5 comments about The New Ebony Cookbook.

1. Delicious is the word for the easy-to-follow recipes in the New EBONY Cookbook. I loved Charlotte Lyon's new twist on soul food classics. Cajun Fried Chicken, sauteed collard greens, sweet potato salad, black-eyed pea salad, and walnut sweet potato pie. Recently I got lots of compliments for a brunch I prepared using the recipes for Fresh Tangerine Mimosa, Shrimp-Filled Deviled Eggs, Champagne-Mushroom Chicken, Stir-Fried Asparagus, Virginia Ham Biscuits and Buttermilk Pie with Mixed Berry Compote. The color photos help inspire you to try the recipes. The timely tips at the end are also helpful.



2. As a novice cook, I really do not prepare a lot of meals. When I got this book, all of the recipes looked so appetizing and easy to follow I couldn't wait to get started! The coconut shrimp, cajun fried chicken, skillet greens with balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar pound cake are my favorites! This is a great book I would recommend to anyone who wants to spice up their kitchen!



3. this cookbook is perfect for cooks like me who really don't know how to cook!!! the language is plain, the ingrediants are simple, and the results.....for me... is usually tasty!!!

   the timely tips in the back of the book are especially helpful. they teach me how to make substitutions, when i don't have certain ingrediants the recipes require.

   i also found this to be the perfect cookbook for my 14 year old son to learn the basics of functioning in the kitchen.




4. This book was a huge disappointment. I have Frieda Knight's wonderful _Dinner with a Dish_ (from Ebony), so really looked forward to this one. But it was so coldly written, with no introductions, anecdotes, or descriptions of the recipes. In the aforementioned _Dinner with a Dish_, it tells how a minted pea recipe became very popular after someone mistakenly used mint tea instead of water to cook some peas. I like that sort of intro/description, and missed it here. For example, all recipe collections include some that are quick-and-easy, some that use up ingredients we keep on hand, some that are very cheap, some that are out-of-this-world delicious show-stoppers, some that have sentimental value, etc. -- and it is important to know which are which before wasting your time and effort. (For example, I'm a northerner, and have never seen or tasted collard greens. A recipe describing them as delectable would tempt me to locate and try them -- but, without such a description, I have no way of knowing if the recipe is listed because collard greens are readily available, or because they taste good.) is book doesn't provide any clues about time or effort involved or results expected. I was horribly disappointed, and will be returning it.

   However, I gave it three stars rather than one, since the above criteria may not matter to all people.




5. No thank you, I won't be having seconds. I already own the original Ebony cookbook so I picked this one up with high expectations. What a let down! The New Ebony cookbook is full of bland recipes that I will never try. Considering that the orignal book is a treasury of Americas finest Black cooking there is no excuse for this new version to be so poor. Stick with the original.

5 comments about The Lost Art of Scratch Cooking.

1. The book is misleading as a lot of the stuff she uses to make her food I don't consider to be scratch. I was disappointed in the book although some of it was good.



2. This is an excellent resource for the novice.
   
   I do not have a lot of time to read a lot of recipes just to get a good soul meal but this book is truly God sent.
   
   If you need a meal without all of the fuss this book is for you.



3. The Title said it right. Scratch cooking is becoming a lost ark. There are so many ways that are quick, easy, or instant, but not alway the best. To me, food taste better when it made from scratch, even if it take more time and effort to prepare the meal. Compare this book from others that are quick and easy and you will see, nothing beat cooking from scratch.



4. THIS BOOK WAS SO DISAPPOINTING. THE REVIEWS INDICATED A CHARMING WAY TO SEE HOW TO COOK IN A WONDERFUL OLD ART OF COOKING. HAD I SAW THIS AT A CHURCH BAZZAR I WOULD HAVE PAID FAR LESS AND GIVEN IT TO A CHILD TO LEARN THE BASIS OF COOKING. IN TODAYS MARKET FOR THE PRICE PAID, IT SHOULD HAVE HAD MORE DETAILS ON THE FAMILY TRADITIONS, PHOTOS AND SOME ZIP THAT MADE YOU EAGER TO COOK SOMETHING INCLUDED IN THE BOOK.
   I AM A COLLECTOR OF COOKBOOKS, PERHAPS NOW IN EXCESS OF 200+ AND WOULD RATE THIS BOOK AS A MINUS 1. I DID APPRECIATE THE BIBLICAL VERUS IN THE BOOK.



5. I love this book! I've tried just about everything in that book. It's a wonderful book!

No comments about The Family Style Soul Food Diabetes Cookbook.

1 comments about Healthy Soul Food Cooking.

1. Great book for anyone who wants a book comfort food cookbook with all the taste but without all the fat and sugar this is for you. I am a diabetic of 10 years and this is the first book that works for me and I don't feel like I'm missing anything. I ran it by my doctor and dietician and got the thumbs up. I've given this book to two people already as gifts and they love it.

1 comments about African American Foodways: Exploration of History and Culture (The Food Series).

1. "African American Foodways: Explorations Of History And Culture" compiled, organized and edited by academician and food history expert Anne L. Bower covers African American cuisines ranging from West African fare, to Caribbean influences, to South American traditions, to contemporary fusion dishes using 'soul food' ingredients that had their origins in American slavery. The seven knowledgeable contributors draw from history, literature, sociology, anthropology, and African-American studies to illustrate and demonstrate how food's material and symbolic values have contributed to African American cultural identities for almost five hundred years. Of special note is Anne Bower's own contribution, 'Recipes for History: the National Council of Negro Women's Five Historical Cookbooks'. "African American Foodways" is a model of modern and seminal sociological scholarship, as well as a welcome and highly recommended addition to academic and community library American History, Culinary History, Popular Culture, and African-American Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

5 comments about Brown Sugar: Soul Food Desserts from Family and Friends.

1. BROWN SUGAR: SOUL FOOD DESSERTS FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS is a cookbook filled with mouth-watering, delicious treats. There are seven chapters in the book devoted to various sweet reasures including, cakes, cookies, pies, puddings, candies, ice cream, and fruit desserts. Inserted before each recipe is a homey vignette describing a personal experience of the author or contributor.

   The recipes are easy to follow, and Ms. White provides common sense advice throughout the book on obtaining maximum results from the recipes. Even the novice baker will be able to follow the instructions and end up with winning results. BROWN SUGAR is a "must-have" cookbook for discerning and freshman bakers alike.

   Reviewed by Diane Marbury (HonestD)
   The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers




2. This book is fantastic! I truly enjoyed the stories leading into each recipe. It made me feel as if it let me into a warm and personal side of Joyce White's life. This made reading these recipes interesting and fun.

   I've always had a problem with picking out fresh fruit. However, Brown Sugar takes the guesswork out of it. I was so enlighten with the details on how to select the freshest fruits. With the knowledge I've gained, I ventured into preparing a scrumptious dessert for friends. My choice was the "Fresh Berry Compote". It was a hit and the instructions were so easy to follow.

   Brown Sugar is a wonderful soul food dessert book that I really enjoyed.




3. "Food for the soul" is an excellent way to describe the wonderfully soothing experience a person feels after eating any one of the treats from Joyce White's cookbook "Brown Sugar." Right now, just thinking about the "sweet potatoe pie" brings a smile to my face and that "chocolate cheesecake" makes my mouth water. ummmmmm, "Brown Sugar."



4. As warm and homey as the smell of freshly baked bread, Brown Sugar welcomes you to enjoy a rich and diverse collection of sweets. Candy, cookies, pies, cakes, ice cream and more are all featured in a collection of recipes featuring a wide variety of classics and favorites.
   
   This is also one of those delectable cookbooks you like to snuggle up with and read cover to cover. Mixing practical advice with a wide range of personal family history, White writes the book in such a way that when you close it, you feel like a member of her family.
   
   But even better than that, the recipes themselves are crafted with simple, everyday utensils, using ingredients that are common and can be found at the local store.
   
   There are no pictures of the food, but that is a small price to pay for such a rich bounty of delicious, easy to make desserts.
   
   Highest possible recommendations!



5. Wonderful Book. The recipes are unique but not difficult. The book has great tips on the types of pans to use, where to place your pan in the oven and an education on "brown sugar". Who knew there were so many different types of brown sugar! I would recommend this book to anyone that loves to bake and would love to show off something different.

5 comments about The Ebony Cookbook: A Date with a Dish.

1. My step dad is a retired chef who cooked for 20 years at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. He grew up in Kansas City and knew the Gates family and Mr. Bryant through school and his music career in a famous African-American singing group in the 1940's and 50's. Last night I was discussing my search for new BBQ sauces and mentioned a couple of cookbooks I had obtained. I was surprised when he admitted he hadn't always been a BBQ master chef. Because of the people he was raised around I figured he just always knew the secret of how to BBQ. Dad read me six cookbook titles that he had never shown me or told me about, even though over a ten year period he gave me the recipe for his "secret sauce" little by little. The cookbook he said to get first is The Ebony Cookbook, by Freda DeKnight. He read me the ingredients for BBQ sauces 1-4 and I knew right then why I had to get this book first.

   My step dad knows BBQ like few others, and he can cook anything you name to perfection. If he said to get this book first well that's good enough for me. I don't need pretty pictures, I want to learn more about good Q and I'm confident this is the place to start.

   By the way Dad sang with the Ink Spots and by mentioning his name and our family relationship, Winnie Gates, at the 12th and Brooklyn Gates' BBQ, treated my wife and I like visiting royalty when we passed through KC in 1974. We were served drinks in her office and she comped our ribs! So please feel confident in Dad's view that this book is the place to begin a serious study of BBQ. He said there are lots of other valuable recipes as well.




2. I bought this book twenty years ago and discovered that some of the recipes in the book were the very same as the ones the women in my family have used for decades.
   I used it so much that I needed to replace it. For the woman who feels challenged when it comes to culinary skills, I highly recommend this book.
   No one will ever know your secret, until you choose to share it!



3. wish there were pictures of the recipes, might give it away as a gift.



4. This is a very good book it has some recipes my mother use to make.



5. Was kind of disappointed when I received this cookbook, first there was no photo's of what the food is suppose to look like, sometimes it's good to see what the food is suppose to look like when it is prepared, gave it to he library.
   
   
   (Kelis's Grandma)

3 comments about Everybody Loves Meatloaf: More Than 100 Recipes for Loaves and Fixings.

1. All in all, an imaginative and creative take on preparing meatloaf. I was especially impressed as various cuisines were explored; i.e., Mediterranean, Greek, Indian, Italian, etc. There were also good pointers for using turkey and chicken as well as some good recipes for using poultry in meatloaf. So, why the four stars, and not five? Too much reliance on chili sauce and bacon strips as a topping and little or no variety of the brown gravy type of meatloaf. Also, the editors missed a "biggie." There is a recipe for a spinach cheese loaf, and guess what? Spinach is not listed in the ingredients and not mentioned in the preparation so readers are on their own for determining how much and what type of spinach to use. Otherwise, a good guide, and one that I will use for new meatloafs.



2. Everyone laughs when I tell them I have a cookbook with nothing but meatloaf recipes, but I've found it to be very useful. The author does a very nice job of discusing basic meatloaf "theory", (with some nice reminiscences about her grandmother) which makes it easy invent your own recipes in addition to using the ones in the book. Every recipe I've made from this book has been a winner, even the ones that depart pretty far from the meatloaf norm, like the Curried Apple Chicken Loaf. I also like the many suggestions for what to serve with the recipes, and the "fixings" recipes at the back.



3. I love meat-loaf! I thought I knew how to make meat-loaf. After reading this book I realized that I knew nothing. The classic old-fashioned meat-loaf recipe on pg 14 is worth $10.00 by itself. The author covers all kinds of loaves, chicken and turkey, seafood like the dilled salmon loaf was outstanding! there is also believe it or not vegetarian loaves (but not quite vegan). and one of the best chapters is devoted to sauces and glazes because when it all comes down to it, Its the crunchy top that is the best part! there is 14 different sauces to try and the few that I have tried were outstanding! and to round it out she even included an old classic mashed potato recipe. For $10.00 this hard-covered gem should not be passed by!!!

5 comments about Sylvia's Soul Food.

1. I checked out her cookbook from the library four years ago, I love the recipes so much, especially the peach cobbler, I wanted to purchased the book but my funds are limited. So I checked it out again and tried some more of her recipes, they are so great! My family loves it! I do have one of her books that I got through a book club which wasn't bad (meaning the price only 2 bucks, but worth a lot more!) But Sylvia's Soul food book they did not have. I would really like a chance to purchase all her books. Sylvia, you have simply stolen my heart as well as well as my appetite. I look forward to trying more of your recipes! One of your number one fans!



2. I bought this for the ribs recipes and I was not at all disappointed. It's a very new approach for me, but one that turned out beautifully. I've used other recipes in this book, and all have come out as promised (especially the fried chicken recipe), but the ribs are the ones I come back to again and again. I'm very glad I got this book and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anybody interested in Southern comfort cooking.



3. I thought the book was really bad. Most of the food they had recipes for were not in my kitchen. Guess I'm not meant to be a "soul food" cook.



4. When I first got this book I thought it can't be as good as SYLVIA'S FAMILY SOUL FOOD COOKBOOK (same author). However, after trying a recipe or two I realized that it had that same old South Carolina graciousness. You see, in South Carolina when it snows, the grocery stores are like amusement parks -- packed with contented people hoping to stay home from work and cook. South Carolinians love meals like pinto beans and ham hocks, chitlins and other things that busy people otherwise will not cook for lack of time.
   
   This is a good cookbook for those interested in Southern soul food. You might have to revise a little to accommodate the healthy-conscious family members. And by all means, don't stop with just this cookbook. Buy SYLVIA'S FAMILY SOUL FOOD COOKBOOK, too.



5. One word...H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E...these are not the recipes used at her restaurant...Mac and Cheese was absolutely disgusting...

5 comments about Naomi's Home Companion: A Treasury of Favorite Recipes, Food for Thought and Country Wit and Wisdom.

1. I have made about 1/3 to 1/2 of the recipes with much success. The BBQ chicken is fabulous! A few disappointments (such as Tammy Wynette's Pork Chops) but overall good, simple, country food. The recipes are easy to follow. The many pictures are great---about 2/3's of the recipes have pictures, and, of course, you will see pictures of Naomi and her family in various times of their lives with interesting stories. I highly recommend this if you are a country music fan and a "country" cook---this would not be for you if you are looking for the Julia Child style of cooking.



2. The recipes for fried chicken, coconut cake and macaroni and cheese are really good. Plus, the book is entertaining with anecdotes and stories from Naomi. The book really is a keeper.



3. I really wanted to love this cookbook. It's been on my most wanted listed for years. Finally I caved and bought a used copy.
   
   The text is... contrived. There are small quotes and sayings throughout the book that are not Naomi's own. Which is part of the disappointment. It seems like she is trying to hard to appeal to Ms. Betty Homemaker. "I suggest you spend more time and less money on your kids", "You know you've met the wrong doctor when... offers to paint your car for $50"... and this doesnt even get into the two pages on how to be a good wife (an excerpt from a 1950's magazine, offered in jest?) and overuse of quotes on family statistics "about 75% of women dont know what's for dinner... until 4pm", "the avg american eats 1/3 of his/her meals away from home"...
   
   So getting to the recipes... nothing seems overly great or amazing. My attempt at the corndogs was miserable with repeated effort and following the recipe to the T. Getting the oil to 370' would burn the corndog batter. At 270' they would brown too quickly and form a big air bubble on one side refusing to turn in the oil. And the flavor wasnt anything to write home about let alone fit to publish.
   
   I'm very disappointed that I even bought the used copy.
   
   "76% of married women work outside the home. In 1950, only 28%"; "Dinner conversation appetizer: ask each other 'what would you be doing if you knew you couldnt fail?'"....



4. I own MANY cookbooks, loved this one. Recipes are pure comfort food. Loved the little stories with it, more than just another cookbook. Very interesting reading.



5. I actually bought this as a replacement for the book I borrowed out to someone and never got back.
   I really like this cookbook it has many recipes in here that I use.