1 comments about Cafe Wisconsin: A Guide To Wisconsin's Down-Home Cafes.

1. Author Joanne Raetz Stuttgen had the great fortune to get paid to wander Wisconsin eating at small (no more than ten thousand hearty, hungry souls) town cafes. She captures the ambience as well as the taste of these places, often the social hub of their communities. The reviews are rendered with tender loving care wherein it is evident that she took the time to get to know the people, local culture, and their stories, not just a quick look at the menu and a slam the food down, bam the check paid, thank-you m'am, and on to the next. After digesting this book, this reviewer hopes to be able to eat my way through my next visit in the Land of Cheese. My only quibble is that Ms. RS with-held the name of best darn cheeseburger "barn" in all of America's Dairy Land. People in-the-know will go miles and hours out of their way (it's 19 miles off I90-94, which at that point are travelling together) to get a cheeseburger at the Bowling Alley in Evansville. Try it! You'll love it! And give the owner a hug. Anybody with burgers that good, with the gumption to be a belligerent Bears fan in Cheesehead PackerLand, deserves a hug. /TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer

2 comments about Cheese: The Making of a Wisconsin Tradition.

1. Author, Jerry Apps has just been presented the State of Wisconsin Historical Society Book Award. Presentation was made on June 26, 1999 in Green Bay Wisconsin. This is the WHOLE story of cheese making in Wisconsin. Great historical photographs, and listing of all current cheese info. A "Must Have" for the cheese lover!



2. Say 'cheese' and Wisconsin comes to mind - but how many take the time to delve into the cheese industry's history in that state? Wonder no more: In Cheese: The Making Of A Wisconsin Tradition, Wisconsin author and historian Jerry Apps researches the history of cheese-making in Wisconsin from the 1840s to modern times, detailing both the daily lives of early cheese makers and their contributions to making Wisconsin one of the top cheese-producing states in the nation. Stories from cheese makers, milk haulers, graders, and more compliment explanations of different kinds of cheeses, production techniques, and common problems making cheese. Simply put, Cheese: The Making Of A Wisconsin Tradition 'must' for any cheese fan, as well as terrifically informative and fun reading for we of the Badger State!

1 comments about Breweries of Wisconsin (North Coast Books).

1. Very informative and detailed history of brewing in the state made famous by the craft of German immigrants. Short histories of the major breweries of Wisconsin fill in the trivia gaps any beer buff may have. Includes many historical pictures of Blatz, Schlitz, Pabst, Walter, Oshkosh, Mathie-Ruder, Gettelman, and of course, Miller. The listing of all known brewery buildings still standing in Wisconsin is espescially helpful for guiding the weekend roadtrip. Viewing these historical structures is a great way to imagine the brewing industry of the past 150 years. Highly recommended for anyone interested in beer, from the history afficionado, to the basement homebrewer.

No comments about A Cook's Journey: Slow Food in the Heartland.

3 comments about Hudson Valley Harvest: A Food Lover's Guide to Farms, Restaurants, and Open-Air Markets.

1. We bought this book before a weekend trip to the Hudson Valley and can't imagine traveling to the area without it. It has everything you would want to know about the farmers and what they are growing and producing. It tells you where and what to eat and how to use what you buy at a farmstand or local farmers market. It also made us really think about the people who grow the food. Their stories are uniformly interesting, even moving. The author has a pleasingly gentle touch when she writes about issues so much in the news today like organics, the humane treatment of animals and keeping small farms viable. Even if you aren't visiting the Hudson Valley, this is definitely a worthwhile book to have and read.



2. This is THE book for anyone who lives, works, visits or is even thinking of a trip to the Hudson Valley, this bucolic but agriculturally threatened area, just an hour north of New York City. Jan Greenberg not only tells where to buy and eat these outstanding (and tasty) products but in a non-preachy way makes the reader understand why it is important to support these local farmers and producers. Her profiles and stories of the farmers who grow the fruits and vegetables and raise the livestock are truly heartfelt and gave me, and will do the same I think for anyone else who reads them, a new understanding of what is like to be a grower where everything, from weather to the economy, is out of your control. This is the high risk profession!! It makes Wall Street look safe.

   Above all, though, this is a book about enjoying food --buying it, serving it and tasting it. As Danny Meyer, owner of New York City's Union Square Cafe and other restaurants known for their support of local farms, writes - "This book deserves a place on the bookshelf (or in the glove compartment) of every itinerant aficionado of New York's bounty." He's right.




3. Jan Greenberg's guide came in handy last weekend when I took my visiting family - kids, grandparents and everything in between - on a two day trip through the Hudson Valley. This is a great area but it is hard to get off the beaten track , particularly if you want to do more than just look at historic sites and state parks. Even though it was early in the season, this book got us to some beautiful farm and country sites; the restaurant recommendations were right on; and we actually learned a lot as well. Don't visit the Hudson Valley without this book.

3 comments about Farm Recipes and Food Secrets from the Norske Nook.

1. There is a small-town cafe in Osseo, Wisconsin, called the Norske Nook which has earned a reputation for outstanding cooking and great eating. It was founded by Helen Myhre who, with the collaborative help of Mona Vold, now presents an outstanding cookbook that showcases all of the gustatory reasons why the Norske Nook became a regional Wisconsin success. This outstanding compendium of recipes is presented in sections devoted to Brads, Rolls and Sweet Dough Treats; Assorted Meats and Gravies; Fresh and Canned Treasures from the Garden and Wild Patches; Farm Meals; Pies, Tortes, Pan Desserts, and Puddings; Cakes, Bars, and Frostings; Cookies and Fry Cakes; Homemade Ice Creams and Toppings; Old-Fashioned Beverages and New-Fangled Punches; Scandinavian Specialities; Good Kitchen Tools and Mail-Order Products. No personal or community library Wisconsin oriented cookbook collection can be considered complete without the prominent inclusion of Helen Myhre and Mona Vold's Farm Recipes And Food Secrets From The Norske Nook!



2. If this doesn't improve your cooking, you are either one phenomenal cook, or you need to just start ordering in. Everything is fantastic in this book. I have had it for over a year, now, and I haven't had a bad batch of anything yet. Helen Myhre has tips and techniques that I wouldn't have ever used, but they've work so well that I'd no sooner give them up than give away my favorite pot. I'd been looking for a good pie crust recipe for about twenty years and finally found it here. The recipe was fantastic, something I would have never tried, and everyone compliments my pie crusts. I wish I could spend a day in this gal's kitchen; she is really something else. I don't give a review unless I'm pretty strongly for or against something. This one had to be written. Buy two copies - one for yourself, and one for the person who feeds you most (besides yourself). I've actually travelled to the Norske Nook (on my way elsewhere, believe it or not), and even the french fries are uncommonly good. Warning: recipes contain copious amounts of butter, LOL!



3. I grew up with a grandfather who was born in 1889, who survived the first world war, married his wife at the age of 30, had 5 kids, survived the Great Depression, and made a living as a dairy farmer in Mid-Western Wisconsin. He participated in the old-time threshing crews, which meant 15-20 neighbors (read: big strapping men from other farms) would congregate to help each other harvest their crops from the fields. Who fed all of these burly men? The women! Helen Myhers is the real-deal. She has compiled a cookbook full of recipes that are the actual farm recipes used by the women who fed the threshing crews on hot summer days. You'll find classic menus for holidays, Norwegian favorites, old-time baking from scratch, and my personal favorite- a killer Blueberry Bluff Cake. I'd recommend buying this book in hardcover, because you'll have it forever and return to it over and over again. I can attest to that. Mine is already ragged and very well used. There is also a very sentimental aspect to this cookbook. Helen writes about her memories too and gives readers a background about each chapter and each recipe. Her stories resonated with me and the memories I had about growing up on my grandparents farm near Helen's restaurant, so I cherish the book for its authenticity.

1 comments about Celebrate Breakfast!: A Cookbook & Travel Guide.

1. I love this cookbook. It has great recipes. The recipes don't call for ingredients that are difficult to purchase in our area. I recommend this book.

2 comments about Cafe Wisconsin Cookbook.

1. The cooperative work of Midwest folklorist Joanne Raetz Stuttgen and food columnist and cookbook author Terese Allen, "Cafe Wisconsin Cookbook" is a compilation of the history, anecdotes and recipes associated with some of Wisconsin's very best small town cafes ranging from Boscobel to Glennwood City, and from Stoughton to Sturgeon Bay. The recipes are organized around the categories of Breakfast, Baked Goods, Soups, Salads, Daily Specials, Sandwiches and Burgers, Sid Dishes and Extras, Pies and Other Desserts. Now any family cook can duplicate Wisconsin's Main Street eateries with respect to menu items ranging from pies, meatloaf and fish fries, to casseroles, burgers, and blue plate specials. "Cafe Wisconsin Cookbook" is an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library regional cookbook collections!



2. Many good recipes, now we know the secrets of the cafes. Sadly, some are no longer in business but fortunately live on in the book. The Snicker salad recipe is worth the price of the book.

1 comments about Join the Celebration! A Collection of Favorite Recipes.

1. Join the Celebration! is a great cookbook and I'm a collector. It includes lots of great recipes from simple to sophisticated, and I like the idea that the proceeds go to a worthy cause. I'm giving it to all the good home cooks on my Christmas list, with the hope that they'll be inspired to host a party and invite me!

2 comments about A Taste of Ohio History: A Guide to Historic Eateries and Their Recipes (Taste of History, 2).

1. Having loved "A Taste of Pennslyvania History", I was so excited to get this book. Taste of Ohio History is just as wonderful as the authors' first book. Plan on getting every book in the series--I look forward to all 50 books (just ordered Virginia and anxiously await Maryland). The writing is wonderful and the descriptions of the restaurants and the recipes are such a great addition to my kitchen bookshelf.



2. This book was very interesting from a historical standpoint, with an added bonus of interesting recipes. I haven't tried any yet, but am looking forward to it.