1 comments about Cooking Light Soups & Stews Cookbook (Cooking Light).

1. This is, hands down, my absolute favorite cookbook for soups and stews. Every recipe (each one triple-tested) is a gem, and I have enjoyed working my way through the selections. I was surprised to find that I could not purchase this book on the Cooking Light or Oxmoor House publishers websites -so I am particularly happy to find it here (at a discount!)as I want to give this book as a cherished gift to special deserving friends. If you love soups and stews, you would be hard tested to find a cookbook offering such delicious and easy recipes -and as a bonus -in lighter, healthier versions, than this one.

5 comments about Once Upon a Tart . . .: Soups, Salads, Muffins, and More.

1. I got this book on sale at a discount clothing store because of the fancy pictures. I enjoyed reading about the authors claim to fame while setting up the bakery.
   
   Now, to the recipes. I tried the apple tart and it came out disasterous. This is my first tart so it could be because I'm just clumsy. I don't plan on attempting the tarts anymore. The salads had too many exotic ingredients, so I don't plan to make any of those, either.
   
   Then, why the 4-star rating? The cookie recipes are well worth the price of this book!!!! Has anyone seen a recipe for madelines (french cookies shaped like a shell)? This book has it and it is so easy to make and you'll most likely have all the ingredients at home because it's very similar to a pancake recipe. I keep a batch in the frig and when it's snack time for the kids, I heat up the oven, fill the cookie molds and we have fresh baked madelines within 15 minutes. Warm, chewy and chunchy, nothing like the cold, dry ones sold at Starbucks. The sugar cookies are also pretty good. They come out chewy, even when slightly over baked. I love their halloween spider sugar cookies and hope to one day make my own cookie cutter.



2. I purchaSED this book one for myself and one for my daughter-in-law. Liked it so well, I bought a third one for my son who is headed to culinary school.



3. This is actually the second time I have purchased this! I loaned it out (my biggest mistake) and it never came back, so I had to replace it. Definitely a "go to" book for many occasions and cravings. Every salad, cookie, and scone that I have made from this book over the years has gotten rave reviews. At our annual school fair I make the cranberry scones because they are requested and sell out immediately. There are also wonderful tips (e.g., what to do if you don't have buttermilk in the house but feel the need for a scone) and interesting little stories. This is one of my favorite cookbooks, and I look forward to visiting the real bakery in NYC soon. A purchase to savor!



4. I have lots of cookbooks, but this is one I use over and over - for scones, muffins, and cookies as well as savory tarts and main dishes. I've given many copies of this book as gifts. The molasses cookies are fabulous!



5. I just purchased this book and tried three recipes today. The Banana Poppyseed muffins were just okay. The Zucchini Curry Tart was delicious but the recipe, as written, calls for too much zucchini to fit in a mere 9 inch tart and too little custard (2 eggs and 1/4 cup light cream hardly filled half of the tart). I also tried the Roasted Potato Tart with Gruyere and Mushrooms. Again, it was delicious, but the recipe called for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pound of mushrooms which, even after they were sauteed, were much too numerous to fit on top of the tart as directed. Oddly, for the same size tart and vegetables that take up the same capacity in the shell, this recipe called for 4 eggs and 1/2 cup of light cream.
   
   I suspect that the authors, owners of a SoHo bake shop, are used to making their goods on a much larger scale. They may have simply pared down the recipes for the book without actually testing the accuracy of the measurements.
   
   My comments are not meant to discourage anyone from buying the book. The book itself is very attractive and well-organized and would make a welcome addition on anyone's cookbook shelf. I simply offer caution to those who wish to follow the recipes exactly as written.
   
   As a footnote, the banana muffins did improve with age. The banana flavor was more pronounced the day after baking as opposed to right out of the oven.

5 comments about Saved By Soup: More Than 100 Delicious Low-Fat Soups To Eat And Enjoy Every Day.

1. Even though I almost never cook, the soups in this book are *so* simple and *so* tasty that I use it regularly. The format of the book is wonderful and the recipes extremely easy to understand and follow. Oh, and did I mention that they are delicious?! Do yourself a favor and make double quantities and freeze what you can't use right away. That way you can have tasty soup at hand through the winter.



2. this book has a lot of useful information that helps in our fight for good health, fast, easy cooking and time saving. I have used some of the recipes and find them quite satisfactory.



3. This is the 5th copy of this book we've bought. We give them as gifts to our busy friends who appreciate good food but don't have much time to cook a delicous, nutritious dinner every night. We especially love the blended soups that use chicken stock. Once blended they taste like a cream based soup without the fat and calories. When we give these as gifts we usually give a good immersion blender along with the book. We have found an immersion blender works so much easier than pouring the blended soups into a blender (less messy too). Our favorites: Potato Leek (blended) and Comfort Chicken Soup (with rice and spinach -- a balanced meal). I especially like the fact that the recipes are so easy to make that my husband loves to fix dinner. We have used the recipes in this cookbook at least once a week since we bought it 5 years ago. It's the best.



4. 
   Great recipes for soups, easy to make, with lovely photos of finished product.
   
   One of my favorite cookbooks. I recommend it.



5. Own the book and purchased extra copies as gifts. This book makes making soup quick and easy and I love the idea of fresh ingredients and lower salt.

1 comments about Chicken Soup for the Tea Lovers Soul: Stories Steeped in Comfort (Chicken Soup for the Soul).

1. This book is the perfect present for the holiday season (or any other special occasion). For those not knowing what to give as a gift, this little tome will definitely please male and female friends and relatives with its inspirational true stories of the tea drinking experience and how tea has brought people together in fellowship and family. First off, this book looks a bit different from the usual Chicken Soup tome - the cover is about an inch smaller in size and the inside pages are printed on a soft white paper (instead of the usual bright white) which makes reading easy on the eyes. The cover is shaded with a color reminiscent of brewed tea. It's a pleasure to hold this book in my hands. And it's an even greater pleasure to relax with this book for an uplifting spell of reading enjoyment. I always feel better after leafing through a Chicken Soup book, and this one in particular. I thrive on "feel good" stories. I appreciate the life lessons that the authors provide, and I get a kick out of seeing how they incorporate those lessons with the joy of tea drinking. Pass the cheese tray, friends, and relax with a cuppa - and this book.

5 comments about Daily Soup Cookbook.

1. Great new ideas for enhancing flavors and adding richness to basic soups. Plus, they offer some wonderfully fresh combinations of ingredients for unique adventures in the soup world. I often substitute some good vegetarian bullion cubes for the admittedly better home made stock to save time, but the end result is still deeply satisfying. Originally coming to me as a gift, I have followed the tradition for my soup loving friends and family.



2. I have owned this soup cookbook for many years and recently purchased it for my parents who love soup. The vast selection of receipes are all broken down into groups such as vegetarian, meat, pasta, tomato etc. this is a great way of having a craving for a particuliar king of soup then looking up all the additional options you can make based on that craving. If you are a soup lover all year round this is the only soup cookbook you will ever need.



3. I had sworn not to add any additional cookbooks to my collection. I came across this one and broke my own rule to myself and have been glad that I did. This is a perfect cookbook. I've found that for my lifestyle, soups is the way to go, and none of the recipes has been a dud. Quite the opposite. I have decided to go through the entire book and do every recipe in the book.
   
   Many of the recipes call for the use of thyme leaves, an herb that I had not used much. I am now very comfortable with it and appreciate the flavor that it brings to these recipes.
   
   Tried so far with great success: The cream-less asparagus soup ( buy frozen asparagus, don't try to peel and chop 2 lbs. of fresh asparagus...takes too long), Cuban black bean ( I had three cans of black beans and one can of chick peas from a close-out sale ...so I left out the salt that the recipe calls for and substituted the already prepared beans. Note: there is a minor flaw in the recipe. First, it has been proven since the book was written that you can add salt to the beans, the beans won't toughen from the salt. But tomatoes or other acids do toughen beans and I wouldn't add any tomatoes, canned, fresh or otherwise until I was certain my beans were cooked and tender), French onion soup (really good. I roasted my onions in the oven per the instructions).



4. We've loved almost every soup we've tried. Now that we've learned how to make substitutions (like Swanson's broth as opposed to homemade, etc.), many recipes are very simple AND just as tasty. If you truly love soup, this cookbook is for you.



5. I love this book and have given it as a gift. Although I knew my way around the kitchen, thanks to The Daily Soup, now I know my way around soup. The book is readable and fun, taking any mysteries out of soup-making and encouraging improvisation. I also like its variety with some simple soups (like Tomato Basil--made surprisingly--without basil) and some more unusual (like Moroccan Chicken Curry with Couscous).

1 comments about Food Made Fast: Soup (Williams-Sonoma).

1. Each delicious recipie has a picture and is made with a short list of normal inexpensive ingredients that you can actually find. There's a really good variety here, and there's only one in the whole book that I don't want to try. This book has inspired my family to have "soup night" at least one night each week. The section on soups to store is a great alternative to keeping over-salted canned soup in the pantry, providing a healthy quick meal for kids.

5 comments about Small Plates.

1. Wow, love this book. It's full of very simple recipes, easy to follow, and delicious. The photography is also very beautiful. I'm not a cook by any means, but I found this book very friendly to the non-chef. I've ordered several copies and am giving them away for Christmas, they make a fantastic gift.



2. small plates seem to be trend these days, so this book will be useful.



3. If you want to lose weight, one of the best ways to do so is by ordering appetizers - or cooking appetizer-size meals. That's where the idea of 'small plates' comes in, and where SMALL PLATES: APPETIZERS AS MEALS makes its impact. Gourmet food is typically presented in full meal style, but SMALL PLATES offers up something different: portions that lend to dieting. From Free-Form Ravioli with Crabmeat and Shrimp to Roasted Beet, Spinach and Orange Salad, these are packed with flavor and innovative presentation. A top pick, loaded with color photos.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



4. I was given this book as a gift just a few weeks ago and it has since become my favorite cookbook. The recipes are accessible to even average-skilled cooks and are absolutely trustworthy, meaning that if you follow the author's directions, you will end up with delicious, impressive dishes that are exactly as she describes. She offers a broad range of recipes, but nothing so esoteric that you can't find the ingredients at your local market. Although the book is about small plates, each of the recipes can stand alone as a meal or a course. I find myself picking it up in the morning and selecting a dish to cook for dinner. I'll pick up whatever fresh ingredients I need on the way home from work and then in under an hour I'll have a masterpiece ready to serve. I have a lot of cookbooks, some that I keep for only one or two favorite recipes that I got back to regularly. What makes this cookbook different is that there are dozens of recipes I know I'll use.



5. When a cookbook gives me at least one really great recipe, it is worth the money. This book provides page after page of scrumptious fare! It is for those with adventuresome tastebuds and willing to invest a little time preparing a tasty meal. Do not buy this book if you are looking for appetizer recipes in the typical sense. The recipes in this collection feature flavors from around the world. They run the gamut from bread based tasties to flavorful soups, unique salads, vegetables, pasta, meats and seafoods with a nice assortment of sauces and salsa. Each dish typically provides about 4 - 6 small servings. Make several for a little party, or prepare one just for yourself with leftovers. Enjoy!

5 comments about Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table.

1. aesthetically pleasing book with interesting background information on the dishes and good recipes. more pictures of the actual dishes would have helped, especially for those that you are not familiar with, but the easy to follow step-by-step directions made up for the lack of pictures



2. My Mother-in-law (MIL)is Vietnamese which makes it difficult for us to find a great Vietnamese cookbook since we're always comparing it to her cooking. We wanted a cookbook that featured authentic dishes. And being that I'm hispanic it was really hard for me to replicate instictively what I saw my MIL make in her kitchen. But after getting this book...Wow! The dishes truly tasted the way they were supposed to! I know some reviewers have stated that the recipes are too time consuming, but you can always "modernize" a bit if your in a rush (Ex. She tells you to make the coconut milk from scratch. Very Time consuming! But just substitute for a good asian brand of canned coconut milk and the results are VERY close, specially if you're in a time crunch. That's what my MIL does!). The first time I made a recipe from this book my husband couldn't believe I had made it myself! It's true that you would need a pretty good asian/vietnamese market nearby for best results but I've done slight modifications when needed and still had a tasty meal at hand.
   This is a great book to have in your library. You might not use this book every month but it has the BEST truly Vietnamese recipes I've ever tried. If you're not concerned about the authenticity of a recipe then you might prefer a different book that is "easier" but probably more suited to our american palates than the vietnamese...



3. Great book! Easy to follow instructions, gives background info about the ingredients, and everything tastes great. The only complaint that I have, is that the book is not glossy, so it is easy to destroy if it gets wet.



4. Other reviewers mentioned that "Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table" is not for them because they are not hardcore cooks who want to slave over the stove for hours, and I know what they are talking about. I can sympathize with their problems because there are many ingredients they have to deal with. But if they live near major Vietnamese or Chinese supermarkets, then they definitely would not have to worry about finding the ingredients. For me, "Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table" is special because I want to learn how to cook these Vietnamese recipes authentically, meaning taking more time and effort rather than using short cuts. It's important to me because I'm Vietnamese, and I want to learn and preserve Vietnamese cuisine as authentically as possible for future generations. I love Mai Pham's "Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table" for its cultural values via authentic Vietnamese recipes. The author actually went back to Vietnam and collected these recipes from excellent street vendors and home cooks. This book is a real treasure because it is the only Vietnamese cookbook out there that has authentic recipes as they are cooked in Vietnam today by street vendors and home cooks. This book is well written, the procedures are detailed, and the recipes are delicious. The reasons I like this book are:
   
   1) Excellent recipe for "banh beo" (steamed round rice cakes with shrimp), which is delicious. The author got this recipe from a vendor (in Vietnam) who has been making and selling "banh beo" for decades. This recipe is different than the one in Andrea Nguyen's book "Into The Vietnamese Kitchen", and I have to say that I like this recipe better than Andrea Nguyen's.
   
   2) Marinated daikon and carrots recipe. I like the fact that the author offers the readers a choice between using rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar. Other Vietnamese cookbooks tell readers to use distilled white vinegar entirely or to use rice vinegar entirely, rather than giving them a choice between the two vinegars. Personally, I prefer rice vinegar. This recipe would go great with Vietnamese sandwich, but you would need to slice the daikon into thick matchsticks rather than thick slices.
   
   3) Great lotus stem salad recipe.
   
   4) Great "bun bo Hue" recipe.
   
   5) Fantastic Vietnamese spring rolls ("cha gio").
   
   6) Great rice paper-wrapped salad rolls ("goi cuon"). This book has the most authentic Bean Dipping sauce for these rolls because the sauce is made from fermented whole soybeans. Other Vietnamese cookbooks use short cuts such as using hoisin sauce and peanut butter to make the bean dipping sauce. This book is so valuable because it teaches readers how to cook authentic Vietnamese foods as seen in Vietnam today. No short cuts here.
   
   7) Delicious Vietnamese rice cakes in banana leaves ("banh chung") for the Lunar New Year celebration.
   
   8) Great chapter on Vietnamese vegetarian dishes.
   
   9) Interesting background information regarding the street vendors and home cooks who contributed the recipes for this book.
   
   This book has all the common recipes that you usually order at Vietnamese restaurants and delis. The only negative thing about this book is that its Glossary/Guide To Ingredients is not as detailed as that in Andrea Nguyen's book "Into The Vietnamese Kitchen". However, the recipes in this book are second to none. Don't be afraid to cook from this book because the recipes are not unreasonably complex. In fact, I find it easy to cook from this book because it's well written and thorough. Of all the Vietnamese cookbooks written in English on the market today, this book is the most authentic one, and it's charming. There are no color photos, and most recipes are not accompanied by photos; but this book is still my favorite Vietnamese cookbook. It's priceless. You won't regret buying this book.



5. Very authentic cook book. THough it lacks color pictures, if you are familiar with these dishes you will not need them. Flavors are very familiar to what my parents would cook- easy instruction though recipes are time consuming (inherent in the recipes not the authors writing). Get this book to cook a wonderful meal on the weekends and if you have access to these ingredients

5 comments about Twelve Months of Monastery Soups.

1. I bought this book for my mother, who has loved it for the last 7 years. She has systematically made every soup in the book. Aside from the beer soup... they were all delicious.
   Have fun!



2. 'Twelve Months of Monastery Soups' is my second-favorite cookbook, by virtue of the copies I've given to other cooks. (Bernard Clayton's 'Complete Book of Soups and Stews' is #1) Complete Book of Soups and Stews
   
   In my many years of cooking, I've enjoyed soupmaking because:
   1. It doesn't take a lot of work to make a soup,
   2. It is pretty hard to ruin the dish if you follow the recipe; and
   3. You can make a good recipe even greater with a little ingredient experimentation and fine-tuning.
   4. The more you do it, the more confident you get with your skill.
   
   In 'Twelve Months...', Brother Victor raises the soup cooking consciousness by providing a fine variety of seasonal selections presented in a very readable recipe format.
   
   Here are my reasons for recommending this fine soup cookbook:
   
   Recipe Simplicity: I loathe the `Joy of Cooking' because of the cryptic recipe language it is written in. Brother Victor lays it out plain and simple here, making the construction easy for the new or challenged cook. Anyone can make one of these fine soups.
   
   Seasonalness: The soups are arranged by month when the vegetable ingredients are most readily available and fresh. For not-too-adventuresome cooks, the combination of ingredient seasonality and recipe simplicity tempts you to try new things you'd probably never try before.
   
   Recipe Selection: The mix of recipes is very good. Even though the selection leans heavily toward the Vegan side, there is something here for everyone. Try Clayton's book if you seek more meaty varieties.
   
   One last thing. Several Amazon reviewers were critical of the `blandness' of the recipes. Pshaw, I say! If there isn't enough garlic, salt, pepper or spice in the recipe, I add more (and make a note of it in my cookbook.) Soup recipes should not be blindly followed, but spiced by the cook's good taste!



3. I bought this originally just wanting another soup cookbook, as I tend to live off soups. While other soup cookbooks seem to thrive off 20 different competing flavors, these soups thrive on their very simplicity. It makes both eating and making the soup like a meditation. You'll be amazed how a soup so simple can taste so good. You dont need tons of spices and different steps to appreciate the basic(and yummy!) taste of the vegetables.



4. Twelve Months of Monastery Soups
   I bought this book to help with my column in my Master Gardener newsletter. My recipes are chosen to utilized the bounty from our gardens. This book does this well, I use it often, always giving credit to the Monks. While reading this book I can almost feel the Monks next to me. It is a lovely feeling any time I use it. Each month they feature a recipe using the produce that is in season, Squash soup for November and so on. If you love soup this book is one you will enjoy. You will also lake some of the comments at the bottom of the page for each month.



5. When this book arrived I read it through immediately. I was hoping for a book of soups that I can use for weight control while not feeling cheated. However, there is an overwhelming quantity of recipes with cream in them. That makes this book not helpful for people with allergies, dairy intolerance, vegetarian leanings, cholesterol problems, or weight issues. I'm disappointed. Nevertheless, I'm heartened by the reviews of the recipes here, so I will try the ones that are suited to my diet needs and hope for the best.

2 comments about Williams-Sonoma Collection: Soup & Stew (Williams-Sonoma Collection (New York, N.Y.).).

1. This book has been in the Williams Sonoma stores for about a month (at full price) and I drool over it everytime I go into the store. I have been waiting to buy it from Amazon at the reduced price. The book is full of soup and stew recipes that appear yummy without being too complicated (I'm going to try the Coq au Vin immediately) and the illustrations are beautiful.



2. This book has excellent recipes for a wide range of soups and stews. There is a small reference section in the back which is helpful. As with all books in the series, the photography is gorgeous and the recipes are easy to follow.