2 comments about Sugar Reef Caribbean Cookbook.

1. If you can get your hands on this cookbook buy it I was lucky enough to find it in the used section. I had seen it when we were in the Caribbean & found some great recipes in it.Very well done.



2. I bought this cookbook when it first came out, and have been using it for years. It's my favorite cookbook -makes reliably delicious dishes. The key lime pie and stewed chicken are two recipes which are fabulous!

4 comments about The Book of Curries and Indian Foods (Book of...).

1. Terrific recipes. This is a fun and tasty introduction to Indian cookery! I've tried about 25 of the recipes with excellent results. The steps are clearly illustrated, easy to follow, and produce dishes that look like the picture, smell wonderful, and taste great.



2. This colorful indian cookbook has photos of every recipe with simple directions. A lot of basic recipes for spice mixes & coconut milk, chapati, naan, other breads are this book along with a section at the beginning explaining cultural influences. There are tasty desserts like "Cashew Nut Fudge," "Pistachio Halva," along with wonderfully refreshing drinks "Lime & Mint Drink," "Indian Summer Punch," and more! Tasty main dish recipes for "Creamy Saffron Fish Curry," "Lemon & Coriander Chicken," "Coriander Leaf Chutney" and lots more. One comment I will make is that most of the main dishes are meat or seafood so if you are a strict vegetarian this may not be the right cookbook for you. It's a good basics cookbook for someone not familiar with how to make indian foods.



3. In its almost 50 parts, all written by experienced cooks and cook book writers, HP Books' "The Book of ... Cooking" series takes you to the cuisines of various regions of the U.S. and around the world; all in easy to follow, well-explained recipes.
   
   This installment, the Book of Curries and Indian Foods, presents recipe suggestions for all major courses, from meat dishes to pickles, accompaniments, breads and drinks. Special chapters are dedicated to poultry, vegetable dishes, fish and shellfish, and desserts. Classics such as yogurt dishes, tikkas, chutneys, curries, milkshakes, naan, spiced tea and tandoori chicken appear next to unique dishes such as cilantro and chile fish, coconut spiced cod, duck with honey and lime, pork in spinach sauce, rose water pudding, and shrimp and mustard seeds.
   
   From apricot and chicken curry to white and red radish salad, this collection of recipes, while not all-encompassing, is a great introduction to the richness of the Indian cuisine - and at a relative bargain price, to boot. Also recommended for fans of Asian cooking: this series' installments on Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese and Chinese Cooking and on Stir-Fries.
   
   Also recommended:
   Around the World Cookbook
   Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day
   Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant (Cookery)
   Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian: More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World
   On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals (4th Edition) Textbook only
   Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006



4. A VERY nice collection of recipes that are fun and easy to cook (to say nothing of the tasty results!). I have never regretted that I bought this book. It's my most used book on the kitchen bookshelf!

   Our family's favourites are the meat dishes. Linda Fraser gives a good variety of meats to use: lamb, beef, pork, chicken, duck. So far, we have not been disappointed in any recipe (and we bought the book in 2000).

   Highly recommended if you like Indian cuisine, but do not feel like an expert in Indian cooking. All spices used in this book's recipes are easily available in grocery stores.

1 comments about Caribbean Cocktails.

1. Caribbean Cocktails is filled with tropical drink recipes that will have you smelling the ocean and feeling the warm breezes no matter where you may be located. They are done with fresh juices and easy to find ingredients. There are sections on eats and even one for your non-alcohol drinking guests. The added bonuses are the bits of triva placed thoughout the book as well as the "recommended listening" for each drink. I was very impressed with the book when I received it. It will be one I grab often thoughout the summer, winter, spring, and fall to entertain and to just fix something to relax and take me to that little tropical place in my mind. Well, any season is a good season to escape into one of these drinks.

5 comments about The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook: Casual and Elegan Recipes Inspired by the Islands.

1. My husband and I both love to cook and we picked up this cookbook shortly before our carribean cruise to introduce ourselves to the cuisine. We haven't stopped using the book since. The recipes are easy to follow and a great selection. The ingredients are for the most part easy to find or substitute for. I've won several cook-offs with recipes from this book, the rum glazed ribs and black bottom banana pie is to die for.



2. I had been eyeing this book for quite awhile, for more than a year actually, because my husband and I were going to the BVI for our honeymoon. When we finally went on our honeymoon, through dumb luck and fate, we got a room down the road from the Sugar Mill, and we decided to go to their famous restaurant for a night out. That night out turned into one of the most fantastic, memorable dining experiences we'd ever had... The night was like something out of a fancy movie. Blown away by the food, I bought the cookbook at the gift shop after dinner. Flipping through it in the hotel, I almost couldn't wait to go home and try out some of their recipes. I ended up scribbling down drink mixes we had when we went out and about town in the BVI, so this cookbook has turned into a honeymoon food scrapbook for me.
   
   Now, I know that back story makes me a little biased, but I have to say that even if I just bought it without going to the restaurant, I'd still think this cookbook is superb. It's so clearly written and each recipe has a little paragraph "bio" associated with it discussing either its creation, history, or interesting info on the ingredients or the tradition behind the food. That little paragraph adds to the local color and feel that resonates through this whole cookbook. You can almost taste and feel the Caribbean when you read this book. Another thing I really like is that this book will give you the recipe as it's served at their restaurant, adding to the authentic feel of the book... But the book also acknowledges that some of the ingredients easily available to them in the BVI might be hard to impossible to find on the mainland, so they give you feasible substitutions that don't hurt the taste or presentation at all. Also included are little blurbs on the various Caribbean islands, customs, or other interesting facts.
   
   I'd say most of these recipes are what I like to call "grown-up recipes." Meaning, not all of them you'll throw together in 30 minutes, that these recipes are sophisticated, adult foods that will probably require a little planning and time, perfect for special occasions (or a nice dinner you'd like to feel like a special occasion). I know this is a big negative for some people, but for me it's nice to own a recipe book that involves some serious cooking. I own far too many cookbooks with recipes that call for throwing together various canned soups and canned vegetables, or other processed foods like Bisquick or freezer rolls, and baking it for 30 minutes, and serving. It's nice to have a recipe book that doesn't include 45 different ways to use "cream of" Campbell's soups, and talks about cooking with things like star fruit and plantains and all sorts of exotic fruits and ingredients you see at the grocery store and wonder "I wonder what you use that for?" :D This is certainly a "from scratch" cookbook, not a "30 minute meals" sort of deal.
   
   The categories in this book are: Sunrise Specials (breakfast foods), Snacks, Nibbles, and Island Appetizers, Carnival of Soups, Calypso Salads and Side Dishes, Pastas Under the Palms, From the Fish Pot (seafood), Birds of Paradise (poultry), Tropical Meat Waves (all other meat), Sugar Island Sweets (desserts), and Trade Wind Cocktails (an essential for summer parties as it's the drink recipes... :D). Some of my favorite recipes are curried citrus rice, christophene and sausage filled flank steak, lime cream pasta, pina colada pancakes and cake (the latter being my husband's new favorite birthday cake), lobster chowder, and conch chowder. And I have a list of "need to try" recipes from this book as long as my arm.
   
   I love this cookbook. It's the BVI wrapped up in a 245 page book. There are only two downsides as far as I can see to this book... The first one being that it doesn't include this awesome drink recipe that we had while we were there and are just dying to have again but nobody knows how to make... And the second being that every time I cook something from it, my husband and I remember how much fun we had and how beautiful this restaurant was, and then we start missing Tortola terribly... :)



3. I live in the Florida keys and foods from the islands of the caribbean are all over the islands, however, this book of recipes by far expands ones selection of choices. The recipes are well written for following instructions easily. the added info in the side bars is interesting and easily put to use with other recipes in the book. If you like food from the islands, all the islands of the caribbean, this book is a source for a quick trip to the island of your choice.
   I lost my first copy to Wilma (the huricane). Had to buy another because this book is that good. But it, you'll love it! ;-)



4. It is awonderful book. I loved the recipes. GREAT BOOK TO GIVE AS A GIFT.



5. The other day I went through my cookbooks, to see if I could weed some out, because I have too many to mention. It's hard getting rid of a cookbook, especially one with a few recipes in it that you've come to love. But I've scanned the recipes I need to keep forever into my MacBook. However, there were an even dozen I couldn't part with. These are books I turn to time and time again, even though I consider myself somewhat of a gourmet chef.
   
   THE SUGAR MILL CARIBBEAN COOKBOOK is one of the ones I just had to keep, if only for the "Beach Breakfast" recipe right at the beginning of the book on page 4. Ms. Jinx is oh so right when she says the "spicy combination of Caribbean black beans and eggs give any morning a zingy lift-off." But, of course, you don't keep a cookbook for only one recipe, but not to worry, there is plenty more in this wonderful cookbook, like the "Lobster or Crab Eggs Benedict". Now that's a wonderful menu for a Sunday brunch and it goes perfectly with a Bloody Mary.
   
   But please don't think this book is just about breakfast just because I chose to highlight a couple of good ones. If you want a satisfying, but not overfilling evening meal, try the "Fish with Coral Sunset Sauce" on page 122, it is simply divine. Then there is the "Pan-Seared Scallops with Tomato-Mango Salsa" on page 133, or the "Garden Patch Pasta" on page 102 and I better stop here, because I could go on and on, gushing about the wonderful recipes in this cookbook, but I think you have the picture by now. I really love this book, probably because every recipe in it is to die for.

2 comments about India's 500 Best Recipes.

1. This is my favorite of Shehzad Husain's cookbooks. The recipes are, as of yet, all delicious and taste very "authentic" (as validated by one of my best friends who is an instructor for Indian Cooking). Has a great variety of recipes from meats, veg, Indian pickles, side dishes, etc. Definitely a great book if you can find a copy, you won't be disappointed!



2. I have never cooked Indian before and bought this cookbook on the recommendation of my friend, who owns it. It's fantastic! The recipes are well explained, the pictures are great, and there is much variety in this book. This book is an excellent introduction to Indian cooking, within 5 days of owning this book I made a feast based on the recipes for some friends and dinner was a hit! I highly recommend this.

No comments about Classic Tamil Brahmin Cuisine - Pure Vegetarian South Indian Samayal.

2 comments about Complete Book of Indian Cooking: 350 Recipes from the Regions of India.

1. I have cooked about a dozent meals out of this book, and each of them has come out perfectly delicious. I am so glad I bought this book and can very happily recommend it to others.



2. This is a beautifully written book with easy-to-follow recipes that aren't time-consuming. I've gotten raves about everything I've made from the book and the flavors are very authentic. All the little tips help me sound like an expert in Indian cooking. I love the background about the varying regional foods and spices in India. It makes a great gift, too!

5 comments about Simple Indian Cookery.

1. We love this book and use it all the time. The recipes are quick, easy and delicious. The ingredients are readily available in the US.



2. After eating many amazing Indian dishes and hoping to replicate them at home with absolutely no luck & lots of disappointment, we found this book and we were delighted! Many Indian cook books intimadated us with lengthy receipes calling for a laundry list of ingredients. However, this book keeps the ingrediants fairly basic (perfect for a native midwesterner and her german husband), BUT it stays true to the Indian flavor that we yearn for!
   We'd definitely recommend this book because the recipes helped us to replicate many of our favorite meals that we had eaten at restaurants.



3. I really missed indian food when I came to live in the US from England. These recipes are so easy to follow and they taste so authentic .I have enjoyed hunting down the spices and have been making my way through the book. I especially liked the chicken korma with the vegetable pullao.My only complaint if I have one is that I would have liked to see more recipes. However I really liked that the author included a section on the ingredients (aka spices) and hints on where to purchase and how to store.I certainly would reccommend this as a starter book to indian cookery



4. I've never had a lot of confidence in the kitchen, so when I got this cookbook I felt discouraged - the recipes looked amazing, but the ingredient lists were long and included spices that I'd never used before. Thank goodness I decided to give it a shot anyway - I found some of my all-time favorite recipes in this book! The Moghlai spinach recipe is my favorite - simple to prepare but absolutely irresistible to eat. I have yet to run into anything confusing in this book, and it's even given me the confidence to improvise in the kitchen. My favorite cookbook by far.



5. Ms. Jaffrey's recipes are easy to follow, but produce delightfully spicy, fragrant dishes. Her mixture of spices adds wonderful flavor to traditional indian dishess. Recipes are good for a good home meal or for entertaining company.

5 comments about Havana Salsa: Stories and Recipes.

1. .
   
   The last 10 years have brought a wealth of "growing up Cuban" memoirs, most notably "Waiting for Snow in Havana," "Tropicana Nights," and "Finding Mañana." Funny thing is, we just can't get enough of them. We guess it's because they bring memories of a Cuba we can only dream about -- the glory days of Cuba that are slowly fading in our memories.
   
   Viviana Carballo has added to the mix with a delightful account of her own rather eccentric family's experiences both BC (Before Castro) and after. Reading this book is a little like pulling up a stool and listening to the stories of a favorite (albeit a little saucy) great aunt. As in many homes of the time and especially in the better homes of Havana, Carballo's mother cooked only occasionally, mostly for holidays and special occasions. The real culinary magic was performed by Dulce, the Carballo's cook and a devout follower of Santeria -- a religion that combines African mystic belief with Catholic faith. It was here that Viviana Carballo first learned the basics of Cuban cuisine, in a kitchen that was quite literally watched over by the Gods.
   
   For those who survived the "revolution," no Cuban life story is without pain and suffering and Carballo's experiences are especially heartrending. Her father is branded a counter-revolutionary and locked up in one of Castro's gulags where he dies after two years of inhumane treatment. When she decides to flee the island, she must leave her husband behind, a horrible Sophie's choice that no woman should ever be faced with.
   
   Carballo seasons her narrative with some 70 recipes for Cuban dishes, some very traditional, although there is a strong emphasis on dishes from the mother country, Spain. Some are pure Gallego: you'd be hard pressed to find Blue Cheese Circles, St. James Almond Tart, or Christmas Turkey with Catalan stuffing on a traditional Cuban menu, but this broadening of the Cuban food repertoire only adds to this book's appeal. There is even a recipe for filloas, the Spanish version of French crepes. Thick and almost rustic in appearance, these hearty pancakes make a great wrapper for a wide range of fillings both sweet and savory.
   
   Cuban dessert fanatics (and we hear from them weekly at our website) will enjoy several rarely published dessert recipes including one for Brazo Gitano (quite literally Gypsy's arm) a classic jelly roll cake traditionally filled with sweet guava filling and topped with candied fruits and shredded coconut, but here stuffed with a citrus cream and garnished simply with powdered sugar and orange slices. Meringue loving foodies will be inspired by the capitolios, a chocolate cake-like confection topped with fluffy meringue -- although the author does admit to taking the easy way out and using a commercial brownie mix for the cake.
   
   We have only begun to sample the recipes, but one clearly stands out: a new twist on enchilado de camarones, a very typical dish of sautéed shrimp in a creole sauce, here made less typical with the addition of coconut milk and a bit of a spicy kick.
   
   Havana Salsa is an excellent read and the recipes are an added bonus!



2. A touching story of how promptly a life can change, and how cuisine and food memories tend to support us, even without knowing ourselves that food memories can sustain us emotionally



3. This is a lovely book full of great stories and great recipes. Loved it!



4. Havana Salsa:Stories and Recipes is just that, a wonderful recounting of a girl's life in pre-Castro Cuba with eccentric and very colorful relatives and family friends and the comfort foods they cooked. An excellent story teller, Viviana Carballo intertwines her stories with recipes that bring back nostalgia as the smells and tastes of Cuba come alive throughout this book. As a fellow Cuban I enjoyed the author's character descriptions, recounting of familiar places, interesting anecdotes and the many memories she shares with her readers. The recipes are easy to follow and characteristically Cuban. This little gem is a delightful read.



5. I really like that this is a cookbook that is not a cookbook....she provides such fabulous imagery of Cuba in its hey day. I am mesmerized by the tales and delight in completing an admittedly...."This is the way I remember it" recipe!

2 comments about Puerto Rican Dishes (Cookbook).

1. A young man from that delightful island works at the local market, and sometimes delivers groceries to our home. He often eulogizes the young ladies of his homeland quite salaciously, particularly one Miss "Jay Lowe" (an odd name for a woman, but he seems to be quite smitten). As Christmas approached I spied this book's title in a long list of closed-out items in a catalog and ordered it for Manuel, hoping to ease his homesickness with a visual panegyric to San Juan womanhood. However it turns out that this is a cookbook, as any less prurient reader would have immediately gleaned from its title. So I instead made it a gift to Mrs. Higgensworth, née Ramirez, who can hold more than just a candle to any number of Jay Lowe's in or out of the kitchen. We have dined on delectable series of Puerto Rican entrees throughout the subsequent weeks - a marked improvement on the Panamanian specialties that Mrs. Higgensworth mastered in the kitchens of her youth. A masterful chapter on Puerto Rican desserts will be particularly debilitating to the waistline of any gentleman lucky enough to have a Latina vixen attending to his oven. Andelé!



2. good if you are familar with the receipts and have are handy around the kitchen