot: Asian-Inspired Desserts.

1. I've cooked Asian for many years now, and have owned at least a dozen different Asian cookbooks, but I've always found them lacking in desserts, or other sweet recipes. This book fills the void in my cookbook collection.
   
   First of all, it is a beautiful book, with lots of color photos. It has more recipes then I thought possible, some being traditional Asian desserts, and others being more American with Asian infusions.
   
   There is a short introduction in which the author agrees with me that Asian desserts have been quite overlooked in America. There is then a section on bakeware needed, most of which should already be in every decently supplied kitchen. Finally there is a chapter entitled The Sweet Asian Pantry, which not only describes different ingrediants used, (some of which should already be on hand in your kitchen, others which may need special ordering,) but also recommends brand names to get.
   
   The first chapter of recipes in the book is devoted to cakes, which is further divided by type of cakes. It starts with loaf and sheet cakes, of which there are four recipes, including an olive oil and yogurt cake. Next there are three steamed cake recipes, which I had never heard of before this book, including steamed pandan layer cake. Next are five recipes for individual cakes including ginger date pudding cakes with rum-walnut toffee sauce. The next section of cakes is devoted to layer cakes, of which there are four recipes, including carrot cake with lime cream cheese frosting. The last section of cakes is cheesecakes, and there are three recipes, including a recipe for Grand Marnier tofu cheesecake.
   
   Chapter two is devoted to cookies, begining with six recipes for drop cookies including ginger oatmeal raisin cookies. There are then eight recipes for Chinese-American cookies, which includes two recipes for what is probably the best known Asian dessert to America, the fortune cookie.
   
   Pies and tarts are covered next, first with seven well known American pie with Asian twists, including a scrumptious coconut cream pie with a jasmine rice crust. There are then four recipes for desserts with Chinese puff pastry, including caramelized pineapple turnovers.
   
   Next is a chapter for my favorite type of desserts; Puddings and Custards. There are ten recipes included, and unlike the other chapters, this one is not divided by type. Included are recipes like spiced chocolate pudding with caramel crisped rice cereal and coconut bread pudding.
   
   There is an entire chapter devoted to candy, which is not found in many of the dessert cookbooks I own. This is divided by style again, but the first recipe, milk chocolate and peanut bars, seems to have no category. There are then five recipes for candy with caramel, including spiced caramel popcorn. That is followed by two recipes of candy with rice, which is a staple in Asia, including seasme balls with a fig filling.
   
   Next is a chapter of desserts with fruit, which is a topic I'm very familar with, owning several books on the subject. The twelve recipes in this chapter have not been divided by type, but its not really needed anyway. Recipes including the cover picture sake-sauteed plums with ginger and star anise and fried bananas.
   
   The last true dessert chapter in the book is devoted to frozen desserts, mainly ice cream and other similar items. Fourteen recipes are included and include fruit creamsicle pops and a very unusual sounding shaved ice with corn, avocado, and red beans.
   
   The final chapter of the book, which I was suprised to see in a dessert book, is Drinks. There are seven recipes, including another unusual sounding "dessert" avocado milk shake.
   
   Mr. Ong has also listed mail order sources for the ingrediants needed, including Amazon.com, of which I've searched, and found many of the more unusual ingrediants.
   
   This is a great book, and I had needed it for my ever growing Asian cookbook collection.



2. If you thought Asian desserts were limited to bland fortune cookies and watery rice pudding, this book will open your eyes and tingle your tongue. Lushly photographed and intelligently written, it features a wide variety of recipes from cakes and cookies to puddings, candy and drinks.
   
   The recipes are much more than Asian riffs on western classics. The author, a talented chef, truly integrates the flavors and styles. I think that fusion has gotten a bad name largely because it dumbs down the joined cuisines. I found the recipes doable notwithstanding the fact that many are rather lengthy. There is not excessive usage of exotic ingredients and the ones he does use are fairly accessible in metropolitan areas or over the internet. Additionally, he suggests substitutions, such as using light brown sugar for palm sugar. One word of caution if you are not partial to ginger or coconut be advised that he uses both liberally.
   
   The recipes I've tried so far have been successful. His condensed milk pound cake is rich and moist while the sweet potato beignets with roasted apple filling are a fall delight. There are pineapple turnovers that look like tangerines complete with a stem of clove. Both the banana cream pie and the coconut cream pie are phenomenal and the walnut cookies are a nice treat. The Vietnamese coffee tart is rich and the avocado shake is a silky sensation. Be sure to try the spring rolls filled with kumquats and bittersweet chocolate---decadent, delicious and easy.
   
   This book is truly a feast for the senses. It is a great read, beautiful to look at and the recipes taste wonderful.



3. I own over 100 cookbooks and there are only a few that I turn to over and over again. Although I only just received Pichet Ong's book as a gift, it has quickly become a staple in my kitchen. First and foremost,the recipes are delicious. They also are easy to follow. His instructions are precise, for instance, he'll tell you the approximate amount of time needed to achieve "light and fluffy" while creaming-a critical point when trying to create airy desserts. They are truly fusion, but in a good way, as in combining the best of two worlds, not so exotic as to intimidate the average Western cook, but different enough to be refreshing. For instance, his carrot cake is enlivened with lime. The almond cookies are buttery sensations. With food this good, I overlooked one minor quibble. Some of the recipes are printed on the back page of the ingredient list, so you have to flip back and forth.



4. Im a pastry chef at a pan asian restaurant, so naturally this book was natural to pick up. The recipes look great, the pictures are fantastic (im a huge fan of pictures) however most of the recipes I have tried havnt been true to the book and have lacked crucial information. for instance, the lemon twinkie cupcakes he describes as needing only approx 10 minutes baking time. What he fails to mention anywhere in the book is that the baking time is in a convection oven. (I found this out after emailing him) another problem recipe is the coconut flan. 1. I could not get palm sugar to 350 degrees without WAY over carmalizing it. 2. he failed to mention to cover them while baking, or risk over carmalizing the mixture. However, I will give him credit, once you do decipher his recipes, the flavors are pretty fantastic. I tried the poached pears (which do not take 1.5 hours, 1 hour should be more than enough) which were very yummy, and our chef, who despises poached fruit liked the desert. So if you buy this book, be wary, but have fun.

5 comments about Cupcakes!.

1. It must be known...I am a sucker for presentation. The pretty pastel shades and mouth-watering photos immediately sold me on this book despite its less than stellar ranking. Given the mixed reviews and more specifically the number of negative ones, I wanted to hold off writing my review until I had attempted at least a few of the recipes...
   
   I have tried 3 so far and if they are any indication of how good this book is...it certainly deserves 5 stars! The trick is to stick to the recipe and not to compromise on the quality of ingredients. The basic chocolate sour-cream cupcakes were very moist and light and were absolutely delicious when topped with frosting. A favorite all round. I baked the Mississippi mud cupcakes next. Those were really excellent. They are bursting with an assortment of chocolate flavors and textures and are truly to-die-for!!! I personally think this cupcake alone warrants the purchase of this book! I also made the carrot cupcakes - not the best I've had but very good.
   
   This book is easy to follow and is very honest in its delivery. It offers a wide variety of flavors that are sure to satisfy even the fussiest sweet tooth. If I had one qualm with the book, it would be that there should be a photograph for each of the recipes. It's a beautiful book to look at, and a library must-have for a cupcake aficionado.



2. looked so cute and interesting, i couldn't resist! came on time and great price!



3. Like others here, I was disappointed that there are not more pictures in this book. And some of the pictures look delicious but do not tell you what recipe they are. However, over all, the book is presented beautifully.
   
   I'm not sure I want to try the chocolate sour cream cake after all the failures people have mentioned here. Unfortunately my 'easy' yellow cake recipe (followed absolutely to the step) were crispy on the outside, and too dough-ish in the inside. I know I can't pin this on the recipe - so then, tell me, recipe book - what has caused this!?
   
   The cakes that are shown do look delicious and I won't give up yet - but so far I'm not that satisfied. And I was so excited to get started too.
   : (



4. I was so excited when I received my cookbook because I had seen this book advertised everywhere! It has some wonderful recipes in it; they are very different and creative. I will agree with those who said that there are not enough pictures. I don't see why they could not have shown a picture of each cupcake, as they definitely had the room. Pictures definitely draw you to the recipe more. That is my only complaint. Otherwise, I give it 5 stars, and I can't wait to try my first recipe (the hi hats). Enjoy!



5. I followed the recipe to the t, and yet my chocolate sour cream cupcake fell flat. I was making them for the son's 4th birthday. Luckily I know enough about baking to know to add more flour. My second batch came out perfectly. I returned the book ASAP. I was looking for "new" recipes, but decided to just do my own thing.

2 comments about Pillsbury Best of the Bake-Off Cookies and Bars.

1. I'm one of those people who only know how to open a package, add water, and stir...so this cook book was way too difficult for me to follow. I'm basically a duplicate of Peggy Bundy, so cooking just isn't my thing...so if you are like Peggy Bundy too, then you'll probably find this book hard to follow. I'm sure that if you can actually follow the recipe then the food will taste good...but I'm not going to go through all that effort just so I can eat something.



2. I first discovered this awesome new book at my public library and then decided I had to own it. The pictures are great! I love to see what the finished baked good will look like. Recipes are easy to follow, even for the novice baker! Great book! Give it a try!!!

4 comments about Sensational Stevia Desserts.

1. The Rich Ricotta Cheese Pie was a huge hit with my family. Also tried the cannoli with excellent results. The best part is NOOO guilt since all the deserts are sugarless. Can't wait to try the rest.



2. This is a good book. It gives you the nutritional breakdowns which is nice, and compares them to the same products made with sugar. She uses healthy ingredients, but not much in the way of whole grains. It's definitely low-carb friendly, as you can easily see how many carbs each recipe will set you back. None of the recipies include other sugar sources which is nice to see in a stevia cookbook.



3. This is the second stevia baking book I have tried. Did not have good luck with this one or the other one. Stevia seems to work when baking with fruit as a supplement to the sweetness, but I have not been successful with chocolate cake or brownies. My tastebuds get two sensations, first of bitter unsweetened cocoa, then an aftertaste of sweetness, but these two do not seem to come at the same time. So far stevia tastes good only in my coffee!



4. Well worth the money. User friendly. Helped me figure out the measurements for the stevia I use "Sweetleaf"
   Great desserts for a diabetic.

5 comments about Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters: More than 100 Years of Recipes Discovered from Family Cookbooks, Original Journals, Scraps of Paper, and Grandmothers Kitchen.

1. What a Gem of a cookbook, not only are the recipes outstanding but the Brass Sisters know how to write, the book reads like a history of baking. I have already used the cookbook several times and got rave reviews. This book stays on my kitchen counter.



2. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book which was written in an easy to understand conversational tone. I love the history of the recipes and the clear instructions. I also liked that the authors tested store-brand ingredients against brand-name ingredients in order to be able to advise readers that we do not need to pay more to produce quality baked goods.
   
   I liked that the recipes are for baked goods that I want to eat but do not duplicate recipes I have seen in other cookbooks (since I have more than 250 cookbooks, this is worth noting).
   
   The book is published on sturdy pages and contains many photos of the finished products as well as of hand-written recipes and cooking tools of years gone by. My only complaint is a very minor one - I found the first page of each chapter a little hard to read as the text was superimposed over a decorative pattern.
   
   I am grateful to the Brass sisters for "rescuing" these recipes from flea markets and antique stores in order to share them with the next generation of bakers. I encourage them to continue their search for lost recipes and to publish those, too.
   
   This book would be an excellent gift, if you can bear to part with it!



3. Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters: More than 100 Years of Recipes Discovered from Family Cookbooks, Original Journals, Scraps of Paper & Grandmother's Kitchen lovingly collects those intriguing bits of family history in the form of recipes scribbled on the backs of bridge tallies, grocery sacks, and yellowed bits of paper. Collected from used bookstores, flea markets, yard sales, and from friends, the dozens of vintage recipes ranging from the 1800s to the 1960s and today are snapshots in time, from the frugality of war rationing (Miss Emma Smith's War Cake) to bridge snacks (Graham Cracker Fudge, Mah Jong Candy) to Jewish comfort foods such as mandelbrot, hamantaschen, and challah.
   
   Sheila and Marilynn Brass have tested, tweaked, and updated these long-lost gems to the modern kitchen, an all-important step to ensuring success. Why is this important? In the good old days, measurements could be imprecise, the texture and type of flour depended on the mill it was ground at, and sugar came in the form of hard cones of loaf sugar that had to be broken and pulverized. Often, oven temperatures were omitted. In addition, they have chosen to use commonly available ingredients (and they include a handy primer on essential ingredients and tips on what was used in the test recipe), making these heirloom baked goods accessible to everyone.
   
   The recipes are grouped loosely by occasion, from breakfast (Pineapple Walnut Breakfast Bars, Helen's Coffee Bans, Cranberry-Orange Cream Scones) to immigrant recipes (Hazelnut Cake, Libby's Coconut Linzer Bars, Canadian Sugar Pie, Mrs. Mattie James' Jamaica Caramel Ice Cream), church recipes (Christian Service Cookies, Reverend Brown's Cake, Black Pepper Hush Puppies), bridge snacks, holiday recipes , and a chapter on chocolate (French Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting, Mocha Ricotta Cake with Ganache Topping, Chocolate Coconut Bread Pudding).
   
   The authors make heirloom baking accessible to the modern cook, and add insightful notes on the original bakers along with kitchen tips on substitutions and variations. This is a wonderful gift for anyone who's longing to recreate the smells and tastes of grandmother's kitchen and a joyous ode to simpler times.
   
   One small caveat: according to their website, there is a misprint in the recipe for Mrs. Marasi's Butterballs, on page 252. Change the amount to 1 cup of butter, not 2 cups of butter.



4. I am giving this book five stars because every recipe I have tried has been, if not outrageously good, then at least delicious. Plus, the text is interesting and the pictures of antique kitchenware are great, making this my favorite cookbook to bake from right now. I am starting to notice a trend though, after making the chocolate peanut butter cake. It did not fit in the pan size that was recommended and ran out all over my oven. I then recalled when I made the lemon cheesecake it didn't fit in my smallish 9" springform pan either. I'll be paying more attention now; the recipes are worth this inconvenience.



5. Regretfully, I do not own a copy of this book because it's the library copy but as soon as I can, I will be buying a copy of this cookbook. Till then, I will be making copies of numerous recipes out of this book.
   
   My paternal great-grandma and my maternal grandma were both great cooks. I am very fortunate to have a copies of my great-grandma's recipes formatted in a lovely binder. I wish I could say the same of my grandma's. There is a recipe in this cookbook, on page 115 that may be the recipe that my mom has been looking for, called Canadian Sugar Pie. We lost my grandma's pie recipe which was handed down to her by her mother-in-law. It leads me to wonder just how many bakers have lost treasured recipes throughout the years ...
   
   This book is just wonderful. It is full of tidbits, photos and recipes. There are photos of antique cake pans that my husband would love to have in our kitchen and the tidbits are wonderful. It is a glimpse into the not-so-distant past where women did not have all the ingredients readily available like we do today. It is a nostagalic look into the past. It doesn't look as hard to make as it sounds and I can only imagine the smells coming out of those two sisters' kitchens as they tested every recipe in there.
   
   This is a collector's item as well as a practical baker's item. In short, it really is a must-have in kitchens because who knows? Someday you might be looking for a lost recipe only to find it in this book.
   
   8/23/08

4 comments about 101 More Things to do with a Cake Mix.

1. Stephanie Ashcraft's mother taught her "that anything could be made with a cake mix." It does seem to be true. This tiny, easy-to-read cookbook has recipes for everything from Red Raspberry Dream Cake to Peaches and Cream Pudding Bars.
   
   There are a few helpful hints on page 9 that teach you a few tricks about baking cakes, making chewier cookies and keeping fruit fresh. I've never used glass or stoneware baking dishes for cakes, so that is a new idea for me. I've been buying my cake pans from "Jane's Cakes & Chocolates." The results were rather stunning when I used the pans she sells.
   
   What amazed me about this cookbook is the sheer simplicity of the recipes and the absolute beauty of the results.
   
   Some of the recipes you might enjoy:
   
   Orange Rolls
   Sweet Banana Bread - only 4 ingredients
   Butterscotch Chip Oatmeal Cookies
   Blueberry Swirl Cake
   Chewy Peanut Bars
   Pumpkin Cheesecake
   
   If you love this cookbook, try the first 101 Things to Do With a Cake Mix. I can highly recommend the recipe for Pistachio Pound Cake. It turned out to be "Moist, chocolaty, pistachio, dream cake." My relatives were impressed. It is not every day that I try a new recipe and then bravely take the cake to a party, but these books are winners. The ingredients are little more than a cake mix and a few ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
   
   All I have left to say is, you will get requests for the cakes in this book. I look forward to trying more of the recipes as soon as I can get to the store to buy more cake mixes and instant puddings.
   
   LOVE the binding on these cookbooks. Great to cook from and everyone loves the recipes. I just made the Pistachio Cake again this November.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review
   
   P.S. Also look for the 101 Things To Do with a Slow Cooker books. Wonderful recipes for home cooking in the winter.



2. As an ocean going chef the "101" cookbook series is the chef/cook's best friend. I found a collection of these very handy cookbooks on my last ship and I knew I had to have my own copies. The ship was short handed and it ran out of basic cooking & baking supplies. These cookbooks gave excellent and simple meal preperation and desert ideas with the few supplies & staff we had on hand. It's all common sense but these ladies take the brain damage out of meal & desert planning. Most importantly, the crew was always satisfied. I'd recommend the series for the beginning cook or one that is short on time.



3. Well thought out recipes.
   Clear and easy directions.
   Easy to find ingredients and many already on hand.
   I only wish there was a photo of the finished recipe.



4. I just received this book a couple of weeks ago. My daughter borrowed the book after I HIGHLY recommended one of the recipes. She has since found a couple of recipes she HIGHLY recommends! My only regret is that I really like cookbooks with pictures and there are none in this book. The recipes are fabulous and most look to be extremely easy. I think this is a must have book for anyone who has even a small library of cookbooks!!!