3 comments about From Your Ice Cream Maker: Ice Creams, Frozen Yogurts, Sorbets, Sherbets, Shakes, Sodas (Nitty Gritty Cookbooks).

1. I like the book. is it very useful to me



2. From Your Ice Cream Maker by Coleen & Bob Simmons. > >The first recipe I used from this book was Raspberry Sherbert on page 70. >It not only says it makes 3 cups when, in fact it makes much more but it >omits any sugar. My husband made a double batch of this for guests at our >home, ruined 4 packages of frozen raspberries and it was not edible. My >first clue was when a four year old spit out his first bite. I am afraid to >try any more recipes in this book because it was obviously not proof-read. >I will not take any more chances. I will also tell my friends not to >purchase this book.



3. I have had this book for about 5 years and I have used it and looked at it so much that it is falling apart. I love that it has all of the recipes divided in sections by their fat content. I have to admit, I haven't tried them all, but the ones I have tried were all delicious. Buy this book, you won't be disapointed.

5 comments about Maxwell House Coffee Drinks & Desserts Cookbook: From Lattes and Muffins to Decadent Cakes and Midnight Treats.

1. This book contains some of the most delicious and easy to prepare recipes. After serving some of these treats I received rave reviews from friends and they wanted the recipes.
   An interesting history of coffee at the begining but the simple tasty recipes are what makes this book a keeper!!



2. While it's easy to get the fancy coffee machines that the big chains have, or the same gourmet coffee beans, one thing that's not as easy to reproduce is those tempting, rich delicious treats behind the bright glass case to go with the coffee. This book solves that issue, detailing how to make a wide variety of scrumptious treats. Not only does it give breads, cheesecakes, muffins, biscotti, cookies, and tarts to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth, all around a coffee house theme, but it manages to make the desserts accessible. The recipes use ingredients that are commonly found in every supermarket, and easy to follow instructions. For those who want to entertain but find themselves pressed for time, a few recipes use mixes with wise add-ins. Even better it includes a recipe for a 5 ingredient cheesecake anyone could make. Also included are recipes for a few of the coffee drinks themselves.
   
   This book is a delicious addition to any cook's library and an absolute bargain. I especially recommend it as a gift for a coffee lover or college student.
   
   At this price, grab a copy for yourself and one for a friend. You won't be disappointed!



3. This was the first cookbook I bought in a long time without seeing it. I was very disappointed. I don't know....I guess I was looking for something else. I really LOVE the "Shake Awake Smoothie!" I have that every morning. Nothing else has jumped out and said, "MAKE ME!" I wouldn't buy this book again.



4. I have this cookbook, and have thoroughly enjoyed the recipes from it. A very good friend, who loves coffee, would enjoy this book, so I bought one for her. So far, she has enjoyed every recipe she has tried!!! They are easy to make without a lot of unusual ingredients.



5. Looking at a fiend's copy and found many receipes appealing, so, had to purchase my own copy.

5 comments about Lickin' The Beaters: Low Fat Vegan Desserts (PM Press).

1. Excellent pint-sized baking book with quite a few recipes... fun, playful stuff you don't see everywhere, like chocolate peanut butter cups, and various puddings, even a plum cake, pies, candies, mango sticky rice. Simple and straightforward directions without a whole lot of hullabaloo, fresh fruit dessert ideas, too. Well done...
   Ethiopian-inspired Cooking, Vegetarian Specialties
   The Gluten-free Guide to Vegetarian Recipes



2. Charming, cartoony black-and-white drawings illustrate Lickin' the Beaters, a pint-sized cookbook of delectable low fat vegan desserts. From Gingerbread Cookies to Vegan Yogurt, Poppyseed Pineapple Loaf, Blueberry Cherry Crisp, and much more, these tasty delights have step-by-step preparation instructions suitable for cooks of all skill and experience levels. Enthusiastically recommended not only for vegans, but also for anyone who loves a delicious desserts without an excess of fat.



3. When the book came from Amazon, I was surprised at how small it was (less than 6 inches by 6 inches)...I like larger cookbooks...but upon opening it and reading through the recipes, I was very pleased at the low fat approach. The recipes all sound great. I decided to make two--the chocolate fudge and the halvah. Both came out amazing and were simple to make. This weekend I am going to have a dinner party and will serve those along with the lemon merengue pie and The only disappointment with this tiny book is that some recipes (like the halvah and the whipped creem) call for either honey or maple syrup. HONEY IS NOT VEGAN!!!! I was also surprised that some recipes called corn syrup.
   
   I like the cookbook but am only giving it four stars because of the honey!



4. I was extremely disappointed when I received this cookbook; not only was it very small (a ridiculous size for a cookbook) but some of the recipes included honey as an ingredient, which is most certainly NOT vegan. I also did not like the format of the book either; some actual pictures of the food (even black and white would have worked) would have been ideal. The pictures were cute but not necessarily conducive to the actual recipes.



5. The difference between great cookbooks and mediocre cookbooks is that great cookbooks are carefully tested to make sure the directions are clear and can be easily replicated in home kitchens, and come out great every time. This cookbook is riddled with problems, and it feels like no one even proofread it once, let alone tested it in home kitchens. In fact, I don't even think the *author* has tried every recipe. Take, for example, the halvah recipe, which begins, "Grind sesame seeds into a nut butter. I wasn't able to do this -- my processor only cut the seeds in halves." Um, ok, if the author couldn't successfully make the recipe, who came up with the recipe, and why is it in this cookbook?

2 comments about 500 Pies & Tarts: The Only Pie & Tart Compendium You'll Ever Need (500 (Sellers Publishing)).

1. I tried a couple of the recipes in the book. The measurements for ingredients were all off. I am a novice pie maker but after two recipes failed to produce, I checked with my more experienced baking friends. The basic crumb crust recipe calls for one cup of crumbs for a 9 inch pie plate. That barely covers the bottom of the plate. My friends confirmed that they would always use 1 1/2 cups of crumbs for a 9 inch pie. Other similar recipes on the Internet I checked also called for 1 1/2 cups. The two pies I tried both produced so much more filling than could fit in the pie plate, I had to dump about half a cup down the drain both times. I didn't try any more recipes because I was sick of wasting time and ingredients.



2. I have several of the "500 ___" books and I they're lots of fun. The recipes are easy and relatively stress-free. They wont rock the culinary world with innovation, but for a quick fun dessert, I enjoy having this book on my shelf. The book is a great size and a great price. There are a lot of options to customize your desserts. Like any cookbook, there is always a learning curve. I've really enjoyed my copy so far. The lime and kiwi tart was outstanding!

2 comments about Sweet Carolina: Favorite Desserts and Candies from the Old North State.

1. This is such a sweet collection of recipes - not only the excellent collection itself, but the meaningful stories that thread throughout this compilation of dessert recipes from families across North Carolina. As much a culinary historical journey as a cookbook. It tops my list as a holiday gift for my favorite North Carolinians this year!



2. Gave one as a gift & kept one for myself. Haven't tried any recipes out of it yet, but am anxious to try some of them. Looks like it will be a good one to add to my collection of cookbooks.

5 comments about Death by Chocolate Cakes: An Astonishing Array of Chocolate Enchantments.

1. You won't find such creative stuff anywhere else, trust me, one who's a cookbook addict collector and searches many sources for great recipes. Marcel is truly creative and stand alone in his relentless search and publication of such collections, all geared not for restaurant or competition but for us home chefs. Ingredients, equipment and techniques are all tried and prepared with us in mind.

   This volume on cakes is divided into five groupings: Baby cakes, Mom's cakes, Celebration cakes, out-of-state cakes, and sky-high cakes, with the common theme of chocolate. This guy really knows how to get to my sweet tooth, with nuts and fruit and decadent chocolate.

   Try the likes of: "Chocolate Porto Enchantment Cake"; "Milk Chocolate Peach Pecan Upside Down Cake with Peach and Bourbon Ice Cream" or "Chocolate Mai Tai." Truly, there is too many good ones, but feast your tastebuds on: "Martha's Chocolate Frecles Fresh Blueberry Ice Cream Cake" "Chocolate Caraway On-The-Rock Trifles" "Chocolate Tender Passion"

   As with each of his cookbook offerings, there is the super photos, Chef's Touch section with its fascinating background and prep and serving tips, and section on sources, ingredients and techniques, one especially awesome here is a Table of differing chocolate melting times using both double broiler and microwave methods.

   This one does take the cake




2. Marcel Desaulniers is the most consistently amazing dessert cookbook author I've ever come across. Take, for example, Martha's Chocolate Freckles Fresh Blueberry Ice Cream Cake. It's based in a "Chocolate Freckles Cake," which is a non-chocolate cake with finely-chopped or grated chocolate mixed into the batter. A homemade blueberry ice cream fills the space between the layers - this is honestly one of the best ice creams I've ever had, with a tart flavor created by the sour cream, cream cheese, and lemon juice. The topping is sweetened, vanilla-flavored whipped cream, and further fresh blueberries are ringed around the top.

   Next we made Marcel's First Birthday Chocolate High and Fluffy-on-Top Cake. This is a chocolate cake with a vanilla frosting. It sounds so simple, but it's so delightful! This is truly the ultimate icing: sweet, not too buttery, and remarkably fluffy. I have never had such a fantastic icing before, and intend to use it on cake after cake in the future.

   You'll find everything in here from Chocolate Rocky Road, to Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake, Chocolate Caraway On-the-Rocks Trifles, Chocolate-Dipped Orange Fry Cakes with Coffee and Cream, Uncle Sam's in the Black Cake (with a toasted oatmeal raising topping), Chocolate Tender Passion, and much more! Each recipe comes with a gorgeous picture. The recipes are inventive and of consistently excellent quality; the directions are thorough without being labyrinthine. They're several pages long for each recipe, but I never feel lost. Marcel repeats the amounts of the ingredients in the instructions so you don't have to flip back and forth to the ingredient amounts.

   You'll probably not want to get this book unless you have a stand mixer--the key to many of these delights is loooong mixing times, sometimes of stiff batters. Other than that, however, Marcel tries to limit himself to common household equipment and time-scales. In short, if you like to cook and love chocolate cakes, buy this cookbook!




3. The recipes are outstanding, and include a large variety of desserts beyond chocolate. The book presumes that basic cake baking techniques are understood. Although not a problem for any seasoned baker, a beginner will likely make errors. Now that I have learned more (from other sources) this book will be an excellent source for phenomenal recipes. Good luck.



4. This is the best book on chocolate cakes. When I am entertaining I reach for this book. The directions are many but they are helpful. It is well written, funny, and the recipes are wonderful!!! The pictures are great too!!



5. I loved Mr. Desaulniers Death by Chocolate, frankly it's my chocolate bible always winning me heaps of praise. Thinking that this newer improved book would be better I was shocked how wrong I was. Most of the recipes are nearly the same yet lacked the wow factor. Rather than having that classic boulangerie look to the chocolate cakes, cookies ect.. It had a new unappealing/modern look. Frankly most of it looked so bad I wouldn't served it if you paid me. Most of the recipes had changed but none for the better. The only "new" recipe I could find in the book that wasn't 85% something in Death by Chocolate was good. That said, it wasn't worth the price of the book for one recipe. Stick to "Death by Chocolate" and you'll be happier!

1 comments about A Taste of Switzerland.

1. We were discussing Switzerland recently, and someone asked, 'What do the Swiss eat, anyway?' Apart from the obvious -- cheese and chocolate -- I had no idea. But then I found this attractive book, and now my questions are answered.

   Sue Style here tackles the difficult task of giving us a culinary portrait of a nation which, as she points out in her introduction, is 'at least four countries rolled into one,' not counting influences from neighboring countries and cultures. The key, she says, is in realizing that Swiss food, wine, and tastes aren't monolithic, but rather vary (sometimes widely) from canton to canton.

   Aided by John Miller's skilled photography of landscapes (sometimes I wonder if it's even possible to take an unattractive photo of Switzerland), people, and ... not least of all ... food, Style not only gives us a wide variety of recipes, but also shows how those foods fit into the broader Swiss lifestyle. Bread, cheese, chocolate, and sausage ... each gets its own chapter, as do Swiss winemaking (who knew? -- 'Many Swiss wines never make it beyond the confines of the canton, let alone the country' -- yet some are apparently quite nice) and the art of the Swiss innkeeper.

   In all, whether you have no experience of Swiss food at all, or are a former visitor or resident looking to recreate happy memories, Sue Style's book seems like an excellent way to explore the surprisingly varied world of Swiss tastes.

No comments about 101 Things to Do with Pudding.

5 comments about Kids Cooking: Scrumptious Recipes for Cooks Ages 9 to 13 (Williams Sonoma Kitchen Library).

1. This is one of the better Children's Cookbooks out there. This one reminds me of the old Betty Crocker style children's cookbooks that I grew up with. This book has a nice section on tools of the kitchen, preperation methods all fully loaded with pictures. The recipes can be prepared easily, and best of all they taste really great. The book has a wide variety of recipes too, some easy things, and some more advanced recipes so that children of all ages will be able to enjoy this one.



2. I bought this for my young nephew for his birthday and it made him feel so grown up!! With my sister's help all three of her kids were able to easily have lots of fun making these recipes that are especially designed with kids in mind - things kids love to eat, lots of pictures, easy to follow. The kids were so eager to make dinner for the whole family!



3. I've never come across a better book to get kids going on learning to cook... My son made us a scrumptious meal the first night he had the book! I recommend highly.



4. this book claims to teach kids about healthy eating but most of the recipes it contains are of either high fat eg macaroni with LOTS and LOTS of CHEESE!!or full of SUGAR eg the chocolate desserts.
   kids LOVE some of these recipes basically because theyre full of fat,one recipe we did enjoy however was the apple and cinnamon muffins,they did taste real good and one of the salads was also good(not the ceasar salad though,yuck!!)
   my son(whos eight) did make the pasta and cheese dish and wouldnt eat it because he said it tasted too cheesy.he did like the slush dessert though
   call me strange but i believe that a cookbook which it amined at children shoul have low fat and healthy recipes.most of the recipes here are either high in fat or high in sugar.this is a disappointment for me and my family



5. This is a great cookbook for kids or students, or anyone with time pressures, who needs to fix a simple, but nutritious meal. We have prepared numerous dishes from this book and all were delicious!

1 comments about 500 Chocolate Delights: The Only Chocolate Compendium You'll Ever Need (500 (Sellers Publishing)).

1. I like the recipes in it and the different variations for them. All recipes are made from scratch and this is something I look for in a recipe book, easy to follow instructions and the best of all it has a lot of pictures. It's a good selection for someone who likes chocolate.